14 Mar 2013

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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JAMADA 2, 1434 AH

Habemus Papam Argentina’s Bergoglio elected new pope MPs fume over debt relief deal

VATICAN CITY: Argentina’s Jorge Bergoglio, elected Pope Francis I appears at the window of St Peter’s Basilica’s balcony after being elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday. — AFP VATICAN CITY: Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church yesterday, and said he would take the name Francis I. Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

The choice of Bergoglio was announced by French cardinal JeanLouis Tauran with the Latin words “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum.

Habemus Papam” (“I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope”).

Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis and difficulty. Although a conservative he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.

He also went against one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young. He is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.

FIRST JESUIT POPE He is the first Jesuit to become pope.

The decision by 115 cardinal electors sequestered in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel came sooner than many experts expected because there were several frontrunners before the vote to replace Pope Benedict, who resigned in February. The cardinals faced a thorny task in finding a leader capable of overcoming crises caused by priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia.

The wave of problems is thought to have contributed to Benedict’s decision to become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate. Thousands of people sheltering from heavy rain under a sea of umbrellas had occupied the square all day to await the decision and the crowd swelled as soon as the white smoke emerged.

They cheered wildly and raced towards the basilica as the smoke billowed from a narrow makeshift chimney and St Peter’s bells rang. The excited crowd cheered even more loudly when Francis appeared, the first pontiff to take that name. “Viva il Papa (pope)” they chanted. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m absolutely delighted.

Continued on Page 13

Education Minister quits over death of student

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Education and Higher Education Minister Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf has tendered his resignation over the death of a Kuwaiti student according to informed sources. Muna Al-Oraifan, Director of Al-Wusta School, where the incident occurred said “the student died of heart attack, and she did not suffer from any injury.” Al-Oraifan said that the student was hit with a book by her teacher on her hand, and that was not the cause of her death.

Meanwhile, Farwaniya Health Zone Jamal Al-Sultan said the student suffered from heart problems, adding that the exact cause of her death will be determined by a coroner. The Education Ministry has launched an investigation into the death of the student. The ministry said the coroner’s report will be issued in two days, which will state the cause of her death.

Meanwhile, the ministr y has summoned the teachers for questioning.

The girl died on her way to the hospital inside the car of one the teachers.

Visit to work permit transfer suspended KUWAIT: The government indefinitely suspended transfer of commercial visas into work permits as per a decision announced on Tuesday, reports in yesterday’s editions of various local newspapers said. While it is not the first time that Kuwait implemented such a measure on a temporary basis, the most recent decision covers university degree holders with few exceptions, mostly regarding those experts who could be required in certain urgencies.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL), Abdulmuhsin Al-Mutairi, said that the decision was aimed at ‘regulating the labor market’ as well as fighting human trafficking. “We expect the suspension to help curb the influx of marginal labor forces which was a primary reason behind cases of residency trafficking for which international organizations often criticize Kuwait, and which is also responsible for the demographic imbalance in the country,” he said.

Latest official figures stated that Kuwait’s population stood at 3.8 million, of which 1.2 million were Kuwaitis, the rest being expatriate workers. Of the expatriates, the government claimed that more than half were either domestic

helpers or low-wage workers. Official statistics released in October last year had estimated the number of expatriate labor forces in the private sector at 1.108 million. Without stating how long will the suspension last, Al-Mutairi reiterated “the government’s full commitment towards guaranteeing the rights of expatriate labor forces.”

The MSAL had launched a crackdown on human trafficking operations for the past several weeks which resulted in the arrest of ministry officials accused of involvement in illegal operations wherein they used their access to the labor system database to create false job openings for certain companies in exchange of money. This operation allowed issuance of work permits that were then being sold to expatriate labor forces wanting to come to Kuwait.

Investigations had revealed that most companies found involved in this were either fake or had licenses that were already suspended. Each private company operating in Kuwait has a file in the MSAL’s database which estimates the number of labor forces required, including the number of Kuwaitis that each company is required to hire as per a ‘national labor support’ law. — Agencies

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other dignitaries at the National Youth Conference.

Amir inaugurates national youth conference

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah inaugurated here yesterday the National Youth Conference, also held under HH the Amir patronage.

Sheikh Sabah was warmly received at the conference hall by Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheik h Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud AlSabah; Amiri Diwan Advisor and Head of the Higher Committee of the National Youth Project Dr. Yussef Hamad Al-I brahim, and others members of the Higher Committee.

Also attended the inauguration ceremony, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashid, senior sheik hs, National Guard Deput y Commander Sheik h M eshaal AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad AlSabah, the state top officials and top police, army and National Guard commanders. The par ticipating youth cheered the Amir ’s attendance and sponsorship of the event.

Two memorial gifts were presented to the Amir on the occasion of the conference before he leaves after the opening session.

Th e op e ni ng sp ee ch o f th e National Youth Conference was

delivered by Kuwait’s Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheik h Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud AlSabah.

I n his speech, Sheik h Salman welcomed the Amir and all participants, expressing gratitude for the Amir’s participation and patronage of the conference.

He spoke in details about Sheikh Sabah’s initiative to support and engage youth in public action and state development process. The Minister also shed lights on the government efforts to materialize the Amir’s vision of expanding youth contribution to the progress and welfare of Kuwait.

“Our real wealth, which has not been yet fully discovered, is our youth who make up almost 60 percent of Kuwait’s population,” Sheikh Salman said. He noted that the conference is the final phase of the first part of the Amir’s initiative, which focused on meeting with Kuwaiti youth from all walks of life to listen to and identify their initiatives, projects, ambitions, talents and grievances to help tackle them in the coming stages.

Sheikh Salman pointed out that the new post of minister of state for yo u t h a f f a i r s c l e a r l y s h ows t h e Amir ’s eagerness to suppor t and help qualify youth to steer the state

development process in the future.

He revealed that the government has approved a provisional structure to the office of the minister of state for youth affairs which comprises three sectors namely : the youth development, youth projects, and creativity, media and digital entertainment sectors.

The Minister made it clear that the role of the ministry will be confined to planning, coordination and guidance. The ministr y will also coordinate will government bodies to overcome challenges and obstacles facing youth action.

The would-be national council for youth, which will be made up of youth from different sectors, will have a major role in the coming stage, Sheikh Salman added.

Meanwhile, Amiri Diwan Advisor and Head of the Higher Committee of the National Youth Project Dr. Yussef Hamad Al-Ibrahim thanked HH the Amir for patronage of the event as well his suppor t to all efforts aiming to increase youth role in the soceity.

He stated that the National Youth Projec t, since its inception, has exerted strenuous efforts in cooperation with government and nongovernment organizations to materialize the Amir’s youth-supporting imitative.

Al-Ibrahim identified the strate-

gic goals which the National Youth Project seeks to achieve as: 1- Creating communication channels between the political leadership and youth groups.

2- Developing positive participation methods for youth in society issues.

3- Upgrading youth capabilities and skills and reinforcing their contribution to national unity.

4- Identifying youth ambitions and aspirations and developing ways to enhance these ambitions.

5- Identifying concerns and challenges facing youth in order to find appropriate solutions for them.

6- Engaging youth and seeking their views in government programs and development plans.

7- Preparing and qualifying promising future youth leadership to proceed with the development process.

8- Encouraging youth initiatives and inciting them to innovation and work in a democratic society.

9- Strengthening the national Kuwaiti identity, developing national cohesion, combating radicalism and fanaticism, and abandoning group sectarian, and tribal divisions among youth.

10- Bolstering the democratic and constitutional culture, reinforcing tolerance and diversity of views and opinions among youth.

Amir’s directives ‘roadmap for Kuwaiti diplomats’ KUWAIT: The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid AlHamad Al-Sabah yesterday described His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the Seventh Conference of Heads of Kuwait Diplomatic mission as a roadmap for Kuwaiti diplomats.

In statements on the sidelines of a luncheon held by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in honor of Kuwaiti diplomats participating in the conference, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid expressed gratitude for HH the Amir’s attendance in the conference.

He added that HH the Amir’s directives in the conference are considered a roadmap for Kuwaiti diplomats’ work to bolster

Kuwait status on the international arena.

In a comprehensive speech at the opening session of the Seventh Conference of Heads of Kuwait Diplomatic Missions on Monday, HH the Amir outlined the main features of Kuwait’s foreign policy and the aspired work from Kuwaiti diplomats to achieve the higher interests of the state.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid also thanked HH the Prime Minister on the luncheon and the instructions he delivered to the Foreign Ministry officials.

The Kuwaiti top diplomat noted that the agenda was abundant with lectures from key speakers, addition to HH the Amir, including National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashid, several ministers and top

officials of several government bodies.

He argued that the conference was a golden platform for diplomats to get comprehensive information about the new developments at home and to unify the state’s stances of developments on the international arenas. Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah lauded the diplomats as the voice of Kuwait abroad. In statements to KUNA, Sheikh Mohammad wished the conference would have tangible positive impacts on the performance of Kuwaiti diplomats to convey to the world the real bright image of Kuwait. —KUNA

Al-Jarallah clears ‘misunderstanding’ over Mubarak Port KUWAIT: Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah stressed yesterday that he had “not resorted to international arbitration” to resolve an issue with Iraq over Mubarak Port. Al-Jarallah’s remarks were reported in a Foreign Ministry statement to “undo any misunderstandings about Mubarak Port.”

The Kuwaiti foreign ministry undersecretary “understands that the construction of Mubarak Port is a sovereign matter that should be dealt with as such and should not be dealt with under the authority any outside body,” added the statement.

“What was mentioned was a neutral unofficial consultative body that is assessing the nautical and environmental affairs that arise as a result of the construction of Mubarak Port and Al-Fao Port, at the same time”, concluded the statement. —KUNA

Central Bank rejected debt relief KUWAIT: The Central Bank reiterated its rejection of the debt relief draft law during a meeting of the parliament’s financial committee on Tuesday where the government and parliament reached an agreement to adopt the law, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

The deal calls for the government to purchase bank loans granted between January 1, 2002 and March 31, 2008, and then waive off the entire interest amount accrued on the said loans before rescheduling their repayment in easy installments which must not be higher than 40 percent of the debtors’ monthly income.

According to sources quoted by Al-Rai yesterday, Central Bank representatives criticized the proposal during the meeting by saying that it will create an “unusual situation” and will fail to achieve justice. “The Central Bank reiterated its earlier stance with regards to the belief that waiving interests of loans violates the principle of social justice,” said the sources who spoke on the condition of

anonymity. The Central Bank plays an advisory role to the state which means that the government can choose to go ahead with the debt relief decision even if the state’s top economic consultative body was to reject it.

The sources further indicated that the Central Bank expressed reservations about the justification provided

by MPs in favour of the proposal and said the waiver was not justifiable from a technical standpoint basically with regards to the Bank’s insistence that the majority of debtors covered by the debt relief have already benefited from procedures implemented when the problem first emerged.

The economic committee’s meeting which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mustafa Al-Shamali, saw the two sides assigning a legal committee to determine the mechanism by which the debt relief will be implemented. This committee is expected to present its report next Sunday.

11- Encouraging freedom of expression, laying the foundations of communication ethics and respecting individual opinions Al-Ibrahim expressed hopes the event would be a springboard for more action to achieve the noble goal of empowering youth and end up with recommendations and resolutions that live up to youth aspirations. Then, M ember of the Preparator y Youth Council M ohammed Hamoud Al-Bagali delivered a s peech in which he voiced gratitude for HH the Amir participation in the conference.

He noted that the Kuwaiti youth were quick to positively respond to HH the Amir ’s call for them to

expand their contribution to the national economy and state development process.

Al-Bagali added that the work is on full swing at the Preparator y Youth Council to outline the main priorities and goals in the coming period and the best approaches to implement them.

Abdu lla h Su baih Bo -Fatain, another member of the Preparatory Youth Council, underscored the need for a national dream or project for which all Kuwaitis work to fulfill.

He also called for the adoption of package of political, economic, judicial, social and educational reforms to give impetus to Kuwait development process. — KUNA

Some ministers incapable of performing duties KUWAIT: MP Yousuf Zalzalah said that some ministers were incapable of performing their duties and government must make ministerial changes during the upcoming summer. He said the government of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak should be more cooperative than before but there are certain ministers , not just a few, who have question marks against them, and His Highness was well aware of such people in the cabinet.

MP Abdullah Al-Maayouf said that some ministers have proven that they do not deserve to remain in the government. He said the Ministry for Electricity and Water has caused delays in all projects as he does not trust his leaders and the ministry employees.

In words directly addressed to the MEW Minister, Al Maayouf said, “If you do not trust those who are with you, then you should say as much.”

He said he was surprised how the government could afford to have such a minister who, when he was assistant undersecretary, was someone whose post was not renewed and was instead retired. He was appointed as a minister, not because he was efficient but due to a court verdict.

“Therefore, I see that soon we will face a crisis in the electricity and public works domains and then we will come to know that it was a minister who stopped projects like Al Ghazali bridge project. What will he do about such concerns?”

Opposition to announce procession route KUWAIT: The opposition is yet to announce the route for its next procession scheduled for next Saturday but a local newspaper reported yesterday that the issue was expected to be settled during a meeting of the executive committee of the Majority Bloc last night.

Two different opinions expressed by the two main factions have come up about the culmination point for the ‘Karamat Watan 8’ procession.

“The Coordinating Committee of the Public Movements wishes that the procession should end with a rally at the Iradah Square, but the Opposition Coalition feels that a different location would be more effective in rallying public support,” said sources quoted in Al-Rai’s report yesterday. The sources who spoke

on the condition of anonymity said that former MPs Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Osama Al-Shaheen, Faisal Al-Mislem and Faisal AlYehya met on Sunday night in a bid to agree on the procession’s route.

They were assigned by the Majority Bloc, a coalition of oppositionists who formed a majority in the scrapped 2012 parliament, to follow up the issue of preparations for the procession.

The procession is being carried out to demand that single-vote electoral system be reinstated and the parliament be dissolved. Demands also include release of jailed Twitter activists. “A decision was made during the meeting to refer the issue to the executive committee of the Majority Bloc in order to settle the dispute,” the sources indicated.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: The organizing committee for the unified GCC week held a seminar at the industrial technical institute in Sabah Al Salem as part of its weekly activities. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority for Applied Education and the Training and Traffic Department participated in the event.

MPs fume over debt relief deal Saadoun warns against soft policy towards Iraq

By B Izzak KUWAIT: A number of lawmakers in the pro-government National Assembly and several former opposition MPs strongly lashed out at a provisional deal reached with the government to resolve the socalled debt problem, saying the deal will not benefit debtors but banks and influential people. The deal, which will be finalized on Sunday, calls on the government to buy bank loans taken by citizens between March 31, 2008-January 1, 2002, waive all interest and reschedule repayment in easy installments not exceeding 40 percent of debtors’ income.

MP Nawaf Al-Fuzai who has filed to grill

Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali over the issue, said the minister has “cheated us” because most of the interest on the pre2008 loans had been paid and accordingly, debtors will not benefit much from the deal. He said the deal is designed to benefit banks and influential people. Fuzai said he will submit a proposal calling on the banks to repay all interest they have charged on loans before 2008.

MP Khalil Al-Saleh called on the technical-legal team which is studying details of the agreement, to make sure that banks will not benefit from writing off the interest on the loans and also to force banks to refund any extra interest they have charged. MP Yaqoub Al-Sane said the provi-

sional deal is unfair and does not achieve equality.

A number of former opposition MPs also blasted the deal saying that it will not serve the interest of Kuwaiti debtors but those of banks and influential people. They also said the government, which in the past deadly opposed such schemes, is now trying to boost the image of the pro-government Assembly at the expense of public funds.

Former MP Khaled Al-Sultan said the agreement covers only debtors who had taken loans before April 2008 most of whom have already paid the interest, adding what will happen to citizens who took loans after that date. Sultan said that it is reported that the cost of the deal will be

Security alert at border as Iraqis gather for second day Protest against UN mission KUWAIT: Kuwaiti authorities were put on high alert at the state’s northern border on Tuesday following demonstrations carried out by Iraqi nationals for the second day in a row in protest against UN border marks maintenance mission, a local newspaper reported yesterday quoting security sources.

Speaking to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity, the sources said that the precautionary measures were taken following a meeting of Border Security Department officials on Monday after the initial altercation. “The meeting was led by the Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary Assistant for the Border Security Affairs, Major General Mohammad Al-Yousuf, and discussed necessary measures to be taken in order to secure the northern border from future attacks,” the sources said.

Around 90 Iraqis had gathered in Um Qasr near the Kuwaiti border on Tuesday, a day after hundreds of Iraqi citizens hurled stones at a UN mission observing the demarcation process. The protests came following allegations that the border line under maintenance was going to pass through several Iraqi farms and will ultimately lead to the displacement of around 250 Iraqi families.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry had confirmed sending separate memorandums to the United Nations and the Iraqi

government to express “strong resentment” at the events at the joint border. “This behavior is irresponsible and neither serves nor was in line with the brotherly nature of the relationship between Kuwait and Iraq,” Undersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah said in a statement on Monday night. He also expressed confidence that the Iraqi government will take “serious steps to contain the situation and allow the maintenance teams to carry out their mission,” saying that the offensives “do not serve Iraq’s ambitions to end the border demarcation file with Kuwait.”

Meanwhile, a number of Iraqi officials released statements calling for prompt intervention to “stop Kuwaiti seizure of Iraqi Lands.” “ The Federal Government, political blocs and head of the Sadarist Movement Muqtada Al-Sadr must act immediately in order to prevent Kuwait from taking Iraqi lands in Um Al-Qasr and displacing Iraqi families living there,” the Secretary General of the Coalition of Iraqis, Abbas AlMahmadawi, said. In the meantime, Iraqi MP Ali AlJabri called for voting on the demarcation resolution in the Iraqi Parliament, and warned that the current step will result in “squandering sovereign Iraqi lands in a situation that can create a time bomb ready to explode at any time.” —Al-Qabas

Reception Interior KUWAIT: Kuwait Public Transport Company held a reception to honor the ideal driver and the GCC delegates participating in the unified GCC traffic week.

The event was attended by assistant undersecretary, general director of traffic department, Lt General Dr Mustafa Al-Zaabi.

ACK to host annual high school design competition KUWAIT: The Australian College Kuwait (ACK), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, started to make preparations to host Kuwait’s 2nd Annual Engineering Design Competition on March 16 at its campus in Mishref.

The competition targets high

school boys and girls students interested in engineering. Participants will apply scientific and engineering concepts in designing creative projects.

This year’s competition theme is designing and manufacturing windmill fans. The first four winners will receive KD 500, 400, 300 and 200

worth of prizes, respectively. The aim of the competition is to promote innovative engineering intellect amongst young people who are on the verge of commencing their undergraduate courses in addition to providing them with practical field experience.

at least KD750 million (and KD900 million if Islamic banks’ debtors are added) which appears to be a major operation to benefit banks which will repeat the violations in the future.

Sultan asked what happened to make the government change its mind and agree to the writeoff of interest as the same government had in the past rejected similar solutions. The former lawmaker said that the government has deposited around KD13 billion in local banks and is charging a symbolic 1.5 percent interest. Sultan said that the government is using public funds for political purposes, but insisted that the Kuwaiti people will not withdraw their backing to the opposition.

Meanwhile, former Assembly speaker and opposition leader Ahmad Al-Saadoun said the talk about a compromise between the government and the opposition has no value because the real compromise should be with the constitution by implementing its clauses. Saadoun said that the Kuwaiti position toward Kuwaiti rights from Iraq should be very clear and building KuwaitiIraqi relations should not be at the expense of the Kuwaiti interests. He also criticized a statement by foreign ministry undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah who had reportedly said Kuwait accepts any international arbitration over Mubarak Al-Kabeer harbor, saying who has authorized Jarallah to make such a statement.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LOCAL kuwait digest

In my view

Numbers don’t lie

Tax, expats of Kuwait

By Khudhayyer Al-Enizy

I

asked a Ministry of Public Works official about rumors hinting about illegalities involved in the Jaber Causeway project which aims to connect Kuwait City with Al-Subbiya via a bridge built over the Kuwait Bay waters. He gave me a convincing response in which he used figures to explain the huge cost of the project, including the global increase in the prices of steel combined with the commodity’s scarcity in the global market, as well as the high global prices of construction, transportation and labor forces, in addition to the fact that the two-lane road was designed to include several resting areas and restaurants.

I am not an expert, but I do believe in national labor forces and state officials who are loyal to their country, and I am certain that the official that I know and who I spoke to would not give sugarcoated statements. Maybe there are experts who have a different opinion which I am not personally aware of, but at the end of the day, it is the opinion of the technical experts that matters the most.

I mentioned the Jaber Causeway project as an example of many instances that cause confusion among the Kuwaiti public and further widen the gap between the government and the people. This happens when awarding mega infrastructure projects is linked to accusations of theft of public funds that are often made by political opponents. These detractors often fail to provide any proof to back up their claims nor do they verify whether the rumors are true or not. There are many similar cases which, in my opinion, were fabricated in the most part because certain individuals stood to benefit though their identity remained undisclosed perhaps to save the people from further shocks.

That is why I believe it is important for the government to have an official spokesman - who must not be a minister - who should work with a team of specialists, and among his duties would be to hold weekly press conferences to comment on allegations made on the political scene while using specialists’ opinions to support his arguments. As they say, ‘numbers do not lie.’

This would give the government an opportunity to keep up with local events and stay in touch with the public by addressing their questions. Even if the accusations that some politicians bring up turn out to be true, the government can explain its point of view through these press conferences as part of a transparency policy aimed at protecting the country and its people. —Al-Qabas

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

T kuwait digest

The culture of hate

By Dr Yaqoub Al-Sharrah

H

ate is said to be a natural prelude to violence among people, something that is often seen among young people in schools and universities where teaching focuses on indoctrination without stabilizing values within students. The UNESCO noted in a 2008 report that abstract sciences and industry focusing on economic and military gains have affected value system and increased intolerance among people.

Unfortunately, hate and disrespect have spread in our society to a point where an anti-hate law that defines hate as well as its relationship to the reality of our society was now needed. Hate generally pertains to a feeling of antipathy and animosity that drives a desire to avoid and even destroy the other party. In most cases, hate leads to extreme behavior including violence and killing.

It is hard to deny the spread of hate in our small society where calls for reason are being unfortunately shunned. Violence has become common among young people as a result of hate, whose origins lie primarily in social, sectarian and tribal discrimination, apart from a perceived sense of hurt pride. The spread of hate reflects a troubling image of our country’s possible future if animosity and a culture of disrespect continued to grow between different societal strata. It further reflects the weakness of state institutions in curbing hate.

The state did the right thing by passing an anti-hate law through an emergency decree which was aimed at ending animosity among members of the same society and prevent conflict between social categories. However,

our problem is that we have so many laws that are passed but not properly implemented, or sometimes implemented partially despite the calls that these be applied universally. There is no doubt that many people are going to be affected if the anti-hate law was to be properly implemented.

Despite promises made on multiple occasions to implement the law, the government is yet to carry out any serious measures. Moreover, applying the aforementioned law will not be enough to fully end this problem.

Such efforts need to be combined with increasing awareness about the destructive aspects of hate and what it does to any society’s integrity and stability. This can only be achieved through cooperation between social institutions and the government on individual and family levels.

The institution which perhaps can most effectively help curb the culture of hate is the school. Unfortunately, curriculums fail to focus on the concepts of cooperation, patriotism, tolerance, peace and other positive values which if implemented across educational stages can help stem the spread of hate. Teaching students about patriotism and loyalty isn’t going to be enough in instilling values if these steps were not combined with activities which train them to accept values like love, tolerance and cooperation. A quantum leap is required in improving curriculums so that the focus is shifted to inculcating values and learning social skills, in addition to encouraging a culture of peace and respect for others. —- Al-Rai

kuwait digest

Some urgent questions

By Hassan Al-Essa

H

as the youth opposition passed away or is it taking a temporary nap for a while before rising again? The spirit of the youth is always alive, and I don’t think they have given in to the fate imposed on them by the authorities and their supporters.

The youth feel let down by some political icons, who used them and pushed them into prisons, merely because they expressed their opinion about the dissolution of an elected parliament and appointment of another on the decision of the ruling family. However, the reactions of the youth do not justify their detainment.

Those young people went too far in their dreams and tweets, stepping into the streets full of enthusiasm and loudly shouting protests. Yet, they found themselves alone later and were disappointed in those around them. Few of the ‘Thanks be to Allah, we have ever ything’ people suppor ted them. Why should this majority, which is well provided for, protest and pay a dear price for it?

The youth did not have enough guidance, organization and a vision for the future of tier movements. They did not have political affiliations beyond their tribes, sects and personal beliefs. They did not have egoless leaders without selfish ambitions, who could think about tomorrow.

Except for a few liberal activists, no one had a broader political vision.

No one questioned the aim of the protests and asked whether our constitution is suitable or whether it has became outdated, crushed by the oppressive laws made by the ruling power and successive parliaments.

How do we perceive articles 4 and 6? How do we perceive power separation? Should we limit our movement to redundant and monotonous talk of corruption, or should we go beyond that to create real democracy that can be held accountable and fight corruption?

How can we ever have democracy without having political parties with clearly defined agendas that discard tribal and sec tarian polarization? How can we advance towards political and individual freedoms, and social justice, while our nation is surrounded by oppressive regional regimes? These are all important and urgent questions that we need to answer in order to get out of this politic dilemma.— Aljarida

he minister of finance has assured that there was no intention on the part of the government to impose taxes on income and remittances of expatriates.

Stressing that news reports in this regard were incorrect as any matter related to taxes must pass through the Ministry of Finance for approval, the minister said it was important to protect the expats in the country.

He said Kuwait was a land of opportunity which attracted thousands of professional individuals and others to this regional tax free haven and will act only realistically. He said the work force in Kuwait should have a good opportunity to earn better income.

Whether these news reports were correct or not, any move to tax the citizens or expats must be transparent and based on parity.

Moreover, in principle, this financial burden if imposed must be seen as a payment exacted through legislative means. Taxes are not donations, but legally enforceable contribution that governments impose as tolls or levies because they need formal sources of revenue to build the country’s infrastructure, protect our public health, run education system and means of communication, transport, housing etc.

Unquestionably, there is a big obligation upon the government to provide sundry services to all citizens and foreign residents to their satisfaction. If the government did not have such a source of revenue, then it would not be able to provide such services and concepts like justice, fairness and public comfort will only remain an illusion.

kuwait digest

Big crowds, but no good ideas

By Dr Shamlan Al-Essa

I

keenly attend the annual ‘Proud to be a Kuwaiti’ festival activities because I wish our youth success as they try to prove themselves and come up with products they are proud of. This year, too, I attended the event at the Mishref Fair Grounds and hoped to see efforts being made by Kuwaitis, and not what certain companies or shops were doing. These companies or shops were more interested in selling clothes while the restaurants were serving various kinds of food that had nothing to do with Kuwait, except that these businesses were owned by Kuwaiti youth. All the products were produced by our Asian brothers, and were a result of their labour and hard work.

The most important thing to note was that most of Kuwaiti projects and activities were related to various kinds of food products, especially sweets, pastries, pizza, cup cakes, chocolates, ice creams etc. There were also restaurants catering to youth and owned by youth, which were focussing on hamburgers and grilled food.

Youth across the world breached through the frontiers of information technology a long time back. They have been coming up with ever new softwares, computer programs and what not while we are still deeply involved with food issues as if we are a nation that lacked good food. The truth is that we are a country that is grappling with high rates of obesity, and is in danger of becoming one of the most obese as well as diabetic nations in the world.

The question is where was that one Kuwaiti product that we should be proud of? Let me say it frankly that I had hoped I would get to see at least one serious, though simple, attempt by any of our youth that depicted personal effort. It is true that there are Kuwaiti fashion designers, and there are Kuwaiti girls who design and manufacture necklaces, rings and other accessories, drawn and designed by Kuwaiti youth, and it is a matter of pride without a doubt, but one can count the number of such crafts people on the fingers of one hand. I searched for good quality traditional Kuwaiti handcrafts that we are supposed to support, such as ceramics, bishts, qahfiya (head cover), slippers, clothes and others. I did not find anyone among the youth today who was interested in Sadu, weaving woolen clothes or manufacturing small wooden ships.

The one phenomenon that drew my attention was the large crowd attending the ‘Proud to be a Kuwaiti’ festival activities. It is possible that some of them may be interested in our youth activities but most of the people were looking for a nice place for entertainment, meeting people, sitting and eating as they gossiped.

I think we should come up with a proposal to open entertainment ventures to provide a platform to our artistic and literal heritage, while at the same time encourage our youth to present their new ideas that emanate from their heritage.

Media innovator Mohammad Al-Sanousi presented in the 1970s a project to revive our heritage by building a heritage village. He wanted to revive the old Kuwait City with its small and beautiful mud homes, and show how our ancestors lived and worked in ancient times.

Kuwait today is in dire need of places for entertainment. It needs open areas where youth activities can be marketed. We should have places where it should be possible to recall our old heritage and showcase our artistic, theatrical and musical heritage amidst beautiful heritage markets away from formalities, as opposed to western imitations. So, why should we not be rethinking about Al-Sanousi’s project in which the government and the private sector can participate? Such a heritage village can cover a large area and contain many heritage handcraft facilities in an atmosphere marked by Kuwaiti music and art. It will be one place where we will have no problem with the Iraqis or the Arabs as music joins us all.— Al-Watan

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LOCAL

Ministers discuss security issues facing Arab region Riyadh hosts meeting

NEW DELHI: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah inaugurating a photo exhibition yesterday.

Sheikh Nasser meets Sonia NEW DELHI: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah met with President of the ruling Indian National Congress Party Sonia Gandhi, yesterday and discussed issues of mutual concern.

The minister also received with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who extended his greetings to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah and also expressed a wish to visit the State of Kuwait.

The premier reviewed a plan to spend a sum of $1 trillion on infrastructure projects within the next five years, and he welcomed any Kuwaiti companies and investors interested in any related opportunities.

The Vice President of the ruling party, Rahul Ghandi, hosted a luncheon honoring the Kuwaiti delegation.

Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad had earlier met with the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Government of I ndia Montek Singh Ahluwalia and discussed current investment opportunities, particularly in the

field of development projects.

The Kuwaiti delegation also visited Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Library at “Jamia Millia Islamia” university, and were given an introduction to the history and activities at the institution by president Najeeb Jung, vice president professor Mohammad Rashid, and Director of the university’s Arab Cultural Center Dr. Zikrur Rahman. The officials also reviewed the utilization of the generous donation of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad for the establishment and stocking of the library, which now offers access to a number of valuable and historical works and publications.

During the tour of the library, head of the Kuwaiti delegation inaugurated a photo exhibition shedding light on the history and nature of relations between the two friendly nations. Sheikh Nasser also addressed a host of academics, Arab ambassadors, and students, and stressed His Highness the Amir’s keenness on supporting the academic institution.

Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti delegation visited the “Indira Ghandi Memorial” in the Indian capital. —KUNA

French minister discusses health care issues with Kuwaiti officials KUWAIT: French minister for foreign trade Nicole Bricq met here yesterday with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Kuwait Khaled al-Sahlawi to discuss cooperation on enhancing health services in both countries, said a statement issued by the ministry.

Attending the meeting of the two officials was the French ambassador to Kuwait Nada Yafi.

The focus of discussion among these officials was how to improve medical care

services, exchange of medical expertise, and promoting the attendance of international conferences on health care issues, said the ministry statement.

Moreover the discussion dealt with the best means for Kuwaiti medical establishments to make use of the highly advanced medical services in France.

It also dealt with the subject of easing French visa requirements for Kuwaiti patients seeking medical treatment in French hospitals. —KUNA

Kuwaiti girl dies in school

By Hanan Al Saadoun KUWAIT: A 10-year-old Kuwaiti girl died yesterday noon while at her school at Sabah Al Nasser area amid talk that she was hit by an Egyptian teacher with a book, sources said.

While security sources said the Ministry of Interior has recorded the case as a natural death, there was an eyewitness who confirmed having seen the teacher hitting the girl.

However, sources close to the girl’s family indicated that her death inside the school was natural and the deceased child was buried the same afternoon after Asr prayers.

Academy fire A minor fire broke out in the basement of a police school at Saad Al Abdullah Academy for security science, security media at the Ministry of Interior said. Personnel from the fire department brought the fire under control swiftly without suffering any casualties. Only minor material losses were noticed. Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Mohammad Al-Kandari, said that firemen, in cooperation with a Swat team, succeeded in extinguishing a fire that broke out in an outdoor drawing lab in an elementary school for girls in Al Andalus area when the school was about to close. Al-Kandari said there were no casualties adding there was little material damage at the drawing lab. Relatives of all the girls were called and informed that their wards were safe.

Free YouTube lessons to fight private tuition: MOE KUWAIT: Well-informed educational sources said that the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Nayef AlHajraf, asked concerned ministry officials to study a proposal made by the educational technologies manager, Noura AlHattab, concerning filming educational lessons in all subjects to be uploaded on some websites such as the YouTube which can then be accessed by students free of charge.

The sources added that in a bid to end the culture of private tuitions, Al-Hajraf was very interested in the proposal and referred it to the public education sector to study its feasibility in collaboration with various subjects’ supervisors.

RIYADH: Under the patronage of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Council of Arab Interior Ministers started yesterday its 30th session under the Chairmanship of Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz.

The session was attended by several Arab ministers of interior; highranking security delegations; and representatives from the United Nations Organization, the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States; Arab Maghreb Union, the Riyadh-based Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and Arab Sports Federation for Police.

Kuwait is represented in the twoday session by a senior delegation headed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The opening speech was delivered by Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed, on behalf of the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

In his speech, the Saudi King welcomed the Arab guests, wished the ministerial meeting great successes. He shed lights on the security challenges facing the Arab region in lights of the rapid major developments it undergoes.

“There are many serious challenges facing the Arab nation and threatening its security and developmental, cultural, and humanitarian march,” the Saudi King said.

“We have confidence in Allah Almighty, the consciousness of our peoples, and the sincerity of officials in charge of security of our homelands that we will maintain our Arab security, which is based on a solid foundation of sympathy between the citizens of one people, their sense of emotional and humanitarian affiliation to the Arab nation, their cooperation with the security agencies that operate effi-

ciently for their safety, and their confrontation of those people who sow doubts in their minds about the elements of their homelands and the pillars and their unity and solidarity.”

The Saudi King also underlined the need for a comprehensive secu-

values, the ability to ward off risks, strengthening of social cohesion, promotion of the process of development, support for the capabilities of security services, unification of efforts, the development of joint security coordination, and activation of the roles of our religious,

common history and destiny.”

For his part, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers Dr. Mohammed bin Ali Koman delivered a statement in which underscored the importance of cooperation between society and police for the success of any securi-

KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah heading to Saudi Arabia to participate in an Arab ministerial meeting yesterday. rity strategy to deal with the growing security threats.

“The confrontation of the challenges surrounding our Arab security requires accurate diagnosis of these challenges down to the formulation a comprehensive Arab security vision in a confrontation characterized by political wisdom, commitment to religious and moral

social, educational, and guidance institutions, “It also requires that our Arab media recognizes the danger of spreading the spirit of division in our ranks, and that the sedition is an offense worse than murder, and that the media shall have important roles in uniting us in light of what unites us of everlasting values, and

Land allocated for industrial city KUWAIT: A meeting of the technical committee at the municipal council presided over by Farz Al-Mutairi recommended allocation of a 100 square kilometers area for an industrial city to be built west of Kuwait at Al Salmi.

Al-Mutairi said the committee agreed to a suggestion by its member Ahmad Al Maosharji regarding conditions on tier repair activity.

In the meantime, a number of industrial people hailed the step taken to withdraw industrial blocs which were not being used, and described it as a progressive step. They also called for similar other steps aimed at removing obstacles in the way of industrial ventures, simplifying the paper work and cutting bureaucratic red tape.

They pointed out that it was necessary to redistribute the land to those

who deserve it, and priority should be given to those who want to establish important industries.

They explained that industrial sector was still facing many challenges and obstacles, including scarcity of industrial land. They mentioned that the long winded paper work requirements have thrown a spanner into many industrial projects. They suggested that various stakeholder authorities should coordinate on ways to reduce paper work and issue licenses easily to help industrial sector grow.

They demanded that Kuwaiti made products should be encouraged compared to imported products and should receive priority in order to help the national industry expand. This would help national economy become more robust, they said.

ty plan or strategy. He stressed that society-police relations should be based on trust and mutual respect.

Koman also highlighted the need for a strategy to counter extremist ideas with tolerant thoughts, citing the impressive success of Saudi extremist rehabilitation centers as role model for this approach. —KUNA

Agreement to build new schools KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education recently signed a contract worth KD 500,000 with the finance ministry’s technical initiatives and projects bureau to hire an international consultant to build seven new schools and three women teachers’ lodgings under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) system that allows governments to have the private sector build projects and run them for a certain period before turning them over.

Speaking as a representative of HH the Amir at the National School’s Diamond jubilee celebrations, the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr., Nayef AlHajraf, said the ministry would announce a new school administration structure that would be applied in 36 schools. According to the new structure, a school will have a third assistant director who will be responsible for administrative and services affairs.

Commenting on the ministry’s decision to increase fees across all private schools, including Arabic and foreign ones, al-Hajraf stressed that a special contract has been signed with an evaluation body to evaluate and rank private schools according to the quality of the educational services they provide and report back to the ministry by next January when the fees would be accordingly reconsidered.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LOCAL

Murder suspect injured in failed escape attempt ‘Dignitary’ held for drunk driving

Municipality, govt bodies continue coastal clean-up campaign KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality is carrying out a clean-up of ‘Shamlan spot’, the coast of Sharq Mall, which has so far resulted in two containers-full of waste, in cooperation with the Kuwait Ports Authority and the Fishermen’s Union.

The municipality’s General Services Administration has provided mechanisms, containers and labor to cooperate with the government work teams to clean Shamlan spot as part of its ongoing cooperation with ministry and government bodies in various emergency situations, an official from the public relations department at the municipality said in a statement on

Wednesday. He added that the tenth stage targeted nets, waste and pollution caused by engine-powered vessels.

The administration called on boat and ship owners and sea-goers not to throw waste in the waters and to comply with signs placed by the municipality and government bodies along the Kuwaiti coastline for the general welfare, in order to avoid legal accountability.

The administration also appealed to the citizens not to hesitate in contacting the municipality’s hotline (139) in case of any complaints as it is working around the clock in order to serve them. — KUNA

Kuwait Red Crescent hospital in Lebanon ready for opening BEIRUT: A Kuwaiti Red Crescent Hospital is set to open its doors to patients in the Al Minie region of northern Lebanon on Saturday, Chairperson of Al-Minie Union of Municipalities Mustafa Akel said yesterday.

Akel said in statement that the hospital will serve about 200,000 people in the area, and will be equipped with the latest medical equipment needed, including an outpatient clinic, an emergency and operations department as well as an intensive care unit.

He thanked HH the Amir of Kuwait

Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the government and people of Kuwait as well as the Kuwait Red Crescent Society for the on-going help to Lebanon and other countries.

Kuwait, represented by the Kuwait Fund For Arab Economic Development, has build about 13 health centers in Lebanon, including hospitals in Nabatiyeh, Tannourine, Rashaya, Syr AlDennie and Mays Al-Jabal in addition to health centers in Hammana, Cordoba, AlSaksakieh, Deir el Ahmar, Shamstar, AlNabi Shayth and Bar Elias. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Lebanese ties hailed BEIRTUT: The newly-appointed Lebanese ambassador to Kuwait Kheder Hilwe extoled highly the firm relations between Kuwait and Lebanon while visiting yesterday the bureau of Kuwait News Agency here in the capital city.

He waxed poetic about what he termed as “historical ties” between the two coun-

tries, noting that in his new post as ambassador, he will spare no effort to enhance and augment these ties to the fullest extent.

He further applauded the commendable work being done by KUNA and other Kuwaiti entities to further expand and broaden these ties. Ambassador Helwe

Culture, arts backbone of any society KUWAIT: Culture and arts are vital elements to the development of any nation, Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) Ali Al-Youha stressed yesterday.

He emphasized the importance of inducing cultural activities as part of the educational process. “Man is the backbone of any society. To build a society, there is a need to build a better man by providing three vital elements: media, education and culture.”

Government, private sector and investors should all participate in a movement ot elevate cultural activities in the country by providing the necessary infrastructure and the needed resources, he added.

Meanwhile, the National Youth Project (NYP) council member said that Kuwait has proved, throughout history, which it has many strong points in arts and culture, especially, since the country’s constitution nurtures and encourages creativity and innova-

tion in all scientific and literary realms.

Meshal Al-Merjan initiated his speech at the national youth conference by pointing out recommendations that would reinforce cultural activities in the country.

These recommendations involve the establishment of company for the production of literary and humanitarian works, the setting up of a university specialized in arts and culture and inducing literary and cultural activities in school crucial.

The NYP’s spokesperson also shed light on the “threats” that encounters the cultural movement in the country embodied by the negative perception of arts and literature and the extreme censorship to literary works.

Therefore, there is a need to raise a generation aware of its needs and capabilities; a generation optimistic of its homeland future, positive in its view of life, capable of deciding the track of its life and its scientific and practical future. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A suspended police officer wanted in a murder case was arrested on Tuesday but ended up in a hospital after he made an unsuccessful attempt to escape. The arrest happened at a Citizens Service Center after police rushed there following information about the presence of the former Lieutenant Colonel there. The man was taken to the Jabriya police station where he reportedly jumped from a window in an attempt to escape, but failed as he fractured his foot as a result of the fall. The man was under treatment at the Mubarak Hospital and was under heavy security. He had reportedly disappeared in 2007 after stabbing his son to death during a family dispute.

Fugitive nabbed Sulaibikhat police managed to arrest a fugitive wanted in an attempt to murder case after he put up strong resistance. The suspect was located in Shuwaikh after police tracked his cell phone’s signal. Police was investigating a case in which he is accused of attacking his brother with a knife. The man clashed with officers who called for back up police’s assistance to take him into their custody.

He was taken to the Sulaibikhat police station

where the case was filed and was held pending procedures to be referred to the Public Prosecution to face charges.

‘Dignitary’ held Police arrested a man identified as a ‘person of high reputation in the state’ for driving under the influence. The man was pulled over in Farwaniya for swerving and it did not take patrol officers long to realize that he was heavily intoxicated.

They also found a mineral water bottle on the passenger’s seat containing a liquid that had ‘a strong smell’. According to the police report, the man revealed his name in a bid to intimidate the officers and discourage them from arresting him. The policemen, however, eventually arrested him despite a volley of verbal abuses that he hurled and threats to ‘exhaust’ them in court cases. He was taken to the proper authorities to face charges that included being found intoxicated in public, driving while inebriated, endangering public safety and assaulting police officers on duty.

Forgery case Four people were arrested at the Kuwait

International Airport after they tried to enter the country on forged passports. The Bangladeshi men had been deported out of the country for security reasons previously. Their attempt to reenter Kuwait failed when their true identity was revealed by the fingerprint scan security system.

They were taken to the proper authorities for further action.

Predator killed Three men used their hunting rifle to put down a wolf that they said had attacked them after it first killed their sheep. The incident took place in Al-Wafra where a jakhour (livestock farm) owner discovered that two of his sheep were killed within a fortnight. He decided to keep a closer eye on his property after discovering a second attack in a similar fashion three days after the first discovery. On the fateful Monday night, the owner found himself face to face with a wolf which he said seemed ready to attack him, prompting him to shoot it down with his hunting rifle. He managed with help of two friends to catch the injured animal and then ensured that it was no more a threat.

Stage set for NBK’s annual walkathon KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) 19th Annual Walkathon, scheduled to kick off on Saturday March 23, is heading for yet another record year. Thousands of participants including leading bloggers, athletes and public figures in Kuwait have enrolled so far to “walk for a cause” at NBK Walkathon.

Registration at NBK’s Booth in the Avenues Mall -Phase 1 will open again for three days starting today in addition to the registration center next to the Scientific Center that continues to be open until Thursday March 21, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.

“The participation in NBK’s Walkathon is Abdulmohsen Al increasing year after year, Rushaid and we are extremely thrilled to take our involvement with this exciting event to a new level. Thousands of participants have already enrolled and we still have a week left to the start.” said Abdulmohsen Al Rushaid, NBK Public Relations Manager.

Al Rushaid added “NBK’s 2013 Walkathon aim is to encourage each individual to “Walk for a Cause”. All participants including Athletes, Bloggers and many others shared their causes and wrote it on a special board in the registration center.”

NBK walkathon 2013 billboard at the Avenues Since its launch, NBK’s Walkathon raised many social awareness causes such as Stop Smoking, Exercise, Support people with Breast

Cancer and Diabetes. This year, NBK’s Walkathon will include a variety of fun, entertainment filled and health awareness-raising activities.

Judges board announced for Kuwait Arab Woman Awards KUWAIT: For the very first time in the nation, ITP Consumer, the region’s largest publisher of women’s magazines, is presenting the Arab Woman Awards, to pay tribute to the inspirational, high achieving females of Kuwait.

Established in 2009, the Arab Woman Awards is a highly respected event which has gained great prominence over the years, with a well-founded presence in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha.

The reputed event celebrates the astonishing accomplishments of women who have achieved in the fields of art, entrepreneurship, medicine, charity, art and fashion. The awards pay homage to the ambitious personalities who, through their exceptional determination and self-dedication, provide positive role models for younger generations.

The winners are nominated by a board of Judges who are selected by ITP based on their integrity, their expertise in their particular field and being respected members of society.

The Board of Judges follow the strict criteria provided which include the nominees’ achievements in the past twelve months and the impact of their work to Kuwait in order to make their final selection of winners.

This year’s esteemed Judges Board are confirmed as Sheikh Mubarak Fahed Al-Salem AlSabah, Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs Amiri Diwan, Sheikha Intissar Al-Sabah, Founder & CEO of Lulua Publishing, Dr Moudi Al-Humoud, Rector Arab Open University, Former Minister of Higher Education in Kuwait, Laila Abdullah Alghanim, President of Hyatt Breast Cancer Foundation & CEO of Gulf Trader, Mona Alghanim, Finance Director of

Sheikh Mubarak Fahed Al-Salem Al-Sabah

Hayatt Breast Cancer Foundation & CEO Al Nafissi Group. The final two members of the panel are residing judges who sit across all the GCC Arab Woman Awards Boards; Nadine El Chaer, Editor ITP Publishing and Dr. Manahel Thabet, President and Founder of SmartTips Consultancy.

Judge Sheikh Mubarak Fahed Al-Salem AlSabah said ‘We are pleased that the Arab Woman Awards will now be presented here on an annual basis. Kuwait has such amazing women who are achieving greatness in their fields and therefore deserve to be publically recognised and celebrated’.

Sheikha Intissar Al-Sabah, Founder & CEO

of Lulua Publishing, said “We are looking forward to receiving strong response from the country. Over the last few years; the awards have strongly positioned itself as a strategic platform to recognize the outstanding women and to showcase the contributions they have made.”

Dr Moudi Al-Humoud, Rector Arab Open University, Former Minister of Higher Education in Kuwait said “I am glad to see the introduction of such awards in Kuwait as an acknowledgement for outstanding and inspirational Arab Women in Kuwait and their role in promoting and fostering developments in various fields of vocation in their own countries. Arab Women have now played an instrumental role in their respective societies and have earned all the recognition they so heartily deserve.” Held at The Sheraton Kuwait Hotel & Towers, a glamorous gala dinner will host the congregation of renowned judges, nominees and distinguished guests on April 17.

The private event is strictly by invitation only and will be presented by MBC’s Fadia Al Tawil The Arab Woman Awards have to-date recognized the achievement of over 100 Arab women and are now held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Kuwait. Previous winners include notable Abu Dhabi business women Huda Al Matroushi, Fatima Al Jaber and Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Inmate suicide casts shadow on model Indian Tihar Jail

Syria’s children shot at, tortured, raped Page 8

Page 11

DAMASCUS: A wounded boy lays on a gurney in the emergency room of a hospital after mortar shells purportedly fell on the residential area of Al-Bikhtiyar in the capital Damascus. The United Nations says that Syria’s two-year conflict between the rebels and pro-government forces has left at least 70,000 people dead. — AFP (See Page 8)

Saudi executes seven for robbery Britain’s Prince Charles to visit Saudi Arabia DUBAI: Saudi Arabia yesterday executed seven men for armed robbery, the Interior Ministry said, despite an appeal for clemency by United Nations human rights investigators. The seven were sentenced to death in 2009 for crimes co mmi t te d i n 2005 and 2006 when human rights groups said some were younger than 18.

Amnest y I nternational condemned the executions and called on Britain’s Prince Charles to raise the issue of human rights when he visits the conservative Islamic kingdom tomorrow. “ We would hope that he would raise some of the concerns that Amnesty have,” UK direc tor K ate Allen said. A spokesman for Prince Charles, who is heir to the throne, said the prince’s discussions are private and declined to comment further.

Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict interpretation of sharia, has faced criticism by Western countries for its frequent use of capital punishment and trials that human rights groups say do not meet international standards.

In January, King Abdullah said he had full confidence in the kingdom’s justice system af ter the United Nations voiced concern ove r t h e t r i a l o f a S r i L a n k a n woman who had been executed.

The seven men executed yesterday, from Asir Province in the south of Saudi Arabia, had been due to die last week but were granted a stay of execution while

authorities reviewed their case.

They were convic ted of thef t, i n c l u d i n g a r m e d ro b b e r y, t h e Interior Ministry said.

Amnesty International and the men’s families have said the robberies included one at a jewelry store. Relatives told Reuters last week the men had been forced to confess to unsolved crimes in the district, in addition to the armed robbery they had carried out.

Amnest y said the men later retracted a confession which they said had been obtained through torture, without giving details of the confession.

Saudi A rabia, th e wor ld ’s biggest oil exporter, denies it uses torture. Human rights activists in Saudi Arabia, Washington’s closest Gulf ally, said the seven were exec u te d by f i r i n g s q u a d. “ Th e charges against all seven persons were allegedly fabricated and all seven were convicted following unfair trials,” the UN experts said in a statement on Tuesday.

RELATIVES The Interior Ministr y named the men as Sarhan Al-Mushaikh, Saeed Al-Amri, Ali Al-Shehri, Nasser Al- Qahtani, Saeed AlShahrani, Abdulaziz al-Amri and Ali Al-Qahtani and said they were par t of a gang responsible for crimes including armed robbery and theft. “By the grace of God, the security authorities were able to apprehend the perpetrators”

whose sentence to death was “a punishment” and “to deter others”, the ministry said. A group of relatives and friends of the men went to the royal cour t last week to seek a retrial or pardon from the k in g, arguin g th ey h ad been denied proper access to legal representation and their crime did not warrant execution.

The men were granted a stay of execution but were executed eight days later. They were shot at 6 am yesterday in Abha, the capital of Asir, one of the least developed parts of the country. “I’ve lost faith in the judiciary and the political establishment,” said a family friend who asked not to be identified.

A prominent Saudi lawyer and supporter of efforts spearheaded

by King Abdullah to reform the judiciar y by standardizing senten c in g an d retr ain in g sh ar ia judges, defended the executions.

“We are in a society where we used to leave our shops open and go to pray... because we were sure nobody would come and steal our stuff.

So to have an organized criminal group come and do such a thing, we don’t like it,” he said. The lawyer said death sentences were reviewed by an appeal court, the high court and the king’s office before the sentence was implemented. “They don’t just do the paperwork. No, they review the judgment,” he said. —Reuters

New Tunisian govt approved TUNIS: Tunisia’s new Islamist-led government won a confidence vote yesterday, as the death of an unemployed man who had set himself on fire in despair underscored the scale of its task. Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has said the government, which was backed by 139 of the National Constituent Assembly’s 217 members, would serve only until an election later in the year.

Tunisia, economically struggling and deeply polarised between Islamists and their opponents, is in the throes of a political transition that began with the overthrow of strongman Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali in a popular uprising two years ago. The revolt was sparked by the death of Mohammed Bouazizi, a street vendor who torched himself on Dec 17, 2010 after a policewoman seized his fruit

cart in the town of Sidi Bouzid.

Adel Kedhri, 27, was the latest of several Tunisians to emulate Bouazizi’s fiery protest. A medical source said he had died in hospital after setting himself alight in the centre of Tunis, the capital, on Tuesday. “We received the message,” Larayedh said of Khedhri’s death yesterday, without commenting further. Presenting his government’s programme the previous day, he said its priorities would be tackling unemployment, now at 17 percent, and rising prices, along with providing security. The economic and social problems that fuelled Tunisia’s uprising have yet to be solved and often spark unrest.

Feuding politicians have missed deadlines to produce a new constitution and set dates for parliamentary and presidential elections.

The malaise worsened when secu-

lar politician Chokri Belaid was assassinated in broad daylight on Feb. 6 in what the authorities say was an attack

by Salafi Islamist militants. The previous government collapsed after the killing, which touched off days of mass street protests. The new one, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party along with two junior secular coalition partners, resembles its predecessor, although in a concession to its critics Ennahda has ceded control of some key ministries to independents.

The assembly, split over Islam’s role in society and over the powers of president and parliament, will vote later today on a new timetable for the constitution and elections. Those polls would end a transitional period in which Tunisia has had four interim governments since Ben Ali’s overthrow. —Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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

US soldier accused of Iraq murder contests sanity rule TACOMA: Lawyers for a US soldier charged with killing five fellow servicemen in 2009 at a military counseling center in Iraq asked an Army judge on Tuesday to reject a finding that the defendant is mentally fit to stand trial at a courtmartial next month. Sergeant John Russell, who could face the death penalty if convicted, is accused of going on a shooting frenzy at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad airport, in an attack that the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress.

Russell, who was attached to the 54th Engineer Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany, faces five charges of premeditated murder, one charge of aggravated assault and one charge of attempted murder in connection with the shootings. The state of Russell’s mind, which has been the focus of legal proceedings over the past year, surfaced again in a pre-trial hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma. Defense lawyers asked the presiding judge, Colonel David Conn, to overturn the 2011 decision of a three-member “sanity board” that declared Russell competent to stand trial, or to at least reopen the board’s review.

Conn did not immediately rule on the request. A previous

sanity board review, conducted in July 2009, found Russell unfit for trial, concluding that he suffered from “major depressive disorder,” psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Russell subsequently underwent 20 months of treatment at a federal detention hospital in North Carolina before the second review found him competent. Defense lawyers on Tuesday sought to raise doubts about the credibility of one of the doctors who served on both reviews.

PTSD and psychosis The Army doctor, Colonel Ricky Malone, acknowledged in testimony by telephone that he sometimes drank to excess and had hangovers but insisted that alcohol had not affected his judgment during his evaluation of Russell.

Questions of PTSD and psychosis have emerged in earlier hearings, most notably in testimony presented in November 2012 by Dr Robert Sadoff, a University of Pennsylvania forensic psychiatrist who has examined Russell. Sadoff said he concluded that Russell was suffering from both PTSD and psychosis at the time of the shootings,

as well as from a “dissociative disorder,” or a lack of memory, about the incident.

In a written submission, Sadoff also harshly criticized a psychologist and a psychiatrist on the staff at Camp Victory for what he called “inexcusable treatment” of Russell days before the shooting. Sadoff suggested then that Russell was “provoked to violence by the ineptitude and lack of compassion” by personnel assigned to treat him while he was in “an acute state of depression, with suicidal intent.”

Two of the five people killed were medical staff officers at the counseling center for troops experiencing combat stress. The others were soldiers. Evidence of PTSD or other some other mental illness could be used by defense lawyers in trying to convince jurors that the accused was unable to appreciate the nature and consequences of his actions - the definition of insanity under military law.

Premeditation?

Even if Russell were found guilty of murder, the defense could argue that he suffered from “diminished mental capacity,” raising doubts about premeditation, which pros-

ecutors must prove for him to be sentenced to death. The jury panel must be unanimous in approving capital punishment in the sentencing phase of a court-martial. The Russell case comes at a sensitive time for the LewisMcChord base, one of the Army’s largest.

It is also the home base of Robert Bales, who is accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers last March and is scheduled to face a court martial in September. As in Russell’s case, lawyers have suggested post-traumatic stress disorder may have been a factor in Bales’s conduct. Earlier on Tuesday, an Army prosecution witness, staff sergeant Enos Richard, identified an M-16 rifle used in the Camp Liberty shootings as his and said Russell had taken it from him on the day of the shooting. Richard had been assigned to drive Russell to the stress center that day. A spokesman for US forces in Iraq said in 2009 that a commander had earlier determined that Russell’s own weapon should be taken from him. Conn asked Russell, who wore a green military uniform and glasses, whether he wanted military defense attorney Captain Ben Hillner, who has capital punishment legal expertise, to remain on his team of three lawyers. —Reuters

Syria’s children shot at, tortured, raped Displaced families living in caves and barns

AMMAN: Britain’s Prince Charles speaks to Jordanian school students participating in a British funded competition run by a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Injaz yesterday. — AFP

UK Prince Charles visits Syria refugees in Jordan AMMAN: Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife yesterday heard tales of hardship from Syrian refugees in Jordan and saw the difficult conditions for themselves. Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, spent an hour at a UN refugee agency holding center, King Abdullah Gardens, in the northern town of Ramtha, near the border with Syria.

Speaking with refugees, they heard about the difficulties of fleeing Syria and the challenges faced by the families, the aid groups helping them and Jordan, which now hosts about 450,000 displaced Syrians. The royal couple was invited into a trailer where a 55year-old man, who gave only his first name, Musa, has lived with his wife and five children since last September. He said he was arrested and tortured for writing anti-regime poetry before escaping to Jordan.

Responding to a question from Charles about how to end the ordeal, he said, “The Syrian people are everybody’s problem now.

Help us.” Charles expressed “enormous respect” for what Jordan and the humanitarian community have done for refugees and

praised the “remarkable” work of the agencies on the ground, mentioning the UN’s refugee body, UNHCR. The royal visit did not include the main Zaatari tent camp because of security concerns.

Sporadic rioting has broken out at the facility over its difficult desert conditions. Also in Jordan yesterday, UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres urged stepped up international support, warning that funds received so far were insufficient to aid the spiraling numbers of Syrians fleeing the civil war. Up to 8,000 people a day fled last month, an increase from 3,000 a day in December.

Guterres told reporters in Amman that UNHCR was anticipating that refugee numbers could “double, even triple” by the year’s end, threatening regional security. The UN refugee agency chief said he discussed the spike in refugee numbers with Jordan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. He said that his agency was working with Jordan to bolster security at the Zaatari camp, where reports of drug trafficking, prostitution and other crimes have emerged. —AP

BEIRUT: A boy of 12 sees his best friend shot through the heart. Another of 15 is held in a cell with 150 other people, and taken out every day to be put in a giant wheel and burnt with cigarettes. Syria’s children are perhaps the greatest victims of their country’s conflict, suffering “layers and layers of emotional trauma”, Save the Children’s chief executive told Reuters.

Syrian children have been shot at, tortured and raped during two years of unrest and civil war, the London-based international charity said in a report released yesterday. Two million children, it said, face malnutrition, disease, early marriage and severe trauma, becoming innocent victims of a bloody conflict that has already claimed 70,000 lives. “This is a war where women and children are the biggest casualty,” chief executive Justin Forsyth told Reuters during a visit to Lebanon, where 340,000 Syrians have fled.

Forsyth said he met a Syrian refugee boy, 12, who saw his best friend killed outside a bakery.

“His friend was shot through the heart. But initially, he thought he was joking because there was no blood. They didn’t realise he had been killed until they took his shirt off,” he said. The Save the Children report cited new research carried out among refugee children by Bahcesehir University in Turkey which found that one in three reported having been punched, kicked or shot at.

It said two thirds of children surveyed said that they had been separated from members of their families due to the conflict and a third said they had experienced the death of a close friend or family member. “All these children tell you these stories in a matter of fact way and then you realise that there are layers and layers of emotional trauma there,” said Forsyth.

Syria’s civil war started with peaceful protests against the dynastic rule of President Bashar AlAssad. His forces shot at protesters and arrested thousands and soon the revolt turned into a civil war. Rebels now control large swathes of Syria.

Millions have fled their homes for safer ground or neighbouring countries. Save the Children says 80,000 people are living in barns, parks and caves and children struggle to find enough to eat. Both government forces and rebels have been accused of targeting civilians and committing war crimes. Refugees say that Assad’s soldiers are directly targeting children. Forsyth said

ALEPPO: A picture shows a Syrian youth holding an AK-47 assault rifle as he takes part in a military training at a former school turned into a “military academy” in Tlaleen in the northern Syrian Aleppo province. — AFP he met one child who said he was in a prison cell the numbers of mouths they have to feed, or with 150 people, including 50 children. “He was hoping that a husband will be able to provide taken out every day and put in a giant wheel greater security from the threat of sexual vioand burnt with cigarettes. He was 15. The trau- lence. Forsyth said that he met a Syrian family in ma that gives a child is devastating.” Save the Lebanon who told their 16-year-old daughter to Children says that some young boys are also marry an older man. “Her mother said she is being used by armed groups as porters, runners beautiful and every time the (Syrian) soldiers and human shields, bringing them close to the came to the house she thought: ‘They are going to rape her.’” front line.

“Rape is being used deliberately to punish people,” he said, adding that girls as young as 14 Rape and early marriage Rape is being used to deliberately punish are being married off. Save the Children works in people, said Forsyth, adding that it is underre- neighbouring countries and within Syria but ported due to the sensitivity of the issue, espe- Damascus has restricted access to aid organisacially among conservative communities. “In tions, especially in opposition-held territory. The most conflicts, over 50 percent of rapes are charity called for unfettered and safe access to against children. And I am sure that is the case in humanitarian agencies, including “access across this conflict too.” Fear of sexual violence is the lines of the conflict”, and for Damascus to repeatedly cited to Save the Children as one of ease bureaucratic restraints. Despite pledges of the main reasons for families fleeing their $1.5 billion by international donors for a response plan to help Syria’s displaced, only 25 homes, according to the report.

It said that there are also reports of early mar- percent has been funded, the United Nations riage of young girls by families trying to reduce says.— Reuters

Kurd rebels free Turkish prisoners amid peace push YENAGOA: Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (centre) stands outside his house guarded by policemen in Yenagoa, Nigeria, in this file photo. — AP

Nigeria pardons ex-gov who stole millions LAGOS: Nigeria has pardoned the former political benefactor of the nation’s president, a presidential adviser said yesterday, a politician convicted of stealing millions of dollars while serving as a state governor. The decision from a closed-door meeting Tuesday of the Council of State to pardon former Bayelsa state Gov. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha drew immediate outrage across Nigeria, an oil-rich nation long considered by analysts and activists to have one of the world’s most corrupt governments.

While the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan repeatedly says it is fighting the entrenched system of graft that strangles Nigeria, the leader has shared stages before with convicted politicians. Meanwhile, the country’s largely opaque budgets and loose regulatory controls continue to allow for hundreds of millions of dollars more to be stolen annually.

“It is the final nail that tells the story of fighting corruption in Nigeria today,” said Nuhu Ribadu, a former police officer and corruption fighter who led the Alamieyeseigha case. “I’m really sad. I’m sad for my country.”

Alamieyeseigha served as governor of Bayelsa state, in the heart of Nigeria’s oil-producing southern delta, from the nation becoming a democracy in 1999 through 2005. He was arrested in London after more than $1 million in cash was found in his home there.

Alamieyeseigha escaped British authorities Nigerian officials say he disguised himself as a woman - and fled to Nigeria, where he had immunity from prosecution while in office. He was then impeached and charged in Nigeria with illegally operating foreign accounts in London, Cyprus, Denmark and the United States.

Investigators said he acquired property in Britain and Nigeria worth more than $10 million.

The disgraced governor later pleaded guilty.

Alamieyeseigha’s impeachment brought Jonathan, a little-known marine biologist who served as his deputy, into power. Jonathan as recently as a few weeks ago referred to Alamieyeseigha as “my boss” during an event in Lagos. On Tuesday, the Council of State, comprised of current and former leaders, as well as retired chief justices, approved Alamieyeseigha’s pardon, Doyin Okupe, an adviser to Jonathan, confirmed yesterday. Okupe described the pardon as a group decision, though ultimately under Nigeria’s constitution, only Jonathan has the power to grant it as president. The decision allows Alamieyeseigha to again serve in public office. “It is like a parent, it is not every decision a parent takes that is palatable or acceptable to the children. But in due course, we always find out the parents were right,” Okupe told private broadcaster Channels Television. “The man has been displaced from his office as governor, he was hounded and tried and jailed. ... What is eminently wrong, you know, in giving a remorseful sinner pardon?”

Okupe did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday from The Associated Press. Others pardoned Tuesday included Maj. Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, a former deputy in a military government detained by late dictator Sani Abacha and who later died in prison under mysterious circumstances. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, likely lost more than $380 billion to graft between 1960 and 1999, Ribadu once estimated while head of the country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. —AP

CIZRE: Kurdish rebels yesterday freed eight Turkish prisoners in response to a new peace push by Ankara to end a 29-year-old insurgency in southeast Turkey. Speaking during an official visit to Sweden, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said it was “joyful” news that the eight were finally returning home from captivity in northern Iraq. “If violence, weapons are abandoned, we can easily move on from security policies to reforms,” he was quoted by Anatolia news agency as telling reporters.

The release of the eight who had been held for around two years by the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) came after jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan said last month that he hoped to see prisoners “reach their families.”

“Responding to the call of our leader Abdullah Ocalan, today we handed over eight prisoners to a Turkish delegation,” Bawer Pirson, a senior PKK security leader, told a news conference near Al-Amadiyah, a northern Iraqi town about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Turkish border.

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler welcomed the release as a “humane” act from the Kurdish rebel side, while he dubbed the kidnappings an “inhumane violation of freedoms”. “It should never happen again,” he said in televised remarks. The release was also observed by officials from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region controlling the north, who are sympathetic to the Kurdish rebel cause while retaining strong economic ties with Ankara.

“Today the ball is in Turkey’s court, and they have to demonstrate their goodwill to develop a peace process,” said the PKK’s Pirson. The freed prisoners were sent to Turkey in armoured vehicles through the Habur crossing point, where they met their families and were due to fly back to their hometowns later in the day, Anatolia news agency reported. Turkish media said the eight were seven security officers and a civil servant and that the PKK held no other prisoners, citing unnamed rebel sources.

Ankara and the rebels agree the release should be interpreted as a sign of goodwill amid new peace hopes that could finally bring an end to the Kurdish insurgency. Both sides in the conflict have set out conditions they say

DOHUK: This picture shows Turkish prisoners yesterday as they were released in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk, after being held for two years in northern Iraq by the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). — AFP would signal good faith and commitment to long-lasting peace. “The peace process will not develop in Turkey without releasing our leader Abdullah Ocalan,” Husamettin Zenderlioglu, a member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) who was part of the delegation receiving the prisoners, told reporters. “We hope that Turkey moves forward with this step and releases him,” he added. Peace talks resumed late last year between Ocalan and the Turkish state with the aim of ending the nearly three decades of violence which has claimed around 45,000 lives since the PKK took up arms against Ankara in 1984. Ocalan, in jail for 14 years for treason, is expected to call on his outlawed PKK, branded as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, to abide by a ceasefire starting March 21, the Kurdish New Year.

The Kurdish movement is asking for the release of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Kurdish activists and politicians kept in detention on charges of links to the PKK. Ankara in return insists “terrorists” need to withdraw from Turkish territory before the peace process can effectively begin, and has promised not to attack rebels wishing to leave the country.

The Turkish parliament is also working on a legal package that will bring its often criticised anti-terrorism laws more in line with European standards and contribute to the peace process by paving the way for the release of many Kurds currently behind bars. In 2009, an earlier government attempt at reconciliation fell through when more than 30 Kurds, rebels and civilians, entered Turkey from northern Iraq amid rebel celebrations, triggering a strong nationalist backlash. —AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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

Argentine president slams Falklands vote as ‘parody’ BUENOS AIRES: Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, her approval rating plummeting, has refused to recognize the results of a referendum in which the people of the disputed Falkland Islands voted to remain British. The vote in the sparsely populated South Atlantic archipelago that triggered a war between the two nations in 1982 was a “parody,” she said. Even the United States, Britain’s firmest ally, acknowledged Argentina’s claim. British Prime Minister David Cameron had earlier urged the Latin American country to respect the wishes of 99.8 percent of the islanders who voted “yes” to staying a self-governing British territory, according to official results. The islanders organized the vote in response to increasingly bellicose sovereignty rhetoric by Kirchner, and only three of the 1,517 valid ballots-on 92

percent turnout-were cast against the islands staying under British rule.

Kirchner’s government had dismissed the referendum as meaningless and said it would not affect its claims on the Falklands which it calls “Las Malvinas”.

She reiterated her displeasure late Tuesday at an event at the presidential mansion. “ What is important today is the United States’ position about this kind of parody of a referendum,” Kirchner said.

“The State Department spokeswoman said that they continue to recognize that there is a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and Britain.” The United States earlier said it took “note” of the islanders’ vote, but refused once again to take sides in the dispute. “The residents have clearly expressed their preference for a continued relationship with the United

Kingdom,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “That said, we obviously recognize that there are competing claims.” Argentina failed to seize the islands back from Britain in the brief 1982 war.

The announcement of the result overnight Monday sparked jubilation in the islands’ tiny capital Stanley, and Cameron said he was “over the moon” at the outcome. “The Falkland Islanders couldn’t have spoken more clearly. They want to remain British and that view should be respected by everybody, including by Argentina,” he said.

Cameron, who later telephoned the chairman of the islands’ legislative assembly to congratulate him on the result, also warned against any military action by Argentina. “People should know we will always be there to defend

them,” he said. Barry Elsby, a member of the legislative assembly, told AFP from Stanley as the numbers came in that the result “sends a message around the world.” “There are hundreds of people outside the cathedral, celebrating, singing and waving flags.” International observers from Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, the United States and Uruguay monitored the referendum on Sunday and Monday and declared it “free and fair.”

However, Alicia Castro, Argentina’s ambassador to London, said the referendum was a “ploy” to detract from the “weakness” of Britain’s claims.

“It’s a very predictable result, because the current inhabitants of the Malvinas are British. But the territory in which they live is not,” she said. The referendum had sparked huge enthusiasm among

the Falkland Islands’ 2,563 permanent residents, four-fifths of whom live in Stanley, with its typically British pubs and red telephone boxes.

The remaining several hundred islanders are scattered in isolated sheep farms and tiny settlements. London has held the Falklands since 1833 but Buenos Aires says this is an occupation and the British residents are colonial implants with no right to self-determination. It says the United Nations had issued 40 resolutions calling on Buenos Aires and London to negotiate over sovereignty. Tensions between the two sides have increased in recent years against a backdrop of the discovery of oil reserves in the waters off the Falklands, the 30th anniversary of the 1982 war and domestic political difficulties facing both governments.— AFP

Venezuela to probe Chavez cancer poisoning accusation Capriles trying to disassociate Maduro from Chavez

NEW YORK: This undated file photo submitted into evidence by defense attorney Julia L Gatto shows New York City police Officer Gilberto Valle with his daughter. —AP

NY cop convicted in cannibalism plot NEW YORK: Defense lawyers say everyone using the Internet should worry that their online words can end up in federal court after a jury concluded that a New York police officer’s plans to kidnap, kill and eat young women he knew was more than Internet chatter. At the end of one of the most unusual federal trials ever, a jury agreed Tuesday with the government that 28-year-old Gilberto Valle wasn’t just fantasizing when he conversed online with others he had never met about killing and cooking his wife and others in a cannibalism plot. “Yes, they should be cautioned,” Valle defense lawyer Robert Baum said outside court of people everywhere. “It sets a dangerous precedent.” The larger principle at stake in the trial was that “people can be prosecuted for their thoughts,” Baum said, pausing before adding: “And convicted, which is even sadder to think about.”

Baum had just exited federal court in Manhattan, where Valle and others at the defense table dropped their heads as the guilty verdicts were announced by a jury that had deliberated for portions of four days. US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement: “Today, a unanimous jury found that Gilberto Valle’s detailed and specific plans to abduct women for the purpose of committing grotesque crimes were very real and that he was guilty as charged. The Internet is a forum for the free exchange of ideas, but it does not confer immunity for plotting crimes and taking steps to carry out those crimes.”

Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles now in private practice, said it was a stretch by the defense to claim Valle was prosecuted for his thoughts because the jurors were required to find that he took one or more concrete steps to carry out the conspiracy. “It’s not just a thought crime. It’s a thought-and-action crime and conviction,” he said. Valle defense attorney Julia Gatto declined to talk about the sentencing scheduled for June 19, saying the defense team was focused only on trying to reverse the conviction on charges of kidnapping conspiracy and illegally accessing a national crime database. She said she will appeal within a month to US District Judge Paul G Gardephe to throw out the jury verdict or to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Although Valle could face up to life in prison, he is likely to get a much lower sentence.

Gatto, who said she cried with Valle after the verdict was announced, called it a “dangerous prosecution when we start opening our minds and prosecuting what’s in our brains and not what’s in the real world.” The jury, though, rejected the same “thought prosecution” argument she made throughout the trial. Jurors left the courthouse without comment. Most did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages or declined to discuss the case. Valle’s mother, Elizabeth, shook her head. “I’m in shock and want to be left alone,” she said.

Prosecutors said Valle plotted in lusty, lipsmacking detail to abduct, torture and cannibalize six women he knew, including his wife.

While none of the women were ever harmed and only his wife discovered his schemes prosecutors said he took concrete steps to carry out his plot. They said the New York City police officer looked up potential targets on a restricted law enforcement database; searched the Internet for how to knock someone out with chloroform and where to get torture devices and other tools; and showed up on a woman’s block after striking an agreement to kidnap her for $5,000 for a New Jersey man who wanted to rape and kill her.

That man was also arrested and is awaiting trial.

In one of the numerous online conversations shown to the jury, Valle told a man he met in a fetish chat room, “I want her to experience being cooked alive. She’ll be trussed up like a turkey. She’ll be terrified, screaming and crying.” In another exchange, Valle suggested a woman he knew would be easy prey because she lived alone. The men discussed cooking her, basted in olive oil, over an open fire and using her severed head as a centerpiece for a sit-down meal. “I’m dying to eat some girl meat,” Valle mused in yet another exchange. During the trial, Valle’s wife tearfully testified that she fled the couple’s home with her baby and contacted the FBI after putting Internet tracking software on his computer and discovering what he was up to.

Members of the jury recoiled upon seeing what appeared to be mostly staged Internet images from a sexual fetish site Valle visited.

The images included photos of wide-eyed women with apples stuffed in their mouths like roasted pigs and a video of a chained, naked woman screaming as flames appeared to scorch her crotch. — AP

CARACAS: Venezuela will set up a formal inquiry into claims that deceased President Hugo Chavez’s cancer was the result of poisoning by his enemies abroad, the government said. Foes of the government view the accusation as a typical Chavez-style conspiracy theory intended to feed fears of “imperialist” threats to Venezuela’s socialist system and distract people from daily problems. Acting President Nicolas Maduro vowed to open an investigation into the claims, first raised by Chavez after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2011.

“We will seek the truth,” Maduro told regional TV network Telesur. “We have the intuition that our commander Chavez was poisoned by dark forces that wanted him out of the way.” Foreign scientists will be invited to join a state committee to probe the accusation, he said. Maduro, 50, is Chavez’s handpicked successor and is running as the government’s candidate in a snap presidential election on April 14 that was triggered by the president’s death last week.

He is trying to keep voters’ attention firmly focused on Chavez to benefit from the outpouring of grief among his millions of supporters.

The opposition is centering its campaign on portraying Maduro, a former bus driver, as an incompetent who, they say, is exploiting Chavez ’s demise. “Let’s take the president (Chavez) away from the political debate, out of respect for his memory, his family, his supporters,” opposition candidate Henrique Capriles’ campaign chief Henri Falcon told reporters. Polls from before Chavez’s death gave Maduro a lead over Capriles of more than 10 percentage points.

Capriles lost to Chavez by 11 percentage points in October.

Capriles has tried to jump-start his campaign with accusations that Maduro and other senior officials lied about the details of Chavez’s illness, hiding the gravity of his condition from Venezuelans. That sparked a torrent of attacks, with senior government officials using words like “Nazi” and “fascist” to describe Capriles, who has Jewish ancestors.

In a televised message, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas read a letter to the “sick opposition” from the late president’s daughter, Maria Gabriela Chavez, who has at times been viewed as a possible future successor. “Stop playing with the pain of a nation and a devastated family,” she wrote. “It is unfair, inhuman, unacceptable that they now say we were lying about the date of his (death) ... Focus on politics, don’t play dirty.”

Accusations flying In an increasingly acrimonious campaign, both sides on Tuesday accused each other of planning violence. The opposition displayed photos circulating on the Internet showing an assault rifle and a pistol being held up to a TV screen that was broadcasting Capriles’ face. They also said there were indications of plans to attack Capriles when he was scheduled to register his candidacy on Monday. In the end, aides went instead.

Government spokesmen repeated accusations that opposition activists planned to disrupt Maduro’s campaign. Trying to discredit Capriles, they waved photos of a plush New York apartment they said belonged to him, and displayed copies of university documents that they said showed he never completed a law degree.

Capriles, a 40-year-old, business-friendly regional governor running for the opposition’s Democratic Unity coalition, is trying to disassoci-

CARACAS: A supporter of late Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez awaits her turn to pay her last homage to the leader, in Caracas, on March 12, 2013. — AP ate Maduro from Chavez in voters’ minds. “He’s attacking Nicolas Maduro, saying Nicolas is not Chavez,” senior Socialist Party official and Maduro’s campaign chief Jorge Rodriguez said.

“Of course Nicolas isn’t Chavez. But he is his faithful, responsible, revolutionary son. All these insults and vilification are going to be turned into votes for us,” he said.

Tuesday was the last day of official mourning for Chavez, although ceremonies appear set to continue. His embalmed body was to be taken in procession to a military museum on Friday.

Millions have filed past Chavez’s coffin to pay homage to a man who was adored by many of the poor for his humble roots and welfare policies, but was also hated by many people for his authoritarian style and bullying of opponents.

Though Maduro has spoken about combating crime and extending development programs in the slums, he has mostly used his frequent appearances on state TV to talk about Chavez.

The 58-year-old president was diagnosed with cancer in his pelvic region in June 2011 and underwent four surgeries before dying of what sources said was metastasis in the lungs. Maduro said it was too early to specifically point a finger over Chavez’s cancer, but noted that the United States had laboratories with experience in producing diseases. “He had a cancer that broke all

once well outside the conservative mainstream. Three Republican congressmen will participate in a panel called, “ Too Many American Wars?” In the Senate last week, a row over the use of drones among Republican Senators Rand Paul, John McCain and Lindsey Graham gave an airing to disagreements in the party over the proper scale and nature of the US military.

Frustration over how the party managed the 2012 campaign will receive a hearing in a discussion entitled, “Should We Shoot All the Consultants Now?” One consultant on the panel, Jeff Roe, a strategist from Missouri, said his answer will be no, they should not all be shot. Elsewhere, strategists will debate what kind of candidates the party should field. Since the election some like Karl Rove, a former top adviser to President George W. Bush, have knocked heads with Tea Party leaders over the quality of certain potential Republican candidates. “ There’s probably more freedom of thought in some of these areas than we had two decades ago,” said Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union. Recent polling suggests the Republican Party has a long climb ahead of it to return to favor with American voters.— Reuters

Colombia in 1830.

Opposition’s uphill fight The National Assembly was to debate this week a proposal by pro-government legislators to hold a referendum - possibly also on April 14 on whether he should be buried at the ornate National Pantheon building in Caracas.

Opponents are outraged at the prospect of a referendum stoking the emotion around Chavez at the same time as the presidential vote. Besides the wave of sympathy for Chavez, the opposition faces a well-financed state apparatus, institutions packed with government supporters, and problems within its own rank-and-file, still demoralized over October’s presidential election defeat and a mauling at gubernatorial polls in December.

At stake in the election is the future of Chavez’s leftist “revolution,” the continuation of Venezuelan oil subsidies and other aid crucial to the economies of left-wing allies around Latin America, from Cuba to Bolivia. The OPEC nation boasts the world’s largest oil reserves. Though there are hopes for a post-Chavez rapprochement between Venezuela and the United States, a diplomatic spat worsened on Monday when Washington expelled two Venezuelan diplomats in a tit-for-tat retaliation. — Reuters

Europe transport hit as snow turns to ice

US Reps seek identity NEW YORK: Four months after suffering a bruising loss in the presidential campaign, Republican lawmakers and conservative activists will meet today for a three-day conclave which will lay bare the many contradictions of a party in search of its identity. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), organized by the 49-year-old advocacy group American Conservative Union, convenes in Washington as a showcase for the Republican Party’s future and an opportunity to air grievances about the party’s past.

Two reminders of failed presidential campaigns will be on hand as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, and former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee who ran beside presidential nominee John McCain, will address 8,000 conservatives. Around those past candidates, potential future presidential contenders will jockey for the audience’s attention in what has become an annual cattle call for rising Republican leaders. While leading Republican governors and congressmen will offer short speeches challenging President Barack Obama and offering their own visions for the Republican Party, in the wings, party rank-and-file will debate topics that were

norms,” Maduro told Telesur. “Everything seems to indicate that they (enemies) affected his health using the most advanced techniques.”

Maduro has compared his suspicions over Chavez’s death with allegations that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in 2004 from poisoning

by Israeli agents. The case echoes Chavez’s long campaign to convince the world that his idol and Venezuela’s independence hero Simon Bolivar died of poisoning by his enemies in

PARIS: Tourists jump in front the Eiffel tower during a snowy day yesterday. —AFP

PARIS: Icy roads were disrupting transport as northwestern Europe remained in the grip of unseasonable weather yesterday but many services were resuming after a severe late-winter snowstorm. The snowstorm on Monday and Tuesday, only a few days before the official start of spring on March 20, caused widespread travel chaos with the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the suspension of train services including cross-Channel Eurostar trains. The Eurostar link between London and Paris, the Thalys line between Paris and Brussels and other high-speed connections in northern France resumed running early yesterday, though there were warnings of delays. After being forced to close briefly, Frankfurt Airport, Europe’s third-busiest, said it expected services to progressively return to normal after 812 flights were cancelled on Tuesday. France was the worst affected by the snowstorm but Belgium, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands also reported major disruptions.

Services were returning to normal in France, with the Paris Metro and suburban train services running, though buses were cancelled because of icy road conditions. The sun was shining in Paris, where buildings were covered in a picturesque blanket of snow and a lone cross-country skier was seen on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower. The temperature was at -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit), well below seasonal averages.

The icy conditions were causing road closures and slowdowns, in particular in the north of France, but highways were gradually opening as snowdrifts were cleared and vehicles stranded during the snowstorm were recovered. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned that disruptions could continue for another 48 hours. “I think that things should be better by Friday, at least on the weather front,” he said. “The situation is under control, the organisation is at the necessary level.” About 69,000 homes were without power in France yesterday, including about 30,000 that lost electricity after the snowstorm moved south into the Alps. Temperatures hovered close to freezing in Britain, with snow expected in parts of Scotland and eastern England. Motorways in the south of the country were blocked as lorries were backed up following delays to freight and passenger services through the Channel Tunnel. Belgium was also seeing a return to normal with train and public transport services improving, though icy roads were causing some disruptions. — AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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

India agency files case against air force ex-chief

NEW DELHI: India’s top investigative agency filed a criminal case yesterday against a former air force chief and 11 other people on charges of cheating and conspiracy in a $750 million helicopter deal marred by bribery. The Central Bureau of Investigation filed the charges under India’s corruption prevention laws against Shashi Tyagi, three of his cousins and officials of four defense companies after an investigation revealed that huge bribes were paid to steer the contract to Italian defense group Finmeccanica’s helicopter division, AgustaWestland. The CBI is India’s equivalent of the FBI. The agency searched the homes and offices of Tyagi and his cousins, who it suspects were among those who received bribes to clinch the purchase of 12 helicopters two years ago. The helicopters were to be used by the air force to ferry top political leaders.

India’s defense ministry received three of the helicopters in December but has placed the rest of the contract on hold. Among the 12 people involved in the case is Satish Bagrodia, the brother of former federal minister Santosh Bagrodia, who belongs to India’s ruling Congress party.

The CBI said it filed the criminal charges based on evidence it had gathered from the men and from documents it obtained from Italy and India’s defense ministry that indicated that alterations were made in the helicopter specifications to favor AgustaWestland. The inquiry into the helicopter contract began last month after Italian authorities arrested Giuseppe Orsi, the CEO of Finmeccanica, in Italy on charges that the company paid bribes in India.

Orsi, who has been jailed, denies wrongdoing. Italian authorities also placed AgustaWestland chief Bruno

Spagnolini under house arrest. Tyagi has also denied any wrongdoing in the case and said decisions on the helicopter deal were made before he assumed the top job in the air force. Tyagi was India’s air force chief from 2004 to 2007. The agency said Finmeccanica paid a commission to three middlemen who channeled the illegal payments through Tunisia and Mauritius to two India-based companies as payments for an engineering contract. Those companies and two Indian men associated with them were among those named as accessories in the case.

India has become the world’s biggest arms and defense equipment buyer in recent years and is expected to spend $80 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its military. However, arms deals in India have often been mired in controversy, with allegations that companies have paid millions of dollars in

kickbacks to Indian officials. In the 1980s, then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s government collapsed over charges that Swedish gun manufacturer Bofors AB paid bribes to supply Howitzer field guns to the Indian army.

Following the Bofors scandal, India banned middlemen in all defense deals. The developments in the Finmeccanica case come at a time when New Delhi and Rome are entangled in a diplomatic row after Italy’s refusal this week to return two Italian marines facing trial in India for the killing of two fishermen off the southwest Indian coast last year. The case is also a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government, which has been buffeted over the past year by a string of corruption scandals ahead of national elections scheduled in the first half of next year. — AP

Gunmen kill 5 in Kashmir Militants dressed as cricketers launch attack

TRIVANDRUM: Demonstrating Indian fishermen burn an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as they shout slogans against the ruling UPA government in Trivandrum, capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala yesterday. — AFP

Indian PM demands Italy return marines for trial NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister demanded yesterday that Italy return two marines accused of killing a pair of fishermen last year or face unspecified consequences, deepening a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. The Indian government allowed the marines to return home in February to vote in national elections and to celebrate Easter with a promise from the Italian ambassador that they would return to stand trial. Italy announced Monday it would not send them back.

The dispute, along with allegations of bribes and kickbacks in a $750 million helicopter deal between India’s military and an Italian defense company, has badly damaged relations between the two nations.

Angry politicians have attacked the government for allowing the two Italians to leave the country in the first place, and they demanded retaliation. “I want to make it clear that these actions of the government of Italy are not acceptable,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament yesterday. “They violate every rule of diplomatic discourse and call into question solemn commitments given by the accredited representative of a sovereign government to our Supreme Court.”

Singh said Italy’s actions were damaging bilateral relations that were built on trust.

“Our government has insisted that the Italian authorities respect the undertaking they had given to the Supreme Court and return the two accused persons to stand trial in India,” he said. If they don’t, “there will be consequences.” He did not elaborate on what those would be. The marines, Massimilian Latorre and Salvatore Girone, were part of a military security team aboard a cargo ship when they opened fire on a fishing boat in February last year that they said they mistook for a pirate craft, killing the two fishermen. Italy maintains the shooting occurred in international waters and that Rome should have jurisdiction.

India says the ship was in Indian territorial waters.

One former official said India should follow a calibrated diplomatic strategy to deal with the dispute. “India should make a strong representation to the Italian government that this is a breach of agreement and contempt of India’s judicial system,” said Lalit Mansingh, a former foreign secretary.

He said India should also stop receiving

Italian delegations, including trade groups, shutting out the attractive Indian market to Italian companies.

“The message can be conveyed through diplomatic channels, and also informally, that in view of this kind of behavior, India would consider debarring Italian companies from taking part in government tenders,” Mansingh said. “Today all European countries are looking at India as a potential market and a place for investment. If the Italians foolishly want to get out of this market, then so be it. The loss will be theirs,” he said.

Also yesterday, Oommen Chandy, the top elected official from the southern state of Kerala, which is near the site of the shooting, met with Singh to urge him to press Italy for the return of the marines and ensure justice for the families of the fishermen. The wife of one of the slain fishermen said the decision to let the marines go home to vote appeared to be part of a plan to spare them from facing trial. “This is nothing but a conspiracy at the highest level,” said the wife, Dora Valantine. “The Indian government should ensure that they bring back the two and make them stand trial in this country.”

Last year, Italy paid compensation of 10 million rupees ($192,308) each to the families of the fishermen. The Indian government had earlier allowed the marines to go home over the Christmas holidays, after which they returned to India. In February, India’s Supreme Court allowed them to return home to vote after the Italian ambassador gave a guarantee they would return.

The marines said they had put their faith in the Italian government to help them out.

“I knew that our government wasn’t abandoning us. It wouldn’t abandon us. They gave us four weeks from when we returned to Italy to vote, and I felt that something would happen, something positive, I mean,” Girone was quoted as saying by the Milan daily Corriere della Sera.

But he said they were not celebrating their release. “There isn’t anything to celebrate. Our case is not over yet,” Girone said.

The Italian government came under attack in that country’s media on Tuesday, with the Rome daily La Repubblica saying the move

by Premier Mario Monti’s caretaker government “dealt a terrible blow to our credibility from the point of view of international image.” — AP

In Kabul, Catholic priest hopes for Pope’s sympathy for Islam KABUL: Father Giuseppe Moretti’s tiny Catholic Church and his own “Little Vatican” sits behind towering blast-proof walls topped with razor wire, and a guard tower manned by soldiers carrying AK-47 rifles. From the only Catholic church in Afghanistan, a country seen as the front line in the fight against Islamist militancy, the 75-year-old Italian priest is closely following the conclave at the Vatican to choose the leader of the Catholic Church.

Even war cannot stop television stations beaming live coverage of news from the Vatican.

As long as you have a satellite dish, you can take your pick of the Vatican Channel, Italy’s Rai Uno or Al-Jazeera among dozens of others following the ins and outs of the election. Moretti, who carries shrapnel wounds from a bomb attack sustained during the Afghan civil war about two decades ago, has his own favourite: Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan and one of the main contenders to win the papacy.

“Of course, as an Italian, I would like an Italian. And Scola has a very deep connection with Islamic people,” he said, adding he hoped the next Pope would also take

a close interest in the developing world and alleviating poverty. Scola, 71, knows Islam as head of a foundation to promote Muslim-Christian understanding. Moretti, who was born in the Italian province of Le Marche, confidently predicts white smoke signalling a winner will puff from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel before Sunday. The Italian, who wears the symbols of a bishop including a ring and pectoral cross after his appointment by Pope John Paul II as head of the Catholic Church in Afghanistan, is the only priest in a country which is more than 99 percent Muslim. Moretti, along with about a dozen Catholic nuns, is acutely aware of the conditions of his posting: no proselytising. Under shariah law, conversion to Christianity is punishable by death.

“We work in silence,” he said from his office, which he calls the Little Vatican, decorated with a blend of Afghan art and pictures of Popes and other Catholic icons. Only foreigners attend daily Mass.

These days up to 60 people from generals and diplomats to aid workers congregate in the catacomb-like chapel which is housed inside the grounds of the Italian embassy. —Reuters

SRINAGAR: Militants disguised as cricketers killed five paramilitary police in an ambush in the main city of Indian Kashmir yesterday, officials said, in the deadliest attack for nearly five years. Two gunmen from the local pro-Pakistan group Hizbul Mujahideen, which claimed the attack, were shot dead after the assault on a playing field in the Bemina district of Srinagar that is home to a police school and barracks. A senior police officer, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the extremists pretended to be joining children for a game of cricket before taking out automatic weapons from a bag and throwing a grenade.

“They first mixed with the children playing cricket,” said the officer, who was not authorised to speak to the media. Four civilians were also injured, said a police statement. The Kashmir News Network (KNS), a Srinagar-based news agency, reported receiving a call from a Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman who claimed the “guerilla attack” and said others would follow. Indian Home Secretary RK Singh told reporters that up to four men might have been involved and the dead gunmen appeared “not local but from across the border” in Pakistan.

Yesterday’s deaths marked the deadliest single day for Indian security forces since July 2008 when a landmine killed nine soldiers on a bus on the outskirts of Srinagar. The Himalayan region, where a 20-year anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years, has been tense since the execution in February of a local separatist over a deadly 2001 attack on the national parliament in Delhi. Mohammed Afzal Guru was convicted over the attack, but he retained widespread support in Muslim-majority Kashmir where many doubted his guilt.

Much of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both, has since been put under curfew repeatedly while protests and strikes have disrupted daily life. Separatists called a strike yesterday and a 24-year-old man taking part in a protest to demand the return of Guru’s body to Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Indian paramilitary personnel carry an injured comrade on a stretcher at a school compound yesterday. — AFP was shot dead by police in Srinagar, a source at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences hospital told AFP. Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had argued recently that the government should withdraw emergency laws that give security forces in Kashmir near-complete legal immunity.

The attack will likely undermine his campaign, which he sees as necessary to defuse local resentment about human rights abuses and heavy-handed policing by the hundreds of thousands of troops in the region. Attacks in Srinagar have become rare in recent years with violence across the region at its lowest level since the insurgency began in 1989, boosting the vital local tourism industry.

More than 47,000 people have died in the fighting by an official count while local rights groups estimate up to 70,000 have lost their lives. The Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the biggest

militant groups locally, fights for the transfer of Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir to Pakistan.

Violence in the region has its roots in the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 when the Hindu leader of Kashmir opted for his mostly Muslim subjects to join secular India instead of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The region is now split between the two countries along a UN-monitored line of control, but both sides claim it in full and have fought two wars over its control. The last major militant attack in Srinagar was in January 2010 when two militants from another pro-Pakistan militant group opened fire in the city centre and took refuge in a hotel. Both were killed, as were a local policeman and a bystander. Last October, gunmen opened fired on a popular hotel, killing a bellboy. In May 2004, 28 Indian troopers and their relatives were killed in a blast carried out by Hizbul militants in southern Kashmir. — AFP

Inmate suicide casts shadow on model Indian Tihar Jail NEW DELHI: India’s Tihar Jail is a land of bakeries and carpentry shops, where inmates compete in music contests, take classes and perform intensive Buddhist meditation as part of their rehabilitation.

Tihar Jail is also a vast, overcrowded facility, crammed with people awaiting trial who sleep on concrete floors, face daily threats from other prisoners and are shaken down for bribes from their poorly paid jailers, according to human rights lawyers and former inmates there.

The two sides of India’s most famous jail emerged this week when a man accused in the notorious rape of a woman aboard a New Delhi bus was found dead in his cell. Jail authorities said Ram Singh, 33, hanged himself, but his family questioned how he could have done that with three cellmates sleeping beside him. A magistrate is investigating.

Just two days earlier, the jail’s director-general strutted the catwalk at a fashion show premiering the design creations of Tihar’s female inmates. The genius of Tihar officials is that they are able “to violate human rights, and have a brilliant camouflage,” said Colin Gonsalves, a Supreme Court lawyer and the director of the Human Rights Law Network.

Tihar is a massive complex of nine separate jails in New Delhi that is one of the largest incarceration facilities in South Asia. Like many of India’s prisons, it long suffered from a reputation for badly mistreating prisoners.

In the 1990s, Kiran Bedi, a reformist police official, took charge and tried to turn it around. She introduced yoga, brought in literacy and vocational classes and reined in some of the jail’s worst excesses, a process she documented in her book, “It’s Always Possible.” A movie, “Doing Time, Doing Vipassana,” praised the jail’s intensive 10-day silent meditation program.

The jail also became a business, making about 300 million rupees ($5.5 million) in revenue this fiscal year, according to jail officials. Its bakery sells TJ’s cookies at a network of TJ shops and upscale malls around the capital. Its woodworking factory sells a large computer table for 5,251.50 rupees (about $100). A small shop just outside Tihar’s walls sells sweets, white dress shirts, candles and cleaning products made by the inmates, as well as their paintings, mainly of women, staring off into the distance.

Last year, the jail held a Tihar Idols music competition, and is selling a CD of songs from the winners. In recent years, Tihar has become renowned for its gentle treatment of lawmakers and former Cabinet ministers charged with corruption. In 2011, a judge found a jail superintendent having tea and biscuits in his office with an incarcerated parliamentarian. But most prisoners don’t fare that well, according to lawyers and former inmates. “The myth is that it’s one of the model prisons... but as far as we can make out, there has been a downslide to the same old rotten practices that we heard of earlier,” Gonsalves said, citing reports of drugs, extortion and torture.

According to the jail’s own statistics from January, it is filled to nearly twice its capacity, with 12,199 inmates in a facility built for 6,250. Just over a quarter of the inmates have been convicted of crimes, while the rest are awaiting trial - some for years. A study published last year in the Delhi Psychiatry Journal reported 18 suicides in the jail in just over 10 years. The authors, who worked in Tihar’s psychiatry department, said those numbers might be even higher, because the deaths of other suicide victims might be recorded in the hospitals where they were rushed.

Last year, an inmate who required a feeding tube because of a prior injury lost 28 kilograms (61 pounds) in jail, bringing his weight to 30 kilograms (66 pounds), according to a judicial investigation.

He died, emaciated and riddled with tuberculosis, of an infection around his feeding tube. One visiting prison lawyer told of watching guards hit inmates with iron bars and seeing an inmate hung upside down and beaten on the soles of his feet.

The lawyer spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being barred from the jail.

“Living conditions are not proper for a human being,” said ND Pancholi, another lawyer with clients at the jail. Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, who spent seven months in the prison last year on charges that he was involved in the bombing of an Israeli diplomat’s car, said he was in a high-security ward where one inmate was beaten and attacked with scalpels that were routinely smuggled inside the prison. Despite constant security checks, many inmates had cellphones, which are banned but tolerated by poorly paid guards who have been bribed, Kazmi said. The jail’s cellphone jammers rarely worked, he said. Inmates were given barely

edible food, forced to sleep on the concrete floor with two black blankets as padding and allowed to buy low-quality fruits and toiletries for as much as five times the price they would cost outside the jail, Kazmi said. Tihar spokesman Sunil Gupta denied any mistreatment. “The conditions are the best,” he said. “We are clear. We are transparent. Here there is total peace.” He pointed to routine visits by senior judges who ensure the inmates are kept in good condition. Bedi, the former jail director, agreed, saying the constant flow of volunteers prevented the mistreatment of prisoners. But former inmates and lawyers said visitors, including occasional journalists, were shown only a small part of the facility, the one with the bakery, cricket grounds and music room. “There is a place where nobody goes inside, where no agency gets in to investigate to know the exact situation inside the jail,” Kazmi said.

Gupta said all the jails at the facility were the same, and that those criticizing Tihar were spreading “false propaganda.” When asked if a journalist could take a tour of Tihar, he responded: “You can’t visit the jail... we don’t allow it.” Iftikhar Gilani, a Kashmiri journalist who was jailed on spying charges that were eventually dropped, described his eight months in Tihar in 2002 as “a very harrowing experience.” He said convicts doled out beatings at the behest of guards, and that his jailers forced him to clean a toilet with a shirt and then wear it for three days. Gilani, who wrote a book about his experience called “My Days in Prison,” said the truth of what is happening is hidden from outsiders. “It is entirely a different world. It is like a person in the 21st century is thrown into a time machine and ends up in the medieval period,” he said. — AP

NEW DELHI: In this file photo, inmates of Tihar jail, the largest complex of prisons in south Asia, dance during a musical evening for inmates in New Delhi, India. — AP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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

North Korea confirms

end of war armistice North expected to hold more military drills

MANILA: A protester displays a placard during a rally in front of the Malaysian embassy yesterday. — AFP

Malaysia refuses access to Filipinos in Borneo KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities will not let armed members of a Filipino royal clan who are being hunted in Borneo meet with Philippine officials or family members who might seek to negotiate their safety, the foreign minister said yesterday. Clashes sparked by the clansmen’s intrusion into Malaysia’s Sabah state have killed 56 Filipinos and nine Malaysian police and army personnel this month, according to Malaysian government estimates. The clan wants to reassert a decades-old territorial claim to the eastern Borneo state, which is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines.

One of the clan’s Philippine-based leaders, Esmail Kiram II, said earlier this week that a group of Filipinos could try entering the area to meet the clansmen and discuss how to resolve the crisis if a cease-fire is declared. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said yesterday that authorities could not guarantee the safety of any negotiators. “This is not the right time, this is not the right place for any outsiders apart from the security personnel to be in the area,” Anifah told reporters after briefing more than 80 foreign diplomats about the crisis.

Anifah reiterated Malaysia’s stance that the Filipino gunmen must surrender unconditionally and face prosecution.

Kiram told The Associated Press in Manila yesterday that personally meeting his younger brother, who is leading the Filipinos in Sabah, would be crucial in ending the standoff without further casualties.

“It will be difficult if we can’t get Malaysia’s cooperation,” Kiram said in response to Anifah’s comments.

Malaysian and Philippine authorities had tried to convince the clansmen to

leave peacefully after they began occupying a remote village on Sabah’s eastern seaboard last month. The crisis turned violent when the Filipinos killed two policemen March 1, leading to military airstrikes and mortar attacks last week that drove the clansmen out of the village into hiding in palm oil plantations nearby. Anifah said Malaysian authorities would also not grant legal access for now to dozens of Filipinos detained in Sabah on suspicion of providing help or information to the clansmen.

They are being held under a national security law that allows detention without trial for up to 28 days before they must be freed or brought to court.

Kiram’s younger brother, Agbimuddin, has said he would rather die than surrender his Philippine sultanate’s rights to Sabah, which he said has belonged to his clan and its followers for centuries. Sabah, which is rich in timber and oil, has been part of Malaysia since 1963. Yesterday, two Philippine navy gunboats intercepted 35 suspected followers of Agbimuddin who apparently fled Sabah aboard two motor boats and were traveling back to the southern Philippines, regional military commander Lt Gen Rey Ardo said.

The men were carrying 11 firearms and at least one was wounded and treated on a Philippine navy ship off Tawi Tawi, the country’s southernmost province, he said.

Navy officials said the men would be turned over to local police for investigation. Philippine navy vessels patrolling the sea border with Malaysia have also intercepted Filipino settlers who were leaving following the violence amid concerns about a Malaysian crackdown on Filipino suspects. — AP

Australian court clears surgeon of manslaughter SYDNEY: An Indian-born surgeon at the centre of a long-running malpractice saga in Australia was yesterday cleared in a retrial of the manslaughter of an elderly patient who died after he operated on him. Jayant Patel was jailed for seven years in July 2010 after a jury found him guilty of criminal negligence resulting in the deaths of three patients.

But Australia’s High Court quashed the manslaughter convictions in August last year, saying there had been a miscarriage of justice and ordered retrials, and the surgeon was released on bail. Patel reportedly wiped away tears as he was found not guilty in Brisbane’s Supreme Court yesterday at the first of the retrials, relating to the death of 75-year-old Mervyn Morris.

Prosecutors had alleged Patel, 62, was negligent in recommending and performing bowel surgery on Morris, who died three weeks after he was operated on at Queensland’s Bundaberg Base Hospital in 2003. The defence argued the

decision to operate was reasonable on medical grounds and there was not enough evidence to prove Patel caused Morris’s death.

In his closing address, defence barrister Ken Fleming told the jury Patel did not have the luxury of hindsight when he decided to operate, and he did so in the honest and reasonable belief it was necessary. “He was making decisions as a very busy surgeon in a busy hospital where he had numerous patients,” Fleming said, according to a report in Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper.

Outside the court, Fleming said justice had been served. “Dr Patel is very happy with the result but he can’t talk to people yet because obviously there are other issues to be resolved,” Fleming said. Patel has two outstanding manslaughter charges against him relating to other operations carried out at the Bundaberg hospital between 2003 and 2004. Despite the acquittal, the other trials may still proceed. — AFP

SEOUL: North Korea confirmed yesterday that it had shredded the 60-year-old armistice ending the Korean War, and warned that the next step was an act of “merciless” military retaliation against its enemies. A lengthy statement by the North’s armed forces ministry added to the tide of dire threats flowing from Pyongyang in recent days that have raised military tensions on the Korean peninsula to their highest level for years.

The statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency argued that the real “warmongering” was coming from the United States and its “puppets” in Seoul.

“They would be well advised to keep in mind that the armistice agreement is no longer valid and (North Korea) is not restrained by the NorthSouth declaration on non-aggression,” a ministry spokesman said. “What is left to be done now is an action of justice and merciless retaliation of the army and people” of North Korea, the spokesman said. The North announced last week that it would nullify the 1953 armistice and peace pacts signed with Seoul in protest over joint South Korea-US military manoeuvres that began on Monday.

Because the Korean War was concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas have always remained technically at war.

Voiding the ceasefire theoretically opens the way to a resumption of hostilities, although observers note this is far from the first time that North Korea has announced the demise of the armistice. The armistice was approved by the UN General Assembly, and both the United Nations and South Korea have repudiated the North’s unilateral withdrawal.

“The terms of the armistice agreement do not allow either side, unilaterally, to free themselves from it,” said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. The North has also threatened to launch nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea in response to fresh UN sanctions adopted after the North carried out its third nuclear test last month.

SEOUL: Anti-war activists hold a banner reading “Talk (with North Korea) for peace on the Korean Peninsula” during a rally near the US embassy yesterday. — AFP While the threats have been mostly dismissed as bluster, there are strong concerns that the North will attempt some form of military provocation in the coming weeks. The South’s Yonhap news agency yesterday quoted a senior military source as saying sorties by North Korean fighter jets in recent days had reached “unprecedented” levels, with around 700 counted on Monday alone. As well as nullifying ceasefire agreements, the North severed a Red Cross hotline that was one of the few means of communication between Pyongyang and Seoul, which do not have diplomatic relations.

However, a spokeswoman for the presidential Blue House in Seoul said a military hotline was still operating. “The military communication is working normally and we will seek to convey any message to the North via the channel when

Australia defends media reforms amid ‘Stalinism’ SYDNEY: Australia defended proposed media reforms arising from Britain’s phone-hacking scandal yesterday after a heated backlash from Rupert Murdoch’s local operations, which labelled them dictatorial. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy was condemned after unveiling the changes, which will include a new public interest test for major mergers and stronger self-regulation requirements for the print media. News Limited, Murdoch’s Australian arm, was particularly strident in its commentary, likening Conroy on the front page of its Sydney Daily Telegraph tabloid to leaders including Kim Jong-Un and Robert Mugabe.

The newspaper lampooned Conroy as Stalin in a doctored image imposing his face on the former Soviet dictator’s body. News Limited chief Kim Williams lashed the government in a stinging speech to the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, accusing Conroy of putting “a gun to the head of parliament, our industry and the Australian public”. Conroy has given parliament until the end of next week to pass the reforms without amendment, which Williams slammed as “Soviet style” given the government failed to

consult him or any other senior newspaper executive.

“Effectively, a government-appointed advocate will have the power to close down our ability to report on that which is going on in our society,” said Williams. News Limited owns 70 percent of Australia’s newspapers, as well as extensive online assets. Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the arguments “absolute nonsense”, declaring she was “passionately committed to free speech and also committed to a diversity of voices, I think both are essential underpinnings of our democracy”.

“What the government is actually doing is supporting self-regulation of print (media), the government is not directing in any way the activities of journalists,” she told reporters. Gillard pointed to the dense concentration of Australia’s print industry relative to other Western nations, noting that two newspaper companies-News and Fairfax-accounted for 86 percent of the market. That compares with 14 percent market share for the top two US media firms and 54 percent for the top two in Canada. Gillard said that since the 1950s, the Australian market had shrunk from

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have deteriorated badly over the last year as the two sides argued about the sovereignty of Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea. On Tuesday, three Chinese government ships spent several hours in the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off one of the Senkaku islands, claimed by Beijing under the name Diaoyus.

Taiwan also claims them.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as China and Taiwan, have claims to parts of the South China Sea, which contains some of the world’s most important shipping lanes and is believed to be rich in fossil fuels. Simmering tensions over the issue have risen in the past two years, with the Philippines and Vietnam accusing China of becoming increasingly aggressive.

China claims most of the sea, including waters close to the shores of its neighbours. Relations between the Philippines and China have become particularly tense since patrol vessels from both countries engaged in a stand-off over the Scarborough Shoal in April. Analysts said China’s recent prickliness meant regional alliances made sense. “Japan and ASEAN can regard security cooperation as a realistic option because China is their common adversary,” said Hideshi Takesada, a Japanese defence expert and former professor at South Korea’s Yonsei University.

“Practically, Japan can provide defence technologies or equipment to ASEAN so that Japan can win their trust,” said Takesada, who is also former professor at Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies. — AFP

15 national or metropolitan newspapers owned by 10 individuals or firms to 11 papers with three distinct owners. Eight of the top nine news websites are also owned by traditional media firms.

A central feature of the government’s proposed reforms is a new statutory authority called the Public Interest Media Advocate which will assess whether mergers of “national significance” are in the public interest. It will also oversee selfregulatory authorities such as the Press Council to ensure they are transparent and independent of both the government and major proprietors, and apply greater enforcement of existing press standards.

Analysts said the reforms were more modest than had been feared or recommended by two separate media inquiries-one specifically called after the phone-hacking scandal in Britain which closed Murdoch’s News of the World. “Conroy has, for the most part, bowed to early criticism and concern from media owners, CEOs, editors-inchief and conservative commentators and opted for some tame options which sound purposeful but will deliver little,” said Griffith University journalism professor Susan Forde. — AFP

Thailand denies shooting boat people

Japan eyes defense ties with Southeast TOKYO: Japan yesterday called for stronger security ties with Southeast Asia as Tokyo looks to boost alliances at a time of growing territorial tensions with China. Vice-minister level representatives from Japan and the 10member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began a two-day gathering at a Tokyo hotel, with several participating nations embroiled in sovereignty rows with Beijing. “The Asia-Pacific region has various issues concerning security and defence... including territorial conflicts in the South China Sea,” Vice Defence Minister Akinori Eto told the opening session of the closed-door meeting.

“On top of the growing maturity of our economic cooperation, Japan and ASEAN need to further strengthen ties in the field of security and defence,” Eto said. The meeting is the first high-ranking defence dialogue of its kind since hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office late December following a landslide victory in general elections.

“Our country changed governments late last year,” Eto said. “Under the new regime, we want to reinforce cooperation in security and defence with ASEAN countries and contribute to peace in the region,” he added.

Ahead of the meeting, the ASEAN participants met Abe late Tuesday and voiced their high expectations from Japan “in dealing with various security issues of the Asia-Pacific region,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Japan, along with several members of ASEAN have locked horns with China over separate territorial disputes.

necessary,” she said. Yesterday’s statement by the armed forces ministry was notable for carrying the first official criticism of South Korea’s new president, Park Geun-Hye, since she took office a little more than two weeks ago.

While the spokesman did not mention Park by name, he said the “frenzy” stirred up the “warmongers” in South Korea was orchestrated by the “swish of the skirt made by the owner of Chongwadae (the Blue House).” He also slammed Park’s recent comments that the North’s obsession with nuclear weapons would bring about its own collapse as “utter ignorance” and an echo of the “confrontational” policy of Park’s predecessor Lee Myung-Bak. Park had campaigned on a pledge of greater engagement with North Korea, but February’s nuclear test put any rapprochement on indefinite hold. — AFP

MONYWA: Villagers shout slogans as they protest against a Chinese-backed copper mine project, in Monywa northern Myanmar yesterday. — AFP

Suu Kyi defends protest-hit mine MONYWA: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged protesters yesterday to accept a controversial Chinese-backed mine that was the scene of a violent crackdown last year, or risk hurting the economy. The Nobel laureate dismayed some villagers living near the copper mine in Monywa, northern Myanmar, with her warning that nearby communities and the wider economy would suffer if the controversial project is abandoned. “If we stop this project, it will not benefit local people or the country,” Suu Kyi said during a visit to the area.

“The other country (China) might think that our country cannot be trusted on the economy,” she added. “We have to get along with the neighbouring country whether we like it or not.”

Speaking to about 500 people at a second village, Suu Kyi urged those unhappy with her to “protest at my house”. The issue has left Suu Kyi with the awkward balancing act of reaching out to downtrodden local people while fulfilling her new role as a parliamentarian.

She failed to appease the villagers and many spoke disparagingly about her lack of support for their action, in particular after November’s brutal

crackdown, which carried echoes of the former junta’s response to dissent. “We have lost respect for Daw (Aunt) Suu... although we used to love her very much,” villager Zaw Naing told AFP, accusing the opposition leader of failing “to consider local people”.

An estimated 3,000 protesters-some carrying placards reading “Get out Wanbao”-yesterday marched on the headquarters of the Chinese firm which jointly owns the mine. A parliamentary report overseen by Suu Kyi-released on Tuesdaysaid police used phosphorus against demonstrators at the mine in November in the harshest crackdown on protesters since the end of military rule.

However, the probe into the clampdown, which left dozens wounded including monks, recommended the mine project should not be scrapped, despite conceding it only brought “slight” benefits to the nation. The report was angrily rejected by locals who are worried about the environmental impact and land grabbing. “We cannot accept the result of the investigation... this Wanbao company has to close down,” Zaw Naing told AFP, vowing further protests. —AFP

BANGKOK: Thailand yesterday denied accusations its sailors shot Rohingya boat people fleeing sectarian strife in Myanmar, after a rights group urged a probe into the alleged deaths of at least two migrants. Survivors of the alleged incident on February 22 told Human Rights Watch that sailors opened fire on around 20 Rohingya migrants, killing two of them, as they jumped overboard to escape custody after drifting into Thai waters. But the incident near a pier in Kuraburi district, southern Phang Nga province, was strenuously denied by Thai officials. “The Thai navy commander responsible for that area has rejected the report,” said foreign ministry spokesman Manasvi Srisodapol, adding there is “no reason to shoot or hurt” Rohingya. Also refuting the claims, defence ministry spokesman Colonel Thanathip Sawangsang said Thailand acts “on humanitarian principles,” providing food and water before allowing the boat people to continue south, towards Malaysia.

The kingdom has faced criticism for pushing Rohingya-who have fled in their thousands since Buddhist-Muslim tensions exploded in their home state of Rakhine in June last year-towards Malaysia or detaining them as illegal immigrants once they are on Thai soil. In January Thailand was also forced to probe allegations that army officials were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya-who are easy prey for people smugglers demanding large sums of money to transport them to Malaysia.

Those unable to pay are believed to be forced into labour in Thailand. The Thai government has repeatedly promised to investigate all allegations of human rights violations against the Rohingya. HRW said the shooting took place as the group of Rohingya jumped from their boat fearing they were about to be detained, prompting the sailors to fire warning shots into the air and then directly into the water. “Rohingya fleeing Burma (Myanmar) should be given protection, not shot at,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Thai government should urgently investigate why sailors opened fire at boat people helpless in the sea and prosecute all those found responsible.” The UN describe Rohingya as among the most persecuted minority groups in the world. Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. — AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Tears of joy in Latin America BUENOS AIRES: Latin Americans reacted with joy, bursting into tears and cheers yesterday at news that an Argentine cardinal has become the first pope from the hemisphere. “It’s incredible!” said Martha Ruiz, 60, who was weeping tears of emotion after learning that the cardinal she knew as Jorge Mario Bergoglio will now be Pope Francis I. She said she had been in many meetings with the cardinal and said, “He is a man who transmits great serenity.”

Cars honked their horns as the news spread and television announcers screamed with elation and surprise. There was excitement as well elsewhere. At the St Francis of Assisi church in the colonial Old San Juan district in Puerto Rico, church secretary Antonia Veloz exchanged jubilant high-fives with Jose Antonio Cruz, a Franciscan friar. Cruz said he personally favored the Brazilian candidate, but was pleased with the outcome, saying the new pope would help revitalize the church.

“It’s a huge gift for all of Latin America. We waited 20 centuries. It was worth the wait,” said Cruz, wearing the brown cassock tied with a rope that is the signature of the Franciscan order. “Everyone from Canada down to Patagonia is going to feel blessed. This is an event.” “This is something exciting,” the 50-year-old Veloz said of the new Argentine pope. “I’m speechless.”

In Santo Domingo, the bells pealed in the city’s main cathedral in the colonial district. In Panama City, public relations executive Nelsa Aponte said with teary eyes, “This made me cry, I had to get out my handkerchief.” “We have a new pastor, and for the first time, he is from Latin America.”

POPE FRANCIS I A MODERATE The first Latin American pope, Argentina’s Jorge Bergoglio is a moderate known for his strong negotiating skills as well as a readiness to challenge powerful interests. He is a modest man from a middle class family who is content to travel by bus. Described by his biographer as a balancing force, Bergoglio, 76, has monk-like habits, is media shy and deeply concerned about the social inequalities rife in his homeland and elsewhere in Latin America.

“His character is in every way that of a moderate. He is absolutely capable of undertaking the necessary renovation without any leaps into the unknown. He would be a balancing force,” said Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of Bergoglio after carrying out a series of interviews with him over three years.

“He shares the view that the Church should have a missionary role, that gets out to meet people, that is active.... a church that does not so much regulate the faith as promote and facilitate it,” she added. “His

lifestyle is sober and austere. That’s the way he lives.

He travels on the underground, the bus, when he goes to Rome he flies economy class.” The former cardinal, the first Jesuit to become pope, was born into a middle-class family of seven, his father a railway worker and his mother a housewife.

He is a solemn man, deeply attached to centuriesold Roman Catholic traditions. Since rejecting a comfortable archbishop’s residence, he has lived in a small apartment outside Buenos Aires where he spends his weekends in solitude. In his rare public appearances, Bergoglio spares no harsh words for politicians and Argentine society, and has had a tricky relationship with President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.

TURBULENT TIMES Bergoglio became a priest at 32, nearly a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies. Despite his late start, he was leading the local Jesuit community within four years, holding the post from 1973 to 1979.

Bergoglio’s vocational success coincided with the bloody 1976-1983 military dictatorship, during which up to 30,000 suspected leftists were kidnapped and killed-which prompted sharp questions about his role.

The most well-known episode relates to the abduction of two Jesuits whom the military government secretly jailed for their work in poor neighborhoods. According to “The Silence,” a book written by journalist Horacio Verbitsky, Bergoglio withdrew his order’s protection of the two men after they refused to quit visiting the slums, which ultimately paved the way for their capture.

Verbitsky’s book is based on statements by Orlando Yorio, one of the kidnapped Jesuits, before he died of natural causes in 2000. Both of the abducted clergymen survived five months of imprisonment. “History condemns him. It shows him to be opposed to all innovation in the Church and above all, during the dictatorship, it shows he was very cosy with the military,” Fortunato Mallimacci, the former dean of social sciences at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, once said.

Those who defend Bergoglio say there is no proof behind these claims and, on the contrary, they say the priest helped many dissidents escape during the military junta’s rule. But in the Vatican, far removed from the dictatorship’s grim legacy, this quiet priest is expected to lead the Church with an iron grip and a strong social conscience. In 2010, he challenged the Argentine government when it backed a gay marriage bill. “Let’s not be naive. This isn’t a simple political fight, it’s an attempt to destroy God’s plan,” he wrote in a letter days before the bill was approved by Congress. — Agencies

BUENOS AIRES: In this undated picture Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires (second from left in back row) poses for a picture with his family in an unknown location. Bergoglio, who took the name of Pope Francis, was elected yesterday as the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (Top row from left to right) his brother Alberto Horacio, Bergoglio, his brother Oscar Adrian and his sister Marta Regina. (Bottom row from left to right) his sister Maria Elena, his mother Regina Maria Sivori and his father Mario Jose Bergoglio. — AP

Habemus Papam Continued from Page 1 It’s a very unique moment. There is a great sense of unity here. It’s great they have come to a decision about who will lead the Church,” said John Mcginley, a Scottish priest from Glasgow who travelled to see the conclave.

“It’s a great moment in history, something I can tell my mum,” said David Brasch, 30, from Brisbane Australia. “He’s got to get the child abuse under control, I don’t know how they’re going to do that. He’s got to unite 1.2 billion people.”

Bands from the Italian armed forces and the Vatican’s own Swiss guard army paraded in front of the basilica before the

new pope appeared. The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held yesterday.

Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.

Following a split ballot when they were first shut away amid the chapel’s Renaissance splendor on Tuesday evening, the cardinal electors held a first full day of deliberations yesterday. Black smoke rose after the morning session to signal no decision. The previous four popes were all elected within two or three days. Seven ballots have been required on average over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.— Reuters

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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Issues

Turkey at the crossroads

By Soner Cagaptay urkey is rising. In the last decade, the country’s economy has nearly trebled in size. Just 10 years ago, the average Turk had one-fifth the income of the average European. Today, Turks are only 30 percent less wealthy than European Union citizens. Given Europe’s financial doldrums, Turkey could catch up in the coming years and realize its 4-centuries-old dream of becoming a great power again. But on the political front, Turkey is still a mixed bag. The nation is vacillating between becoming a global power or taking a parochial path under the governing Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) straitjacket of conservatism.

In years past, following the vision of its founder, Kemal Ataturk, Turkey exercised a strict version of secularism, mandating no religion in government. But lately, with the rise of the AKP, the firewall between politics and religion has become porous, with Turkish society flooded by government-led social conservatism. For example, the AKP recently passed legislation mandating religious education in public schools starting at fourth grade.

Or take the case of Turkish Airlines, a publicly owned company whose ascent exemplifies the new and economically rising Turkey. The airline flies to more than 200 destinations from its hub in Istanbul, up from about 75 in 2002. It twice has been voted Europe’s best airline. As a frequent flier on the carrier for decades, I remember when the flights were full of Turkish families and businessmen. Today, they are full of Europeans flying to Istanbul for connections across Turkey and Eurasia.

But even as Turkey’s supercharged economy propels the airline forward, parochial conservatism is pulling it in another direction. The company recently announced that it will ban alcohol from most of its domestic flights. If Turkish Airlines aspires to be a global brand, it needs to stop acting like the Muslim airline for a Muslim country.

The same can be said for Turkey as a rising power. Turkey needs to convert its potential into actual political weight.

To this end, Ankara has to forge a truly global identity that transcends its affinities with co-religionists.

In recent years, with civil war in Syria next door and competition against Iran in Iraq heating up, Ankara has moved closer to the United States and NATO. But Turkey is still tempted by the desire to cast itself as purely a Muslim power that has sway over the Muslim Middle East.

Turkey’s economic rise over the last decade should have taught its leaders that turning parochial is not a recipe for success. Its economic miracle has been driven by a blend of political stability, European and American money, and access to emerging markets and Muslim-majority economies.

Only by striking this balance has Turkey been able to accomplish what none of its Muslim-majority neighbors has managed so far. And if Ankara can now repeat this pattern in politics - embracing its Muslim identity while providing political stability in its neighborhood and maintaining strong ties with Europe and the United States this would truly fulfill the promise of an ascendant Turkey.

Turkey’s regional ambitions also would be best served by restoring this delicate blend of Western affiliations and Muslim identity. For its Muslim-majority neighbors, Turkey’s value lies in the fact that it has been able to bring something more to the table while maintaining its Muslim character. Take, for instance, how Saudi Arabia viewed the Turkey of the late 2000s, before it struck this balance: a nation isolated from NATO and Washington that had begun to resemble a wealthy Yemen - a large, prosperous Muslim nation that did little to enhance regional security.

Turkey can regain its uniqueness, but only if it revitalizes its ties with the West. Access to NATO hardware, which proved crucial with the recent NATO Patriot missile deployment in southern Turkey against Syria and close ties with Washington endow Ankara with unique and respected regional assets. From Washington’s perspective, Turkey is at its best when it can engage in dialogue with all sides in the region’s intractable conflicts.

This is why Ankara would be well served to rebuild ties with Israel, so it can talk to both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as engage with the diverse elements of post-revolutionary Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. Ankara also needs to build ties with all groups in the Syrian opposition, not just the Muslim Brotherhood, if it wants to be a player in a post-Assad Syria. To complete its rise, Turkey needs to nurture a liberal political culture at home, ending the debilitating culture wars between the AKP’s supporters and opponents.— MCT

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

‘Grand bargain’ a tough sell in US Congress

By Charles Babington or all the talk of a presidential “charm offensive” and possible thaw in partisanship, ample signs show that Congress is far from reaching a “grand bargain” to shrink the deficit. The Senate’s top Republican, standing just outside the Capitol room where President Barack Obama was meeting with Democratic senators Tuesday, said he will push for trims to Medicare and Social Security without yielding another dollar in new tax revenues.

Democrats have long insisted that higher taxes - chiefly on the wealthy - must accompany any reductions in those entitlement programs. There must be a “balanced approach” to reducing the deficit, they say. But Republicans say Obama used his only bit of tax leverage in December, in the “fiscal cliff” resolution. Now they are pushing Democrats to confront Medicare’s and Social Security’s long-term funding problems without the political sweetener that liberals have always demanded and that Obama called for in his re-election campaign.

“The only way to straighten America out is to fix the entitlement issue,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “There is no revenue solution to that. It has to be done by making the eligibility for entitlements fit the demographics of America today and tomorrow.” That was an apparent reference to raising the eligibility age for Medicare.

McConnell’s office also cited recommendations to reduce entitlement benefits for high earners but stopped short of saying the Kentucky Republican endorses them.

McConnell said Republicans will use this summer’s debtceiling showdown - when Obama will insist on higher borrowing capacity to pay the government’s bills - as a bargaining tool to push for trimming the costly but popular Medicare and

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Social Security programs. Democrats who met with Obama said the president will not entertain such talks. “He will not negotiate on the debt ceiling, period. End of discussion,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, after Tuesday’s closed meeting.

Other sounds of partisan discord echoed throughout the Capitol. The top House Republican budget-writer predicated his new 10-year spending plan on repealing “Obamacare,” the president’s signature overhaul of US health care. That’s politically impossible, given Obama’s re-election and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the landmark 2010 legislation. But Rep Paul Ryan, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee last year, said Republicans will not contemplate a tax-and-spending plan that includes the health law’s provisions.

Americans will reject the new law, which “will collapse under its own weight,” Ryan said. “We will never be able to balance the budget if Obamacare keeps going.” When a reporter reminded Ryan that Obama won re-election, he replied, “That means we surrender our principles?” Republicans retained control of the House in the same election, Ryan noted.

McConnell, meanwhile, said the first Republican Senate effort to amend a Democratic budget plan will be “to delay the implementation of Obamacare until the economy gets back on track.” The tough talk from Ryan and McConnell came as Obama expands his efforts to woo members of both parties.

He is hoping for compromises to shrink the deficit, overhaul immigration and reduce gun violence, among other things.

The president treated 12 Republican senators to dinner last week. And in a rare burst of presidential visits to Capitol Hill, he is meeting separately this week with Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Democrats and House Republicans.

Obama’s press office criticized Ryan’s 10-year proposal to reduce federal spending sharply without raising revenue

through tax revisions. It’s bad policy, the statement said, “not to ask for a single dime of deficit reduction from closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected.” The statement urged “both parties to compromise and make tough choices.”

Close watchers of Congress were not encouraged by the sharply different budget plans proposed by House Republicans and Senate Democrats. “These two sides are more interested in scoring points than getting an agreement,” said Jim Kessler, vice president of the pro-Democratic group Third Way. In his re-election campaign, Obama called for new revenues of about $1.2 trillion over 10 years, combined with spending cuts to tame the deficit. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, suggested up to $800 billion in new revenues. The two men ultimately failed to reach a deficit-reducing “grand bargain.” Last year’s “fiscal cliff” legislation forced Republicans to swallow $620 billion in new revenues. Some Democrats say Obama should have demanded more.

Now, Republicans say, talk of further tax hikes “is closed,” even though Democrats say they won’t consider entitlement cuts without new revenues. Harkin said Obama discussed a possible grand bargain with Democratic senators by saying, “Look, we have staked out a position on this that we believe is sort of in the center, where the American people are. And if the Republicans want to pull more to the right, we’re not going there.” On the House side, the new Republican 10-year budget plan “doesn’t give an inch,” said Rep Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the Democrat’s top Budget Committee member.

“It doesn’t give a quarter-inch.” But Rep Tom Price, R-Ga, who helped describe the new GOP budget to reporters Tuesday, said it will protect national security, care “for the poor and sick,” and boost the economy. “All of this can be accomplished without raising taxes,” Price said.— AP

Islamist inroads in Mali may undo French war on Qaeda

By David Lewis esidents who slipped into a nondescript mud-brick house after Islamist fighters fled Mali’s desert town of Timbuktu uncovered a trove of arms, ammunition and documents - the workings of the local Al-Qaeda recruitment office. “We found lots of IDs, passports and birth certificates,” said El Hadj Garaba, who searched through the house with neighbors before French intelligence officers arrived.

The documents - from Mali, nearby African nations and distant countries like Saudi Arabia and Britain - suggest the Islamist groups used their 10-month occupation of northern Mali to stretch their tentacles across West Africa and beyond. Their recruitment drive suggests the French-led war against Al-Qaeda and its allies could drag on long after France starts withdrawing from Mali next month, spilling across borders and destabilizing the broader region as Islamist groups fragment.

Two months in, the offensive has wrested northern Mali from Islamist occupation, killed scores of fighters and driven survivors into mountain caves and desert hideaways stockpiled with arms and supplies. But the documents - alongside interviews with residents of liberated towns show that Islamist ranks, previously dominated by North Africans led by veterans of Algeria’s civil war, have been swelled by hundreds of fighters from Mali and neighboring countries - brought together by opportunity as well as ideology.

Garaba listed Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria amongst nationalities represented.

“But there were lots from Mali - including from the south,” he added, picking through a courtyard still scattered with ammunition cases but now occupied by goats. When France launched airstrikes in Mali on Jan. 11, it billed its dramatic intervention as a bid to prevent Islamists seizing control of the whole of the landlocked nation of 16 million people and using it as a base to launch attacks on neighboring African countries and the West.

The French-led campaign has dealt the Islamists a heavy blow, killing many of their leaders. The reported death of Abdelhamid

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Abou Zeid, one Al-Qaeda’s top regional commanders, in the Amettetai Valley would be a major scalp, if confirmed. But the risk remains of the Islamists, particularly their new West African recruits, melting away into neighboring countries and regrouping once offensive operations ease up. “Abou Zeid’s death will decapitate them but they’ll find new leaders,” an ex-senior Malian intelligence official said. “Their ideas have spread. They’ll probably split into smaller factions.”

YEARS OF DOCTRINATION Algerian-born Abou Zeid and Mokhtar Belmokhtar, another top Islamist whose death was claimed but not confirmed, led the two southern units of Al-Qaeda’s North African wing, AQIM. Operating across the Sahara, south of the main body of fighters in Algeria, their bands found wealth and notoriety by kidnapping Westerners for ransom and exploiting smuggling networks criss-crossing the vast stretches of desert dunes.

In the process of exchanging goods and

services with remote Malian communities abandoned by the state, they forged personal and ideological ties that would prove crucial to their takeover of the country’s desert north - an area the size of Texas.

“What you had was a slow indoctrination of their beliefs. It wasn’t just a 10-month brainwashing-it had been going on for years,” said Rudy Atallah, a former senior U.S. counter terrorism official focused on Africa. “It wasn’t the bulk of the population but they reached out to some people, no doubt.”

Fighting alongside and then hijacking a Tuareg separatist rebellion launched early last year, the Islamists stitched together a patchwork of groups mixing ideology and criminality that then carved up northern Mali. France’s liberation of Timbuktu and Gao in late January was greeted with jubilation by flag-waving residents, who had been forced to endure months of strict sharia Islamic law, including whippings and amputations of limbs for certain crimes.

Residents are now enthusiastically helping security forces identify fighters and col-

GAO, Mali: Men on motorbikes pass by a sign written in Arabic, painted over with the colors of the French flag in Gao. Most of the signs painted by Islamic militants who ruled this northern city for 9 months have been removed or painted over, as residents who fled their hardline Islamic rule slowly make their way back home. — AFP

laborators. But elders in Timbuktu and Gao paint a more complex picture of life under the Islamists. Arab communities in both towns, who had a history of collaborating with AQIM, helped to engineer the Islamist takeover and backed the occupation, partly in order to protect their own interests.

When Islamists seized power, sidelining the unpopular and ill-disciplined Tuareg separatists who had looted and pillaged, they also enjoyed a degree of popularity with the broader black African population that channeled in recruits.

Abdelmalek Droukdel, the Algerian emir of AQIM, urged his fighters last year to integrate with local tribes and cautioned against imposing sharia too abruptly. For a while, it seems, they followed his advice.

Mahamane Qoye Tandina, a senior member of Timbuktu’s crisis committee that met regularly with Abou Zeid, said Islamists successfully played on conservative strains in society. “Some people appreciated that they wanted to change girls’ behavior and cut back on alcohol and tobacco,” he said.

“But when they started to chop off hands, they went too far.”

In Gao, Soumeylou Maiga, head of programming at Radio Aadar Koima, said the Islamists tricked residents, promising to replace a distant government that had abandoned them and to respect their moderate form of Islam. “This helped them get recruits. They went to the madarassas and recruited people without jobs. They took aid and got recruits in return,” he added.

“For some it was about religion. For others, it was about the money.” New York-based Human Rights Watch documented the recruitment of hundreds of children in the Gao and Timbuktu region.

A young recruit could earn about $300 per month, residents said, a huge sum for the desert north’s stagnant economy. In both towns, Islamists made locals the face of the occupation-though foreign fighters retained leadership. In Timbuktu, it was Sandou Ould Boumana, a Malian Arab from the trading town. Although an established member of AQIM, he spoke in the name of Ansar Dine, a Malian Islamist group. In Gao, Aliou Toure, a Songhai, went from trading animal skins in the towns market to head the feared Islamic police. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

S P ORTS

It’s a dog’s life in F1

Qatar’s ‘dream league’

MELBOURNE: A dog’s life in Formula One, if your owner is Lewis Hamilton, means a VIP pass to the races and being pampered by the sport’s supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Hamilton, the 2008 champion who moved from McLaren to Mercedes at the end of last year, has acquired a bulldog called Roscoe which accompanied him to the last preseason test in Barcelona.

The Briton told reporters before this weekend’s Australian season-opener in Melbourne that he had asked Ecclestone for a paddock pass for his “new best buddy” and had sent him a photograph of the puppy wearing a set of headphones. “He has — and, yes, he will get it. I am a huge fan of bulldogs,” Ecclestone, 82, told the official formula1.com website yesterday. “I have told him that I would also be happy giving the dog a pass for the grid.

And I will be happy to look after the dog while he is racing.” Animals are usually banned from racetracks, for safety reasons more than for their own welfare, with stray dogs causing problems in the past at some venues such as India. In the United States, the Target Chip Ganassi IndyCar team have a bull-terrier mascot ‘Bullseye’ that has made appearances at race weekends including the Indy 500 winner’s news conference with Dario Franchitti in 2012.—Reuters

LONDON: Britain’s Times newspaper has launched a spirited defence of its story that Qatar is to launch a “Dream Football League” after a French website said the scoop was based on its own spoof and that the paper had been the victim of a hoax.

The Qatar Football Association denied having any involvement in such a league. Les Cahiers du Football (www.cahiersdufootball.net) said it published the fake report by “Agence Transe Presse” on Monday, saying that 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar would launch the money-spinning league involving Europe’s leading clubs by 2015.

The website’s report contained quotes from Bonnie Pascal-Fasse - for French readers an obvious play on words on French political scientist Pascal Boniface - saying that soccer was not just “a diplomatic tool” but an “end in itself”. “It all came out of my imagination,” Jerome Latta, the editor of Les Cahiers du Football told Reuters. “But the fact that it made its way to the mainstream press is quite significant.” The Qatar Football Association also issued a statement saying: “With regard to the story published in today’s edition of The Times newspaper concerning a ‘Dreams Football League,’ the Qatar Football Association and other Qatari football entities can categorically confirm that we have no involvement in any such initiative and has heard nothing to suggest such a concept is genuine.”—Reuters

Germany wait on Podolski and Klose for Kazakhstan BERLIN: Forwards Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski look set to be included today in Germany coach Joachim Loew’s squad to face Kazakhstan in home and away World Cup qualifiers, despite suffering from injuries.

Germany play Kazakhstan in Astana on Friday March 22 before the return leg in Nuremberg on Tuesday March 26 and Loew’s team are expected to take six points in Group C against the Eastern European minnows, ranked 142nd in the world.

Lazio striker Klose has been out for several weeks with a partially torn ligament in his right knee and will be examined by German team doctor HansWilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt in Rome on Monday.

Likewise, Loew is waiting to hear on Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski, who misses Wednesday’s Champions League last 16, second leg match at Bayern Munich with an ankle injury.

“It’s not a tournament year, but still an important one that requires our full concentration and our priority is to qualify for Brazil 2014,” said Loew.—AFP

Seventeen athletes face bans after blood profile changes LONDON: Seventeen athletes face doping bans after abnormalities were detected in the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) biological passports which track changes in their blood profiles.

“Seventeen cases are currently under proceedings,” Thomas Capdevielle, the results manager in the IAAF’s medical and anti-doping department, said yesterday.

“Nineteen cases were concluded with a sanction and three cases were referred to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).”

Capdevielle was speaking on the opening day of a two-day “Tackling Doping in Sport 2013” conference convened by the World Sports Law Report.

The blood tests were conducted as part of the athletes’ biological passport programme pioneered by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and introduced by the IAAF in 2009. The passport shows any changes in an athlete’s blood sample, compared to the original profile, which could have been caused only by doping.

Capdevielle said there were also two case in which steroids had been detected in blood samples which were under consideration.

The French lawyer said blood samples had to be analysed by a World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory within 36 hours of collection “which in some countries poses a major problem for the IAAF”. “Thirty-six hours is not impossible, it’s very difficult, very costly but it’s not impossible.

“So in some circumstances in some

countries where there is no accredited laboratory nearby we fly in a team with a very tight schedule. We identify which athlete they have to test, they fly back and hand the blood sample to the nearest lab.

Logistically this is very difficult but it is one solution we found.

“If we can’t bring the sample to the lab let’s bring the lab to the athletes.”

Capdevielle said the IAAF had asked the United States Anti-Doping Agency to test Kenyan athletes taking part in last year’s Olympic trials staged in Eugene.

Three Kenyan athletes were suspended after positive tests for banned substances last month after three-times world 3,000 metres steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui told Reuters doping was used in Kenyan training camps.

Capdevielle said there were approximately 150 Kenyan athletes with biological passports. He said the IAAF was working on “two serious leads” to establish laboratories in Kenya.

“We are confident we will organise this by the end of the year,” he said. “To achieve serious testing in these countries means setting up a lab first.” This month the IAAF announced that six athletes, including the gold and silver medallists in the men’s hammer, had failed retrospective drugs tests of samples taken at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki. The IAAF retests samples from previous championships in an effort to find substances for which no valid test existed at the time.—Reuters

GLENDALE: Goaltender Mike Smith No. 41 of the Phoenix Coyotes protects the net as Oliver Ekman-Larsson No. 23 attempts to clear the puck from the Los Angeles Kings during the NHL game. —AFP

Sabres triumph over Rangers BUFFALO: Marcus Foligno scored twice and backup goalie Jhonas Enroth made 18 of his 32 saves in the third period of the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Enroth, who started because Ryan Miller was sidelined because of a sinus infection, earned his first victory since a 5-1 win over Washington on Nov. 26, 2011. He was 0-9-3 in 16 appearances since then.

Foligno’s first goal made it 1-1 at 5:35 of the second period. His second gave the Sabres a 3-1 lead with 8:12 left in the game. Thomas Vanek also scored for Buffalo (10-14-3), which returned home after going 0-2-2 on a season-high, four-game road trip. Derek Stepan scored a short-handed goal for the Rangers (13-10-2), who lost for just the second time in seven games. Henrik Lundqvist made 19 saves.

Mark Webber in action in this file photo

Webber determined to keep ‘vultures’ away from seat MELBOURNE: Michael Schumacher’s retirement has thrust Mark Webber into the role of Formula One’s elder statesman, but the hardbitten Australian believes he still has the tricks to keep the “vultures” away from his Red Bull driver’s seat.

Webber will line up at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as the oldest driver, clinging to another one-year contract with Red Bull and batting away suggestions his 12th season in F1 and seventh with the British-based team will be his swansong.

“I never ever expected that it would be such an interesting topic that I would be the oldest on the grid,” Webber, who will turn 37 in August, told reporters yesterday. “I didn’t even see it coming until the last few weeks.

“I don’t feel the oldest on the grid. You feel you’re the oldest on the grid if you’re back on the grid getting blown away, but that’s my job to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Webber claimed two victories at Monaco and Silverstone last year, but finished a disappointing sixth in the drivers championship after suffering back-to-back retirements late in the season.

He was again put in the shade by his younger team mate Sebastian Vettel, who collected five race wins on the way to a third consecutive title. Despite media speculation linking a number of willing candidates for a coveted place in an outfit that has won the past three constructors championships, team principal Christian Horner has backed Webber to continue at Red Bull beyond 2013 if he continues to deliver. Webber conceded that speculation over his contract had proved a distraction before he re-signed in 2012, but said he had become used to it. “I think it was Kimi (Raikkonen) who was supposed to replace me in 2009,” he noted dryly. “It comes with the territory when you’re in a top team and you’re at the back end of your career.

“The vultures have been on the branches for the last three of four years, that’s just the way it is. But there will be a day where I stop.”

Webber’s age was brought into sharp focus on Wednesday as he strained to remember early impressions of his career in an interac-

tive session with a group of five and six-yearold school-children sitting obediently on a mat before him.

Quizzed about his most stressful race and the number of crashes in his career, Webber, clad in a pair of jeans and a team shirt, candidly told the wide-eyed group that his racing enthusiasm was still fired by “adrenalin”.

He later told reporters he was “absolutely, completely capable” of pushing for Australia’s first championship since Alan Jones’s sole triumph in 1980 with Williams.

Webber will enjoy the company of another Australian on the grid in Daniel Ricciardo, who will race a second season with the Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso and along with French team mate Jean-Eric Vergne, might be expected to graduate to the senior outfit.

Like Webber, Ricciardo has set a goal of becoming Australia’s third world champion after Jones and Jack Brabham, who put the country on the F1 map with his titles in 195960 and 1966.

Having two Australians on the grid was an achievement in itself, Webber said. “Daniel’s been doing his stuff well. I think that coming from Australia it’s very difficult. The strike rate of young drivers getting to Europe is very, very low,” he added.

“It is hard to leave these shores and go and race over there, getting through those junior categories, which he did well.”

Underlining the generation gap between the two drivers, Ricciardo literally bent over backwards in the cause of his career on Wednesday, as he contorted himself into unnatural poses with a touring hip-hop dance act next to Melbourne’s Yarra river.

Ricciardo said the possibility of stepping out of Webber’s shadow and into his driver’s seat was an idea to relish, rather than treat with apprehension. “I wouldn’t say anything’s too scary,” Ricciardo told Reuters. “In terms of hopping into a seat like that, it would be exciting. It always gets talked about, particularly early on in the season. “I’ve got a big task ahead and I’m sure (Webber) wants to do his job this year so if it happens one day, it would be exciting.”—Reuters

Penguins 3, Bruins 2 In Pittsburgh, Brandon Sutter scored twice in the final seven minutes to cap a furious rally, and Pittsburgh slipped past Boston. Chris Kunitz started Pittsburgh’s third-period surge with his 18th goal of the season, and Sutter beat Boston’s Anton Khudobin twice in less than four minutes, including the game-winner with 2:03 remaining.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 14 shots for the Penguins, who broke loose late against the NHL’s best defensive team and won their sixth straight. NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby had an eight-game point streak snapped.

Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin scored first-period goals for the Bruins. Khudobin made 31 saves, and the Bruins kept Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense in check until the final minutes of a matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.

Hurricanes 4, Capitals 0 In Washington, Riley Nash scored twice, Joe Corvo put one in off the goaltender’s mask, and Justin Peters got his second career shutout as surging Carolina beat slumping Washington in the first game of a key homeand-home set.

Patrick Dwyer added an empty-net goal, and Peters made 26 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won six of seven and have a 10-point lead over the host Capitals.

Washington lost its third straight - all by at least a threegoal margin. Peters, who is sharing duties with Dan Ellis while Cam Ward is out with a knee injury, was on the top of his game. He made a reflex pad save on Marcus Johansson in the second period and later stymied Troy Brouwer on a short-handed breakaway.

Canucks 2, Blue Jackets 1 In Columbus, Mason Raymond scored the only goal in the shootout, and seldom-used Roberto Luongo stopped 26 shots through overtime to lead Vancouver past Columbus.

Luongo, playing in his second game in 16 days, stopped all three Blue Jackets in the shootout. Jason Garrison had the lone goal before overtime for the Canucks, who had lost four straight (0-2-2).

Mark Letestu scored Columbus’ only regulation goal, but the Blue Jackets matched a franchise record by earning a point in an eighth consecutive game (5-0-3). Their five-game winning streak ended, one short of tying the franchise mark.

Lightning 3, Panthers 2 In Sunrise, Steven Stamkos snapped a third-period tie with his NHL-leading 20th goal, and Tampa Bay held on to beat Florida despite recording a season-low 13 shots.

Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis also scored for the Lightning, and Anders Lindback made 37 saves. St. Louis added had two assists for the Lightning, whose previous low for shots this season was 19.

Kris Versteeg and Tomas Kopecky had goals for the Panthers. Jacob Markstrom stopped 10 shots in the loss.

Stamkos scored the winning power-play goal from the

right of the net 5:30 into the third. Tampa Bay won for just the second time in nine games, but beat the Panthers for the seventh straight time - three this season. The reeling Panthers have lost seven of eight and 14 of 17.

Blues 4, Sharks 2 In St. Louis, rookie Jake Allen made 39 saves, Chris Stewart led a balanced attack with two goals, and the St. Louis beat San Jose for the second time in three nights.

Brent Burns scored his first in his season debut at forward and Dan Boyle had a late power-play goal for the Sharks, who have lost four in a row and have dropped 10 of 12 to the Blues, including the first round of the playoffs last season.

The Blues overcame a two-goal deficit in a 4-3 overtime victory Saturday night in San Jose and clinched this one on Stewart’s empty-netter with 1:16 to go. Allen has won six of his first seven career NHL starts, also besting the Sharks in San Jose.

Ducks 2, Wild 1 St. Paul, Luca Sbisa scored the winning goal with 3:04 left in the third period, Jonas Hiller made 30 saves, and Anaheim rallied to beat Minnesota.

Patrick Maroon also scored for the Ducks, who have won four straight and have earned a point in eight consecutive games. Devin Setoguchi scored for the Wild.

Minnesota couldn’t put the Ducks away, and had its fourgame, home-winning streak snapped. The Wild got three power plays in the first period and cashed in on the third when Setoguchi scored to make it 1-0.

Predators 4, Stars 0 In Dallas, Pekka Rinne made 32 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season, and Shea Weber and Gabriel Bourque scored power-play goals to lift Nashville over Dallas.

Despite leading scorer Colin Wilson and top-six forward Patric Hornqvist being out because of upper body injuries, the Predators snapped a six-game, road-losing streak (0-5-1) on the first stop of a five-game trip.

Nick Spaling and Rich Clune also scored for the Predators, and David Legwand and Craig Smith both had two assists. Kari Lehtonen made 17 saves for the Stars, who had scored at least three goals in 13 of 15 games.

Dallas was shut out for the third time this season.

Oilers 4, Avalanche 0 In Denver, Devan Dubnyk stopped 36 shots for his first shutout in nearly a year and Shawn Horcoff scored a goal in his second straight game since returning from a broken knuckle, helping Edmonton beat Colorado.

Sam Gagner, Magnus Paajarvi and Ryan NugentHopkins also scored for the Oilers, who went 3-4-2 on a nine-game road trip. Dubnyk was in top form even after leaving early Sunday at Chicago with a neck injury following a collision with a teammate. He showed no lingering effects, stopping everything thrown his way for his fifth NHL shutout.

Colorado nearly scored on Dubnyk early in the third period, but Jan Hejda’s goal was disallowed when Gabriel Landeskog was called for goaltender interference. This was Colorado’s first loss at home since Feb. 11.

The Oilers solved Semyon Varlamov, who has been hard to beat at home, where he is 8-3-1. Only Jimmy Howard of Detroit and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers have more home wins this season with nine each.

Coyotes 5, Kings 2 In Glendale, Mikkel Boedker scored twice and Phoenix took a four-goal lead en route to its second victory in a row and fourth in six games. Shane Doan and Raffi Torres had a goal and assist apiece for the Coyotes, who led 4-0 before Mike Richards and Dustin Brown scored powerplay goals for the Kings. Phoenix’s Rob Klinkhammer sealed it with his second career NHL goal in two games since he was recalled from Portland of the American Hockey League. Mike Smith, in his 250th NHL game, had 31 saves for Phoenix. Jonathan Quick had 24 for the Kings, who played for the second night in a row.

Jets 5, Maple Leafs 2 In Winnipeg, Blake Wheeler scored twice and Ondrej Pavelec made 24 saves to lead Winnipeg over Toronto. Nik Antropov, Kyle Wellwood and Evander Kane also scored for the Jets, who have won three of four. Dustin Byfuglien had three assists, and Antropov added two.

Phil Kessel scored both goals for Toronto, which has lost three straight. The Jets moved into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers. Both teams have 28 points.—AP

NHL results/standings Buffalo 3, NY Rangers 1; Carolina 4, Washington 0; Vancouver 2, Columbus 1 (SO); Pittsburgh 3, Boston 2; Tampa Bay 3, Florida 2; Winnipeg 5, Toronto 2; St. Louis 4, San Jose 2; Anaheim 2, Minnesota 1; Nashville 4, Dallas 0; Edmonton 4, Colorado 0; Phoenix 5, Los Angeles 2.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division

Pittsburgh New Jersey NY Rangers NY Islanders Philadelphia

W 19 12 13 11 12

Montreal Boston Ottawa Toronto Buffalo

17 17 13 15 10

Carolina Winnipeg Tampa Bay Washington Florida

15 13 11 10 7

L OTL GF GA PTS 8 0 100 78 38 9 5 65 75 29 10 2 64 61 28 12 3 77 88 25 14 1 75 82 25 Northeast Division 5 4 84 66 38 4 3 72 53 37 8 5 61 54 31 11 1 81 75 31 14 3 70 84 23 Southeast Division 9 1 79 69 31 11 2 68 76 28 14 1 88 81 23 14 1 69 76 21 14 6 66 101 20

Western Conference Central Division Chicago 21 2 3 85 58 45 St. Louis 14 10 2 80 79 30 Detroit 12 9 5 68 66 29 Nashville 11 9 6 58 61 28 Columbus 10 12 5 62 74 25 Northwest Division Vancouver 12 7 6 68 68 30 Minnesota 13 10 2 59 61 28 Edmonton 10 11 5 64 76 25 Colorado 10 11 4 62 73 24 Calgary 9 11 4 64 82 22 Pacific Division Anaheim 19 3 3 87 63 41 Los Angeles 14 9 2 73 65 30 Phoenix 13 10 3 77 74 29 San Jose 11 8 6 58 61 28 Dallas 12 11 2 67 71 26 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

S P ORTS

England downplay any momentum as second Test looms WELLINGTON: Alastair Cook did not quite agree his side may have the momentum from the drawn first test against New Zealand as they head into the second on Thursday though his assertion they were growing in confidence sent an ominous warning to Brendon McCullum’s team.

New Zealand dominated the first innings’ play at University Oval, dismissing Cook’s team for 167 and then posting 460 for nine declared.

England, however, then demonstrated why they were the second best test team in the world as they knuckled down in their second innings with Cook and Nick Compton combining for a 231-run opening partnership.

The hosts’ bowlers then toiled on a pitch that became increasing benign on the final day as nightwatchman

Steven Finn scored a career-best 56 while the rest of the batsmen occupied the crease “putting miles in the (New Zealand) bowlers legs” as Cook said as he looked ahead to the match at the Basin Reserve.

“I think we have some confidence after that fightback,” Cook told reporters on Wednesday at a sundrenched Basin Reser ve of their Dunedin second innings 421 for six.

“For the first couple of days we were put under pressure and to respond with the bat like we did was excellent from the team. “It certainly shows that if you’re not quite on it, even if it’s just the first two batters playing a soft shot, that can transfer on to the rest of the team.

“We just did not bat well, it’s as simple as that, but the character we

showed to fight back has been good.”

Cook agreed their performance in Dunedin exhibited the delicate balancing act between giving players time off to recuperate from year round cricket in between tours and giving them enough playing time before test series. The visitors played just one four-day match before the first test, a loss to a New Zealand XI in Queenstown. “That is the challenge when you do have the rotation policy and the balance between the amount of cricket you play,” he said.

“As players when you get into that rhythm with the bat and ball and hit form you want to keep on playing but physically, especially for the bowlers, that is very hard to do that. “So that is the balancing act and the reason why the policy is looked at very hard. “I

actually thought our preparation was pretty good, it was more a mental blip for the side really.”

That ‘mental blip’ and the application in their second innings in Dunedin, however, amply demonstrated they were getting used to local conditions, something not lost on the hosts.

“They’ve had a couple of hits on tour and they improved dramatically in that second innings (in Dunedin),” McCullum told reporters yesterday.

“So I guess their batters have a bit more confidence and are a bit more used to their conditions.”

With the second Test due to start in sunshine today, with showers not forecast until the fourth day’s play on Sunday and a pitch expected to offer more pace and bounce than Dunedin,

the toss could be important for both teams.

McCullum has already said he would bowl first to capitalise on any life in the pitch that may exist, though Cook was more circumspect believing “the pitch can change a huge amount in 12 hours”, though he felt whoever seized the advantage in Wellington could ride it into the final game at Eden Park.

“Certainly, in a three-test series in a second one after the first has been a draw, both sides will want to stamp their mark on the game,” he said. “As it proved in Dunedin, if you put your noses ahead then you give yourselves a great chance to win the game. “If you go behind then it’s very hard to win the game so it’s important we start well.”—Reuters

Samuels strikes but Zimbabwe fight back

Aksel Lund Svindal in action in this file photo

Svindal and Vonn win downhill globes LENZERHEIDE: Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal and injured American Lindsey Vonn won the men’s and women’s downhill World Cup titles yesterday after the final races of the season were cancelled due to fog.

The bad weather ended women’s overall champion Tina Maze’s hopes of bagging all five crystal globes as Vonn, who tore knee ligaments in a crash at the world championships last month, clinched her sixth downhill title with 340 points to the Slovenian’s 339.

“Omg I won the World Cup Downhill title!!!!! 6 in a row with a bum knee!

Everything in life comes back around,” Vonn wrote on her Twitter profile. In 2011, the American, a four-times overall World Cup champion, lost the big globe by three points after two races were cancelled at the finals, also in Lenzerheide.

It was a 17th World Cup title for Vonn beating Austrian Anne-Marie Moser Proell’s total of 16. Only Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark has more with 19 in the men’s ranks.

Slovenian Maze secured the overall title last month and could still take the three other disciplines. Her current overall total of 2,254 points is a World Cup record after she bettered Hermann Maier’s mark of 2,000.

World champion Svindal, who retained his 58-point lead in the standings over last year’s winner Klaus Kroell of Austria, was left with mixed feelings about the cancellation of the men’s downhill. While it gave him his first globe in the sport’s blue riband event,

Svindal’s chances of taking the overall World Cup crown are in jeopardy.

With only three races left in the season, including the slalom in which he does not take part, the Norwegian trails Austria’s Marcel Hirscher by 149 points, a gap last year ’s overall champion seems almost certain to retain in the giant slalom and slalom.

“I have mixed feelings about today,” Svindal told reporters. “I’m of course happy to have clinched my first downhill globe but also sorry to have lost a great chance to score big points in the overall title.

“Marcel Hirscher fully deserves his second big cup, he has achieved an amazing season. I am also very pleased with my own winter, I have done a lot with my downhill gold medal in Schladming and my two crystal globes in the speed events. I hope now that the Super-G race will take place tomorrow.

“The jury took the right decision as the racing conditions were really bad with that fog,” he added. “I would have enjoyed racing the downhill course again today, I like it a lot but that’s life.”

The men’s downhill scheduled for 0830 GMT was put off several times in the hope of better visibility meaning the women’s race, due to take place at 1000 GMT on the same piste, was automatically postponed.

But fog was still hanging over the bottom section of the course five hours after the scheduled start, forcing the organisers to call it a day. A men’s and a women’s Super-G are scheduled on the same course today.—Reuters

Lindsey Vonn competes in this file photo

KENSINGTON OVAL: Marlon Samuels proved an unlikely bowling hero for West Indies as he grabbed four wickets to help dismiss Zimbabwe for 211 on the first day of the first Test at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday.

But two wickets in successive balls for Kyle Jarvis saw the tourists make an early breakthrough as West Indies ended the day on 18 for two after being put in for the last 11 overs of the day. They trail by 193 runs in Bridgetown.

Samuels returned from injury to take an extraordinary one-handed catch in the gully and then four wickets with his off spin for a test best return of 4-13, slicing through the lower order as the spinners dominated despite a determined start by the West Indian quicks.

It was the first time in more than a half century at the Kensington Oval that spinners had taken seven wickets in an innings for West Indies. Shane Shillingford marked his recall to the team with 3-58 off a workman-like 22 overs.

A three-man quick attack pummelled

Zimbabwe’s openers with short deliveries on a pitch with variable bounce but did not get much profit.

Tino Mowoyo, hit on the chest with the first ball of the day, showed bravery in withstanding a barrage of body blows to get through to lunch and then reach his 50 shortly thereafter before falling to a close on catch by Darren Powell off Shillingford.

He was the only Zimbabwean batsman to get going although several others threatened with good starts before falling cheaply.

Samuels took a wicket with his first ball, clean bowling Craig Ervine (29) and then had Graeme Cremer caught at point for 25 before claiming the last two wickets. West Indies went in for the last hour and lost two wickets.

Jarvis had Kieran Powell leg before for just five and then trapped nightwatchman Kemar Roach plumb with his very next ball - a seventh of the over as the umpire inadvertently afforded him a bonus ball.—Reuters

SCOREBOARD BRIDGETOWN: Scoreboard at the close of first day of the first test between West Indies and Zimbabwe at the Kensington Oval yesterday:

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat Zimbabwe first innings T. Mawoyo c Powell b Shillingford 50 V. Sibanda b Roach 12 H. Masakadza c Samuels b Roach 17 B. Taylor b Gabriel 26 C. Ervine b Samuels 29 M. Waller lbw b Shillingford 9 Chakabva c Powell b Shillingford 15 G. Cremer c Bravo b Samuels 25 R. Price not out 12 K. Jarvis c Powell b Samuels 0 T. Chatara c Roach b Samuels 2 Extras (b-4, lb-10) 14 Total (all out; 76.4 overs) 211 Fall of wickets: 1-17 2-59 3-100 4-110 5135 6-158 7-196 8-196 9-197 Bowling: Roach 13-3-31-2, Best 12-3-

33-0, Gabriel 14-5-45-1, Sammy 9-5-170, Shillingford 22-4-58-3, Samuels 6.4-113-4.

West Indies first innings C. Gayle not out 11 K. Powell lbw Jarvis 5 K. Roach lbw Jarvis 0 D. Bravo not out 0 Extras (w-1, nb-1) 2 Total (for two wickets; 11 overs) 18 Fall of wickets: 1-8 2-8 Still to bat: M. Samuels, S. Chanderpaul, D. Ramdin, D. Sammy, S. Gabriel, T. Best, S Shillingford.

Bowling (to date): Jarvis 6-2-9-2 (1nb, 1w), Chatara 4-3-8-0, G. Cremer 1-0-1-0 Second test: Windsor Park, Roseau March 20-24

Marlon Samuels celebrates in this file photo

Brailsford defends Team Sky LONDON: Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford has hit out over insinuations that his team’s stunning successes in recent years have been built on immoral foundations. Sky’s Bradley Wiggins vehemently defended himself against doping allegations during his victory in last year’s Tour de France. Brailsford, meanwhile, has admitted to having made mistakes, particularly concerning the recruitment of Belgian doctor Geert Leinders, who was working with Rabobank when two of their riders were suspended for drug use.

But Brailsford, who also masterminded Great Britain’s successes at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, says he cannot allow internet rumours to pass unchallenged. “If you’re a cheat, you’re a cheat, you’re not half a cheat,” Brailsford told www.cyclingnews.com.

“You wouldn’t say, ‘I’ll cheat here but I’m not going to cheat over there; I’ll cheat on a Monday but not on a Tuesday.’ “So we were doping in the Olympics too? If I’m a doper, if I’m a liar, I’m a liar in my personality through and through. “So why didn’t I dope the Olympic team for the last 15 years? Have I just decided I’m going to do it with this team? I’m not going to do it over there but I’ll cheat here? Full gas.

“But we’ve dominated the Olympic games for 15 years.

Explain that to me. We didn’t just win at the Olympic Games, we dominated them, we smashed it out of the park. More than anyone else has ever done. That level of performance is monumental. “If I’m a liar and a cheat and if my ethics and morals are all about cheating, if that’s what we’re doing here, lying to the world and cheating, then surely I’ll be doing it in other places in my life. Not just parts.”

Sky’s tactics in major stage races have been likened to those of the US Postal team under disgraced dope cheat Lance Armstrong. Sky’s riders habitually ride at the front of the peloton, controlling the pace and countering attacks, but Brailsford says they are under no obligation to provide a spectacle. “If people want the entertainment value of riders attacking each other, stopping, attacking each other again and again, then go back to ‘old cycling’, which will give you the capability to do that,” he said.

“If you want clean sport and clean cycling, then it’s going to be different. You can’t have it both ways. There’s an element of reality about what we’re doing.”—AFP

Preview

Stormy season ahead as ‘golf war’ returns BANGKOK: Asia’s “golf war” makes an unwanted return this week when the OneAsia season star ts with the Thailand Open-in direct competition with another big event on the rival Asian Tour.

While a strong field has been lined up for the Bangkok tournament, attention will inevitably be shared with the Avantha Masters near New Delhi, co-sanctioned by the European Tour and headlined by Colin Montgomerie.

The clash follows a landmark court judgement in Singapore in November that found the Asian Tour had illegally barred four of its players from OneAsia events.

OneAsia is expected to hold about 12 events this season, its fifth year of operations since emerging in 2009. It is seen by the longer-standing Asian Tour, which organised more than 20 tournaments last year, as a direct challenge.

The Thailand Open features local favorite Thaworn Wiratchant and a strong Japanese contingent led by Shingo K atayama, after OneAsia entered a partnership with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

“It’s wonder ful to see so many great players from the JGTO in the field this week... their presence cer-

tainly raises the bar for our OneAsia stars,” OneAsia commissioner Sang Y. Chun said in a press release. “We are working hard to bring more tournaments on board and offer our players greater opportunities.”

Meanwhile Montgomerie, plus fellow Ryder Cup players including Edoardo Molinari and David Howell, along with a host of Indian stars, are the main attractions at the $2.3 million Avantha Masters, which also starts on Thursday. Last month, Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr told AFP there had been no formal contact between the two tours, tempering hopes of a thaw in relations following the Singapore court ruling.

And according to Asian Golf Monthly’s managing editor Spencer Robinson, “Asia is bracing itself for the first of what will inevitably be a number of absurd and harmful date clashes between high-profile tournaments”.

“As well as diluting the media coverage for each of the events and creating conflict for the players, the confusion in the marketplace serves only to scare off potential sponsors,” he commented during a regular video briefing. “In short, it’s a mess, and a situation that is unlikely to sort itself out any time soon.”—AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

S P ORTS

Sharapova rolls into q-finals

ORLANDO: Los Angeles Lakers’ Metta World Peace (15) and Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic (9), of Montenegro, fight for a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game.—AP

Lakers end Magic spell ORLANDO: Dwight Howard scored a season-high 39 points, had 16 rebounds and was sent to the free throw line 39 times by his former team as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic, 106-97 on Tuesday night. The victory came in Howard’s first return to Orlando since his drama-filled offseason trade to the Lakers. He endured a chorus of boos throughout, and tied his own NBA record for free throw attempts.

The majority of them came as the Magic tried to employ an intentional foul strategy.

It backfired, though, as the All-Star center hit on 16 of 20 attempts in the second half.

The victory was the Lakers’ fourth straight.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 21 points.

Heat 98, Hawks 81 In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 23 points and Miami extended its winning streak to 19 games, leading wire-to-wire in beating Atlanta. LeBron James scored 15 and Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers added 14 apiece for the Heat, who matched the fifth-longest streak in NBA history. They will try for their 20th straight win on Wednesday at Philadelphia, the start of a five-game trip.

Only three teams have won at least 20 consecutive games in the same season: the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33), the 200708 Houston Rockets (22) and the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (20). The Washington Capitols also won 20 straight, spanning the end of the 1947-48 season and the start of the 1948-49 campaign. Josh Smith scored 15 for the Hawks.

Mavericks 115, Bucks 108 In Milwaukee, Vince Carter hit three key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 23 points off the bench as Dallas won its fourth straight. Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points while O.J. Mayo had 14. Mavericks rookie and former Marquette star Jae Crowder, last year’s Big East player of the year, was one off his career high with 14 points.

Monta Ellis scored 32 points for the Bucks, giving him 20 or more in all six of Milwaukee’s games this month. Mike Dunleavy added 18 points while J.J. Redick had 17. Larry Sanders had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The Mavericks, who are three games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, matched their longest winning streak of the season and have won five of six.

Grizzlies 102, Trail Blazers 97 In Portland, Zach Randolph returned from an ankle injury with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Memphis won its fifth straight game. Marc Gasol had 20 points for the Grizzlies, who have won 13 of their last 14 games and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. Mike Conley added 14 points and a career-high 15 assists, and Memphis matched its season high with 31 assists overall. LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, whose playoff hopes are slipping away.

Rookie Damian Lillard had 27 points.

Nets 108, Hornets 98 In New York, Brook Lopez scored 26 points and had a big dunk over twin brother Robin, Deron Williams added 21 points and 13 assists, and Brooklyn beat New Orleans.

Brooklyn squandered a 10-point lead in the third quarter before pulling off some timely baskets in the fourth to hang on for the win, bouncing back from a poor performance in a loss Monday at Philadelphia.

Eric Gordon led New Orleans with 24 points. Robin Lopez had 15 points for the Hornets, who played without leading scorer Ryan Anderson because of the flu.

Timberwolves 107, Spurs 83 In Minneapolis, Ricky Rubio had his first career triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, leading Minnesota over San Antonio. Rubio made 9 of 17 shots and grabbed his 10th board with 9:14 to play in the game, giving his home fans something to cheer about in a long, frustrating season. Alexey Shved broke out of a big slump to score 16 points and J.J. Barea added 17 points for the Wolves, who hit 12 3-pointers.

Stephen Jackson had 14 points and Danny Green 10 for the Spurs, who left Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard at home to rest after they throttled Oklahoma City on Monday night. San Antonio turned the ball over 17 times.

Bobcats 100, Celtics 74 In Charlotte, Gerald Henderson had a career-high 35 points, and Charlotte snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating Boston. Henderson was 11 of 19 from the field and knocked down all 12 of his foul shots.

Ben Gordon scored 17 points and new starting forward Josh McRoberts had his first double-double for Charlotte with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats (1450) doubled last season’s win total and posted their largest margin of victory this season.

The Celtics, playing without Paul Pierce, looked like a team that has played nine of its last 11 games on the road. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each had 14 points for Boston.

Cavaliers 95, Wizards 90 In Cleveland, Dion Waiters scored 20 points, Alonzo Gee added 17 and Cleveland held off a late run to beat Washington.

Cleveland played its first game since Kyrie Irving sprained his left shoulder Sunday against Toronto. The All-Star point guard, who watched the game from the bench with his left arm in a sling, could miss the next month - and maybe the rest of this season.

The Cavaliers are 5-10 without him this season. Cleveland led 90-78 with 4:29 remaining, but the Wizards cut the margin to 91-88 with 45 seconds remaining. Waiters, who scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, hit four free throws in the final 13.1 seconds to secure the win. John Wall led Washington with a season-high 27 points.—AP

NBA results/standings Charlotte 100, Boston 74; LA Lakers 106, Orlando 97; Cleveland 95, Washington 90; Brooklyn 108, New Orleans 98; Miami 98, Atlanta 81; Dallas 115, Milwaukee 108; Minnesota 107, San Antonio 83; Memphis 102, Portland 97.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB NY Knicks 38 23 .623 Brooklyn 38 27 .585 2 Boston 34 29 .540 5 Toronto 25 39 .391 14.5 Philadelphia 24 39 .381 15 Central Division Indiana 39 24 .619 Chicago 35 28 .556 4 Milwaukee 32 30 .516 6.5 Detroit 23 43 .348 17.5 Cleveland 22 42 .344 17.5 Southeast Division Miami 48 14 .774 Atlanta 34 29 .540 14.5 Washington 20 42 .323 28 Orlando 18 47 .277 31.5 Charlotte 14 50 .219 35

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City47 17 .734 Denver 43 22 .662 4.5 Utah 33 31 .516 14 Portland 29 34 .460 17.5 Minnesota 22 39 .361 23.5 Pacific Division LA Clippers 45 20 .692 Golden State 36 29 .554 9 LA Lakers 34 31 .523 11 Phoenix 22 42 .344 22.5 Sacramento 22 43 .338 23 Southwest Division San Antonio 49 16 .754 Memphis 43 19 .694 4.5 Houston 34 30 .531 14.5 Dallas 30 33 .476 18 New Orleans 22 43 .338 27

INDIAN WELLS: Former champion Maria Sharapova raised her game when it mattered to storm into the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals with a 7-5 6-0 victory over Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino on Tuesday.

Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka also cruised into the last eight, pounding Poland’s Urszula Radwanska 6-3 6-1 in a match lasting just under 90 minutes despite being hampered by a sore ankle.

Fifth seed Petra Kvitova advanced with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win over fellow Czech Klara Zakopalova but third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was knocked out, losing 6-1 4-6 7-5 to 13th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko.

Russian world number three Sharapova won a tight opening set then swept through the second in only 22 minutes to reach the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for a third consecutive year.

The second seed will next meet Italy’s Sara Errani, a 6-3 6-2 winner against Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli earlier in the day, in a re-match of last year’s French Open final clinched by the Russian.

“I stepped up my game in the second set,” Sharapova, who was champion here in 2006 and a losing finalist last year, said courtside after wrapping up victory in one hour 18 minutes.

“The first set was so up and down I had to buckle down, stepping into the returns and getting in a few more first serves. It was a slow start.

Just didn’t get a good rhythm on her game from the beginning.

“I think maybe I was going for the lines a little bit more than I had to, especially in the first few games when you don’t know too much about your opponent or haven’t played her.”

Sharapova had never previously played against the 20-year-old Arruabarrena-Vecino, who is ranked 87th in the world and won her first WTA singles title in Bogota last year.

There were five breaks of serve in an erratic

opening set but the Russian earned the crucial break in the 11th game when her opponent pushed a forehand wide. Sharapova needed three set points before serving out, then broke Arruabarrena-Vecino’s serve three more times in the second set to advance with ease.

Top seed Azarenka, who initially struggled to find her rhythm before battling past Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 3-6 6-3 6-0 in the previous round, broke Radwanska’s serve three times in the opening set and twice in the second.

“I wasn’t feeling that well,” said the Belarusian, who is bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend the WTA title at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991. “My ankle was bother-

ing me, it’s been bothering me for a while. But, on the bright side, I won the match. I could overcome those things. “I decided to just take everything in my own hands and see where it takes me.”

Asked whether her ankle problem could force her to withdraw from Indian Wells, Azarenka replied: “I’m not going to give any answer of pulling out, that’s for sure. “I’m going to do everything I can to be ready for my next match and fight as hard as I can.”

Azarenka, who is unbeaten in 17 matches this season, will face eighth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals. Wozniacki, the 2011 champion here, beat Russian Nadia Petrova 7-6 6-3 in the fourth round.—Reuters

INDIAN WELLS: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a backhand return against Nadia Petrova of Russia during their WTA fourth round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. —AFP

Djokovic, Murray in last 16 INDIAN WELLS: Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic recovered from a poor start while third seed Andy Murray displayed much sharper form as they both advanced to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday.

Top seed Djokovic beat Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 6-1 in an errorstrewn match on the Stadium Court in hot afternoon conditions at Indian Wells before Scotsman Murray overcame Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun 6-3 6-2 in an evening encounter.

Seventh seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina brushed aside Germany’s Bjoern Phau 6-2 7-5 while eighth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withstood a fast start by Mardy Fish to overcome the American 7-6 7-6.

Djokovic came from 2-5 down to win his opening set 7-4 on the tiebreak, then broke his opponent’s serve in the second and sixth games of the second set to seal victory in just over an hour.

Dimitrov, who at 21 was the youngest player left in the draw, made four double faults when serving for the first set at 5-3 and his challenge then quickly folded. Serb Djokovic extended his winning streak

to 20 matches, his last defeat coming in October to big-serving American Sam Querrey in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris.

Intriguingly the pair will meet again in the last 16 at Indian Wells, Querrey having scraped past Australian Marinko Matosevic 7-6 6-7 7-5 earlier in the day. “I tried to hang

in there and stay in the match,” a relieved Djokovic said courtside after improving his record for the year to 15-0. “I started very bad, very poor.

“He served very well but he made four double faults at 5-3 and got me back into the match. He made a lot of unforced errors and I just had to get the ball back in the court.” Asked

INDIAN WELLS: Andy Murray, of Great Britain, returns a shot to Lu Yen-Hsun, of Taiwan, during their match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament.—AP

about the challenge of Querrey in the fourth round, Djokovic replied: “It will be very interesting. He won our last encounter in Paris a few months ago.

He has a very big serve.”

World number three Murray was delighted to gain revenge against Lu, who beat the Scot in their only previous meeting, in the first round of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“It was a tough match,” Murray said after breaking his opponent’s serve twice in each set while also having to battle hard to hold his own serve early on. “He started off well. I didn’t serve particularly well to get myself into those situations, and then I served well to get myself out of some tough situations. “He can kind of leave you flat-footed sometimes, and he certainly did that a lot in the first set. I knew it was going to be a tough encounter, so it was good to win in straight sets.” US Open champion Murray will next face Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, who eased past Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-2. In other matches, Canadian Milos Raonic fired down 16 aces as he battled past Croatia’s Marin Cilic 3-6 6-4 6-3 while Germany’s Tommy Haas won a cliffhanger against Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-3 6-7 7-6.—Reuters

‘The Queen’ is back: Kim returns to worlds LONDON: Kim Yu-na’s performances in Vancouver were so majestic it seemed unlikely anyone could ever come that close to perfection again. The South Korean who fans call simply “The Queen” wants to try.

The Olympic gold medalist returns to major competition for the first time in two years at this week’s World Figure Skating Championships, and she looked so sharp in practices Monday and Tuesday it was as if she had never been away.

“After I won the Olympics, like any other gold medalist out there, I did feel some emptiness in my heart,” Kim, speaking through a translator, said Tuesday night. “I did think about coming back for a long time. What motivated me was that skating is something I’m best at. And it’s something that I love the most, so I want to give it one more try.”

Kim went to Vancouver with the greatest expectations of any one athlete, the biggest favorite for gold since Katarina Witt in 1988.

Her skating was a large part of it; the reigning world champion, she’d lost just one competition in the previous two seasons. She possessed the easy grace of someone who skates simply to feel the ice beneath her blades, yet had the big tricks that make fans’ jaws drop in awe. But she also carried the weight of an entire nation. She was like a rock star in South Korea. She did commercials for pretty much every kind of product there is, and the

moves of “Queen Yu-na” were chronicled as breathlessly as any of those by the British royal family.

The pressure was greater than anyone could have imagined, but Kim handled it flawlessly. She set records that still stand in the short program, free skate and total score, and the memory of her free skate still produces goose bumps three years later. Her gold medal was South Korea’s first at the Winter Olympics in a sport other than speedskating, and it touched off wild celebrations back home. She was just 19, and she had the world at her feet. Rather than taking time to savor her success and the riches that came with it, Kim continued to skate. She went to the world championships the month after the Olympics, finishing second.

Though she skipped most of the 2010-11 season, she did return for the world championships, winning a second straight silver medal.

But, finally, she’d had enough. After spending most of the previous five years training in Toronto and Los Angeles, she returned home to South Korea. She skated in shows and helped on Pyeongchang’s winning bid for the 2018 Olympics.

While she didn’t rule out a return, it didn’t seem likely, either. Then, last summer, Kim announced a comeback.

“After I decided to compete again, I was quite nervous to come back to the ice,” she said. Though she remains wildly popular in South Korea, the

LONDON: Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China compete in the Pairs Short Program during the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Budweiser Gardens.—AFP

frenzy is not the same. Oh, there are still the endless comparisons with longtime rival Mao Asada of Japan. But she’s been able to stay in South Korea, training with her childhood coaches again, and she no longer draws a crowd of media simply for stepping on the ice.

“I don’t want to be pressured as much as (I was) prior to the Olympics,” Kim said. “However, because I’m a human being, I also want to do good and I want to deliver good results. ... The pressure is still there, I feel it. However I try not to feel pressure as much. “ She has competed twice this season, once at a lower-level competition in Dortmund, Germany, so she could get the necessary qualifying score for worlds, and again at the South Korean national championships. She won both, showing glimpses of her old self, but it wasn’t until she arrived here that everyone could see she remains the gold standard in women’s skating.

Her jumps are breathtaking, as she seems to float suspended in the air for a nanosecond before she starts rotating. She hasn’t lost any of her speed, and her bones may as well be made of Silly Putty for the intricate positions she has in her spins.

What truly sets her apart, however, is her presence on the ice. Many skaters may as well use Muzak for as much as they feel the music, flailing their arms about in an imitation of artistry. With Kim, however, there is a seamless connection between her blades, her music and her heart.

Watch her practice her footwork, and you can almost hear the strains of “Les Mis” or “Kiss of the Vampire.” It’s a quality that can’t be taught, and it’s what sets a great program apart from a good one.

“The two competitions before worlds, I did pretty well,” Kim said. “This time around, although I’m very nervous and worried, I’m sure I can deliver good results.” But there is good and there is Queen Yu-na, and she will always be measured against her brilliance in Vancouver.

“The 2010 Vancouver Olympics was the first competition ever where I completed my short and free program without any mistakes, clean programs. That in itself is a huge accomplishment,” Kim said. “Delivering a clean program requires a lot of practice before. “I truly believe that if I do practice a lot, I believe that I can deliver such perfection once again.”—AP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

S P ORT S

Even LBJ knows who’s the real king — Messi

TEHRAN: Iran’s Esteghlal Captain Mojtaba Jabari (right) challenges UAE’s AlAin players Muhammed Ahmed Gharib (center) during their AFC Champions League Group D football match at Azadi stadium. —AFP

Beijing down J-League holders BEIJING: China’s Beijing Guoan saw off a late revival to beat J-League title-holders Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 and break an eight-match win drought in the AFC Champions League yesterday.

At a packed Workers Stadium in Beijing, the green-clad hosts dominated for long stages and they led for most of the game after defender Lang Zheng planted a shot into the bottom corner on 21 minutes following some heavy pressure.

Zhang Xizhe’s close-range effort cannoned off the foot of the post on 56 minutes and the midfielder was denied in a double attempt shortly afterwards as Beijing looked to be cruising to victory.

But almost out of nowhere, Hiroshima’s Naoki Ishihara-with a strong hint of handball-controlled a rebound from Okamoto Tomotaka’s shot and stabbed home an equaliser on 79 minutes.

However, Beijing were not to be denied and just four minutes later Piao Cheng wriggled free of his marker on the edge of his box and fired home a right-footed winner on the turn. The win was Beijing’s first since 2010 in the AFC Champions League, and kept up their unbeaten record at home against Japanese clubs in the competition.

It followed Jiangu Sainty’s tense 0-0 draw against Japan’s Vegalta Sendai on Tuesday in Nanjing, scene of a notorious wartime massacre by Japanese troops which remains a source of tension between the two countries.

However, Uzek istan’s Bunyodkor remained just above Beijing at the top of

Group G on goal difference after a lastgasp Kamoliddin Murzoev equaliser rescued a 2-2 draw with 2009 champions Pohang Steelers in Tashkent.

Oleksandr Pyshur scored for the hosts on the quarter-hour but two goals in seven second-half minutes, from Lee MyungJoo and Lee Gwang-Hun 67, appeared to have given Pohang the away win-before Murzoev’s strike in the fourth minute of added time.

Earlier, Leandro Domingues scored twice and created another as J-League club Kashiwa Reysol torpedoed Australia’s Central Coast Mariners 3-1 to take a firm grip on Group H. The Brazilian midfielder cancelled out Dutch defender Patrick Zwaanswijk ’s headed opener before setting up Kenta Kano in a fine move to put the home side ahead on 67 minutes.

As the clock ticked down to the final whistle, he buried a sizzling volley to make sure of the win, and the Mariners missed a chance to narrow the deficit when Michael McGlinchey ’s penalty was saved by Kashiwa ‘keeper Takanori Sugeno.

Emperor’s Cup-holders Kashiwa now have a maximum six points from two games in Group H, an advantage of four points over South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings who were held 0-0 at home by Guizhou Renhe of China.

Among Wednesday’s later matches, 2003 champions Al Ain are away to Esteghlal of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli travel to Dubai to face Emirati side Al Nasr.—AFP

CHELTENHAM: Sprinter Sacre ridden by Barry Geraghty jumps the last on their way to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase during Ladies Day at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. —AP

Sprinter Sacre puts on champion display CHELTENHAM: Sprinter Sacre confirmed his mantle as the Frankel of jump racing here yesterday as he strolled to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The seven year-old gelding - trained by veteran English handler Nicky Henderson recorded his eighth win in eight starts over fences as he came home an astonishing 19 lengths clear under Barry Geraghty.

Sprinter Sacre - at 1/4 on the shortest priced winner at the Festival since Irish jumps legend Arkle 50 years ago - had never looked troubled throughout the two mile race and when he joined the 2011 winner Sizing Europe prior to the final bend there was only one winner.

Sizing Europe’s chances of upsetting the odds disappeared completely as he nearly fell on the flat turning into the straight but he recovered to at least take the runnersup spoils.

The manner of the victory left Henderson flabbergasted. “It does make you speechless. Sprinter Sacre is scary. He has that aura about him and is totally and utterly unique,” said the 62-year-old, who holds the record for all-time wins at the Festival among still active trainers.

Geraghty was equally fulsome in his praise. “He is an unbelievable horse,” said the 33-year-old Irishman, who won his fifth Champion Chase. “To beat Sizing Europe the way he did was a remarkable performance. He was keen early on but settled down. He’s a class act. I think the ‘Frankel of jump racing’ is a fair way to describe him.”

His per formance could only have impressed the onlooking British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland and renowned racing fan and successful owner Alex Ferguson.

The Irish had taken two of the previous races as the seemingly unstoppable Willie Mullins welcomed back his fourth winner of the Festival in Back In Focus, ridden by his son Patrick in the National Hunt Chase.

“My father won this race twice as a rider and it is great to put my name alongside his and also ride the winner for him,” said Patrick. Mullins was not to be in luck, though, in the RSA Handicap Chase when his Boston Bob cruised into the lead on the bend but came to grief at the last.

However, fellow Irish challenger Lord Windermere took up the baton and battled his way to the line under Davy Russell to give Jim Culloty his first win at the meeting as a trainer where he enjoyed three successive Gold Cup wins (2002-04) as a jockey on Best Mate.

While the day is labelled ‘Ladies Day’ it might as well have been renamed father/son day as the second race the Novices Hurdle went to The New One ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies for his father, trainer Nigel.

However, the trainer nearly missed his son’s big moment. “My guts rebelled and I was in the loo for most of the race. Luckily I extricated myself for the final hurdle. I am a very proud dad, he would not have been happy had I missed the whole race!” said Nigel.—AFP

BARCELONA: No team copes with as much dayto-day drama as Barcelona. Think of the Yankees during owner George Steinbrenner’s salad days in New York, then multiply all that tabloid attention worldwide.

No matter how many games Barca wins, or titles it holds, each loss requires a full autopsy.

Every run of bad play is turned upside-down and shaken until, like a snow globe, it looks as if the sky is falling.

No star shoulders a bigger burden, either, than Lionel Messi, the incomparable Argentine at the heart of what just might be the greatest soccer club ever. Three losses in Barcelona’s last five games, including two at the hands of hated rival Real Madrid, had Barca fans wondering whether he and the team were in a funk or whether this was indeed the end of an era (again).

Barca’s coach, Tito Vilanova, is undergoing treatment for a saliva gland tumor in New York, and Messi conceded the mood at the club was subdued. At a promotional appearance the night before Barcelona faced AC Milan in the Champions League, he told ESPN.com’s Spanish correspondent, “I am not sad, although I am hurting. I do not like to lose out on important things, and neither does the team.”

Messi is a sensitive sort, and when reminded about his so-so record against Italian teams in general, and how Milan closed down the space he had to operate in during the first leg of the home-and-home series, he responded, “Italian teams are very well-trained. “I hope,” he added, “Tuesday will be the day I can score my first goal against an Italian team from open play.” He did.

Twice.

The first, a rocket into the top-left corner, came barely five minutes in; the second, a grasscutter just inside the right post, came five minutes before halftime. Barcelona went on to win 4-0 and 4-2 on aggregate, advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals.

“For anyone who doubted Messi, today Messi gave a lesson on how to play football,” said Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura, in charge during Vilanova’s absence. “He is extraordinary, and surrounded by great players, he is capable of doing what he does.”

One guy who understands that better than most is LeBron James, currently piloting the Miami Heat through one of most impressive

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his second goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match FC Barcelona against AC Milan.—AFP winning streaks in pro basketball history himself.

James is no stranger to soccer, either, having recently bought a small piece of England’s Liverpool club and watched Messi on several occasions.

When Associated Press sports writer Tim Reynolds asked James about Messi, moments after the Heat put away the Atlanta Hawks for their 19th straight win, James said he was fascinated by how Messi was able to control the flow of the game on a surface some 30 times the length of a basketball court.

“I’ve never compared myself to him,” James said, almost defensively, but then acknowledged he could see some parallels in the way both played. “Absolutely,” James continued, breaking into a smile and then chuckling. “He is awesome.

He’s totally awesome.”

Both were hyped as teenagers, both proved to be better than their press, and both have garnered enough individual awards to stock sideby-side mansions. Messi has won more champi-

onships with his club, and while still only 25, many observers believe his career won’t be complete unless he leads Argentina to a World Cup. James knows that drill only too well. The lack of an NBA championship on his resume was pointed out endlessly until he took care of that omission. In the meantime, with the next World Cup still a year off, Messi mesmerizes like no other athlete on the planet. There was even a rumor making the rounds Tuesday afternoon that the cardinals in Rome trying to elect a pope conveniently called it a day a half-hour before the Barcelona-Milan game so they could catch the broadcast. If true, they were no doubt rooting for Milan, technically the home team. But if they were fans of the beautiful game, they couldn’t help but be amazed yet one more time by Barcelona and Messi. “So,” Reynolds asked James at the end of their brief conversation, “he’s the soccer version of LeBron?” “Is he?” James demurred. “I’ll let you decide.” If anything, it’s the other way around.—AP

Serie A now the focus for humbled AC Milan MILAN: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says the Rossoneri will now reluctantly turn their attention to securing a top finish in Serie A after their Champions League dreams were ended by a majestic Barcelona.

Milan held a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the sides’ last-16 tie at the San Siro but their hopes of securing a quarter-final place were ended by a 4-0 second leg defeat complete with a brace of goals from Argentine forward Lionel Messi. The Italians’ best chance of the night came just before halftime when a shot from 19-year-old Frenchman M’Baye Niang hit the woodwork, which Allegri believes was the turning point in the game.

“Niang hitting the post was a big chance for us. Sometimes, matches are decided by centimetres and this time it was the post that kept the ball out,” Allegri told acmilan.it after Tuesday’s defeat.

“Now we have to concentrate on the league. It’s disappointing as we had a good chance tonight and the players did well to create that chance.” Despite a disastrous start to the league campaign Milan now sit third in Serie A, only two points adrift of Napoli and 11 behind leaders and champions Juventus.

While Juventus secured their Champions League quarter-final spot last week with a 5-0 aggregate rout of Celtic, Milan defender Ignazio Abate was scathing of Milan’s first-half performance.

“We gave them the first half, we didn’t play at all and that was a mistake,” said Abate. “You can’t just

give them an entire half of the game. We created three or four chances in the second half but we didn’t make the most of them.

“There’s a bit of bitterness as we could have managed things better in the middle of the field. It’s a shame as we had the chance to do them some damage.”

Having lost the bulk of a hugely experienced squad in the summer,

Allegri has done well to steer Milan out of the league doldrums with a mixture of youth and experience.

And the Italian, who led Milan to the league title on his first season in charge, in 2011, and a runner-up spot last year, believes their humbling in Europe could serve them well in the future. “The players and I have nothing to regret. I’m sorry for the club and the fans but given the

young age of the squad that we have now, there’ll be time to get to another Champions League semifinal or even the final,” he added.

“The players should be satisfied with what they did. With a bit of luck we’d be here talking about a completely different result. Now we think about Palermo. The team is in good shape and we’ll be ready for Sunday.”—AFP

FARO: US Christie Rampone (center) and her teammates pose with the trophy after winning the women’s Algarve Cup final football match against Germany at Algarve stadium near Faro. USA won 2-0. —AFP

Brazil probes bribery allegations around 2001 national team SAO PAULO: Brazil’s Supreme Tribunal of Sports Justice has opened an investigation into allegations the president of a top soccer club paid a bribe to get one of his players called up to the national team in 2001.

Luciano Bivar, a three-time president of northeastern side Sport, last week said he paid an unspecified sum to ensure midfielder Leomar got capped at international level.

“You need to be careful with football executives because many of them are there to do business, not to help their team,” Bivar said in one interview.

“We have used that kind of measure. We pushed Leomar into the national team. We paid a commission for him to play in the team.”

He did not say who he paid or reveal any other details of the alleged transaction. Bivar had a professional relationship with Emerson Leao, Brazil’s manager at the time. Leao had managed Bivar’s club, Sport, before being appointed Brazil coach.

Leao called Leomar into the squad for the Confederations Cup tournament in Japan and Korea. He played four times in that competition and also made an appearance in a World Cup quali-

fier against Peru, a year later.

Questions over the appropriateness of Leomar’s call-up were raised at the time but such disagreements over selections are common in Brazil.

Although rumours have long circulated that some players were called up in such a manner, this is the first time a top official has openly said such deals took place. The scheme was based on the idea that players with Brazilian caps are worth more on the transfer market than uncapped colleagues.

Coincidentally or not, Leomar was transferred to South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors the year after he made his Brazil debut.

Prosecutor Paulo Schmitt said he opened an inquiry after Bivar “affirmed categorically that there are corruption schemes in operation to ensure athletes serve in the Brazilian national side”. He said he would seek to question both Leao and his assistant coach Antonio Lopes, as well as search for concrete evidence of wrongdoing.

Both could be banned from the sport for two years if found guilty. Bivar could also face sanctions if the allegations are deemed to be unfounded. If they are proven, criminal procedures could follow,

Schmitt told Reuters.

Leao and Lopes denied the allegations and challenged Bivar to provide proof. Leomar said he had no knowledge of any such schemes. Schmitt said: “I want to believe that there is a certain bravado behind this. I don’t want to believe it happened.

But we have to investigate, we can’t leave this as a ‘he said, she said’ situation.”

Brazil’s 1994 World Cup winner Romario, one of the sharpest critics of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), said Bivar’s comments “prove what we’ve been hearing for a long time” and he called on others to come forward and present evidence.

The former Barcelona and Vasco da Gama striker, now a congressman, called for a parliamentary inquiry into the CBF. Critics like Romario say the CBF is one of Brazil’s most poorly managed institutions. The organisation’s former president Ricardo Teixeira resigned last year citing health reasons. His departure followed a wave of corruption allegations. The CBF’s planning for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil next year, has been criticised for being late and over budget.—Reuters

Lakers end Magic spell

Svindal and Vonn win downhill globes

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

17

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Even LBJ knows who’s the real king — Messi

Page 18

BUENOS AIRES: In this March 24, 2011 image released by the San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team yesterday, Argentina’s Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio holds up a small flag of the San Lorenzo soccer team in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bergoglio, a San Lorenzo soccer fan, was chosen as Pope yesterday, the first Pope ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. — AP

Gunners bow out despite win MUNICH: Arsenal became the last English club to bow out of the Champions League yesterday despite a 2-0 second-leg win at Bayern Munich as the Gunners lost their last-16 tie on away goals.

Having beaten Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg in London three weeks ago, Bayern had been odds on favourites to finish the Gunners off in the Bavarian capital to go into Friday’s quarter-final draw.

But Arsenal took the fight to their German hosts with striker Olivier Giroud giving the Gunners an early lead before centre-back Laurent Koscielny netted with 86 minutes gone to set up a frantic finish. Bayern held on and the 3-3 aggregate score saw them sneak through.

“We went close, I am very proud of the performance of the team,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. “I am disappointed for everyone who supports Arsenal that we couldn’t

get that third goal. “Qualifying is over 180 minutes and we weren’t at our best in the first 90 minutes.”

Much had been made in the build-up of Arsenal’s “Mission Impossible in Munich” with the Gunners needing three goals at Bayern’s fortress-like Allianz Arena, but the guests quickly dismissed any notion this tie was already decided.

“We hadn’t reckoned on conceding an early goal and we allowed them to get into the game,” admitted veteran Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. “We didn’t control the game and weren’t calm. They gave us a bit of a black eye tonight.”

The game was just three minutes old when Tomas Rosicky found space, Theo Walcott fired in a cross and Giroud drilled his shot into the roof of the net, seized the ball and sprinted back to the halfway line. It was the first time Bayern had conceded a goal inside the first 15 minutes this season

and there were plenty of blank expressions in the Munich ranks. Bayern responded by playing predominantly in Arsenal’s half, but Rosicky, who took the place of the injured Jack Wilshere behind Giroud, was at the centre of everything the Gunners did with the hosts clearly rattled by the opening goal.

The patience and composure which has left Heynckes’ side 20 points clear in the Bundesliga suddenly seemed to desert them. Bayern began the second half with intent as both Arjen Robben and Toni Kroos fired wide, while Thomas Mueller twice forced Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski into diving saves.

Munich controlled possession, but poor final passes kept offering Arsenal some hope with Bayern missing injured France star Franck Ribery on the left wing while suspension meant Bastian Schweinsteiger was absent in midfield.

Robben let a golden chance go begging with 67 minutes gone when he got in behind the Arsenal defence, but he fired straight at Fabianski. With 10 minutes left substitute Gervinho came perilously close to adding Arsenal’s second, but the ball harmlessly rolled out of play for a goal-kick.

The second goal finally came when Santi Cazorla’s corner fell to Koscielny, who beat Bayern’s Javi Martinez to head into the bottom right corner. There was plenty of pushing and shoving in the Bayern goal when goalkeeper Manuel Neuer briefly laid on the ball to eat up a few seconds with the Arsenal players desperate to kick-off again, but the all-important third goal ultimately eluded them.

This is the third time in three seasons Arsenal have exited after the Round of 16 in the Champions League, while Bayern join Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in the last eight. — AFP

Malaga continue dream Champions League run

MUNICH: Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta (left) and Bayern’s Toni Kroos challenge for the ball during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match. — AP

Millwall in FA Cup semis BLACKBURN: A first-half header from Nigerian centre-back Danny Shittu gave Millwall a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers yesterday that set up an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Wigan Athletic.

Shittu, the Millwall captain, struck shortly before half-time to settle the quarter-final tie, three days on from the hard-fought 0-0 draw between the Championship rivals at the Den on Sunday.

“Words can’t really describe it,” Shittu told ESPN. “We just wanted to come here today and win. To have got the goal, it means so much. I’m just happy for the lads and for the gaffer (manager).”Millwall are the last non-Premier League side left in the competition and are bidding to emulate their run to the final in 2004, when they lost 3-0 to Manchester United.

United are due to face Chelsea in the second quarter-final replay on April 1, with the winners in line to meet Manchester City.

A disappointing crowd of under 9,000 witnessed the home side procure the first sight of goal at Ewood Park, but Leon Best’s low shot was comfortably saved by David Forde.

The recalled David Dunn, making his first start since October, then swept a shot wide from a corner, but as the half progressed, Millwall began to assert themselves. Chris Taylor lashed a shot narrowly offtarget from 20 yards mid-way through the first half, before the breakthrough arrived three minutes from half-time.

Millwall had just seen a penalty appeal for handball against Jason Lowe dismissed when Taylor swung a corner into the box from the left that the strapping Shittu converted with a powerful downward header. It was the first time that Blackburn, owned by Indian poultry firm Venky’s, had conceded a goal in this season’s competition. — AFP

MALAGA: Malaga’s remarkable Champions League campaign continued yesterday when they beat Porto 2-0 to progress to the quarterfinals 2-1 on aggregate. Trailing 1-0 after the first leg in Portugal, Malaga levelled the tie on aggregate when Isco scored with a stunning strike just before half-time. If that gave the Spanish club confidence, they were left in an even stronger position when Porto had Steven Defour sent off for a second booking shortly after the restart.

And substitute Roque Santa Cruz scored the crucial goal, heading home with 13 minutes left, as Malaga become the third club from La Liga in the quarter-final draw, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Still unbeaten in their domestic league this season, and leading thanks to Joao Moutinho’s solitary strike in the first leg last month, Porto would have been confident of seeing off the challenge of Malaga at La Rosaleda. Vitor Pereira’s side started strongly, too, dominating possession despite the hostile atmosphere.

Malaga had not won a domestic game since losing the first leg in Portugal, and they took their time to come into the contest, but a strong finish to the first period saw them come right back into the tie.

Ten minutes of the opening half remained when Malaga produced their first chance of note, Portuguese left-back Antunes letting fly from 25 yards and forcing a fine save from Helton, who tipped the ball over for a corner.

Little Argentine striker Javier Saviola then thought he had given Malaga the lead on the night when he stabbed home from close range, but his effort was disallowed for a supposed

MALAGA: Malaga’s Brazilian defender Weligton (left) vies with Porto’s Argentinian midfielder Lucho Gonzalez during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match. — AFP foul by Julio Baptista on Helton.

Replays showed that Baptista was unlucky to be penalised by the Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli, but it was a maybe a sense of injustice that drove the home side to level the tie in the 43rd minute.

Manuel Iturra found Isco, who turned and spotted Helton off his line before whipping a brilliant finish into the top corner from 20 yards.

La Rosaleda erupted as the young playmaker gave another display of the talent that has him

earmarked for a glorious career.

But the moment that really tipped the balance the way of Manuel Pellegrini’s side came four minutes into the second half, when Porto’s Belgian midfielder Defour was dismissed.

Defour had already been booked when he went rashly into a challenge on Joaquin, and Rizzoli produced a second yellow card. The tension was now palpable, with Porto knowing that an away goal would leave Malaga staring at elimination. — AFP

Business

Burgan Bank Group wins ‘Best Banking Group’ award Page 22 US CEOs see improving economy, wary of hiring Page 23

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Jaguar F-type soon at Al-Zayani

Pacific trade talks make progress despite hurdles Page 25

Page 26

STRASBOURG: Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France yesterday.—AFP

EU Parliament sets terms for budget cuts Germany agrees ‘historic’ budget for 2014 STRASBOURG: The European Parliament set down its terms yesterday for final negotiations on the EU’s contested 2014-20 budget after the bloc’s leaders imposed the first ever overall spending cut at a fractious summit last month. MEPs voted 506 for and 161 against the budget “in its current form” in a resolution that seeks several key changes, including greater flexibility from one year to another on how funds are accounted for.

EU leaders agreed in February to a more than 3.0 percent cut in the Multiannual Financial Framework, limiting payments made by the EU to 908.4 billion euros ($1.2 trillion) and setting an absolute ceiling of 960 billion for spending commitments.

Meanwhile, the German government yesterday approved a draft budget for 2014 with the lowest deficit in 40 years, hailed by the economy minister as a “historic” step in the battle against debt.

The structural federal budget-excluding one-off items and the effects of the economic cycle-would be balanced in 2014, the finance ministry said. The budget nevertheless foresees a deficit of 6.4 billion euros ($8.3 billion) in the total federal budget of 296.9 billion euros next year, mainly owing to German payments into the European bailout fund.

“At 6.4 billion euros, new borrowing is at its lowest level for 40 years,” the finance ministry said in a statement. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the books would be balanced entirely, according to the draft budget, with no new borrowing required by Europe’s top economy.

“Growth and (budgetary) consolidation

are not mutually exclusive but rather they reinforce each other,” Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble emphasized. “The confidence that solid state finances brings

BERLIN: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (right) and Economy Minister Philipp Roesler (left) present a draft budget for 2014, in Berlin. —AFP is the pre -condition for sustainable growth,” he added.

Yesterday’s resolution, backed by the major political parties, rejected those sums, saying they tied the EU’s hands for the next

Food price rises put restive Egypt on edge CAIRO: With croissants, baguettes and bagels spilling off metal trolleys at the bakery where Mohammed Alif works in central Cairo, food is not scarce, but profits certainly are.

The Egyptian pound has lost more than 8 percent of its value against the US dollar since the end of December as concern deepens about the state of the economy, which is being undermined by political instability and rioting. This, along with a general rise in global food prices, has pushed up the amount which bakeries like Alif’s have to pay for imported ingredients traded in dollars, which in turn risks feeding back into discontent with the new leadership.

The specter of steep food price inflation driven by a weaker pound is of particular worry to President Mohammed Morsi as he grapples with spasms of unrest two years after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and was itself partly driven by a sense of mounting economic hardship in a country long steeped in poverty.

Flour and sugar are 50 percent more expensive than they were a year ago, said Alif, and for now the bakery feels it has no choice but to absorb the increase rather than passing it on to customers: “I can’t make it more expensive because people cannot pay,” he said, pausing between filling shelves with freshly baked rolls and serving a steady flow of shoppers on the pavement.—Reuters

seven years and “cannot be accepted unless certain essential conditions” are met.

Lawmakers say there is already a 17-billioneuro hole in the figures for 2013 that needs to be covered and that the numbers as agreed will allow the EU to run up a structural deficit, which they say is expressly against EU rules. They want to create space for a review of the budget mid-term and to enable the EU to raise more of its own income through direct taxation-an option that was put off until the next budgetary c ycle when a first budget summit in December collapsed in acrimony.

Parliament head Martin Schulz said the resolution paved the way for “possible negotiations” with the European Council, which groups the bloc’s 27 heads of state or government. “Today’s vote is a clear indication that the European Parliament has accepted the responsibilities given to it by the treaties and will fight for an improved budget for the EU,” said the leader of the Socialist grouping in the chamber, Hannes Swoboda.

Germany had drawn “the right lessons from the European debt crisis” and is fulfilling its role as “a stability anchor in Europe,” added the minister. Co-presenting the budget, Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said: “In all humility, I think this is a historic step.” The federal budget deficit amounted to more than 44 billion euros in 2010, when Germany was recovering from one of its worst recessions since World War II. By 2012 the deficit had been slashed to 22.5 billion euros however, and it is expected to be 17.1 billion euros in 2013.

The budget comprises just spending at a

federal level. The wider public deficit, which includes regional and local administrations, is used to calculate whether countries are abiding by European rules.

In 2012, Germany registered a surplus of 0.1 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP) on this measure, according to a provisional figure published in midJanuary.

European Union rules state countries in the euro-zone may not run a public deficit higher than three percent of GDP, and are supposed to work towards a balance, and even a surplus in times of economic growth.

Cyprus bailout The finance ministers of the 17 euro countries will hold a special meeting this week to discuss the planned bailout program for Cyprus. Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chairs the ministers’ meetings, yesterday called an extraordinary session for tomorrow in Brussels to discuss the rescue loans for the cash-strapped country. Cyprus needs up to 17 billion euros ($22 billion) to recapitalize its banks, which took huge losses on Greek debt, and to keep its government afloat.

Dijsselbloem’s spokeswoman, Simone Boitelli, says it is too early to gauge whether the ministers will make a final decision on the bailout at the meeting.

She says the “troika” of creditors - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the I nternational Monetar y Fund - will repor t back on negotiations with the new Cypriot government. — AFP

US oil boom guards world from supply shocks: IEA

LONDON: Soaring US oil production should be enough to allow consumers withstand most potential supply shocks, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said yesterday, as it cut estimates for global oil demand. “The oil-producing world today is in the midst of a once in a generation transition of far-reaching consequences,” the IEA, which coordinates the energy policies of major consuming nations, said in its monthly oil market report.

“Rarely has the market’s ability to withstand crisis been so tested as in the two years since the start of the socalled Arab Spring. Yet the market seems to have taken it all - civil uprisings, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, production outages, trade embargoes in its stride,” it added.

The IEA expects non-OPEC supply to grow by 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2013 to 54.5 million bpd, led by North American booming shale oil out-

put. The agency said a year-on-year gain of 1.1 million bpd in US oil supply in the fourth quarter of 2012 was a record, not only for that country but also for any non-OPEC producer since at least 1994.

The IEA reduced its estimate for demand for OPEC’s crude oil in 2013 by 100,000 barrels per day to 29.7 million bpd, the lowest since 2009, reflecting rising competition and a weak global economy.

The estimates are in line with monthly reports by the US government and by OPEC itself published on Tuesday. OPEC expects US oil supply to rise by 580,000 bpd to 10.59 million bpd in 2013, which it said would be the highest level since 1985. OPEC also said demand for its own crude would fall to 29.7 million bpd this year.

The US government sees global oil demand rising 1.01 million bpd in 2013 and non-OPEC production growth

reaching 1.17 million bpd. The IEA said it remained bearish on oil demand for 2013 and trimmed its outlook for the 2013 oil demand growth by 20,000 bpd to 820,000 bpd. “ The subdued growth rate of oil demand now looks increasingly entrenched in the face of high oil prices and weak economic growth,” it said. It said that the US budget “sequester”, worsening Chinese business sentiment and continued deterioration in European employment were three economic “hits” appearing to further delay an turnaround in global economic growth.

The IEA also expects Iranian oil exports to hold strong and even exceed 1.4 million bpd in March. “New US sanctions implemented in February, which bar Iran from repatriating earnings from its oil exports, appear not to have had an impact on February shipments,” the IEA said in its monthly report.—Reuters

Dubai’s Arabtec rebounds; Egypt rally ends MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Dubai’s Arabtec rebounded yesterday after the builder changed some of the terms of a proposed capital hike that had sent its shares tumbling, while Egypt’s index ended a five-session rally as blue-chips slid. Arabtec climbed 2.4 percent, trimming its losses to 28 percent since it announced plans for a $1.8 billion capital increase that would be dilutive to shareholders.

On Tuesday, the builder received regulatory approval to issue shares in two equal tranches one this year and another in 2014 if needed.

Arabtec also aims to issue non-convertible bonds at the end of this year or in 2014. The revised plans eased investor concerns that it would issue convertible bonds, which would have fur ther diluted shareholders. “ The announcement had a positive impact on the shares,” says Mohammed Yasin, managing director at NBAD Securities.

“Investors are relieved by the news and it’s taken some pressure off the Arabtec shares.”

Dubai’s index fell for a first session in five, dropping 0.9 percent to trim its 2013 gains to 18.5 percent. Heavyweight Emaar Properties, which has led Dubai’s early-year rally, fell 1.4 percent.

“The markets have been going up for a very long time and they look overbought on the technical charts from a short, medium and long term perspective,” said Musa Haddad, head of investment advisory services for asset management at National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Buyers will return as first-quarter results near, with companies expected to start reporting from mid-April, he added. Elsewhere, Egypt’s benchmark dropped 1.6 percent to erase most of the gains from a five-session rally. “Technical indicators still confirm the short-term trend of the market is down,” said a note from Pharos Research.

Palm Hill Development CO and Orascom Telecom fell 2.7 and 1.8 percent respectively.

In Saudi Arabia, National Medical Care Co soared on its bourse debut, underlining strong investor interest in mid-cap stocks exposed to domestic demand. The company’s shares, which were sold in their initial public offering at 27 riyals, ended at 122 riyals in heavy trade.

The company offered 13.5 million shares or 30.1 percent of its share capital. Half were allocated to institutional investors and half to retail investors. The institutional tranche was more than five times subscribed. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

BUSINESS

Burgan Bank Group wins ‘Best Banking Group in MENA’ award

Maintain your balance to win Al Danah prizes KUWAIT: Gulf Bank advises all its Al-Danah customers to keep their money saved in their accounts to enhance their chances of winning one of the major cash prizes of KD25,000, KD125,000 and KD200,000 in the first Al-Danah quarterly prize draw for 2013. Any withdrawal before the draw date of March 28th, 2013 would reduce chances of winning. Opening an Al-Danah account is easy, and Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to either open an account or for customers to increase their deposits to maximize their chances of winning. Al Danah 2013 draw lineup includes daily draws (2 winners per working day each receive KD1000). Al Danah’s 1st Quarterly draw will be held on 28 March (KD200,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000), 2nd Quarter - 27 June (KD250,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000), 3rd Quarter - 26 September (KD500,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000) and the final draw will be held on 9 January 2014, announcing winners of KD50,000, KD250,000 and the Al-Danah millionaire.

Al Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and simultaneously encourages them to save. The more money saved and the longer it is in the account, the more chances individuals stand to win.

To qualify for the next quarterly Al Danah draw, account holders must maintain a minimum deposit of KD200 in their accounts. Customers can open an account by either visiting one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, transfer online, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance.

Dubai Islamic launches $1bn Tier 1 sukuk DUBAI: Dubai Islamic Bank, the largest sharia-compliant lender in the UAE by assets, launched a $1 billion hybrid sukuk yesterday, arranging banks said. The perpetual sukuk, which is aimed at shoring up its core or Tier 1 capital, launched at a profit rate of 6.25 percent, in line with final guidance released earlier in the day. The final guidance was substantially tighter than initial price talk of 7 percent, after arranging banks said order books totalled $14 billion, indicating massive demand for the deal.

HSBC Holdings, Standard Chartered, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Emirates NBD and DIB itself are mandated lead arrangers for the deal. DIB is the second Gulf bank to issue a hybrid perpetual sukuk, after Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank sold $1 billion in a similar structure in November, attracting $15 billion in orders. DIB had a Tier 1 capital ratio of 13.9 percent at the end of 2012, compared to 12.6 percent in 2007, according to an investor presentation. —Reuters

Recognition for second consecutive year

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank Group announced yesterday that it has won the “Best Banking Group in MENA” award for the second consecutive year from Global Banking & Finance Review, one of the world’s leading global banking and finance online publications. The award comes in recognition of Burgan Bank Group’s performance in 2012 and the consistent delivery of sound results across its operations in Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Turkey, Tunis, Cyprus and Lebanon.

Majed Essa Al-Ajeel, Chairman of Burgan Bank Group said: “We are very pleased to become recognized as the “Best Banking Group in the MENA” for the second year running. This particular award reflects the group’s overall strong performance, and the continuous efforts exerted to introduce region wide integrated banking services to an extensive range of individuals as well as corporate customers.”

“Despite a number of macroeconomic challenges in 2012, Burgan Bank Group’s performance was rewarding on many fronts. The expansion Journey that has started in 2008 is now paying-off and we are currently present in 9 countries with a branch network of 217 branches and over 245 ATMs,” added Al-Ajeel.

Through its acquired subsidiary in Turkey, the group’s Burgan Bank-Turkey, which enjoys a solid network of 61 branches, allows it to benefit from the Turkish market’s advanced banking sector. Burgan Bank -Turkey offers broad banking services to Corporate, SME, private and retail clients, and is backed by a clear-cut strategy that focuses on the upside geo-economic growth potential Turkey provides, along with the benefits of the group’s wider synergies in regional markets.

Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB) enjoys a footprint across Cyprus (One branch) & Palestine (two branches), and is represented across the Jordanian kingdom through a vast network of 53 branches. The bank offers an extensive array of integrated banking services that accommodate clients’ and range from traditional retail banking to private banking and treasury services along with business banking services. These include cards, loans, capital products and investment services, commercial services, corporate financing, as well as credit facilities for major corporate banking activities.

Chairman of Burgan Bank Group Majed Essa Al-Ajeel With 33 branches, Gulf Bank Algeria (AGB) is engaged in providing conventional as well as Islamic banking services to businesses as well as individuals that include e-banking, real estate loans, foreign trading, and corporate banking loans along with a broad offering in retail banking services.

The group’s Bank of Baghdad (BoB), which has expanded its presence to Lebanon in 2010, allowed more international business flow between Lebanon and the Middle East to ultimately forge stronger commercial links with Iraq. The bank operates through 39 branches in Iraq, and is considered one of the largest private commercial banks in Iraq. It offers personal, corporate, and international banking services that include deposits, loans, electronic banking, commercial loans, term deposits, internal and external transfers, overdraft facilities, in addition to superior multinational investment options.

In Tunisia, Burgan Bank Group, through Tunis International Bank (TIB), provides a comprehensive range of international financial services for corporations, financial institutions, individuals and Public Sector in Tunisia and abroad through 3 branches. It is further engaged in mega lending activities within major business sectors.

Tunisian protests to test subsidy reform TUNIS: Protests and strikes planned in Tunisia over the next few weeks will test the government’s ability to repair its shaky finances - and may affect its efforts to secure a $1.78 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. In contrast to neighboring Egypt, where political unrest has put most economic reforms on hold, Tunisia is pressing ahead with tax rises and cuts to expensive government subsidies that are straining the state budget.

Last week authorities raised most fuel prices for the second time in six months, lifting petrol prices at the pump by 6.8 percent. Taxes on alcohol increased this month, and several weeks ago the state-controlled milk price rose. Also this month, the government imposed a levy of 1 percent on salaries above 1,700 dinars ($1,075) per month to help fund remaining subsidies on fuel and food.

The steps have met a storm of public criticism.

The Tunisian Organization for Consumer Protection, a consumer advocacy group, has called for demonstrations this Friday against the fuel price hike and inflation in general, which could draw thousands of people. Taxi drivers plan a one-day strike on March

18 - their first such mass action in years - which may involve thousands of drivers. Gasoline station owners have called for a three-day strike in April, saying higher fuel prices will encourage the sale of gasoline smuggled from Libya. “After the spread of poverty and unemployment, now the middle class is suffering. We can’t support deducting 1 percent of salaries, or the crazy rise of food prices and now fuels,” said Salem Ben Naceur, a 35-year-old teacher in Tunis. “We will tell them that the people are very angry and to pay attention to our reaction.”

The government’s determination to go ahead with its economic reforms is striking because it follows some of the worst unrest in Tunisia since the uprising that overthrew president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two years ago. The assassination of secular politician Chokri Belaid on Feb. 6 led to three days of sometimes violent street protests and the resignation of prime minister Hamadi Jebali. The new prime minister, Ali Larayedh, last week unveiled a coalition cabinet led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, saying it would serve only until elections later this year.

With such a limited mandate, the government might be expected to back down on the economic reforms, at least partially. But so far it appears determined to see them through, perhaps because it calculates the economic costs of abandoning them would be prohibitive. Late last year the government projected a large budget deficit of 6 percent of gross domestic product in 2013, and the outcome could be worse because of the economic costs of the recent unrest. At the end of last month Moody’s Investors Service cut Tunisia’s credit rating to junk territory, joining the other two major rating agencies, and the cost of insuring Tunisian debt against a default jumped to a four-year high - exceeding levels seen during the turmoil of the 2011 revolution.

The money which the government is saving through its recent steps may go a considerable way to reassuring debt markets that Tunisia can cut its deficit. Finance Minister Elyess Fakhfakh said the fuel price rise would reduce the cost of subsidies in the 2013 budget by 500 million dinars, to 4.2 billion dinars. The price hike for alcohol would bring in nearly 200 million dinars. —Reuters

within a regional diversified financial institution. Burgan Bank Group continues to develop a strong regional banking franchise to provide customers with sound financial solutions across a network of subsidiaries in the MENA region & Turkey.

Burgan Bank Group’s expansion strategy is aimed at building and acquiring scale, capabilities as well as footprint. The group’s international reach provides a seamless and an integrated experience for customers as well as businesses to manage their financial needs

Locals venture into business in changing UAE ABU DHABI: Abdulla Al-Shammari had a well-paid, secure job as an occupational safety engineer at one of Abu Dhabi’s oil companies. But when the government gave him an opportunity to strike out on his own, he took it. The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, which lends to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), was set up

by Abu Dhabi authorities in 2007. Soon afterwards, Shammari approached the fund with a proposal to make underground street-lighting boxes. Typically, boxes containing electric wiring and other equipment for street lights clutter the hastily built cities of the Gulf.

Shammari wanted to put the boxes below ground, accessible via manholes, where in addition to being unobtrusive, they would be safer and not exposed to the elements.

“They were surprised because we were the first with this underground technology, but realizing the potential and viability of the business, they approved our plan,” said the 45-year-old Shammari.

After he obtained a 1.8 million dirham ($490,000) loan from Khalifa, it took about two years to get the business running and as much time again to market the product.

Now his company, Cirta Engineering, has installed 200 lighting boxes across Abu Dhabi and output could grow fourfold this year, with turnover tripling to 40 million dirhams as the firm expands into Qatar; it has 80 employees, including two other United Arab Emirates citizens.

Shammari’s case and hundreds more like his are signs that important economic change may be underway in the UAE: the government is finally succeeding in persuading a significant number of local citizens to start their own firms. The trend is in its early stages, but if it continues, it could help to resolve an economic problem that plagues the governments of the UAE and other Gulf countries: the failure of most of their citizens

to find jobs in the private sector.

“We see a new generation of Emiratis, either out from universities or employees with some business experience, toying with business ideas or venturing out to set up their own businesses,” said Abdul Baset al Janahi, head of Dubai SME, a state-backed body which helps arrange loans for small businesses in Dubai.

The vast majority of UAE citizens, who account for just over a tenth of the UAE’s 8.3 million population, work at state firms rather than in the private sector, because of high salaries offered by the oil-rich government.

Thanks to a lavish cradle-to-grave welfare system, others prefer unemployment; the jobless rate among locals is officially put at 14 percent.

The government can afford that financial burden at present because of high oil prices, but it knows it will be in trouble if oil eventually falls sharply. So it is stepping up efforts to lure citizens into the private sector, and appealing to their entrepreneurial instincts is one way to do this. “Our aim is to create an environment for young entrepreneurs and encourage nationals to be self-employed and become less reliant on government jobs,” said Hussain al Nowais, chairman of the Khalifa Fund.

Khalifa, Dubai SME and other statebacked bodies promoting entrepreneurship among UAE citizens offer advisory and counselling services. But they are focusing on providing finance, because many local banks feel it is too risky to lend to start-up companies. “There are serious gaps on both sides the bank lender and the SME borrower which are symptomatic of a larger issue of Dubai being a non-tax regime, where there is no incentive or requirement to have proper finance and accounting records,” said Janahi at Dubai SME, which offers credit guarantees to locally owned firms.—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

.2770000 .4210000 .3670000 .2980000 .2750000 .2910000 .0040000 .0020000 .0770430 .7506050 .3920000 .0720000 .7358360 .0420000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2838000 GB Pound/KD .4238840 Euro .3699760 Swiss francs .2998260 Canadian dollars .2766490 Danish Kroner .0496090 Swedish Kroner .0447920 Australian dlr .2925840 Hong Kong dlr .0365830 Singapore dlr .2276040 Japanese yen .0029650 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0772980 Bahraini dinars .7530850 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0757000 Omani riyals .7374300 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.955 5.252 2.911 2.257 3.278 229.200 36.791 3.603

.2880000 .4380000 .3800000 .3130000 .2880000 .2990000 .0068000 .0035000 .0778170 .7581490 .4100000 .0770000 .7432310 .0480000

.2859000 .4270200 .3727140 .3020440 .2786960 .0499760 .0451230 .2947490 .0368530 .2292890 .0029870 .0053090 .0022740 .0029310 .0036470 .0778700 .7586570 .4043850 .0762600 .7428870 .0070970

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - transfer Irani Riyal - cash

7.024 9.644 0.271 0.273

Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

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

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 41.700 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 41.589 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.332 Tunisian Dinar 181.060 Jordanian Dinar 403.120 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.915 Syrian Lier 3.101 Morocco Dirham 33.970 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 285.350 Euro 372.670 Sterling Pound 426.460 Canadian dollar 278.800 Swiss Franc 301.640 US Dollar Buying 284.150

CURRENCY

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 UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar

SELL DRAFT 298.15 282.04 305.76 374.69 284.60 428.68 3.04 3.633 5.251 2.257 3.297 2.913 77.55 757.78 41.40 405.45

Selling Rate 285.100 281.120 427.550 371.835 300.835 754.810 77.600 78.255 75.990 401.895 41.605 2.256 5.256 2.910 3.617 7.014 699.365 3.950 9.670 4.030 3.380 91.658

Bahrain Exchange Company

GOLD 298.000 150.000 77.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

738.000 78.500 76.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

GCC COUNTRIES 76.124 78.436 741.600 758.200 77.731

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

740.69 78.59 76.09

SELL CASH 295.000 280.000 305.000 372.600 285.500 429.000 3.300 3.740 5.350 2.480 3.420 2.880 78.000 756.000 41.600 410.000

BUY Europe 0.4185267 0.0061542 0.0458249 0.3665570 0.0460000 0.4174825 0.0409447 0.2960582

0.4275267 0.0181542 0.0508249 0.3740570 0.0512000 0.4249825 0.0459447 0.3060582

Australasia 0.2837463 0.2265848 0.0001094

0.2957463 0.2368548 0.0001094

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars

America 0.2708320 0.0001484 0.2828500

0.2798320 0.0001664 0.2850000

Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo

Asia 0.0035704 0.0031616

0.0036254 0.0033916

British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling

SELL

Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa Guinea Franc Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht

0.0447764 0.0164667 0.0000442 0.0341978 0.0051988 0.0000244 0.0028471 0.0028944 0.0032503 0.0879739 0.0031398 0.0028820 0.0065660 0.0000728 0.2244223 0.0019579 0.0092278

0.0497764 0.0195667 0.0000502 0.0372978 0.0052688 0.0000296 0.0038471 0.0030744 0.0034803 0.0949739 0.0033398 0.0029220 0.0070360 0.0000758 0.2304223 0.0022629 0.0098278

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.7495418 0.0400665 0.0130072 0.1483538 0.0000793 0.0001776 0.3964045 1.0000000 0.0001748 0.0218949 0.0012111 0.7292491 0.0776272 0.0754667 0.0500540 0.0031801 0.1799582 0.0761677 0.0012857

0.7580418 0.0420965 0.0195072 0.1501438 0.0000798 0.0002376 0.4039046 1.0000000 0.0001948 0.0458949 0.0018461 0.7402491 0.0784102 O.0761067 0.0506040 0.0034001 0.1859582 0.0776177 0.0013857

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

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 284.700 374.050 426.950 279.850 2.980 5.250 41.585 2.257 3.615 7.015 2.910 758.250 77.525 76.050

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

BUSINESS

Nissan at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show Innovative Resonance concept points to future of Nissan crossover design DUBAI: The 2013 Geneva Motor Show marks the start of another exciting chapter in Nissan’s history.

Driven by a passion for delivering future technology, Nissan is showcasing a new generation of innovative European designed, engineered and built models that will redefine standards in their sectors.

The future of crossover design is another area where Nissan looks set to rewrite the rulebook.

Having created the crossover sector with the Qashqai, Murano and Juke, Nissan is revealing a bold vision of what the future holds for the next generation of Nissan crossovers. Inspired by a theme of VIP space travel, the Resonance concept presents new ideas and advanced cabin technologies in a striking and bold package.

Leading the European charge are two models that perfectly embody Nissan’s approach to bringing new technology to the market. The new Note has been completely redesigned to a new brief, and is set to shift into the B-segment with its combination of sharp design, low CO2 emissions and innovative first-in-sector technologies.

Among the many features Note introduces to the B-segment are Nissan’s advanced and intuitive Around View Monitor and a comprehensive network of safety systems that combine to form the Nissan Safety Shield. Developed from Nissan’s vision of driving a safer future, these systems redefine the path that technologies come to market and set Nissan out as leaders in the field of affordable and

relevant technology. The new Note isn’t the only European-built model making its debut at Geneva.

The new LEAF - now fully integrated into Nissan’s European produced line-up - showcases a raft of technical and engineering enhancements. Building on the success of the ground-breaking original - of which over 50,000 have been produced to date the new LEAF delivers improved real-world range autonomy, more choice for buyers and numerous detail improvements to make life with the world’s best-selling electric car even easier.

The debut of the European Note and LEAF confirm Nissan’s powerful and constantly-evolving presence in Europe. Despite challenging economic conditions, Nissan has proved that design, innova-

tion and affordability are key components for success. In 2012, NMUK in Sunderland produced over 500,000 cars (a new record), while production facilities in Russia and Barcelona are also expanded to meet increased demand. Total European production has just passed a significant milestone - 10million vehicles have now been produced.

Nissan also celebrates its rich motorsport heritage at Geneva with the official European launch of the Nismo road car range. Spearheaded by the striking Juke Nismo and 370Z Nismo, the performance arm adds a new dimension to Nissan’s product line-up, offering buyers accessible performance, premium design and advanced technology borne on the track.

US CEOs see improving economy, wary of hiring US retail sales up 1.1% in Feb

NEW DELHI: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (right) addresses a press conference while World Bank India Country Director Onno Ruhl looks on in New Delhi yesterday.

Kim is in the Indian capital as he concludes a three-day visit to the country. — AFP

WB ‘to boost support’ for India’s poorest NEW DELHI: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said yesterday the institution will funnel more development support to India’s poorest states as part of its drive to end poverty globally within a generation. Kim, on his first trip to the nation of 1.2 billion people since becoming the bank’s chief last July, said India’s poorest seven states are home to over 200 million who have no access to education, healthcare and other basic services.

“Achieving the World Bank Group’s mission of ending global poverty will require us to step up our support for India’s poorest citizens,” Kim, winding up a three-day visit, told a news conference in New Delhi. During his three-day visit, Kim held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders and said he gained a deeper understanding of the challenges India faces in it seeks faster and “more inclusive” economic growth.

The Bank said the plan to focus development resources on India’s most deprived states would not mean any increase in the $3.0-5.0 billion it lends on average annually to the emerging market giant. “But over a

period of time a higher percentage of the Bank’s support to India would be aimed at the seven low-income states,” said World Bank spokesman Sudip Mozumder.

The seven low-income states represent half of India’s estimated 400 million people living on less than $1.25 a day-the Bank’s definition of dire poverty.

They include two of its most populous states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Since assuming the job of Bank president, Kim has been seeking to recast its image to make fighting poverty a main focus and refashion the institution as “the solutions bank” that dispenses expertise and not only development loans.

He recounted that after he graduated from university in the United States he took part in a protest against the Bank’s “proscriptive policies only focused on growth”, but said things have changed dramatically at the institution.

At the same time, “we have to be smart about fighting poverty-we have to have economic growth because without growth you can’t lift people out of poverty”, Kim said. — AFP

S Korea’s finance chief sees slower growth SEOUL: South Korea’s newly-named finance minister said yesterday the recovery in Asia’s fourth-largest economy is weak and might need additional government stimulus.

Hyun Oh-seok told parliament that South Korea’s economy may not achieve the 3 percent growth projected by the government and he would quickly introduce measures to aid the recovery.

His remarks gave more weight to the view that President Park Geunhye’s new economic team will boost government spending with a supplementary budget. “I agree that the economic situation is grave,” Hyun said at a parliamentary hearing on his nomination as finance minister.

Latest data show South Korea’s economic recovery is fragile. In the first two months of the year, exports, which account for about half of the country’s economic output, eked out a feeble 0.6 percent increase over a year earlier.

January government reports showed industrial output, private consumption and investment remain poor. In a written statement to the National Asse mbly, the new economy head said there is a “big risk that even the weak pace of recover y would stumble” because of uncertainties in the US and Europe while South Korean consumer confidence and corporate sentiment are far from the recovery.

The finance ministry projected in December that South Korea’s economy, one of the wealthiest in Asia, will expand 3 per-

cent this year. It grew 2 percent in 2012, which was the slowest rate since 2009. The central bank has forecast 2.8 percent growth for this year.

“It will not be easy for the economy to see a dramatic improvement in a short period of time,” Hyun said. “We need active policies to stimulate the economy and resolve the difficulties of low-income families.” Park took office in February promising a better economy. Her top economic pledges were more jobs, which appealed to a growing number of unemployed college graduates, and fairer business practices in a country where family-owned conglomerates dominate commercial life.

She has said she wants to strengthen the middle class by raising the employment rate to 70 percent by 2017 and easing household debt with a fund that will cancel part of the debts of borrowers with bad credit who can’t keep up repayments. In 2012, South Korea’s employment rate was at 64.2 percent according to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development.

Hyun said his first priority as finance minister is creating new jobs. “Using female workforce is the key,” Hyun told lawmakers. The finance minister ruled out raising taxes to fund Park’s welfare pledges such as free childcare services, which lawmakers and the minister estimated would cost 27 trillion won ($24.6 billion) per year. Hyun said the ministry will seek to increase revenue by reducing tax breaks and cracking down on tax evasion. — AP

WASHINGTON: US chief executive officers’ confidence in the economy rebounded in the first quarter, but they remained leery of taking on new workers at home, according to a survey released yesterday.

The Business Roundtable’s CEO Economic Outlook Index rose to 81.0 in March from 65.6 in December, according to the quarterly survey, which was conducted before the recent sharp rise in the US stock market. Any number above 50 indicates growth. Officials with the group, whose members employ about 16 million people, blamed the continued wariness about hiring on uncertainty in Washington, where President Barack Obama’s Democrats and the Republicans who control the House of Representatives have been squabbling for two years without reaching an agreement on how to reduce the $16.7 trillion federal debt. “We are discouraged that we can’t resolve some of the issues ... that relate to the framework of the economy, which are tax, fiscal, budgetary considerations,” said Boeing Co CEO Jim McNerney, who chairs the Roundtable. “We keep lurching from one crisis to another there in DC, which does put a little bit of a damper on investment, particularly long-term investment.”

The CEOs’ increased confidence reflected improved expectations for sales and plans to boost US capital spending over the next six months. But CEOs remained unlikely to add workers, with just 29 percent planning to boost

US employment over the next six months, the same percentage as in December. The slow recovery in hiring has been one of the biggest drags on the US recovery from a recession that ended almost four years ago.

Some 72 percent of CEOs expect their companies’ sales to rise in the next six months, up from 58 percent who expected that in December, and the percentage who plan to boost US capital spending increased to 38 percent from 30 percent. CEOs also modestly raised their expectations for growth in real US gross domestic product, which they now expect to rise 2.1 percent this year, up from a 2.0 percent gain forecast in December.

The Roundtable surveyed 144 member CEOs from Feb. 11 through March 1. Americans spent at the fastest pace in five months in February, boosting retail spending 1.1 percent compared with January. About half the jump reflected higher gas prices, but even excluding gas purchases, retail sales rose 0.6 percent. The report yesterday from the Commerce Department showed that Americans kept spending last month despite higher Social Security taxes that took effect this year. The retail sales report is the government’s first look each month at consumer spending, which drives about 70 percent of economic activity. Core retail sales, which exclude gas, autos and building supply store sales, rose 0.4 percent in February compared with January.

Auto sales rose 1.1 percent after a 0.4 percent January increase. The February gain was the biggest since December. Sales at gas stations surged 5 percent, the biggest advance since a 6 percent rise in August. Sales at general merchandise stores, a category that includes major department stores such as Macy’s and big discount stores such as Wal-Mart and Target, rose 0.5 percent in February. But the department store category as a whole fell 1 percent.

The category that covers Internet sales rose a strong 1.6 percent in February after a 1.4 percent January gain. Sales at restaurants and bars dropped 0.7 percent, while furniture store sales fell 1.6 percent. The solid increase in retail sales was encouraging because it showed that Americans kept spending despite a payroll tax increase that has lowered take-home pay this year for most workers. Someone earning $50,000 has about $1,000 less to spend in 2013.

A household with two high-paid workers has up to $4,500 less.

Consumers may be able to absorb higher taxes if employers continue hiring and increasing wages. The economy added 236,000 jobs in February, driving the unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent, its lowest level in more than four years. The gains signaled that companies are confident enough in the economy to intensify hiring even in the face of tax increases and government spending cuts. — Agencies

E ON back in black in 2012

FRANKFURT: E ON, Germany’s biggest power supplier, said yesterday it returned to profit in 2012, when it booked net profit of 2.217 billion euros ($2.9 billion) compared with a loss of 2.219 billion euros a year earlier. Underlying net profit, which was adjusted for one-off effects, soared by 67 percent to 4.187 billion euros.

The difference between the two net profit figures reflected 1.7 billion euros in writedowns “necessitated by the general deterioration of our market environment and by instances of regulatory and above all fiscal intervention in our business in Europe,” explained chief financial officer Markus Schenck. Operating profit, as measured by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) climbed by 16 percent to 10.786 billion euros on a 17-percent increase in revenues to 132.09 billion euros, E.ON said.

The company said it would raise the dividend payout to shareholders to 1.10 euros per share for 2012 from 1.00 euros a year earlier. “Our solid 2012 results are gratifying but, in view of our extremely difficult market environment, aren’t a reason for us to

DUESSELDORF: Johannes Teyssen, CEO of Germany’s biggest energy supplier EON, attends the annual balance press conference yesterday in Duesseldorf. — AFP sit back and relax,” said chief executive Johannes Teyssen. “During the next few years things certainly won’t be getting any easier for E ON or, for that matter, for any other European energy supplier.

Power and gas demand in our core markets still hasn’t recovered from the impact of the economic and financial crisis,” Teyssen said.

One of the main reasons for last year’s rise in underlying earnings was a significant improvement in the gas wholesale business following the renegotiation of gas-procurement contracts with producers, he said. In addition, 2011 earnings had been adversely affected by one-off items relating to Germany’s accelerated phase-out of nuclear energy.

Emerson launches industry-shaping series events for Mideast, Africa DUBAI: Emerson Process Management has recently launched “Emerson’s IndustryShaping Series” in the Middle East & Africa; which is a new format of customer seminars and learning events aimed at the growing demand from end users for solution-based applications. These programs will be scheduled to take place across the Middle East and Africa world area throughout the year.

Emerson’s Industry-Shaping Series consists of three programs that cater to specific interests related to process automation. The Forum Series gathers Emerson and industry executives in discussions focused on innovation, macro business trends, and critical issues influencing their industries in an environment that fosters open exchange between thought leaders. The Automation Series provides automation professionals with in-depth knowledge about how technologies are relevant to their business, engaging attendees through a variety of presentations, technology exhibits, and

interactive demonstrations. The Service Series shows how service and lifecycle support enable businesses to maximize productivity and uptime, and reduce cost. The format of the Service series is presentations and exhibits on topics that span the entire product and plant lifecycle. “Emerson’s Industry-Shaping Series is designed to enable our customers to recognize specific areas in the design, operations, and maintenance of their facilities that will provide them with a competitive advantage in their market space,” said Dave Tredinnick, president of Emerson Process Management, Middle East and Africa.

The inaugural event in the series was on February 25th in Doha, Qatar, and was very favorably received. The following events are already scheduled: March 18, 2013 — Abu Dhabi, UAE March 25, 2013 — Ruwais, UAE April 2, 2013 — Kuwait City, Kuwait May 12, 2013 — Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Additional generating capacity in Russia and the cost-cutting measures “were also positive factors,” while negative factors included lower prices and sale volume in the power business, E ON continued. Looking ahead to the current year, E.ON said it expects to achieve EBITDA of 9.2-9.8 billion euros.

“This forecast factors in the loss of earnings streams through asset sales under our ongoing divestment program,” it noted. Underlying net profit was projected to come in at 2.2-2.6 billion euros.

“Our business environment in 2013 is very difficult,” warned finance chief Schenck. “It is marked by the difficult business environment in the energy business, interventionist regulations, weak prices in Europe’s generation markets, and pressure on gas margins,” he said.

E ON announced separately that Teyssen’s contract as CEO had been extended for a further five years until the end of 2018. On the Frankfurt stock exchange, E.ON shares were up more or less in line with the market, adding 0.08 percent in early afternoon trading. — AFP

Ireland beats forecasts in post-bailout issue DUBLIN: Ireland took its biggest step yet towards exiting its EU/IMF bailout by selling 5 billion euros ($6.5 billion) of benchmark 10-year bonds, its first issue of such long term debt since it was locked out of markets in late 2010. The issue was as much as double the size that many traders had predicted, and was significantly oversubscribed with offers of least 12 billion euros, a source close to the deal said. “This shows Ireland has firmly returned to the market,” said a trader who took part in the deal. “It sends an important signal.”

The deal means that Ireland has now raised most of its long-term funding target for 2013. Bailed out in late 2010 after being overwhelmed by unprecedented fiscal and banking crises, Ireland has hit every major target since and has been held up by euro zone leaders as the success story their austere plans desperately need.

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which began borrowing again from capital markets last year, has earmarked the 10-year issue its most significant step towards a full market return. Traders said the new debt would yield around 4.15 percent, compared to a yield of 3.7 percent on Ireland’s current benchmark 2020 bond. —Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

BUSINESS

Japan auto giants to give workers a bonus boost TOKYO: Japan’s top automakers are set to give tens of thousands of employees an annual bonus bump as a weaker yen helped their bottom line while Tokyo presses firms to hike staff pay to lift the economy. Toyota, Japan’s biggest car firm, said yesterday it would accept union demands for a richer bonus with the Camry-maker agreeing to inflate the annual payment by about 10 percent to an average 2.05 million yen ($21,000).

The bonus, which is in addition to workers’ regular salaries, would be made to both factory employees and while-collar staff, said Toyota, which is also the world’s largest vehicle producer.

It would reportedly be Toyota’s biggest bonus in five years. Japan’s number-two automaker

Nissan will bump its bonus by about 2.3 percent to 2.04 million yen, reports said, while numberthree producer Honda also said it would offer a bonus boost, without disclosing details. In January, the country’s top three automakers posted record sales for 2012 as the trio put Japan’s damaging quake-tsunami disaster in their rearview mirror, while a weakening yen helped their bottom line. The unit, which hit a record high around 75 on the dollar in late 2011, hurt Japan’s auto industry by making their vehicles less competitive overseas and shrinking foreign-earned income converted back to yen.

The unit’s decline in recent months-it traded above 95 on the dollar yesterday-has come on the

back of a new government in Japan vowing to fix the world’s third-largest economy with a mix of big spending and aggressive monetary easing. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also asked Japanese firms to lift their employee pay as a way to boost disposable income and reverse years of deflation, which has crimped private spending and business investment. Other major firms, including Hitachi and Fuji Heavy Industries, have decided to offer employees a pay rise, Japanese media reported. Seven & i Holdings, which operates 7-Eleven convenience stores across Japan, has said it would hike salaries for some 53,000 employees while rival operators Lawson and FamilyMart announced bonus increases for staff. — AFP

Workers assembling the engines and drive trains of Toyota’s compact hybrid vehicle “AQUA” at Toyota’s subsidiary the Kanto Auto Works’ Iwate plant at the Kanegasaki town, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan. — AFP

Political crisis threatens Bulgaria’s frail economy SOFIA: After weeks of protests, Bulgaria’s new technocrat caretaker government must urgently restore trust in state institutions or risk exacerbating an already dire economic situation in the European Union’s poorest country, analysts say. “If protests continue and political instability drags on, it is set to pose problems for the economy by pushing new investors away and prompting those already here to postpone any development plans,” Institute for Market Economics analyst Kaloyan Staykov told AFP. “Failure to find a relatively swift way out of the political crisis risks resulting in an economic downturn, the loss of hundreds of thousands more jobs and growing poverty,” added Georgy Angelov of the Sofia branch of the Open Society Institute in a Presa newspaper editorial.

The cash-strapped government of rightwing premier Boyko Borisov resigned on February 20, swept up by a tide of public anger against deepening poverty and corruption, five months before the tough-guy former bodyguard’s term was due to end. An interim technocrat administration headed by former deputy foreign minister and ambassador to France Marin Raykov, including as finance minister deputy central bank governor Kalin Hristov, was named on Tuesday to run the country until elections on May 12.

Former Soviet Bloc member Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, has been spared the major economic turmoil causing such problems elsewhere, not least over the border in Greece, helped by fiscal discipline and its currency, the lev, being pegged to the euro.

The government squeezed the public deficit to just 0.5 percent of output in 2012 and public debt to 15-19 percent of gross domestic product-one of the lowest across the 27-nation EU. But this has come at the price of drastic government spending cuts, and freezing public sector salaries at an average of 400 euros ($534) over the past three years.

Average pensions in the rapidly ageing

nation have remained stuck at 138 euros.

The 7.4-million-strong country’s economy was slow to recover after output plunged 5.0 percent in the global financial crisis and economic downturn of 200 9. Growth was only 0.8 percent in 2012 and is expected to be little better 1.0 percent-in 2013.

Its major driver, foreign direct investment, has slumped, hitting between 1.7-2.0 billion euros last year, a far cry from 6.6 billion euros in 2008. The government has even offered Bulgarian-and therefore EU-citizenship to large foreign investors. As a result, with unemployment at 11.4 percent and rising, poverty levels have risen and living standards have fallen, causing ordinary Bulgarians to resent a political elite they see as more preoccupied with lining their own pockets and those of their cronies.

The final straw was a sharp rise in utility bills in February, prompting thousands to take to the streets around the country in the biggest upsurge of public discontent in 16 years, with demonstrators fighting running battles with riot police. Three people died after setting themselves on fire.

“This poisonous combination of poverty and injustice sent people on the streets,” Bozhidar Danev, chairman of the country’s largest industrial association, said. Borisov’s decision to throw in the towel has however failed to soothe people’s anger, with several thousand people taking to the streets of the capital Sofia and other cities on Sunday, brandishing banners like “Out with the Mafia”.

Raykov’s first task will be to restore confidence that justice can be done and poverty battled, Danev said. Fair elections were the first step, as well as more transparency and a thorough analysis of the current fiscal situation. Whichever government emerges after the election-polls suggest voters will return a fragmented parliament-must then go on “to employ prudent fiscal policies and not slide down the hill of populism”, said Staykov. “We simply cannot afford that now.” — AFP

Asia’s Mideast crude market may pick up SINGAPORE: Asia’s Middle East crude market may strengthen when trading in May barrels begins this week, supported by refineries in Asia returning from maintenance and fuel oil demand from power generators during the northern hemisphere summer. About a million barrels per day of refinery capacity that was offline for maintenance will return in May, according to Reuters data.

“The peak turnarounds are over and margins are looking good now, so the fundamentals may support some demand,” said a trader at a refiner. “I see the market rebounding.”

Consultants JBC Energy estimated in a report that refinery maintenance in Asia would peak at just over 2 million bpd in April, fall to 1.4 million bpd in May and drop further to 620,000 bpd in June. That analysis suggests demand is set to gradually pick up from May onwards, as refiners buy crude for refining units coming back on line the following month. Warmer weather in the northern hemisphere may also boost demand for electricity for air-conditioning, which translates into more demand for crude to be processed into fuel oil for oil-fired generators.

Japan will see mostly normal to hotter-than-average weather this summer, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in February, indicating demand for electricity may be higher than usual there from June to August. Heavier grades such as Upper Zakum may fare better than lighter grades, due to a rise in fuel oil cracks in the past few weeks and lower official selling prices (OSPs),

traders said. Product cracks and overall refinery margins are widening as well, which may prompt refiners to increase runs. Stronger buying from China could also underpin May trading. Data shows that commercial crude inventories in the world’s second largest oil consumer have dropped month-onmonth for the four straight months through January, adding to expectations that Chinese refiners could surface to replenish stocks.

The spot differentials for April cargoes traded last month weakened on poor demand from refiners, while the cash market was pressured lower by heavy selling in Dubai partials by trader Arcadia Petroleum.

Crudes from Qatar and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) traded at lower premiums or deeper discounts than in trading for March cargoes, reflecting the absence of big buyers.

In the cash market last month, Arcadia Petroleum sold 244, or 85.9 percent, of the 284 April partials traded in February, delivering 11 of the 12 Oman cargoes that were declared, data collated from traders and Platts showed. That helped to push April Dubai cash prices to $106.75 per barrel by the end of last month, down from $110.80. Since trading in May partials started at the beginning of March they ranged between $104.75 and $106.90 per barrel. The total number of partials traded for April was the highest since 270 were traded in April 2010, according to data provided

by Platts. The record is 434 partial traded in September of 2007. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

BUSINESS

US won’t balance budget in next 10 years: Obama WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama warned Tuesday America will not balance its budget within a decade because Republican plans to do so would entail slashing social programs many citizens rely on for support. Even as he set out to woo lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Republican foes, Obama called for an approach that restores fiscal stability but also protects healthcare for the poor and the elderly and shields the middle class.

“My goal is not to chase a balanced budget just for the sake of balance. My goal is how do we grow the economy, put people back to work, and if we do that we are going to be bringing in more revenue,” Obama told ABC News. Obama said a plan unveiled by Republican congressman Paul Ryan on Tuesday which balances the budget in 10 years was too punitive.

“We’re not going balance the budget in 10 years because if you look at what Paul

Ryan does to balance the budget, it means that you have to voucherize Medicare, you have to slash deeply into programs like Medicaid.” “You’ve essentially got to either tax middle class families a lot higher than you currently are, or you can’t lower rates the way he’s promised.”

Obama is calling for a deficit cutting solution that raises new revenue by closing loopholes favored by the rich and corporations. His Democrats say Ryan’s approach would entail painful cuts to Medicaid government health programs for the poor and Medicare for senior citizens.

Earlier, Obama visited Capitol Hill for lunch with Democratic senators. But in the next two days, he will enter the lion’s den in separate talks with Republicans from both chambers and will also meet minority lawmakers from his own Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.

Obama has often appeared to shun the

back-slapping and arm-twisting that greases power between a president and Congress, but has made a new effort in recent days, and dined with a dozen Republican senators last week. Senate Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell, who has used his mastery of procedure to gum up Obama’s legislative program, complimented the president for his effort, though offered no real signs of a breakthrough.

“With regard to what a lot of you have described as the president’s charm offensive, we welcome it,” McConnell told reporters.

“The reports I got from the members who went down to dinner with him last week was excellent-that they had a good exchange. I told the president on Friday I hope he’ll invite all of our members down for these dinners.” Democrats said the president mostly spoke about deficit cutting and

budget issues and also expressed optimism that a bipartisan deal to fix America’s broken immigration system could be reached.

“He thinks it’s very important that we solve these problems together and he says that working together with Republicans in terms of getting a grand bargain, or a major dent in this issue, is critically important,” said Democratic Senator Carl Levin.

But “compromise is essential and he hasn’t seen enough of it from (Republicans) yet,” Levin said.

Democratic senator Tom Harkin said several senators brought up Republican plans to cut spending on social programs, adding: “We’re cautioning about that, be careful about this grand bargain.” While atmospherics were improved, there were signs Tuesday, as Republicans and Democrats unveiled rival budgets, that staunch divisions over basic political philosophy could derail the latest push for compromise. Ryan,

the Republican party’s 2012 vice presidential candidate, said his budget would alleviate the “crushing burden” of debt that is threatening America’s future and would cut $4.6 trillion in spending.

The plan contains no new tax revenue and demands massive spending cuts, as well as major changes to cherished social programs like Medicare and Medicaid, in a bid to balance the budget within a decade.

Ryan on Tuesday described his plan as an “invitation to the president of the United States and to Senate Democrats to come together to fix these problems.”

“Show us how to balance the budget,” he said. Democrats in Congress are unveiling their own budget plans, which include nearly $1 trillion in new revenues and $1 trillion in cuts. The White House, under fire from Republicans over delays in its own budget blueprint, predicted Obama’s own plan would emerge after April 8. —AFP

Pacific trade talks make progress despite hurdles No quick Japan entry seen

HONG KONG: Chairman of Cathay Pacific Airways Christopher Pratt attends a company result announcement in Hong Kong yesterday. —AP

Cathay Pacific 2012 net profit drops 83% HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific said yesterday that 2012 net profit plunged more than 83 percent, as the Hong Kong flag carrier was buffeted by persistently high fuel prices and the euro-zone financial crisis.

The airline said profit stood at HK$916 million ($118 million), down from the HK$5.5 billion it recorded in 2011. Revenue rose 1.0 percent to HK$99.4 billion from HK$98.4 billion in 2011.

Cathay said it carried a total of 29.0 million passengers in 2012, a 5.0-percent rise year-on-year, but its premium class sales were hit as companies cut back on travel for executives.

“It was a challenging year for the aviation industr y generally,” chairman Christopher Pratt said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange. The airline said that “sustained high levels” of jet fuel prices, which accounts for more than 40 percent of total operation costs, dragged down its performance. “The high cost of fuel made it more difficult to operate profitably, particularly on long-haul routes operated by older, less fuel-efficient, Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft,” said Pratt.

Even though Cathay has accelerated its plans to retire fuel-guzzling aircraft, the chairman said fuel costs will remain its “biggest challenge” this year, as the longhaul routes account for a huge chunk of its business. Cathay ordered three Boeing 747-

8 Freighter cargo aircraft earlier this month in a deal worth $1 billion at list prices, with an option to buy five 777 Freighters in a bid to boost its fuel-efficient fleet.

“Economic uncertainty, particularly in the euro-zone countries, and an increasingly competitive environment added to the difficulties,” Pratt said. “We believe we have taken the right measures to deal with current challenges and will take whatever further measures are necessary should the business environment not improve,” he added.

The weak global economy continued to take a toll on Cathay’s air cargo business, with revenue falling 5.5 percent to HK$24.6 billion in 2012, while demand for shipments in key markets Hong Kong and mainland China “was well below expectations”.

Cathay’s shares closed down 0.42 percent at HK$14.20. The blue-chip Asian airline in August posted a first-half year net loss of HK$935 million.

Airlines around the world have been struggling with fuel costs and softening demand owing to the global economic weakness. But the International Air Transport Association said in December that profits for global airlines are expected to pick up, with the industry group forecasting total profits of $6.7 billion for 2012, up from its previous estimate of $4.1 billion. —AFP

MADRID: Pablo Isla, president of the Inditex Group poses before giving a press conference to announce the 2012 results, in Madrid yesterday. —AFP

Spain’s Inditex posts record 2012 profit MADRID: The world’s biggest clothing group, Spain’s Inditex which controls the Zara brand, posted yesterday a record 2012 net profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, and a global expansion offset belttightening by its domestic consumers.

The company said its 2012 net profit rose 22 percent to 2.36 billion euros ($3.07 billion) in the 12 months ending on January 31 while sales were up 16 percent to 15.9 billion euros. Inditex, founded 40

years ago in Arteixo, Galicia, by billionaire Amancio Ortega, the son of a railwayman, reported a net opening of 482 stores during the period, including 121 in China. The company, whose other brands include Bershka, Massimo Dutti and Pull and Bear, now has 6,009 stores in 86 countries.

Spain, which is undergoing a doubledip recession, accounted for 21 percent of its sales, down from 25 percent in the previous 12-month period. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Progress is being made in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks but hurdles remain and Japan is unlikely to be set to join the next round in May, negotiators said yesterday, pointing to a tough road for the 11 nations hoping for a deal this year. If Japan wants to take part, it must first hold bilateral meetings with existing members and be supported by a consensus to “keep up the good momentum” as the countries prepare for the next talks in Peru, said Singapore negotiator Ng Bee Kim. “I don’t think we’re looking at Japan specifically coming on board in Lima,” Ng told a news conference after the 16th round of the threeyear-old talks ended in Singapore.

The TPP, which has grown from seven countries, aims to eliminate barriers to goods and services and address issues including the movement of electronic data, market access for financial firms and copyright protection. Japanese media say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to announce on Friday that Japan would like to join the talks.

Asked about Washington’s con-

cerns, US negotiator Barbara Weisel noted a recent US-Japan statement confirming the TPP stance that “all goods are on the table” and the goal that “the agreement will be comprehensive and high-standard.” For the United States, the TPP is the centrepiece of its efforts to refocus economic, diplomatic and security attention on the fast-growing AsiaPacific region but it must contend with pressure at home about access to the US market.

A statement on the Singapore talks noted “solid progress” to bridge gaps in a number of areas and said there were advances on regulatory issues, telecommunications, customs and development.

The “more challenging areas” include intellectual property, the environment, competition and labor, said the statement by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. The goal is to wrap up negotiations by the end of this year or even by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in October.

The next round of talks in Lima is due to be held from May 15-24.

The TPP countries are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore many of them with differing issues about opening agricultural markets, protecting intellectual property and setting rules for state-linked companies.

If Japan does join the talks, it is expected to try to keep its barriers on rice imports and other agricultural goods. Several thousand people from a Japanese farm lobby group staged a rally on Tuesday to oppose their country’s participation.

Pharmaceuticals are another tricky area. The United States wants tougher patent protection to reflect the costs of research and development but critics say that would keep drug prices too high for poor people by restricting generic versions.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), a humanitarian group, said the US proposals “threaten to roll back internationally agreed public health safeguards and would put in place far-reaching monopoly protections.”

“Too many people already die

needlessly because the medicines they need are too expensive or do not exist,” it said in a statement.

Vietnam, a major clothing exporter seeking greater access to the US market, wants more flexible rules of origin to reflect the global supply chain but is “open to any proposal that can help us to move forward,” said its negotiator, Khanh Tran Quoc.

Malaysian negotiator J Jayasiri said his country is concerned about market access, especially for textiles, and wants “sufficient flexibilities to accommodate the kind of difficulties that we face” - including intellectual property. In a statement, 10 business groups from TPP countries called for the negotiators “to show flexibility and narrow the range of differences” so a deal can be reached as quickly as possible.

“However, bearing in mind that TPP should be a high-quality agreement, we don’t want to sacrifice substance for speed,” it said. “We welcome new parties to join the TPP but we hope that the inclusion of new participating economies would not slow down the current negotiation process.” —Reuters

Ripe oil market offers window to ramp up pressure on Iran WASHINGTON: Global oil market conditions are ripe for the West to further pressure Iran over its nuclear program, but the window will likely close next year as fuel demand is expected to rise in Asia, a report to be released yesterday said.

For most of the past decade, a tight oil market limited the ability of Western countries to use sanctions to dampen the nuclear ambitions of Iran, one of the world’s top crude producers, said the report by the nonpartisan Securing America’s Future Energy and Roubini Global Economics.

In the last year, new US and European sanctions targeting Iran’s crude sales came when the global oil market could handle a loss of the Islamic Republic’s crude exports. Global oil demand has been slow to recover from the recession and crude output has risen steadily from the United States and other nations outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

“This opportunity will not last indefinitely,” said the report called “Decision Point: A Well-Supplied Global Oil Market Will Make 2013 the Year to Deal with Iran,” to be released at the Harvard Club in New York yesterday.

“The window of opportunity in which the market can comfortably withstand the loss of additional Iranian oil while minimizing oil price volatility and damage to the global economy,” extends no farther than mid-2014, said the report which also received input from John Hannah, who was a national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The sanctions introduced last year by the West aim to choke Tehran’s funding of its nuclear program by targeting the country’s oil exports. The West believes Iran is developing weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The new sanctions halved Iran’s oil exports in 2012 by more than 1 million barrels per day, about the amount that oil production grew in the United States during that time.

After September 2013 oil demand growth is expected to accelerate in China so now is the time to further pressure Iran, the report said. The report did not recommend what kind of action to take on Iran but stronger measures could be coming. Lawmakers in Congress have urged tougher sanctions on Iran. US President Barack Obama has said that all options are on the table in dealing with Iran.

US Vice President Joe Biden said last week that Obama was not bluffing about using force to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions if all else fails.

Biden said all options, including sanctions and diplomacy, must be exhausted to ensure that the global community will be supportive if a military strike is deemed necessary. The report recommended that the United States and the European Union should be prepared to use strategic oil stockpiles if actions are taken to clamp down on Iran’s exports.

Last year, before oil prices eased, leaders of the Group of Eight major economies signaled their readiness to tap into emergency oil stockpiles if the sanctions on Iran threatened to strain supplies. —Reuters

The logo of Germany’s Commerzbank is photographed in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany’s Commerzbank says it will raise 2.5 billion euro ($3.7 billion) by issuing new shares and repay part of the government support it got when it was bailed out. —AP

Commerzbank in 2.5bn euro capital increase FRANKFURT: Commerzbank, Germany’s second-biggest bank, said yesterday that it will undertake a 2.5-billion-euro ($3.3-billion) capital hike to repay further chunks of a state bailout it received during the 20082009 financial crisis. “Commerzbank is planning an early repayment in full” of about 1.6 billion euros in so-called “silent participations” from the German bank bailout fund SoFFin and a further 750 million euros from insurance giant Allianz, the bank said in a statement.

Silent participations are a form of debt under which creditors agree to forego voting rights in the company. In order to raise the funds needed for repayment, Commerzbank had decided to undertake a capital increase, which it would ask shareholders to approve at the annual general meeting of Commerzbank, originally set for May 22 but now being brought forward to April 19.

Once the operation has been completed, SoFFin’s shareholding in Commerzbank was expected to decrease from 25 percent plus one share to below 20 percent, the bank

said. In 2008 and 2009, the state invested around 16.4 billion euros in Commerzbank as it struggled to integrate the distressed Dresdner Bank. Commerzbank has already repaid most of the money and “with the announced repayment of the remaining 1.6 billion euros, the silent participations of the Federal Republic will be repaid in full,” Commerzbank said. “With the complete repayment of the silent participations of SoFFin we are repaying ahead of schedule all components of the state support over which we have influence,” said chief executive Martin Blessing.

“The support of politicians and the taxpayer was very important for us during the financial crisis. For us the repayment of the silent participations and the reduction in the Federal Republic’s stake marks the beginning of the end of the Federal Republic’s engagement in Commerzbank,” Blessing said. On the Frankfurt stock exchange, Commerzbank shares were the biggest losers in midday trading however, shedding 8.51 percent in a slightly softer overall market. —AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

BUSINESS

Indian Railways partners with Caesars Holidays KUWAIT: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) which is a Government of India enterprise has announced its assignment as General Sales Agent (GSA) on Caesars Holidays, one of the leading tours division under Caesars Travel Group.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the railways. Under this assignment as GSA, Caesars Holidays is committed to develop the sales of Indian rail reservations and ticketing which will provide a good platform for all Non Resident Indians in Kuwait to buy their rail tickets in advance.

Tickets will be available from the 1st week of April 2013 through Caesars Holidays outlets which are located at various places in Kuwait.

Caesars Travel Group and its subsidiary, Caesars Holidays has been a forerunner in the travel and tourism industry with a touch point in every vertical of the industry. “We are really excited in this new assignment on us because we know that IRCTC will mainly benefit to the Indian expatriate population which comes to almost 700,000 who are always looking for an easy and comfortable conveyances during their vacation back to India where train travel is the most comfortable and economical way of moving around in India. Our main focus will be to provide our customers with an easy access to have their train tickets booked and purchased through us in advance by giving them professional quality service that blends efficiency and an Indian traditional touch. By closely studying and analyzing the tremendous demand from the expatriates towards traveling on train during their

vacation and simultaneously, the burgeoning growth in this sector, we have decided to step into this strategic alliance with IRCTC. This will not only help Indian expatriates to have their train tickets in advance but will help all nationalities visiting India for tourism as the current boost in tourism to India signifies the country’s readiness for new experiences provided by Indian Railways through their

muter trains, IRCTC also organizes budget and deluxe package tours for domestic and foreign tourists. A popular tourism package for budget tourists covering important tourist destination across India is Bharat Darshan. Luxury tourism packages are also available, that involve special luxury trains such as Palace on Wheels, Royal Orient Express, Golden Chariot, Deccan Odyssey, Royal

Caesars Trave Group CEO P N J Kumar

Vivek Shetty, Business Development Manager, Caesars Holidays

state of art luxury trains, mainly targeted for foreign tourists to India”, said CEO, Caesars Travel Group, P N J Kumar.

Railways in India are not just a means of transport, they are a way of life. The Indian Railway system is one of the most extensive and busiest rail networks in the world. Apart from the normal com-

Rajasthan on Wheels and Buddhist Circuit train.

Moreover, IRCTC is a partner in the Maharajas’ Express operation. For tourists faced with hundreds of routes, almost a dozen different passenger classes, and several types of trains, making any type of reservation for Indian Railways is possible now through Caesars Holiday offices.

“Caesars Holidays by signing this GSA assignment of IRCTC for Kuwait is a reflection of our commitment to become Kuwait’s leading Tour Operator, giving our customers a myriad of services under one roof. At Caesars Travel Group, we always go with the pulse of our customer’s taste which is our mission.

Besides, train transportation system is a key tourism drive of India too. India is easily accessible with frequent direct comfortable trains and rail systems are all modern and excellent, facilitating the ease and convenience of tourist travel around the country”, commented Business Development Manager of Caesars Holidays, Vivek Shetty.

IRCTC, set by the Ministry of Railways has played a huge role in transforming customer experience for buying a railway ticket. Making a train reservation today may be complicated and time consuming for the expatriate Indian population and foreign tourists when they are in India as majority of these places are overcrowded and people wait in line for hours and when they reach the ticket window find out that the dates they wish to travel on are full. They either end up getting wait list tickets or no tickets. By opening the IRCTC’s GSA outlet, you have the easy facility to buy your tickets in advance through Caesars Holidays by avoiding all these complications. Reservation system for Indian Railways is now fully available with Caesars Holidays. Most routes require reservations several weeks or even months in advance and henceforth, Caesars Holidays giving the best option for foreign tourists and NRIs to make train reservations and ticketing from Kuwait in advance for a planned travel. For further details, please contact Caesars Holiday outlets.

VIVA extends its 4G LTE network to all customers New service without any additional fees

The all-new sports car Jaguar F-type soon at Al-Zayani KUWAIT: Once again, a gorgeous Jaguar is on its way to Al-Zayani showroom. The long awaited, all new sports car, Jaguar F-TYPE represents a return to the company’s heartland: a two-seater, convertible sports car focused on performance, agility and driver involvement. The F-TYPE is a continuation of a sporting bloodline that stretches back more than 75 years and encompasses some of the most beautiful, thrilling and desirable cars ever built.

Derek Davies, Automotive Director at AlZayani, said: “This beautifully powerful sports car from Jaguar will open up new windows here in Kuwait. After its announcement, customers have been anticipating its arrival and we can now say that we will be ready to present it extremely soon.”

Three variants will be available at launch - FTYPE, F-TYPE S and F-TYPE V8 S. Each is distinguished by the power output of its supercharged petrol engine. The V6 models are joined by a newly developed member of Jaguar’s V8 engine family. Producing 495PS and 625Nm of torque in the F-TYPE V8 S model, it accelerates from 0 to 100km in 4.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 300kmph.

The 380PS V6 F-TYPE S covers the 0-100km sprint in 4.9 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 275kmph while the 340PS V6 F-TYPE accelerates to 0-100km in 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 260kmph.

An active exhaust system, which is standard

on the S and V8 S models, adds another dimension of driver-engagement. Valves in the exhaust system open under load from 3000rpm which allows the exhaust note to build to a thrilling crescendo at the redline.

The F-TYPE has a set of eight closely-spaced, sporting ratios in its Quickshift transmission, giving greater driver control. The V6-powered S model also includes a Dynamic Launch feature, which optimizes acceleration from rest.

Taking inspiration from the C-X16 concept unveiled in 2011, the front of the F-TYPE features a new interpretation of the bold angular Jaguar grille from which flows the muscular clamshell bonnet with its signature ‘power bulge’. The all important heartline begins its journey in the blade dissecting the shark-like gills on either side of the grille before leading the eye to the top of the front wing, emphasized by the bi-xenon headlamp and integral LED daytime running lights, into the door and towards the rear of the car where it gracefully disappears.

The focus on driver involvement and sporting performance in the F-TYPE is emphasized by the ‘one plus one’ layout of the asymmetric cabin. This is evidenced by the grab handle which sweeps down the centre console on the passenger side, delineating it from the driver’s position.

Further differentiation is provided by the use of different trim materials either side of the cabin, with a more technical finish on the driver’s side.

The all new Jaguar F-Type will be available at AlZayani showroom soon.

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing telecom operator, announced yesterday the launch of the Fourth Generation (4G) of high speed mobile networks that runs on the technology of “Long Term Evolution” (LTE), to all customers, new and existing, without any additional fees.

Customers will be able to enjoy 4G LTE speeds.

The 4G LTE service allows subscribers to connect to mobile networks at much higher speeds while improving on reliability and performance.

Commenting on this announcement, Eng Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Badran, VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer said: “At VIVA, we strive to continuously bring the latest technologies at the most affordable prices and offering the best value to the Kuwaiti market. VIVA has always taken pride in its high speed and reliable internet services, and with the launch of the 4G LTE, VIVA’s internet subscribers will have the freedom to browse the internet and enjoy faster data streaming at the same prices of the current internet packages, internet devices’ packages and along with the tablet plans. Moreover, voice customers with smartphone plans and Surf On plans will also be enjoying the 4G LTE network experience for free. All new customers will enjoy 4G LTE speed by subscribing to one of these packages.”

With the launch of the 4G LTE network, VIVA has upgraded all of its current internet customers along with the users to iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE on the new 4G LTE network. While all other voice customers that are interested in getting the 4G LTE can do so by sending 99 in a short SMS to 567. Customers must have a 4G LTE supported device to enjoy the service.

To find out more about VIVA’s numerous com-

petitive promotions, products and packages visit any of the 14 VIVA branches.

VIVA is the newest, most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider in Kuwait.

Launched in December 2008, VIVA makes things Possible for our customers by transforming communication, information and entertainment experiences. The company has rapidly established an unrivalled position in the market through our customer and employee centric approach. VIVA’s quest is to be the mobile brand

Your Gateway to Gold: KIB’s new Visa Card usage campaign

14 lucky winners in 4th Al Mulla Exchange Remit Tronics promotion KUWAIT: Al Mulla International Exchange, the premier exchange company in Kuwait, announced last week 14 lucky winners in the 4th draw of their mega promotion titled ‘Remit Tronics’. The three-month long promotion that began in February and will run until May 6, 2013, picks 14 winners at the end of each week from all transactions done at any branch of Al Mulla Exchange during the previous seven days. Last week’s big winner was Mohammed Wahab who won KD 400 for his transaction with Al Mulla International Exchange at Khaitan branch.

Mamid Madasilat, Lakshmanan Parimeleswara, Ali Asgar Akbar Ali and Allen Joy Pino came next on the winners list with each of them winning a Samsung Tab 2.

Samsung Duo Mobiles were given out as prizes to Sivankutty Mookayappillil, Akmal Mohammed Azat, Mizan Rahman, Marlin Suryano and Hasiruth Hassan. The last four lucky transactions were by Retchie T Quilay, Mohammed Khazumiah, Nirmala and Mohammed Badeea, who all took home Samsung 32” LCD televisions. With more than

155 electronic items to be won and two more months to go, customers could send their remittances from any Al Mulla Exchange branch and win fabulous prizes each week, including cash prize of KD 400, Samsung Tabs, Samsung LCD televisions and Samsung mobile phones.

Now customers have yet another reason to remit their money through Al Mulla Exchange which offers, free insurance and loyalty points on every transaction, as well as SMS confirmation on delivery of remittances. Besides making money transfer a quick, safe and relaxed experience for customers, Kuwait’s premier exchange also offers the facility to send money from the comfort of one’s home or office through their online service at www.amxremit.com Since its inception in 2001, Al Mulla Exchange has revolutionized the exchange industry in Kuwait by continuously offering innovative, customer-centric remittance solutions. Today, Al Mulla Exchange is the leading exchange of choice for customers looking for trust, reliability and speed in their money remittance operations.

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank has recently released “Your Gateway to Gold” campaign for visa cardholders inside and outside Kuwait. The Campaign commenced on March 13th and will end on July 9th of the current year and will be divided in to two draws.

This campaign comes within the continuous efforts presented by KIB for its customers who own one or more of KIB’s diverse visa cards. The campaign includes the following visa cards: Al-Moyassira Visa Credit Card - for both Gold and Classic categories-, AlMomayaza Visa Charge Card - for both Gold and Classic categories-, and last but not least the Visa Platinum Card.

KIB customers will have the chance to enter the draw for every KD10 spent on their KIB Visa credit/charge card to win one of the following 13 valuable prizes: the grand prize is 1/2 Kilo of gold, the second and third ones are 1/4 a kilo of gold, and the remaining ones are 100 grams of gold each. The draw date for the first 6 prizes will take place on May 19th 2013. However, the second draw date will take place on July 16th 2013.The draw will take place in August 14th of this year for all the prizes. on this occasion, Entisar Al-Suwaidi - General Manager for Retail Management- said: “This campaign comes in line with Kuwait International Bank’s willingness to create a distinguished and unique trait to our visa cards which always carry extra value for their holders. It also exemplifies our commitment to produce the best services and offers for our loyal customers and contributes to raise their satisfaction and gives them the chance to take advantage of KIB’s Visa cards usage”.

Now, all KIB’s customers can subscribe to obtain any of Al Dawli Visa cards from any of the branches located in Kuwait. These cards have been catered to fulfill customers’ diverse needs according to high quality and safety standards, and can be used all over the world for buying airline tickets, online hotel reservations and paying bills as well as cash withdrawals from ATM machines that accept visa cards.

of choice for Kuwait by being transparent, engaging, energetic and fulfilling.

VIVA is growing its share of the market by offering an innovative range of best value products, services and content propositions, a state of the art nationwide network, and world-class service. VIVA is able to offer internet speed up to 42.2Mbps due to its investment in developing Kuwait’s most advanced third generation (3G and HSDPA) network. This delivers superior coverage, performance and reliability.

Total of $100,000 available for deserving projects DUBAI: Ford Motor Company’s Conservation and Environmental Grants, the longest-running private initiative of its kind in the region, is making use of the popular social media channel Facebook to launch the 2013 edition, where applicants are welcome to apply through a special application. Once again, a total of $100,000 are available to deserving environmental projects from the GCC, Levant and Iraq that are working towards raising awareness about the environment and much needed efforts for conservation.

In its 14th edition and with the continued support of UNESCO’s Doha office, the 2013 Ford Grants program is now open and is receiving applications from not-for-profit ongoing environmental projects that are seeking additional funding. Applications may be submitted via Ford Middle East’s Facebook page with the deadline of submission set for July 01, 2013.

Projects from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates can apply. An independent panel of jurors consisting of nine experts and academics from environmental agencies and institutions will choose the winning projects. The jury panel, carefully selected in cooperation with UNESCO Doha- based on geographical coverage, experience and gender equality, will look for initiatives that demonstrate a well-defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximizing available resources, and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programs and services.

Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director, said: “Contributing to a better world is one of the main pillars of Ford Motor Company, and we not only do this by delivering some of the best technologies and industry leading fuel economy across the range of our products, but also through community initiatives such as the Conservation & Environmental Grants. We recognize the importance of social media in our

region and as such, deem it best to reach out to the region’s communities and avid environmental ambassadors through our Facebook page.”

Dr Benno Boer, UNESCO’s Ecological Sciences Advisor in the Arab Region, said: “The Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last year was the biggest UN conference ever and a major step forward in achieving a sustainable future - the future we want. The event underscored that active participation of the public and private sector, and broad individual participation is essential to achieve sustainable development. Heads of States renewed their commitments to sustainable development, and acknowledged that green economy in the context of sustainable development will enhance our ability to manage natural resources sustainably and with lower negative environmental impacts, increase resource efficiency and reduce waste.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

technology

Mars had the right stuff for life, scientists find CAPE CANAVERAL: Seven months after NASA’s rover Curiosity landed on Mars to assess if the planet most like Earth had the ingredients for life, scientists have their answer: Yes. Analysis of powdered samples drilled out from inside an ancient and once water-soaked rock at the rover’s Gale Crater landing site show clays, sulfates and other minerals that are all key to life, scientists told reporters at NASA headquarters in Washington and on a conference call on Tuesday.

The water that once flowed through the area, known as Yellowknife Bay, was likely drinkable, said Curiosity’s lead scientist John Grotzinger, who is with the California Institute of Technology.

The analysis stopped short of a confirmation of organics, which are key to most Earth-like life. But with 17 months left in the rover’s primary mission, scientists said they expect to delve further into that question. Science operations currently are suspended because of a computer glitch, which is expected to be resolved this week.

Whether or not Mars has or ever had life, it should have at one time at least had organic compounds delivered to its surface by organic-rich comets and asteroids. Finding places where the organics could have been preserved, however, is a much trickier prospect than finding the environ-

mental niches and chemistry needed to support life, scientists said. In May, following a one-month interruption of radio communications caused by the positions of Earth and Mars, scientists plan to drill a second hole into the Gale Crater rock to look for organic compounds.

“If there was organic material there, it could have been preserved,” said David Blake, principal investigator for Curiosity’s Chemistry and Mineralogy, or CheMin, experiment.

A lack of organics, however, would not rule out the Yellowknife Bay site as suitable for life, scientists added. “You don’t have to have carbon present in a geological environment that’s habitable in order to have microbial metabolism occur,” Grotzinger said.

Some micro-organisms on Earth, for example, can feed on inorganic compounds, such as what are found inside rocks. “There does need to be a source of carbon somewhere, but if it’s just CO2 (carbon dioxide), you can have chemoautotrophic organisms that literally feed on rocks and they will metabolize and generate organic compounds based on that carbon,” Grotzinger said.

Analysis shows the Gale Crater rock contains carbon dioxide, in addition to hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen.

Carbon dioxide provides a key ingredient in the building blocks for life, all of which have now been found in the Mars rock sample, Grotzinger said.

The $2.5 billion, nuclear-powered Curiosity rover landed inside the giant Gale Crater impact basin, located near the Martian equator, on Aug. 6 for a two-year mission.

Scientists were drawn to the area because of a three-mile (5-km) mountain of sediment, called Mount Sharp, rising from the crater floor. But shortly after the rover’s landing, the team decided to first explore the Yellowknife Bay area, located in the opposite direction from Mount Sharp.

Observations from Mars orbiters showed three different types of terrain coming together in Yellowknife Bay, plus a low elevation, all hints that water could have once flowed and pooled on the surface.

That hunch was verified with the first chemical analysis of material drilled out from inside what appears to be a slab of bedrock, named John Klein, after a mission manager who died in 2011.

Scientists don’t know the rock’s age, nor how it formed. They suspect, however, that the John Klein rock is at least 3 billion years old and that it spent enough time in non-acidic and not-too-salty water for various telltale clays and minerals to form.

“This rock, quite frankly, looks like a typical thing that we would get on Earth,” Grotzinger said.

“The key thing here is this is an environment that microbes could have lived in and maybe even prospered in.” The habitable conditions in Yellowknife Bay appear to roughly coincide within a couple of hundred million years of the first evidence for life on Earth.

“On Earth, finding organics in very, very ancient rocks is a difficult proposition,” said Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator for Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument.

Finding organics on Mars may be even more challenging. Without much protection from an atmosphere, ultraviolet and cosmic radiation can destroy organics. Mars also apparently is covered with chemicals, known as perchlorates, that consume organics.

“The search for organic carbon is an issue for this mission and you want to do this as deliberately as possible. You don’t just want to wander around and try stuff out,” Grotzinger said. Knowing that Mars at least had the ingredients for life, however, makes the search for organics more viable. “This is not a simple problem, but I think the mission is up to it and we’re really excited to get started on that now,” Grotzinger said. — Reuters

Afghanistan web-TV pioneers seek new screen revolution Latest product of a media revolution

AUSTIN: Susie Kim appears on a Beam robot video conferencing device from California at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive trade show. The device, in production since November and popular among SXSW attendees, marries an Internet video conferencing screen atop a pedestal with motorized base that can twist and turn on command from the user appearing on the screen. — AFP

Videoconference robot beam walks the walk at SXSW AUSTIN: After a long day at the South

by Southwest (SXSW) interactive trade show, Susie Kim and her colleagues took a leisurely two-block stroll back to their hotel in downtown Austin.

Except that Kim never left her office in southern California, on the other side of the country. Nor did her other colleagues at Suitable Technologies who virtually attended SXSW via Beam, a remote-controlled videoconference robot that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

The “remote presence device,” as its manufacturer likes to call it, has been a breakthrough hit at this year’s SXSW, a 10-day showcase for innovative technology, indie film and new music that wraps on Sunday. Using the cursor keys on her computer, users can twist and move a Beam in any direction they like-enabling them to just roll up to someone and say hello, or walk alongside people while keeping up a conversation.

“People loved it. They took pictures. We chatted,” Kim told AFP via Beam on Tuesday, recalling the walk

back to the Hyatt the night before with Suitable Technologies CEO Scott Hassan, the only Beam team member physically at SXSW. “You don’t see a robot walking and navigating itself every day. It’s kind of fun”-although Kim acknowledged, that once at the hotel, Hassan “obviously had to help me press buttons for the elevator.”

Fewer than 100 Beams have been made since manufacturing began in California in November, and they don’t come cheap — $16,000 each, or the price of a compact car in the United States, plus $3,200 for service and support. But Hassan, part of the team that developed a search engine at Stanford University that came to be known as Google, sees big potential for the useful gadget that stands a humanly five feet two inches (1.57 meters) tall.

“Basically any time you need to have a face-to-face meeting with someone, or where physicality is important, you can substitute a Beam for it and then you can be there,” he said.—AFP

KABUL: Trying out a new spa in Kabul, testing the latest spiky hairstyles and swapping gossip-Afghanistan’s first Internet TV station tackles subjects that the mainstream channels prefer to ignore.

Globox.tv is the latest product of a media revolution in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban regime-which banned television, music and cinema-and the station’s bosses hope its bold programmes will attract younger viewers.

Nearly 12 years of development since the Taleban were ousted in 2001 have left many urban Afghans with a taste for globalised pop culture and a striking knowledge of celebrities from Beyonce to Justin Bieber.

The channel taps into the new generation with programmes such as “What’s New in Kabul?”, a seven-minute slot in which presenter Aimal Qowat, 22, explores upand-coming places in the city.

In one show, he cheerfully appeared to nearly drown in the pool of the spa the first in Kabul-and in another he sat in a hair salon experimenting with adventurous new looks. Spiked and heavy-lacquered locks copied from the pages of international fashion magazines is very much in fashion among “cool” Kabulis, and barbers do their best to adapt, he discovered.

“Our customers want to look European,” said the barber, who offers a range of gelled styles-as well as a treatment to tackle facial spots. Globox.tv uses hip-hop and electronic music as the soundtrack to its programmes-in stark contrast to traditional music on domestic television-and it also has a show for foreign rap, a genre rarely heard in Afghanistan.

“Forty years ago, some parts of Afghanistan were more modern than today. But people have destroyed their souls with war,” said Mohammad Idrees Barakzai, a 26-year-old producer at the station. “Today, the new generation wants a peaceful life like in Europe or the United States. And in Afghanistan, there is not

only sad faces. There is also hope.” It is this optimism that Globox wants to put out on screen.

“We need to repair people’s minds,” said Shamssulhaq Rahimi, 26, the manager of Globox.tv as well as Globalistan.com, an Afghan social network site similar to Facebook with 10,000 users.

Globox produces some of its shows from an office in Dubai, where Afghan staff put together slick, professional programmes about subjects such as sky-diving that are popular with its domestic audience. The Dubai output is also about movies and fashion, with one show displaying an Afghan designer’s daring clothes that would raise the eyebrows of many viewers back home.

“We do not talk about religion, sex or politics and we respect the constitution, but apart from that, there is nothing we cannot do,” said Aref Ahmadi, 29, the director of Awaz, the private company that created Globox.

But many fear that tolerance is at risk as conservative Muslim voices push for increasing influence in Afghanistan with international forces pulling out by the end of 2014. In September, legal action was launched against two other channels accused of immorality for broadcasting foreign music videos showing scantilydressed women.

For Globox, which was founded only last year, viewing figures are still the main problem as Internet speeds are often not fast enough for people to watch the output, which is repeated on a 90-minute loop. It employs 15 people and claims just 200 views a day, but its owners continue to invest in the infant project despite its lack of profitability. “This is a bit of an unknown in Afghanistan but it really brings something new to the country,” said Ahmadi.

“Television went out with the Taleban.

Now we have web-TV, which is only just getting started in Europe. We are catching up fast.” — AFP

Technology for diagnosing Alzheimer’s takes SXSW prize AUSTIN: Technology capable of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease long before its symptoms appear won a coveted honor for innovation Tuesday at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Neurotrack, which uses eye tracking to achieve a claimed 100 percent success rate, clinched the health technologies category in the SXSW Accelerator competition as the festival’s interactive segment drew to a close.

“It’s a computer-based visual cognitive test that is able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease six years before symptoms appear,” said Elli Kaplan, chief executive officer of the Richmond, Virginia-based upstart.

“Today the only way to diagnose Alzheimer’s is once full symptoms are in existence,” Kaplan told AFP, “but that’s years after irreparable damage has already taken place.”

Initial users of Neurotrack will be pharmaceutical manufacturers to help them develop drugs to prevent, or at least slow the progression of, the most common form of dementia, she said.

But in time, Kaplan added, it will be rolled out to doctor’s offices and research hospitals-and potentially, a smartphone and tablet app that individuals can use as well. SXSW Accelerator is a showcase for up-and-coming news, social, mobile, web, entertainment, health and music technologies. One of its 2010 winners, the voice recognition software Siri, now is standard equipment in Apple iPhones. Other winners Tuesday included the mobile advocacy app Phone2Action; Plotter, a social network for maps; mobile typing assistant Syntellia; Wanderu, a website for young budget travellers; and MakieLab, a 3D printing toy and game service.

The Accelerator winner for music tech-

nologies will be announced later this week, as the music portion of SXSW-with more than 1,000 bands playing live around the Texas state capital-kicks off and the film segment continues.

Kaplan, a Harvard Business School alumnus and mother-of-two who lost two grandparents to Alzheimer’s, said Neurotrack was developed in collaboration with Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and a crack team of neuroscientists.

It comes in two versions, one using an infrared camera and the other a simple computer mouse, and challenges the subject to compare images-some new, some not-that appear briefly on a screen.

“By monitoring the way a person moves their eyes, and watching how they view novel images versus familiar images, we’re able to detect perturbations that exist on the hippocampus,” Kaplan said, referring to the part of the brain that handles memory.

“Every human being has an instinctive preference for novelty and that’s one of the things that we are testing,” she added.

The hippocampus is also the first to be impacted by Alzheimer’s, which is thought to affect as many as 5.1 million people in the United States alone.

Neurotrack was incorporated as a company last year, but work on the project dates back at least 20 years. Kaplan said the claim of 100 percent accuracy is based on a large study, based at Emory University, that followed the progress of participants-some of whom developed the disease-over an extended period.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a US government agency. Neurotrack’s intention is to market a version for physicians that would cost somewhere between $300 and

$1,000, which compares favorably to nonmedical productivity software.

As for a version for home use, Kaplan said: “We’re actually working on this.” “We are not very far away from a technology that will work on your (mobile) phone or on your tablet,” with the results going directly to a doctor who would be best

placed to reveal them face-to-face.

Kaplan added: “In 10 years, our hope is that there will be a pill that you can take (to combat Alzheimer’s). You’d simply go in for an annual screening test-and if you get the news that you are on a trajectory for Alzheimer’s, you’d be able to do something about it.” — AFP

TSUKUBA: Japan’s high-tech maker Hitachi unveils the new mobility robot “Ropits” (Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System) in Tsukuba in Ibaraki prefecture on March 12, 2013. The one man mobility robot can pick-up and drop off a passenger autonomously, while the vehicle can be controled by a joystick controler in the cockpit. — AFP

KABUL: In this photograph taken on January 30, 2013 a female Afghan news presenter prepares to read the news at a studio in Kabul. Trying out a new spa in Kabul, testing the latest spiky hairstyles and swapping gossip — Afghanistan’s first Internet TV station tackles subjects that the mainstream channels prefer to ignore. Globox.tv is the latest product of a media revolution in Afghanistan since the fall of Taleban regime — which banned television, music and cinema — and the station’s bosses hope its bold programmes will attract younger viewers. — AFP

Android tablet war grows SAN FRANCISCO: A growing variety of smaller and cheaper Android tablets from Google to Amazon.com Inc will catch on this year with more consumers and chip away at Apple’s dominance since the first iPad launched in 2010, International Data Corp said. iPad and iPhone shipments are expected to keep growing at enviable rates, but arch-rival Samsung Electronics and others have hurt Apple with a combination of savvy marketing, greater variety and rapid technology adoption.

Today, Samsung takes the wraps off the fourth generation of its flagship Galaxy, the smartphone that helped the South Korean giant knock the iPhone off its top ranking for part of last year. A growing perception that the company co-founded by Steve Jobs may be losing its competitive edge has weighed on its shares, which have lost more than a third of their value since hitting a high in September.

In the latest criticism from Wall Street, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek on Tuesday compared Apple to Blackberry saying the iPhone is now on the defensive against Samsung’s devices. “Historically when handset makers fall out of favor (e.g., the Razr, Blackberry, HTC) they fall faster/further than expected,” Misek said.

Now, IDC says Apple may begin losing some its lead on tablets as well, though it remains the top seller among manufacturers. iPad shipments are expected to account for 46 percent of the tablet market in 2013, down from 51 percent last year, IDC said. Devices running Android are expected to grow their market share to 49 percent this year from 42 percent last year.

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon.com Inc’s Kindle, which uses its own customization of Android, made major inroads with consumers last year. In November, Apple launched its own foray into smallersized tablets with the iPad mini.

“One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. And in terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond,” IDC said in a press release.

Last month, Hewlett-Packard Co announced the launch of the Slate 7 tablet powered by Android, a center-

piece of that company’s effort to expand from the shrinking personal market into mobile. Apple is expected to grow its revenue by $26 billion in its fiscal year ending in September, just over half of the $48 billion increase in revenue it saw the year before, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. A group of suppliers that depend on Apple for more than half of their business saw its sales slump 31 percent in February compared to January, according to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, who does not identify the companies in the group.

Shares of Cirrus Logic, which gets three quarters of its revenue from selling audio chips to Apple, have fallen 23 percent this year, including a 2.89 percent drop on Tuesday.

Many component suppliers to Apple, like Qualcomm and Toshiba, also do significant business with Android device manufacturers. “The open ecosystem at Android has allowed there to be more suppliers.

As a chip guy, I always want to have as many irons in the fire as possible because the ride at the top tends to only last five years,” said RBC analyst Doug Freedman.

Underscoring the increasing opportunity in mobile for Apple and its competitors, IDC also raised its 2013 tablet shipment forecast to 190.9 million units, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units.

Last year, global tablet shipments grew to 128.3 million units, up from 72 million in 2011, according to IDC. In the smartphone market, which reached 545 million units shipped last year, Apple has already fallen behind Samsung.

Samsung is likely to sell 290 million smartphones this year, up 35 percent from 2012, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple’s smartphone sales are projected to reach 180 million this year, up 33 percent.

IDC said tablets running Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform would grow their market share from 1 percent last year to 7.4 percent in 2017. Tablets running the Windows RT operating system, which is not compatible with older software that runs on Windows, will see their market share stay below 3 percent through 2017, IDC said.—Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Bird brains can crack nut trading game with self-control OSLO: Cockatoos can delay eating nuts in order to win tastier ones, a surprise sign that birds can exercise self-control, a trait usually seen as the preserve of animals with larger brains, a study showed yesterday.

Scientists gave Goffin cockatoos, a mainly white species from Indonesia, a nut while showing them a more attractive one just out of reach. If the birds did not nibble the first nut for up to 80 sec-

onds, they learnt they would get the second instead.

“Imagine placing a cookie directly into a toddler ’s mouth and telling him/her that he/she will only receive a piece of chocolate if the cookie is not nibbled for over a minute,” said lead author Alice Auersperg at the University of Vienna.

“Only few, typically large-brained animals have been shown to be able to

inhibit the consumption of an immediate food reward in anticipation of a bigger one for more than one minute,” the University said in a statement.

The birds were given pecan nuts, and all 14 of those studied waited for up to 80 seconds to win a more attractive cashew nut, according to the findings in the journal Biology Letters. A video showed one bird, Muppet, waiting 40 seconds while strutting agitatedly

around a table top with the first nut in its beak before exchanging it for a second.

Self-control in human infants was studied in the 1970s in the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment. Under that test, children were given a marshmallow and told that they would get a second if they did not eat the first for several minutes.

Commenting on that test, the Vienna

University statement said. “Interestingly, children who were able to wait for the delayed reward showed greater success in adult life than the ones who ate the first marshmallow right away.”

The ability to trade depends on being able to suppress the impulse to eat the first reward. It also requires a judgment on the reliability of the trader and the relative costs of the delayed reward, Vienna University said. —Reuters

Too many drug types are compromising heart health CLEVELAND: About 80 million Americans suffer from heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 killer, and most are on multiple drugs. Some cardiologists think prescribing has gotten out of hand. The criticism was voiced by a number of leading heart doctors who attended the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology, held on March 9-11 in San Francisco. They said eliminating certain drugs could potentially improve care without compromising treatment. Evidence is growing that some medications are not effective.

Patients who need multiple daily doses of a given drug often fail to take them, said Dr. Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic and a past president of the ACC. “There is also the question about whether the benefits are additive.”

Among the medications cardiologists are giving a second look: AbbVie’s Niaspan, or prescription niacin, which aims to raise good cholesterol; socalled fenofibrate such as top-selling branded drug TriCor (also from AbbVie), which lowers blood fats called triglycerides; and beta-blockers, most of which are inexpensive, older generics.

A person who has had a heart attack typically leaves the hospital on a beta-blocker to slow the heart, an ACE inhibitor to reduce blood pressure, clopidogrel and aspirin to thin the blood and prevent clots, and a statin to reduce cholesterol, said Dr. Micah Eimer, a cardiologist with Northwestern Medicine in suburban Chicago.

“That’s a minimum of five medications, and each one has a proven mortality benefit. It’s practically malpractice if you don’t prescribe those,” Eimer said. “But we have no data on when it’s advantageous to take (patients) off.”

Many patients are on many more drugs, according to research by Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale University professor of cardiology and public health. Using Medicare data, he found that heart failure patients, those whose hearts are too weak to pump blood sufficiently, were prescribed an average of 12 drugs; some were on 30.

“We are eager to add medicines and reluctant to take them away,” said Krumholz, who heads the Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation and is a frequent critic of how drugs are sold and used. “So people accrue medications over time.”

Many drugs are prescribed widely, even though evidence they actually work is weak, he said.

Unexpected serious side effects arose in a huge study of a Merck & Co long-acting niacin drug aimed at raising good HDL cholesterol, according to data released at the conference on Saturday. The study enrolled more than 25,000 people. Patients had significantly more bleeding and a higher number of infections than researchers had expected. A Merck spokesman said there “was nothing to add.”

When it was announced that the drug, Tredaptive, had failed to prevent heart attacks, strokes and death in heart patients also taking drugs to lower bad LDL cholesterol, Merck said it would not seek US approval and would stop selling it in the dozens of other countries where it was already available.

Fenofibrate, including AbbVie’s TriCor, has also failed to show benefit in two separate studies, Krumholz said. The $2 billion-a-year drug is used to lower low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the unhealthy cholesterol, and triglycerides and to raise high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the healthy cholesterol. AbbVie’s cardiovascular products “help patients with abnormal cholesterol levels reach their cholesterol treatment goals,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Physicians need to consider the results of clinical trials, available treatment guidelines, and each patient’s cardiovascular and benefit/risk profile to determine the best possible treatment regimen.”

Other drug companies including Sanofi, BristolMyers Squibb Co and Pfizer declined to comment.

Beta-blockers are absolutely necessary for some patients, said Dr. Sripal Bangalore, a cardiologist at New York University, but are probably prescribed too widely and for too long a period of time.

Examining three distinct patient groups from a data registry of 44,000 patients, he said the drug did not reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or death after 3.5 years.

Yet the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend heart attack survivors take beta-blockers for at least three years. Those recommendations, several doctors noted, are based on data collected two decades ago. “We don’t know if they are providing benefit for one year or three years,”

Bangalore said. Today, blocked arteries are cleared right away with angioplasty, and the patient is typically put on a statin to keep harmful cholesterol from building up in the artery walls. For those whose hearts are not badly damaged, beta-blockers do not help.

Then there are blood thinners, like Warfarin, commonly used to treat some types of heart disease by preventing clots. Dr. Robert Harrington, a cardiologist at the Stanford School of Medicine, said patients were at risk of bleeding when they were on more than one. “We’ve had recent trials where we’ve gone from one to two to three agents,” he said. “There’s got to be a way to start peeling away, and maybe it’s over a period of time, or as the clinical status changes.”

Clinical trials that have called into question the drugs’ benefits have affected sales. Combined sales of AbbVie’s TriCor and Trilipix were $1.4 billion in 2012, down from $1.7 billion in 2011. Sales of Niaspan were $911 million in 2012, down from $976 million in 2011.

Cowen and Co estimates the 13 main classes of drugs used to treat various types of cardiovascular disease had U.S. sales of almost $75 billion in 2011.

The brokerage expects sales to shrink to about $59 billion in 2016 because of recent and looming patent expirations on branded products.

Even if doctors aggressively cut back the number of heart medicines they prescribe, however, it would have only a limited impact on drugmaker revenue because many would be the generic older drugs that are far cheaper, according to analyst Barbara Ryan, of Barbara Ryan Advisors.

Dr. Richard Stein, a professor of medicine at New York University and spokesperson for the AHA, estimated the average patient with heart disease truly needs to take from seven to nine pills each day in order to control the various risk factors, including cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Beyond that, he said, it makes sense to be restrictive.

“Doctors should look for combination pills if they can, and exclude pills that don’t critically help patient care,” he said. “To live your life taking that many pills, the danger is you’ll stop taking the critical ones, because how many pills can you take several times a day?” —Reuters

AHMEDABAD: An Indian medical staff member treats a swine flu patient inside an isolation ward at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad yesterday. The statewide death toll from a H1N1 swine flu outbreak has risen to 98 following two deaths in Rajkot and one in Ahmedabad, a local report said citing a Gujarat state government official. —AFP

H1N1 flu jab linked to small risk of nervous disorder PARIS: Vaccination in the United States against H1N1 “swine” flu, which swept the world in 2009-10, carried a small but tolerable risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder that can cause muscle weakness or temporary paralysis, a study published yesterday said.

US researchers scanned a database of side effects from the campaign in which 23 million Americans were inoculated with a so-called monovalent inactivated vaccine against H1N1. They recorded 77 cases of Guillain-Barre that occurred within three months of a vaccination.

Compared to normal times, incidence amounted to about 1.6 extra cases per one million people vaccinated, which means the benefit of the jab “greatly outweighed” the risks, they said.

The modest incidence was probably similar to cases of Guillain-Barre that arise from annual vaccination for “seasonal” flu, they said.

The study, published by The Lancet, was carried out by the National Vaccine Program Office in Washington. It said about 61 million cases of H1N1 were recorded in the United States during the pandemic, leading to 274,000 hospital admissions and 12,470 deaths.

Research published last month estimated that vaccination prevented between 700,000 and 1.5 million cases of flu in the

United States, between 4,000 and 10,000 admissions and up to 500 deaths.

The American inoculation programme did not use Pandemrix, a vaccine that uses a booster to prime the immune system against the H1N1 virus. According to investigations in Finland, Sweden and England, Pandemrix increased the risk of narcolepsy, a disorder that causes extreme drowsiness, among teenagers and young people, although the extent of the problem is unclear.

More than a fifth of the world’s population was infected with the H1N1 virus in the 2009-2010 pandemic, according to estimates published in January.

Health watchdogs anxiously monitor mutations of the flu virus, fearing the emergence of new strains against which humans would have no resistance. Tens of millions of people were killed in the 191819 pandemic of so-called Spanish flu.

But the H1N1 type, while very contagious, was about as lethal as ordinary flu.

Guillain-Barre occurs when the body starts to attack nerves involved in movement and sometimes respiration and other functions.

It leapt into the headlines in 1976, when a campaign to vaccinate the US population against a new flu strain was stalled by contentions-later contested-that the jab led to an increase in cases of this otherwise rare auto-immune disorder. —AFP

Neanderthal brawn lost out to social human brain

Comet PanSTARRS appears to the left of a slim crescent moon in Tuesday evening’s western sky. The comet rounded the sun on Sunday and is now visible low in the western evening sky. This picture was made shortly after sunset near Harrells, NC. —AP

Breastfeeding may not ward off child obesity BRISTOL: Breastfeeding does not seem to protect babies against becoming overweight or obese children, according to a European study that included more than 10,000 mothers and babies.

“It’s just a reality check that in itself, promoting breastfeeding, while a good thing that will have other health benefits, is unlikely to have any effects on stemming the obesity epidemic,” said lead author Richard Martin, from the University of Bristol, UK. Past research has suggested that babies who are breastfed are less likely to grow up to be obese children, but those studies compared mothers who chose whether or not to breastfeed, so they

and their children could have been different in other important ways, researchers said.

The study, which appeared in Journal of the American Medical Association, included 17,000 mothers and their infants in Belarus. About half the babies were born at maternity hospitals that used a World Health Organization-designed initiative to promote breastfeeding.

All mothers originally breastfed their babies, so the study was meant to compare how long infants were breastfed, rather than whether they were breastfed at all, Martin said.

The program to encourage breastfeeding seemed to work. By three months out, 43 percent

HERAT: Afghan women wait to receive polio vaccination for their children at a clinic on the second day of a vaccination campaign on the outskirts of Herat. A new threeday nationwide immunisation campaign against polio began on March 10 by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health in all over the country, officials said. —AFP

of mothers who gave birth at intervention hospitals were still exclusively breastfeeding, compared to six percent of women in the comparison group.

Martin said that over the years, his team’s study has found fewer stomach infections and eczema and better thinking and memory skills among kids in the breast-feeding promotion group.

In this stage of the trial, however, the researchers compared weight and body fat in about 14,000 children who were tracked through age 11 and found no differences tied to breastfeeding. Between 14 and 16 percent of all the children were overweight and about five percent were obese.

Other researchers, though, said they still felt that starting breastfeeding in the first place can help ward off obesity. Ruth Lawrence, a breastfeeding researcher from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said past studies have shown that breastfed babies have more appetite control than those started on formula, for example.

“Of course it’s disappointing that there wasn’t a dramatic difference,” Lawrence, who wasn’t involved in the story, told Reuters Health.

Others said the current study doesn’t detract from the importance of breastfeeding, given its other known benefits for mothers and babies.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be touting breastfeeding as an obesity prevention method, but it’s still important,” said Alison Ventura, a nutrition scientist at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

She recommended that new parents learn about when they should introduce certain foods to their baby’s diet, and in what portions, as part of thinking about promoting healthy growth longterm.

“Breastfeeding is just one factor, and maybe studies like this suggest that it’s not just one factor that is going to reduce obesity rates, it’s probably more the combination of factors,” she said. —Reuters

PARIS: Neanderthals’ bigger eyes and bodies meant they had less brain space to dedicate to social networking, which may explain why they died out and Homo sapiens conquered the planet, a study said yestersday.

An enigmatic branch of the human family tree, Neanderthals lived in parts of Europe, Central Asia and Middle East for up to 300,000 years but vanished from the fossil record about 30-40,000 years ago.

Why they disappeared is one of the hottest topics in anthropology. Theories say they may have been victims of climate change or were massacred by their H. sapiens cousins. Now experts from the University of Oxford and the Natural History Museum in London suggest the answer could lie in available brainpower.

Neanderthals were stockier than anatomically modern humans who shared the planet with them at the time of their demise, but their brains were the same size, the team write in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. As a result, Neanderthals “would have required proportionately more neural matter” to maintain and control their larger bodies, they say.

Comparing the skulls of 32 H. sapiens and 13 Neanderthals, the researchers also established the hominids had bigger eye sockets, indicating bigger eyes and visual cortices-

those areas of the brain that regulate vision.

“More of the Neanderthal brain would have been dedicated to vision and body control, leaving less brain to deal with other functions like social networking,” explained Oxford anthropologist and lead author Eiluned Pearce. Among living primates and humans, the size of an individual’s social network is constrained by the size of specific brain areas, she said. The larger these areas are, the more connections an individual can maintain. The archaeological record seems to support the theory that Neanderthals were cognitively limited to smaller groups-they transported raw materials over shorter distances and rare finds of symbolic artefacts suggest a limited ability to trade. The ability to organise a collective response would have been a key to survival when times turned harsh, like during the Ice Age, Pearce told AFP. “If Neanderthals knew fewer people in fewer neighbouring groups, this would have meant fewer sources of help in the event of, for example, local resource failure,” she said.

“Smaller groups are also more liable to demographic fluctuations, meaning a greater chance of a particular group dying out. Smaller groups are less able to maintain cultural knowledge, so innovations may be more likely to be lost.” —AFP

MANILA: This file photo taken on July 20, 2010 shows a man filling water containers at a slum area in Manila. Nearly two thirds of people in the AsiaPacific region have no clean, piped water at home despite the region’s strong economic growth, according to a major report released yesterday. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Quitting smoking helps hearts, even with weight gain NEW YORK: People who have quit smoking have a lower chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke than current smokers, even if they put on a few extra kilos in the process, according to an international study.

The long-term cardiovascular benefits of kicking the smoking habit have been wellestablished, but researchers whose report appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that it’s been unclear how the weight gain that often accompanies quitting fits into the picture.

“Weight gain is a real concern for smokers who want to quit and this might not only be an aesthetic one,” said Carole Clair, from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“Overweight and obesity are risk factors for coronary heart disease, and it has been a concern that especially among people already at risk for (cardiovascular disease), weight gain following smoking cessation might cancel or at least decrease the benefits of smoking cessation,” she added.

Smokers’ heart rate and other body functions are revved up by nicotine, which may cause them to burn slightly more calories than nonsmoker - so when they quit, their metabolisms slow down. Recent quitters tend to compensate for nicotine withdrawal by snacking, according to Clair - hence the weight gain.

She and her colleagues analyzed data from

a long-term study of 3,251 people who took health surveys every four years between 1984 and 2011. At the onset, just under one-third of those participants were smokers.

Over an average of 25 years, 631 of all participants suffered a heart attack or stroke, or developed heart failure or another type of cardiovascular disease. Both people who said they’d quit smoking since their last check-in, and longer-term quitters, were about half as likely to have heart problems as those who were still using cigarettes.

Quitters gained an average of 2.7 to 3.6 kilograms (6 to 8 lbs) after kicking the habit, consistent with past research. But quit-related weight gain had no clear effect on cardiovas-

cular health, the team wrote.

“It’s an understandable concern - might that weight gain offset the benefits that are known for quitting smoking?” said Michael Fiore from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, who co-wrote a commentary published with the study.

“This is a good news story. You can be assured that if you quit smoking, even with a little bit of weight gain, you’re going to achieve important health benefits.”

He and colleague Timothy Baker pointed out in their commentary that the new study couldn’t zero in on the small proportion of people who gain more than 9 kg (20 lbs) dur-

ing a quit attempt. It’s possible those former smokers might still be at risk for health problems tied to weight gain.

Even if adding a few kilos seems to be okay heart-wise, Fiore said there are steps quitters can take to try to keep off extra weight. “We know that nicotine is an appetite suppressant, and when people quit smoking they often have an urge to eat more food,” he said. “What we need to do is ensure that the foods we’re eating are low-fat, low-calories foods.”

In addition, building a little more exercise into daily routines can also blunt weight gain, while nicotine gums or lozenges might also help keep weight gain under control. —Reuters

W H AT ’ S O N

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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Announcements

uwait Maastricht Business School doesn’t regard corporate social responsibility (CSR) as simply a topic in an MBA lecture. Staff and faculty believe in putting theory into practice. They recently joined 67 Fifth Graders from American Academy for Girls, with their teachers, to make a difference at the Corniche. The girls enthusiastically collected many bags of rubbish in the area around co-sponsors McDonalds.

During the morning the Municipality Governor General Abdullah Al Faris paid a visit with words of support and encouragement, which were much appreciated. As KMBS student, Ms Batool Al Ali (Inkake 17), said “We had been discussing Good Practice among the international restaurant chains with Kuwait ownership, and discovered a whole agenda which consumers may not be aware of. I had not known that used cooking oil can be recycled into biodiesel, or that restaurants can be renovated imaginatively using a proportion of recycled materials. Small changes really can have a big impact on our carbon footprint.”

Miss Mai Al Mutawa, Marketing Officer, stated that KMBS aims to follow environmental best practice itself and added “We are a relatively small select MBA campus but it’s the same principle of seeking to act locally, think globally.” On behalf of co-sponsor the Retail Academy , Mr Hassan, Training Officer, spoke about the importance of being skilled and well-informed Young Shoppers.

In a question and answer session, the students showed their awareness of sorting for recycling, reducing their use of napkins and plastic bags, and how businesses are able to clean up toxic waste safely and promptly.

Helping everything run smoothly were the staff involved in McDonald’s CSR program - Miss Erny particularly mentioned the tree-planting events for Earth Day, 19th April. A nutritious McDonalds lunch was enjoyed while the competition winner was announced, namely Miss Diana. Congratulations to her!

At the end of the event, John O’Neill, Head of Center of Excellence at KMBS, commented “I have tried to live

lightly on the earth ever since I read about a group of US restaurants saving the equivalent of 500 tonnes of wood by bringing in a One Meal, One Napkin campaign. I’ve never understood why they sometimes give you four or five napkins. Do they see you walk in and say ‘watch out, this guy looks like he could be messy’.

BBQ Nights are back at Palms Beach Hotel & Spa

Soorya India Festival today he prestigious ‘Soorya India Festival’ will be held today, March 14, 2013, at the American International School, Maidan Hawally. A Bharatanatyam recital by Rama Vaidyanathan and a Khatak performance by Rani Khanam will be main attractions of the show. Another highlight of the show will be ‘Speaking Shadow’, a shadow art by Prahlad Acharya. be Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta will be chief guest of the show. The doors will open at 6.30 pm and the program will start at 7 pm. Entry strictly by invitation.

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CRYcket 2013 tournament riends of CRY Club (FOCC) announces 16th CRY (Child Rights & You) cricket tournament for children and will be held at the GC grounds at Jaleeb Al-Shuyoukh on Friday, 12th Apr 2013 from 6:30 a.m to 4:30 pm. The one day “CRYcket” tournament is a very popular annual family event, participated by children under 14. 12 teams each are set to participate in the Under-12 and Under-14 divisions initially in four groups in round robin fashion leading to 4 winners who will clash in the semifinals. The last date for registration of Teams is 5th Apr 2013. For more details & game rules, visit the FOCC website http://www.focckwt.org

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Kuwait Cricket election uwait Cricket, will conduct an election for 4 additional positions to be part of the Kuwait Cricket’s Executive Council. All registered teams with Kuwait Cricket has been informed about the election proceedings which will be conducted at Kuwait Olympic Committee auditorium on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 7 pm. Kuwait Cricket would whole heartedly seek the support & cooperation of member teams associated with Kuwait Cricket to actively participate in the voting to enhance the strength of the organization and at the same time add value to the council. Officials of the teams registered with Kuwait Cricket is to nominate the most deserving members from their team to participate in the election procedures and to also contest for this coveted position as a candidate.

Eligibility to be a Candidate: The candidates should have ALL of following qualifications. (a) The candidate should be a Kuwaiti Citizen or a resident, holding valid residence. (b)The candidate should be registered with Kuwait Cricket either as a team official \or a player, for current cricket season 2012-2013. (c)The candidate should have been associated with Kuwait Cricket for at least 5 of last 7 years (the period from 2006 tilldate). This affiliation could have been either as a team official or a player or the combination of both.

This affiliation could be with one team or combination of multiple teams. (d) The candidature should be filed on the prescribed Nomination Paper For more details, please feel free to contact Asad Baig, Director General, Kuwait Cricket on abaig@gckuwait.com

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Rabie Al Sukhon

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he coming back of the cool autumn breeze and its fascinating nights brings along The Palms Beach Hotel & Spa famous BBQ Nights that aspire a unique look this season. The spectacular shining event will take place every Wednesday Night at 8 pm to last till late after midnight.

This distinctive event of the Palms BBQ Nights to be held by the beach and around the swimming pool area surrounded by flowers, greenery and palm trees is considered one of the hotel’s essential and unique events.

It is looked for and well anticipated not only by the Hotel’s guests, but also by all Kuwaiti people & expatriates that provides the ideal location for families, friends

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

“Our meticulous preparation takes the largest part to meet what the Palms BBQ Nights need, and Master Chefs at the Palms are working hard, using their long expertise to present innovative menu enriched with delicious food while exerting all possible efforts to satisfy our goal in serving our guests & clients even better...” Said Rabie Al-Sukhon - Palm Hotel’s General Manager.

Further he adds “Our dear guests & clients are most welcomed to experience a memorable time with us at The Palms Beach Hotel & Spa and to enjoy the Palms BBQ nights with their families and friends every Wednesday Night...”

TEC celebrates Mothers’ Day

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he Touristic Enterprises Company hosts a celebration at the Agailah Beach on Thursday, March 21, 2013 to celebrate Mothers’ Day. Agailah Beach supervisor Nasser Al-Foudary said in a statement yesterday that the event which kicks off at 4:00 pm includes various activities including a barbeque competition as well as competitions for children, in addition to the Ideal Mother Award which will be presented at the end of the evening.

Musical extravaganza with Dr Yesudas rend setter Udupi Restaurant, Kuwait proudly present “Gandharva Nadamritham”, a live classical musical extravaganza featuring the living legend & maestro Padmabooshan Award winner Dr. K.J. Yesudas with his troupe from India, on March 22 at American International School, Maidan Hawally, Kuwait.

and gatherings with its great selection of food, fascinating ambience and atmosphere.

In addition to its rich buffet that abounds with delicious dishes from around the globe, there is the sumptuous BBQ of all kinds of meat and seafood that account for the event’s fame, with the famous live cooking stations which The Palms is well known for, starting form Seafood station, Iranian grilled station and tanour bread, Mongolian station, Shawerma station, BBQ station and more... where our experienced chefs will prepare the food right in front of your eyes while enjoying a selection of appetizers, salads, deserts and fresh juices.

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President of Kuwait Asian Journalists Association and the leader of Pakistan Progressive Forum Javaid Ahmad, signs the condolence book at the Venezuela Embassy in Kuwait expressing his heartfelt sympathy to the people of Venezuela on the sad demise of great leader of 21st century Hugo Chavez. (R-L) Ali Murad, Saleem Akhtar, Ambassador of Venezuela Hadel Mostafa Paolinin, Essa Baloch, Bader Semab and Amjad Amin.

Mother’s day just got more special at al manshar rotana

l Manshar Rotana Hotel welcomes you to celebrate this year’s Mother’s Day offering the best stay in one of its deluxe suites at great rates.

Share the experience and enjoy a package that is designed for two. Stay with your MOM or the mother of your children in one of the luxurious one bedroom Deluxe Suites and show her how much you care. This offer includes a special gift for the mother of the guest, complimentary in-room breakfast for two, complimentary 30-minute body massage for the mother, late checkout till 5:00 pm.

And if you prefer to dine out, what better way to show your appreciation than treating your mother on the 21st of March to a nice lunch or dinner at Failaka

Restaurant, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant which offers free fares exclusively for mothers on this special occasion where you can enjoy international buffets with a wide variety of delicious dishes from around the world.

For more personalized gift, Bodylines is willing to make each mother a Queen for one day with the special Mother’s Day package including deep tissue or Ayurvedic relaxation massage and a classic facial that will surely leave her refresh, beautiful and ready to conquer any challenges life may bring.

Al Manshar Rotana, Kuwait, the 5 Star Fahaheel hotel offers 200 luxurious rooms and suites, a variety of Food and Beverage outlets, sports and health facilities in addition to extensive and flexible meeting rooms.

W H AT ’ S O N

Marina Hotel Kuwait launches poolside Barbeque nights every Wednesday

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

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. nnnnnnn

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s the eagerly awaited spring season approaches, Marina Hotel Kuwait launched its poolside Barbeque Nights in the presence of the media and senior management. General Manager, Mr. Nabil Hammoud along with the hotel’s management team welcomed the media on their arrival. They were treated to a warm and relaxing evening filled with barbequed fresh meats, seafood, a variety of salads, live Oriental music, shisha and breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf.

On the occasion, Mr. Hammoud said: “We launch the BBQ nights every year around this time when people look for a soothing elevating experience.

There’s no better way to enjoy the beautiful weather and dine under the stars while experiencing the luxurious hospitality that Marina Hotel is famous for. We would like to offer our guests a scrumptious dining

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of 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, UAE. 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.

experience at our Barbeque Nights”.

The BBQ station offered a range of mouth-watering dishes that had been specially prepared. Guests were treated to grilled shrimps and seasoned varieties of succulent meats, chicken and a delicious salad bar with the assorted breads. To end the perfectly delightful evening scrumptious assortments of desserts were served. The evening was further enhanced by the sounds of soft oriental music. The BBQ lasted till after midnight and Marina Hotel ensured that each and every guest had a truly memorable evening filled with fun and exceptional delight.

The Marina poolside BBQ takes place every Wednesday evening, and has a capacity to accommodate up to 150 guests at a time and has a special area for groups and gatherings.

McDonald’s Kuwait Taking Part in the World’s Biggest Ever Breakfast - National Breakfast Day

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cDonald’s Kuwait will be amongst almost five thousand McDonald’s restaurants in Asia, Middle East and Africa - offering up to 50,000 free Egg McMuffins to their customers during breakfast hours (6:00am to 10:00am) on March 18th, 2013.

McDonald’s is calling this National Breakfast Day. With so many participating restaurants, the numbers involved become significant - potentially, this will be a free breakfast for five million McDonald’s customers throughout Asia, Middle East and Africa - including clients on this one morning in Kuwait.

“And we fully expect to serve this number,” says George Khawam Marketing Director. “We want to demonstrate to our busy consumers in a truly tangible way that we are an affordable and tasty way to start the morning.

National Breakfast Day with McDonald’s on March 18th is a way to illustrate that no one else can do it like McDonald’s.”

“Breakfast is a significant business for McDonald’s,” said Yousif Abdulghani, Managing Director, McDonald’s Middle East and Africa. “We believe the potential exists for McDonald’s in the GCC to gain more share during the breakfast occasion. So there will be ongoing breakfast promotions during the rest of 2013.” Egg McMuffins are an iconic handheld breakfast - freshly cracked eggs, chicken roll, and with a slice of cheese. They were first introduced in the US in 1971, and since then the volume of all the various McMuffin options has risen to more than 1.2 billion per annum worldwide.

McDonald’s is the world’s leading food service organization serving 69 Million people each day in more than 34,000 restaurants in 121 countries.

McDonald’s products consists of high quality ingredients from the four main food groups required for a well balanced diet, including many essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

McDonald’s is also committed to Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value in every aspect of its operations.

McDonald’s restaurants in Kuwait are owned and operated by Al Maousherji

Catering Company; currently running 68 branches across the State of Kuwait which expanded from the first branch of McDoanld’s Kuwait which opened its first branch in June 1994.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on shortstay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes.

Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database.

Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, firsttime applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. nnnnnnn

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Back2Basics

oday Students in the Foundation Program Unit at the Gulf University of Science and Technology had a special treat: an entire day devoted to celebrating the learning of math and English outside the classroom. Four innovative and enthusiastic instructors (Shiny Moncy, Sarah Bargal, Jeffrey McDevittand Yvonne Johnson) came up with the idea of acampus ‘Back2Basics’ fun day for students attending university preparation classes in English and math to mix with undergraduate students to test their skills. The day began with a grand opening and ribbon cutting by Dr. Robert Cook, Vice President of Academic Affairs at GUST. Faculty members had arranged colorful displays of their countries or US States with fun activities such as quiz questions, guessing the celebrity, or tasting treats from that area. Students learned some unusual facts: that Brad Pitt comes from Springfield Missouri, that The Hobbit was filmed in New Zealand, and that the famous Saguaro cactus in Arizona cantake 75 years to grow a side arm! Also on display were a large number of quiz tables with tricky puzzlers in English and Math. Instructors in the foundation program were brave toappear in an exhibition looking extremely ugly as their photographs had been inten-

tionally distorted to disguise their identities. This resulted in fits of laughter from the studentstrying to guess who was who. Two uniformed English faculty posed as sheriffs, checking everyone was speaking English. There was even an advice board where students posted their recommendations for learning math & English. In a university theater, Mars v Venusmath quizzes took place, as well as an English quiz, an open house Bingo game, and a Solve-It lab quiz. One of the two most popular events of the day was the Scavenger Hunt in which 200 students raced around campus finding information via English. Eight happy winners took away 50KD shopping vouchers each at the prize giving event for the grand finale. Also enjoyed was a fashion auction held in the center of campus, where students had to use math skills to calculate exchange rates and buy fake GUST dollars. They worked collaboratively in groups to accumulate funds to bid for a hand-made wedding dress made of recyclable materials by Foundation students and two fashionable paintings. By the time the pi?ata was bashed at the end of the day, students had sampled a variety of international foods, tried some new experiences, and made new friends!

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. nnnnnnn

Embassy of Mexico The Embassy of Mexico to Kuwait has the pleasure to announce the opening of its Consular Section where visa applications are already being handled. The Consular Section is open to the public from Sundays-Thursdays 09.00-12.00 hrs. at Cliffs Complex in Salmiya, Villa No. 6 (3rd floor).

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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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF TURKEY The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey announces that a new classes of Turkish language for beginners will start at the Embassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Office on 17 February 2013. The lessons will be two times in a week for six weeks, for further details and registration please contact. Or fill the application form on http://kuveyt.bemfa.gov.tr and send it to the email: embassy.Kuwait@mfa.gov.tr

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Killer Sharks: The Attacks Of Black...

01:35 Untamed & Uncut 02:25 Wildest Africa 03:15 Glory Hounds 04:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life 05:20 Escape To Chimp Eden 05:45 Animal Precinct 06:35 The Really Wild Show 07:00 Dogs 101 07:50 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 08:15 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 08:40 My Cat From Hell 09:35 Monkey Life 10:05 Bondi Vet 10:30 Shamwari: A Wild Life 11:00 Escape To Chimp Eden 11:25 Wildest Africa 12:20 Glory Hounds 14:10 Animal Cops Houston 15:05 Animal Precinct 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Dogs 101 17:25 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Breed All About It 19:15 Monkey Life 19:40 Bondi Vet 20:10 Shamwari: A Wild Life 20:35 Escape To Chimp Eden 21:05 Wildest Africa 22:00 Mutant Planet 22:55 Wild France 23:50 Animal Cops Houston

00:00 Homes Under The Hammer 00:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 01:35 Come Dine With Me 02:25 Holmes On Homes 03:15 MasterChef 03:45 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 04:35 Bargain Hunt 05:20 Bargain Hunt 06:10 Bargain Hunt 06:55 Gino D’acampo: An Italian In Mexico 07:25 Gino D’acampo: An Italian In Mexico 07:50 The Hairy Bikers USA 08:20 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 09:05 Homes Under The Hammer 09:55 Bargain Hunt 10:40 Antiques Roadshow 11:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12:15 MasterChef 13:10 Come Dine With Me 14:00 Perfect Day 14:25 Perfect Day 14:50 Holmes On Homes 15:40 Bargain Hunt 16:25 Antiques Roadshow 17:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 18:00 Homes Under The Hammer 18:50 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 19:20 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 19:45 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 20:10 French Food At Home 20:35 Come Dine With Me 21:30 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt

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

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

05:20 05:45 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 09:55 10:20 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:00 14:25 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 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:20 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Ha Ha Hairies Bananas In Pyjamas Lazytown Krypto: The Super Dog Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Cartoonito Tales Bananas In Pyjamas Ha Ha Hairies Lazytown Krypto: The Super Dog Baby Looney Tunes Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Cartoonito Tales Krypto: The Super Dog Lazytown A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Tom And Jerry Tales Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Johnny Bravo Tiny Toons 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo The Garfield Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom And Jerry Tales The Looney Tunes Show Tiny Toons 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Moomins The Garfield Show Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom And Jerry Tales Moomins Dexters Laboratory Johnny Bravo Puppy In My Pocket The Garfield Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry Tales The Looney Tunes Show

00:00 Amanpour 00:30 World Sport 01:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 02:00 World Report 02:30 World Sport 03:00 Anderson Cooper 360 04:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 05:00 Quest Means Business 06:00 The Situation Room 07:00 World Sport 07:30 News Special 08:00 World Report 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Inside Africa 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 World One 12:30 Cnngo 13:00 Amanpour 13:30 CNN Newscenter 14:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 15:00 News Stream 16:00 World Business Today 17:00 International Desk 18:00 Global Exchange 19:00 World Sport 19:30 Cnngo 20:00 International Desk 21:00 Quest Means Business 22:00 Amanpour 22:30 CNN Newscenter 23:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson

00:15 01:10 02:05 03:00 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45

Outback Truckers Driven To Extremes Finding Bigfoot Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made Auction Kings Auction Hunters Factory Line How Stuff’s Made Sons Of Guns Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Wheeler Dealers

09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 11:50 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

Border Security Auction Kings Auction Hunters Factory Line How It’s Made Outback Truckers Driven To Extremes Finding Bigfoot Border Security Auction Kings Auction Hunters Unchained Reaction Wheeler Dealers Mythbusters Sons Of Guns How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Auction Kings Auction Hunters James May’s Man Lab Superhuman Showdown Mythbusters

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

The X-Testers Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Scrapheap Challenge The X-Testers The X-Testers Bang Goes The Theory Da Vinci’s Machines Oddities Oddities Man-Made Marvels Asia Sci-Trek How The Universe Works Da Vinci’s Machines Kings Of Construction Scrapheap Challenge Sci-Trek Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works How The Universe Works Kings Of Construction Scrapheap Challenge Bang Goes The Theory Da Vinci’s Machines The X-Testers The X-Testers Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Sci-Trek Man-Made Marvels Asia How The Universe Works Moon Machines Squid Invasion Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Moon Machines Squid Invasion

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

Hannah Montana Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck My Babysitter’s A Vampire A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Jessie Good Luck Charlie Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse A.N.T Farm Jonas Los Angeles So Random Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Kim Possible Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place That’s So Raven Austin And Ally Art Attack A.N.T Farm

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

Suite Life On Deck My Babysitter’s A Vampire Shake It Up Jessie Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Gravity Falls Suite Life On Deck Austin And Ally My Babysitter’s A Vampire A.N.T Farm Good Luck Charlie Jessie That’s So Raven Cory In The House Phil Of The Future Hannah Montana Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana

00:20 Little Einsteins 00:50 Special Agent Oso 01:05 Special Agent Oso 01:15 Lazytown 01:40 Jungle Junction 01:55 Jungle Junction 02:10 Handy Manny 02:20 Handy Manny 02:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 03:00 Lazytown 03:25 Special Agent Oso 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Imagination Movers 04:20 Handy Manny 04:30 Handy Manny 04:40 Special Agent Oso 04:50 Special Agent Oso 05:00 Timmy Time 05:10 Lazytown 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Little Einsteins 06:50 Special Agent Oso 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Jungle Junction 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Lazytown 08:45 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 09:10 Timmy Time 09:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:50 Handy Manny 10:05 Doc McStuffins 10:20 Doc McStuffins 10:35 Zou 10:50 Zou 11:00 Lilo And Stitch 11:30 Cars Toons 11:35 Mouk 11:45 Art Attack 12:10 Imagination Movers 12:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 13:10 Doc McStuffins 13:25 Handy Manny 13:40 Jungle Junction 13:55 Timmy Time 14:05 The Hive 14:15 Mouk 14:30 Little Einsteins 14:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 15:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 16:00 The Little Mermaid 16:25 Lilo And Stitch 16:55 Zou 17:10 Zou 17:20 Mouk 17:35 Mouk 17:45 Lilo And Stitch 18:10 The Hive 18:20 Cars Toons 18:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:55 Handy Manny 19:10 Doc McStuffins 19:25 Doc McStuffins 19:40 Zou 19:55 Zou 20:05 Timmy Time 20:15 Pajanimals 20:25 Doc McStuffins 20:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:10 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 21:20 The Hive 21:30 Pajanimals 21:45 Handy Manny 22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:25 Pajanimals 22:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 23:00 Timmy Time 23:10 Animated Stories 23:15 A Poem Is...

23:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 23:30 Jungle Junction 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

00:00 Dirty Soap 00:55 Style Star 01:25 THS 03:15 Style Star 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 E!es 06:00 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 Opening Act 09:15 Opening Act 10:15 THS 12:05 Khloe And Lamar 13:05 Married To Jonas 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Style Star 15:30 THS 16:30 Extreme Close-Up 17:00 Giuliana & Bill 18:00 E! News 19:00 Fashion Police 20:00 E!es 21:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:00 E! News Special 22:30 E! News 23:30 Chelsea Lately

THE EAGLE ON OSN ACTION HD

00:15 Guy’s Big Bite 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Outrageous Food 02:20 Unwrapped 02:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:35 Guy’s Big Bite 04:00 Guy’s Big Bite 04:25 Unique Eats 04:50 Food Crafters 05:15 Charly’s Cake Angels 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Iron Chef America 07:10 Unwrapped 07:35 Unwrapped 08:00 Unwrapped 08:25 Unwrapped 08:50 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 09:15 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 09:40 Symon’s Suppers 10:05 Barefoot Contessa 10:30 Barefoot Contessa 10:55 Cooking For Real 11:20 Cooking For Real 11:45 Unique Eats 12:10 Food Crafters 12:35 Charly’s Cake Angels 13:00 Iron Chef America 13:50 Symon’s Suppers 14:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:05 United Tastes Of America 15:30 Food Crafters 15:55 Guy’s Big Bite 16:20 Guy’s Big Bite 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 Unique Sweets 19:40 Charly’s Cake Angels 20:05 Guy’s Big Bite 20:30 Chopped 21:20 Chopped 22:10 Iron Chef America 23:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 23:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 23:50 Unique Sweets

VAMPIRES SUCK ON OSN CINEMA 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 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

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

I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Couples Who Kill Deadly Women I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Murder Shift Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Evil, I Evil, I I Almost Got Away With It

Making Tracks Living With The Amish Meet The Amish Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Travel Oz Travel Oz Around The World For Free Kimchi Chronicles David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Making Tracks Making Tracks Living With The Amish Meet The Amish Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Travel Oz Travel Oz Around The World For Free Kimchi Chronicles David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Making Tracks Making Tracks Living With The Amish Keeping Up With The Joneses Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Travel Oz Travel Oz Making Tracks Making Tracks Kimchi Chronicles David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Around The World For Free Kimchi Chronicles David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Maverick Chef

00:00 Dread-18 02:00 Ronin-18 04:00 Carjacked-PG15 06:00 The Eagle-PG15 08:00 The Net-PG15 10:00 Burden Of Evil-PG15 12:00 Monsters-PG15 14:00 The Net-PG15 16:00 True Justice: Vengeance Is Mine-PG15 18:00 Monsters-PG15 20:00 Paintball-18 22:00 Street Kings 2: Motor City-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00

Shelter-PG15 Stolen Lives-PG15 Hidden Crimes-PG15 Black Forest-PG15 Stolen Lives-PG15

11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 18 23:00

Golden Christmas 3-PG15 Blank Slate-PG15 Ip Man 2-PG15 The Descendants-PG15 Vampires Suck-PG15 Martha Marcy May MarleneA Little Help-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 02:00 Louie 02:30 Family Guy 03:00 Hot In Cleveland 03:30 Raising Hope 04:00 Gary Unmarried 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Hope & Faith 06:00 10 Items Or Less 06:30 Less Than Perfect 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Gary Unmarried 08:30 Modern Family 10:00 The Mindy Project 10:30 Last Man Standing 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 10 Items Or Less 12:30 Gary Unmarried 13:00 Hope & Faith 13:30 Less Than Perfect 14:00 Raising Hope 14:30 The Mindy Project 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 10 Items Or Less 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 New Girl 18:30 2 Broke Girls 19:30 Napoleon Dynamite 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Big C 22:30 Weeds 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

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

Bones The Carrie Diaries Awake Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street Covert Affairs Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Covert Affairs Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Covert Affairs Drop Dead Diva American Idol Downton Abbey The Tudors

Dread Ronin Carjacked The Eagle The Net Burden Of Evil Monsters The Net True Justice: Vengeance Is

10:00 Hey Arnold! The Movie-PG 12:00 Snow Day-PG 14:00 Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate-PG 16:00 Hey Arnold! The Movie-PG 18:00 It Could Happen To You-PG 20:00 Extract-PG15 22:00 The Secret Of My SuccessPG15

01:15 03:00 05:00 08:00 09:30 11:15 13:30 PG15 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

Resolution 819-PG15 Burning Man-18 Thorne: Scaredy Cat-PG15 Restless-PG15 L’ Eleve Ducobu-PG15 World Trade Center-PG15 Justice For Natalee HollowayL’ Eleve Ducobu-PG15 The Alamo-PG15 School Ties-PG15 Virtual Lies-PG15 Bruc-PG15

01:00 Ceremony-PG15 03:00 Hugo-PG 05:15 Win Win-PG15 07:00 According To Greta-PG15 09:00 The Tourist-PG15 10:45 The Avengers-PG15 13:15 A Fall From Grace-PG15 14:45 John Carter-PG15 17:00 The Tourist-PG15 19:00 What’s Your Number?-PG15 21:00 J. Edgar-PG15 23:30 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-R

01:00 Free Birds 02:45 Zathura: A Space Adventure 04:30 Moomins And The Comet Chase 06:00 Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 08:00 Emilie Jolie 10:00 The Easter Egg Adventure 11:30 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 13:00 Turandot 14:30 Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 16:00 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs.

Evil 18:00 The Easter Egg Adventure 20:00 Puss In Boots 22:00 Turandot 23:30 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs.

Evil

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

Evan Almighty-PG15 Big Miracle-PG Hitch-PG15 HappythankyoumorepleaseRising Stars-PG15 For Richer Or Poorer-PG Big Miracle-PG Crisis Point-PG15 Rising Stars-PG15 Johnny English Reborn-PG15 Waiting For Forever-PG15 Seeking Justice-PG15

00:00 ICC Cricket 360 00:30 Live Cricket Test Match 08:30 Futbol Mundial 09:00 Trans World Sport 10:00 Inside The PGA Tour 10:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 11:00 Live PGA European Tour 15:00 Inside The PGA Tour 15:30 Ladies European Tour Highlights 16:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival 20:30 NRL Premiership 22:00 Live PGA Tour

Monsters Paintball Street Kings 2: Motor City

00:00 The Secret Of My SuccessPG15 02:00 Take Me Home Tonight-18 04:00 Snow Day-PG 06:00 The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad-PG 08:00 Elf-PG

03:00 04:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 14:00

UFC Countdown Super Rugby Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket 360 Trans World Sport Super Rugby Super Rugby Trans World Sport Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket 360

14:30 15:30 17:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Trans World Sport NHL NRL Premiership WWE NXT Super Rugby UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live Premier League Darts

00:30 01:30 02:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 13:30 16:30 17:00 17:30 22:00 22:30 23:30

World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Top 14 Highlights Asian Tour Highlights Golfing World Golfing World Asian Tour Highlights Total Rugby World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Top 14 NRL Full Time HSBC Sevens World Series Asian Tour Highlights PGA European Tour Weekly PGA European Tour Total Rugby World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool

00:00 WWE Vintage Collection 01:00 NHL 03:00 Ping Pong World Championship 04:00 US Bass Fishing 05:00 NHL 07:00 WWE SmackDown 09:00 Ping Pong World Championship 10:00 US Bass Fishing 11:00 NHL 13:00 WWE Vintage Collection 14:00 WWE Bottom Line 15:00 UAE National Race Day 16:00 Prizefighter 19:00 Adventure Challenge 20:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 21:00 UFC

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 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 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00

Grave Trade Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Ancient Aliens Grave Trade Seeking Salvage Pawn Stars American Restoration Ancient Aliens Pawn Stars Storage Wars Seeking Salvage Pawn Stars American Restoration Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Ancient Aliens Grave Trade Pawn Stars American Restoration Seeking Salvage Ancient Aliens Grave Trade Pawn Stars American Restoration Seeking Salvage Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Mountain Men

00:30 02:25 04:00 05:20 PG 07:05 08:00 09:50 11:15 12:45 14:45 16:15 17:50 19:25 21:10 23:00

Get Carter-18 Rich, Young And Pretty-FAM Village Of The Damned-FAM The Wreck Of The Mary DeareRide Him, Cowboy-FAM The Asphalt Jungle-PG Postman’s Knock-FAM Lost In A Harem-FAM Arsenic And Old Lace-PG Many Rivers To Cross-FAM Rich, Young And Pretty-FAM Summer Holiday-PG The Wheeler Dealers-FAM Hearts Of The West-PG Get Carter-18

Classifieds THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 THE BAY (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) SHARQIA-2 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) NO SUN+ TUE+WED SHARQIA-3 SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MUHALAB-1 THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MUHALAB-2 AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish)

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

12:30 PM 2:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (14/03/2013 TO 20/03/2013) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-3 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 1:00 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:45 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D)

8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-1 COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-2 SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-3 SNITCH (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) SNITCH (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM

AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

9:45 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-4 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) THE BAY (DIG) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM 1:00 AM

FANAR-5 JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

CHANGE OF NAME Bhupinder Singh, S/o Darshan Singh, Dhaiiwai R/o Ramnagar Sibia (Sanrur) changed my name to Bhupinder Singh Dhaiiwai.

(C 4346) 14-3-2013

Prayer timings

MARINA-1 COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PLAYBACK (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MARINA-2 AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:00 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

04:41 06:00 11:57 15:22 17:55 19:12

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JAI THY JZR JZR QTR SAI ETH GFA UAE ETD FDB MSR RBG QTR DHX THY JZR JZR BAW KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC IRA IRA KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD IZG GFA JZR MSC MEA MSR UAE SYR KAC FDB KNE KAC KAC

Arrival Flights on Thursday 14/3/2013 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 3555 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 354 COCHIN 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 382 DELHI 605 ISFAHAN 617 AHWAZ 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 855 DUBAI 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 4161 MASHAD 213 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 403 ASSIUT 404 BEIRUT 610 CAIRO 871 DUBAI 341 DAMASCUS 284 DHAKA 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 672 DUBAI 546 ALEXANDRIA

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

SVA QTR KAC KNE JZR QTR OMA JZR JZR KAC UAE ETD RJA UAL GFA SVA JZR QTR ABY KAC JZR RBG KAC KNE FDB MSC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB JAI AXB MSC MSR JZR ABY QTR ALK KAC MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR

500 140 788 470 257 134 645 787 535 118 857 303 640 982 215 510 777 144 127 542 177 3553 786 474 63 405 176 618 674 104 774 647 61 572 393 401 618 189 129 146 229 562 402 136 221 307 859 135

JEDDAH DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA MUSCAT RIYADH CAIRO NEW YORK DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA SHARJAH CAIRO DUBAI ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI SOHAG GENEVA DOHA DUBAI LONDON RIYADH MUSCAT DUBAI MUMBAI KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA COLOMBO AMMAN BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN

14:30 14:35 14:55 15:05 15:05 15:30 15:40 16:10 16:25 16:35 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:35 18:45 19:00 19:15 19:20 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:05 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50

FDB DHX KAC UAL AIC JZR GFA JZR BBC DLH Airlines AIC UAL KAC AXB JAI DLH SAI ETH THY FDB UAE ETD RBG MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA KAC THY FDB BAW IRA IRA JZR JZR KAC KAC KAC ABY UAE FDB ETD QTR IZG GFA

59 DUBAI 372 BAHRAIN 502 BEIRUT 981 BAHRAIN 981 CHENNAI 239 AMMAN 217 BAHRAIN 185 DUBAI 43 DHAKA 636 FRANKFURT Departure Flights on Thursday 14/3/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 283 DHAKA 390 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 637 FRANKFURT 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 3556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 545 ALEXANDRIA 771 ISTANBUL 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 606 MASHHAD 616 AHWAZ 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 101 LONDON 787 JEDDAH 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 4162 MASHHAD 214 BAHRAIN

22:00 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:05 23:45 23:55 Time 00:05 00:10 00:10 00:15 01:05 01:20 02:30 02:45 02:55 03:45 03:50 04:00 04:05 04:10 04:50 06:05 06:55 07:00 07:30 07:35 08:25 08:45 08:50 08:55 09:05 09:15 09:20 09:25 09:40 09:45 09:55 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:35 10:40

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

KAC KAC JZR MSC MEA JZR KAC MSR JZR SYR UAE FDB KAC KNE KAC KAC SVA KNE JZR KAC QTR KAC OMA JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA UAL JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR RBG JZR FDB KNE MSC FDB KAC KAC OMA JAI AXB ABY

541 165 776 406 405 786 785 611 176 342 872 58 673 473 561 617 505 471 188 501 141 773 646 238 304 538 135 858 641 216 982 184 511 128 266 145 3554 134 64 475 404 62 351 331 648 571 394 120

CAIRO ROME JEDDAH SOHAG BEIRUT RIYADH JEDDAH CAIRO DUBAI DAMASCUS DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI JEDDAH AMMAN DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI BEIRUT DOHA RIYADH MUSCAT AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH ASSIUT DUBAI KOCHI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT MUMBAI KOZHIKODE SHARJAH

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

34

stars CROSSWORD 128

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Say what you feel and feel what you say — it’s easy now and you can do so with little fear of getting into trouble. Conversely, you can better understand what others are trying to tell you at the gut level, so heart-to-heart communication can flourish. Words flow and seem to have more meaning, reach further. A single rose can have as much of an impact on someone as a dozen if you’re trying to get a message across. Don’t assume that you need to be extravagant today to tell your heart throb that you care.

Even a post it note saying I love you place in strategic locations can bring more than a smile to your relationship.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is a good time to assert your own needs and desires, to communicate to others what you really want. You are sharp, clear, decisive, and articulate. You can’t stand being idle now; you are ready for challenging, intellectual activities and attacking difficult problems on the job. A friend or lover may come to mean everything to you at this time. Romance and other things that tug at your emotions come your way as a new cycle begins. This is a creative period for you, a time to take a chance, a time to be appreciated and admired and to take some risks.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

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

4. A family of small soft-bodied insects that feed on decaying vegetation.

12. An enclosed space.

15. The habitation of wild animals.

16. A philosopher who specializes in ethics.

17. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

18. A family of fish in the order Zeomorphi.

20. A poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States.

21. The act of slowing down or falling behind.

22. (archaic) Relying on medical quackery.

24. Planetarium consisting of an apparatus that illustrates the relative positions and motions of bodies in the solar system by rotation and revolution of balls moved by wheelwork.

26. Tag the base runner to get him out.

29. Any ameba of the genus Endamoeba.

33. A small cloth bag filled with dried beans.

36. United States astronomer (1835-1909).

38. Support column consisting of a steel cylinder filled with concrete.

39. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

40. Jordan's port.

44. Lacking excess flesh.

45. A city in northeastern Ohio.

47. German physicist who studied cathode rays (1862-1947).

48. A rare polyvalent metallic element of the platinum group.

49. A spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail.

50. Lower in esteem.

52. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

53. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

56. Regional and archaic.

58. Informal terms for a mother.

60. Remove with or as if with a ladle.

62. (Greek mythology) One of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of their forehead.

67. The capital and largest city of Liechtenstein.

70. Consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree.

71. (Spanish) Saffron-flavored dish made of rice with shellfish and chicken.

73. (botany) Relating to or attached to the axis.

74. The 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.

75. White Southerner supporting Reconstruction policies after the Civil War usually for self-interest.

77. The portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

78. An anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions.

79. A skullcap worn by religious Jews (especially at prayer).

80. Tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar.

DOWN 1. An edge tool used to cut and shape wood.

2. Large semi-evergreen tree of East India.

3. A small piece of anything (especially a piece that has been snipped off ).

4. Sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties.

5. United States feminist (born in 1934).

6. A midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region.

7. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

8. A ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another.

9. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.

10. Having an oblique or slanted direction.

11. Continuing forever or indefinitely.

12. Possible to sell.

13. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

14. Showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others.

19. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

23. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

25. Of or relating to the kidneys.

27. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

28. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

30. A river in Germany.

31. Atypically small.

32. The natural satellite of the Earth.

34. An automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger.

35. Genus of Old World tropical herbs.

37. Valuable fiber plant of East Indies now widespread in cultivation.

41. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

42. Serving as or forming a base.

43. Of or relating to or involving an area.

46. Viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal often considered inedible by humans.

51. Large antelope with lightly spiraled horns of desert regions of North Africa.

54. Swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue.

55. Wool of the alpaca.

57. (usually plural) A destructive action.

59. United States neoclassical architect (18471909).

61. A legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge).

63. A member of an extinct North American Indian people who lived in the Pit river valley in northern California.

64. (used especially of vegetation) Having lost all moisture.

65. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

66. Shout loudly and without restraint.

68. The inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm.

69. Vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment.

72. An advanced law degree.

76. A state in northwestern North America.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

You will be alert and on your toes now. The pace is likely to be fast, even hectic. You are restless and eager to meet others halfway, to converse, exchange information, and make connections. Nervousness or irritability due to aggravations and the stress of increased demands at work is possible. If your love life has been a little flat lately today is the day to do something about it. For those in a romantic relationship now is the perfect time to do something out of the ordinary. Possibly set up a romantic rendezvous in an unusual place.

Creating a little mystery will make you very attractive to your mate at this time. Those who are flying solo at the moment need to get out in the world and do some socializing. Meeting someone you can start a fulfilling romance with is likely during this period.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Equanimity may be hard to come by at rather unexpected times for a while, as sudden annoyances grip you more than they ought to and then vanish away as quickly as they came. Be prepared for brief-but-strong assaults upon your patience and weather them, knowing full well that they will not be long-term troubles. Surges of emotion are in the energy of today, may feel like a storm one minute and blue sky’s the next.

Try to make sure you don’t get carried away during the stormy moments. Pick up on how others may be feeling before you make any comments today, you may have to tighten your focus if you misjudge a situation so you can find a way to work things out.

Leo (July 23-August 22) It can be hard not to be overcritical right now, and there is a lot of negative thinking in the air which you should try to stay clear of. What you mean as constructive comments can be mistaken for derogatory remarks by others, so attempt more than you ordinarily would to put a positive spin on things. That goes for self-criticism as well, and you should probably give yourself a lot more credit than you think you deserve. You are moved to express your affections more openly than usual. Giving and receiving appreciation, love, and happiness come into your life now. Close relationships take on more emotional depth, power, and importance now. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable is a comfortable place to be right now. Enjoy the day and people around you.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) At this time it easy for you to express yourself boldly and confidently.

You seem to care less about outside approval and this frees you to act on your own behalf or to do something you have not had the courage to attempt before. Your health and vitality are quite good, and you need physical outlets for your energies now. You may feel inclined to speak to others about your innermost feelings, your past, and other personal subjects, things that builds closeness and trust in your relationships. You are also a sympathetic listener, drawing out others’ feelings and personal experiences.

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Libra (September 23-October 22) Be prepared to make a show of courage as someone tries to take control of the situation. If you don’t posture you may end up finding yourself on the back foot and trying to prove your worth down the track. Expect a small confrontation initially with better results to follow. You feel quite loving and warm, with a desire to give and receive affection and appreciation to those that hold your emotional interest. Also, your desire for beauty stimulates your creativity. If you are artistic, your work will be particularly inspired now.

Indulging in your desire for beauty or luxury is likely at this time.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

The world may appear to challenge and oppose your dreams and ideals. Harsh reality may seem to ridicule you, and this could come through another person. You will have to hang onto your dreams and uphold your selfimage in this rather rough weather. A time for finding yourself able to respond to friends and lovers and enter into relationships with a renewed sense of love and compassion is the mood for the day. Real breakthroughs in any relationship can happen if you are willing to try some new or different approaches to a problem.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Good relationships with employers, supervisors, government agencies, parents, and other authority figures assist you now. A person of authority or influence may help you in your work, you may receive recognition or a promotion, or you may sign a contract or agreement of major importance. Inspiration, eccentricity, and imagination are the key issues in your love life. You are likely to feel the urge to do something completely out of character now, eclectic, maybe even a bit crazy. Don’t fight the urge if it won’t cause harmful consequences, go for it, you might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You need to reconsider whether some in your circle are playing the game of commitment or playing you for a fool, and this means that the emotional side of life (especially with regards to your social life), could impact upon your well being. If you’ve worked hard at loyalty and friendship don’t demand less than an equal and reciprocal return from others. This is a good time to assert your own needs and desires, to communicate to others what you really want. You are sharp, clear, decisive, and articulate. Your daily life is steady and stable, although not particularly exciting or unusual at this time. This is an excellent time to make steady, practical progress in your life.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Although at times today circumstances seem to place you between dream and hallucination, it emphasizes the ability to perceive and commune with your inner self in ways you might have felt cut off from in the past. The intense energy today breaks internal barriers and allows you to heal wounds, now that seem to finding their way to the surface of your emotions lately. Pressing the point too strongly only leads to arguments, so when you get a clue of someone having to defend themselves too much try to back off. Confront them, and you might win the battle but you could lose the war.

Have some patience with any upsetting issues today, you may find out the real answers tomorrow.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This is a very good time to begin implementing the plans and promises that you have made to yourself, as any new endeavor is likely to succeed. A new health regimen, actions taken to advance professionally, or anything you do to move toward achieving a cherished goal or ideal goes well now. Passion and gut reactions are where your emotions may be today, and you could be inclined to act on the dictates of emotion and desire rather than reason. You could be in a fighting mood both emotionally and physically. Your relationships with your family and the women you are closest to are likely to be uncomfortable today.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 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

PHONE

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 AT TE GENERAL GEN OF CIVIL AVIA V ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEP PA ARTMENT DA AY Y: Wednesday e

Ext.: 26 2627 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

13/03/2013

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

19:00

Issue Time

Expected Weather e for the Next 24 Hours BY Y NIGHT:

Fair with light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 22 km/h and some high clouds will appear

BY Y DA AY:

Sunny with light to moderate south westerly changing to light variable wind, with speed of 08 - 26 km/h

WARNING A

No Current Warnings arnin a

ST TAT TION

MAX. REC.

MIN. N. EXP P.

KUW WAIT A CITY

33 °C

18 °C

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

32 °C

15 °C

NUW WAISEEB A

31 °C

15 °C

WA AFRA

34 °C

14 °C

22465401

SALMI

32 °C

15 °C

Salmiya

25746401

ABDAL LY

34 °C

15 °C

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YAH A

33 °C

15 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FA AILAKA

31 °C

15 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

27 °C

19 °C

Mishref

25381200

QARUH ISLAND

24 °C

19 °C

W Hawally

22630786

UMM AL-MA-

24 °C

19 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

SFC. CHART

13/03/2013 1200 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Speed

Wind Direction

New Jahra

24575755

Thursday

14/03

sunny

34 °C

15 °C

SW-VRB

08 - 26 km/h

West Jahra

24772608

Friday

15/03

warm

35 °C

16 °C

VRB-S

06 - 28 km/h

South Jahra

24775066

Saturday

16/03

partly cloudy

33 °C

17 °C

SE

15 - 40 km/h

Sunday

17/03

partly cloudy + blowing dust

32 °C

17 °C

SE

20 - 45 km/h

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

PRA AY YER TIMES Fajr

04:41

MAX. Temp.

24884079

Sunrise

06:00

MIN. Temp.

11 °C

Firdous

24892674

Zuhr

11:57

MAX. RH

48 %

Asr

15:22

MIN. RH

Omariya

24719048

Sunset

17:55

MAX. Wind

N Khaitan

24710044

Isha

19:12

TOT TAL AL RA AINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Fintas

23900322

27 °C

15 % NW 46 km/h 00 mm

13/03/13 13:48 UTC

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS 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

Sharq

Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Al-Nuzha

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

22456536

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

24810598

Jahra

Mirqab

Ardhiya

Al-Shuwaikh

23915883 23715414 23726558

22451082

24311795

22545171

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

Ayoun Al-Qibla

North Jleeb

Al-Shuhada Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

22459381

24775992

22418714

Ahmadi

Qibla

North Jahra

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

36

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Pale weirdo Emma Stone

E

mma Stone was a “weirdo pale kid” when she was younger. The 24-year-old actress tried desperately to obtain a bronzed glow when she was at school so she could fit in with the “cool group”, but soon discovered even faking a tan didn’t come easily for her. She admitted: “I can’t help it. When I was younger, I’d try really hard to tan - I’m from Arizona, which is really sunny and everyone there is really tanned - so that I wasn’t the weirdo pale kid. I wanted to be part of the cool group, but I learned pretty early on that all I do is burn. So then I did spray tans, which unfortunately made me look like I had leprosy or I had just dug through mud.” ‘The Croods’ actress - who is in a relationship with Andrew Garfield - likes to change her hair colour and is desperate to try an “unnatural” look. She said: “I’ve never cut my hair short as an adult. Only when I was 12 years old - and it looked terrible. And I’ve never dyed it any unnatural colour, so that would be fun.” And Emma admitted she is free to experiment with her look because movie bosses always pick up her hairstyling bills. She told the new issue of Company magazine: “When it’s blonde, I wish it was red. And when it’s red, I wish it was blonde. I would probably keep it blonde in real life just because blonde grows out better so it’s cheaper. But the studios pay for my hair changes, so that’s cool.”

Hiddleston stunned

by South Bank Awards win

Homesick Louis Tomlinson

L

ouis Tomlinson wishes he could spend more time with his friends and family. The One Direction singer admits his “perfect day” would be spent with the people he was close with in Doncaster, Northern England, before finding fame. Asked by The Sunday Life newspaper to describe his perfect day, Louis - who is in a long-term relationship with Eleanor Calder - said: “I’d like to go back home and do the kind of things I used to do before the band.

I’d go and have a kick around with my friend Stan and my other friends from school. “I’d spend some time with my family and have dinner at my grandma’s house and then have the evening to chill out with my girlfriend.” And it seems the ‘Kiss You’ singer isn’t the only member of the band to be experiencing homesickness. Liam Payne has barely had time to visit his hometown of Wolverhampton since finding fame on ‘The X Factor’ in 2010 and would even happily go back to school for a day, just to regain some normality. He said: “I miss my home town a lot. We were kind of pulled out of home after ‘The X Factor’ and we didn’t realise that we may not be going back. We’ve hardly been back at all and I do miss Wolverhampton ... I really like going into the town centre and shopping and doing things like sitting on the sofa watching Friends. I’d even like to go back to school for a day.”

Penn gets million to help homeless Haitians

S

ean Penn’s charity is to receive $8.75 million to help survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The actor has agreed a deal with the Haitian government and the World Bank to get cash to fund a 16-month relief project to move approxi-

mately 14,000 homeless victims of the natural disaster off of private golf course Petionville country club, which they have been occupying for the past three years.

Penn will use the money to build 45 new housing units in the Delmas 32 neighborhood and also to subsidize rent costs. If everything goes to schedule then the first people could be in the new properties by early 2014. As well as the new housing, the grant will also be used by his J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) to support his “Protection” team which aims to provide assistance to vulnerable families and prevent domestic abuse in the local community. The ‘Gangster Squad’ star’s spokeswoman insists Penn is more committed than ever to “support the residents of Delmas 32 to demonstrate that something fundamentally different can come from a ‘slum’ in one of the poorest cities in the world”. Penn, 52, started his charity in March 2010, just two months after the earthquake left the Caribbean country completely ravaged. He has done so much to help the Haitian people he has been recognized for his humanitarian work with the 2012 Peace Summit Award and was also named “ambassador at large” for the nation by the country’s foreign minister.

Hoult knitting on ‘Mad Max’ N

icholas Hoult took up knitting to pass the time while filming ‘Mad Max’. The ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ star become “obsessed” with the gentle pastime while he shot the action reboot in Africa alongside Tom Hardy, and he got so good at it during his seven months away from home he managed to create eight items of clothing. He revealed: “A make-up artist taught me. I’ve stopped. Although I did become obsessed with it. “I made two scarves, a snood and five hats. It was such a masculine set.” While the 23-year-old star - who shot to fame in 2002 comedy-drama ‘About a Boy’ alongside Hugh Grant - has gone on to have a distinguished acting career, he didn’t always think the big screen would be his calling and used to get easily distracted on set. He added to Radio Times magazine: “I really enjoyed making ‘About a Boy’. But if there was a cricket game going on next door, I’d be more interested in playing in that than doing the scene. It wasn’t like I was thinking, ‘Oh, this is gonna be a career, let’s

Spielberg mingles with Bollywood stars in India

Grammer blows money on windmills

K

elsey Grammer has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars investing in windmills. The former ‘Frasier’ star expected his investment to be “lucrative” but the venture flopped, leaving him worse off financially. Asked by TMZ for his worst ever investment, he said: “Investing in windmills. You’d think it would be lucrative, but it’s not really a friendly environment for new technology, it really isn’t. “Big wind is doing OK but small wind isn’t and it cost me a lot of money - it’s got six figures.” Though Kelsey insists his finances are still “OK”, he admits there is no chance of recouping his original investment. He added: “I’m OK, but I didn’t make up for it, it’s one of those things that’s just a straight loss.” And windmills isn’t the only area where the 57-year-old star is losing money as he recently slashed the asking price for his Beverly Hills home. Kelsey originally put the property, which he previously lived in with his ex-wife Camille Grammer, on the market for $18.9 million in 2008 but has reduced the price after it failed to attract a buyer.

The outspoken actor - who has children Mason, 11, and Jude, eight, with Camille, and Faith, eight months, with current spouse Kayte Walsh had dropped the asking price several times already and the plush estate, which the former couple bought in 2007 for $13.7 million before extensively remodeling it, is now listed for $14.995 million. —Bang Showbiz

M

ovie director Steven Spielberg says he chooses his work based on emotion, not business. The multiple Oscar-winning American director told Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in a television interview aired Tuesday that he chooses to work only on films that call out to him. Spielberg is in the western city of Mumbai - the home of Bollywood - to celebrate the success of “Lincoln,” which was co-produced by the Indian company Reliance Entertainment. He attended a glitzy Bollywood party Tuesday night, mingling with several top Indian actors, including Bachchan and his wife, actress Jaya Bachchan, and his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a former Miss World who is also an actress.

Ed Sheeran was bullied for being weird

E

d Sheeran was bullied in school for being a “weird kid”. The ‘A Team’ hitmaker may have two BRIT Awards to his name and a platinum selling debut album, but when he was growing up in Framlingham, Suffolk, in the South East of England, he was taunted by other children because he had ginger hair and stuttered. In an interview with website Take 40, he said: “I think everyone goes through a bit of bullying at school. Of course you get picked on for certain things, but I think it ends up being a positive.

I was quite a weird kid when I was little, I wore big glasses, had hearing problems, had a stutter and I had ginger hair.” The 22-year-old singer feels the cruel jibes helped him “blossom” into the artist he is today and he was even left feeling “sad” for his former playground tormentors during a recent visit to his hometown. He explained: “I am now a successful musician and I have nothing to complain about. So I have come out the other end and blossomed ...

When I went home and went to the pub and saw the people who used to be bad at school, it’s kind of depressing. They not only haven’t done anything but they don’t know that there is anything out there.

“They are so stuck in their little world. So I feel sad for them - they are kind of being bullied by life.”

T

om Hiddleston was “stunned” to win at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2013. The ‘Thor’ star was recipient of the Times Breakthrough Award at the ceremony - held at The Dorchester hotel in London, yesterday and was very surprised and happy with the recognition for his career. Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the ceremony, he said: “I can never quite see a truthful reflection of one’s self.

I’ve no idea why but that’s why I’m so stunned to have won.

“I think every artist, anyone of any creative endeavour, always thinks, ‘Well I’m just putting one foot in front of the other and everybody else wins awards but I’ll keep doing my best’ so when you win something it’s really alarming.”

Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2005, Tom’s career has skyrocketed, kick-started by a lead role in Steven Spielberg’s ‘War Horse’ and followed by ‘Thor’ and ‘The Hollow Crown’. Tom plans to keep his award on display, and has already earmarked a place for it in his kitchen. He added: “I shall put it on my kitchen table for the moment because that’s where I work, so I can read scripts and it will be a constant reminder.” Other winners on the day included actress Julie Walters - who won the Outstanding Achievement Award - James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’, which was named Best Film, and singer Jessie Ware, who took the Pop Music prize. Star guests included ‘Sherlock’ star Benedict Cumberbatch, actress Kristen Scott Thomas and comedians Tim Minchin and Victoria Wood.

Full list of winners at the 2013 South Bank Sky Arts Awards: ● Comedy ‘Twenty Twelve’ ● Film ‘Skyfall’ ● Theatre’ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’, National Theatre ● Visual Art Thomas Heatherwick, London 2012 Olympic Cauldron ● Times Breakthrough Award Tom Hiddleston ● Opera ‘Ghost Patrol’, Scottish Opera and Music Theatre Wales ● Pop Music Jessie Ware ● Dance ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Scottish Ballet ● Classical London Philharmonic Orchestra, Julian Anderson, Ryan Wigglesworth - ‘The Discovery of Heaven’, Royal Festival Hall ● TV Drama ‘Parade’s End’, BBC Two ● Literature ‘Bring Up the Bodies’, Hilary Mantel ● The Outstanding Achievement Award Julie Walters

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

LIFESTYLE M o v i e s

&

M u s i c

Review

Little magic in ‘Burt Wonderstone’

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he only incredible thing about “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is that way it makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable. In a film about magic tricks, this is the most difficult feat of all. Even when Carell is playing characters who are nerdy (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) or needy (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) or clueless (TV’s “The Office”) or just plain odd (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”), there’s usually an inherent decency that shines through and makes him seem relatable, vulnerable, human. None of those qualities exists within Burt Wonderstone, a selfish and flashy Las Vegas magician who once ruled the Strip alongside his longtime friend and partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), but now finds his act has grown outdated and unpopular. Even within the confines of a comedy sketch, where he probably belongs, Burt would seem one-dimensional and underdeveloped with his hacky jokes and tacky clothes. Stretched out to feature length, the shtick becomes nearly unbearable until of course, the movie doles out its obligatory comeuppance, followed by redemption, and goes all soft and nice. By then it’s too little, too late. “Burt Wonderstone” comes to us from direc-

tor Don Scardino, a television veteran who’s a two-time Emmy-winner for his work on “30 Rock,” and “Horrible Bosses” writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It has some scattered laughs, many of them courtesy of Jim Carrey as a gonzo, up-and-coming street performer with a taste for pain, clearly modeled after the Criss Angel style of stunt artistry. (The character’s cable TV show is called “Brain Rapist,” if that gives you an idea.) And there is some spark to the scenes between Carell and his “Little Miss Sunshine” costar Alan Arkin as the master magician who inspired Burt as a lonely child and now lives anonymously at the nursing home where Burt is relegated to doing card tricks. These small joys are few and far between in a comedy that’s mostly reliant on repetitive sights gags and increasingly desperate one-upmanship. In theory, we’re supposed to feel for Burt because we see him being bullied in a flashback at the film’s start. The nerdy, neglected child of a hard-working single mom, Burt turned to magic for self-esteem, and found friendship with the like-minded and equally geeky Anton. Their mentor was the old-school Rance Holloway (Arkin), whose moves they watched repeatedly on VHS.

insists on calling her Nicole because her real name simply doesn’t matter to him. The role is a huge waste of Olivia Wilde, who’s stuck playing the supportive “girl,” and isn’t given much chance to show how funny, sexy or smart she truly is. Burt and Anton find not just their friendship but their careers in jeopardy as Carrey’s daring Steve Gray

Thirty years later, Burt and Anton are longtime headliners at Bally’s, going through the same bit night after night with little inspiration. For totally unexplained reasons, they hate each other - probably because Burt has become a dismissive, abusive jerk. This is not Carell’s strong suit. Also part of the act is their latest assistant, Jane, although Burt

Iran to sue over Hollywood films like Argo

Egypt stops screening of film on Jewish community

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E

gyptian security agencies have stopped the screening of a documentary on the Egyptian Jewish community a day before it was due to debut in local cinemas, the film producer said in a statement Tuesday. He said no reasons were given. The “Jews of Egypt”, a documentary that follows the lives of the Egyptian Jewish community in the first half of the 20th century until they left under duress in large numbers in the late 1950s, was screened in Egypt last year in a private film festival and had been approved by censorship, a regular procedure in Egypt.

Film producer Haytham El-Khamissy said he heard from the chief of the censorship authority that a security agency asked to view the movie before granting it a license to be shown in theaters. “I was shocked when he told me this and when I learned that this had already happened” before the 2012 festival screening, El-Khamissy said in a statement posted on the film’s official Facebook page. “There is no excuse for this except delay and obstruction,” he said. “I announce the delay of the screening of ‘Jews of Egypt’ until a solution is found for this inexplicable problem, inherited from long years in the parlors of the Egyptian state securities and which aim to terrorize thought and repress creativity.”

Under the former regime of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, security authorities kept a tight lid on discussions of religion and minority groups, occasionally banning books or rejecting movie scripts that dealt with such issues. It was not possible to reach officials for comments late Tuesday. The film was also screened in the US It was due to debut in three theaters in Egypt yesterday. The film director Amir Ramses describes it as a documentary about the cosmopolitan Egypt in the early 20th century, asking, “how did the Jews of Egypt turn in the eyes of Egyptians from partners in the same country to enemies?”

The film is based on testimonies of researchers, political figures and exiled Egyptian Jews. Egypt’s once thriving Jewish community largely left Egypt more than 60 years ago amid hostilities between Egypt and Israel. Estimates say about 65,000 Jews left Egypt since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, most of them traveling to Europe and the West. Some settled in Israel. Their departure was fueled by rising nationalist sentiment during the ArabIsraeli wars, harassment and some direct expulsions by then-President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, and attacks on Jewish properties. Only scores of Jews, most of them elderly, remain in Egypt. Synagogues are heavily guarded and are mainly tourist sites now. —AP

File photo shows Bob Dylan performs during the 17th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles. —AP

Bob Dylan admitted to American Academy of Arts and Letters

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ob Dylan has become the first rock star voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the century-old arts organization announced Tuesday. The iconic singer-songwriter was one of seven named for induction into the group, which honors artists in music, literature and visual arts. Voted into the academy’s core membership were the novelist Ward Just, known for his stories set in Washington, DC; minimalist artist Richard Tuttle and painter and printmaker Terry Winters. The academy announced three honorary choices, all from overseas: Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, South African writer Damon Galgut and Belgian artist Luc Tuymans.

Academy officials couldn’t decide whether Dylan belonged for his words or his music, executive director Virginia

Dajani told the Associated Press, so they settled on making him an honorary member. “The board of directors considered the diversity of his work and acknowledged his iconic place in the American culture,” Dajani said. “Bob Dylan is a multi-talented artist whose work so thoroughly crosses several disciplines that it defies categorization.” Meryl Streep, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, who directed “No Direction Home,” a 2005 documentary about Dylan, have been similarly honored by the academy.

While he isn’t the first musician to be named to the group, his predecessors have come mainly from the classical world.

Dajani and other officials have said that the academy is reluctant to vote in rock performers because they already have organizations, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of

Fame, to honor them. The 71-year-old Dylan’s song list includes “Blowin’ in the Wind,”“The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

He’s used to breaking barriers. Dylan was the first rocker to receive a Pulitzer Prize, an honorary award in 2008, and the first to be nominated for a National Book Critics Circle award, for his memoir “Chronicles: Volume One.”An induction and awards ceremony will be held in May. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, who was inducted into the organization last year, will give the keynote address, entitled “Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The New York-based academy, which was founded in 1898, consists of 250 artists, musicians and writers. Openings occur upon a member’s death, with current inductees nominating and voting in new ones. —Reuters

Actor Tishuan Scott, winner of the Director Geoff Marslett, winner of the Special Grand Jury Prize for Acting, Louis Black ‘Lone Star’ Award. poses with his award.

(From left) Actor Keith Stanfield, actor Rami Malek, actress Kaitlyn Dever, director Destin Cretton of the film “Short Term 12,” actress Brie Larson and actor John Gallagher Jr pose with the Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature at the 2013 SXSW Film Awards during the 2013 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at The Paramount Theatre on March 12, 2013 in Austin, Texas. —AFP

(From left) Actor Christopher McCann, director Carlos Puga and actor Christopher Abbott pose with the Special Jury Prize For Ensemble Cast for the film ‘Burma’.

Tale of troubled teens takes SXSW film prize

“S

hort Term 12,” a drama set in a center for troubled teenagers, took top honors for narrative feature film Tuesday at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and based on an eponymous short he made in 2008 that won a Sundance jury prize, the film stars Brie Larson as a twenty-something foster home supervisor

steals away the fans and attention with more and more outlandish acts: ridiculous stuff like sleeping overnight on hot coals and holding his urine for several days straight. With his long hair, shirtless, sinewy frame and charismatic demeanor, Carrey functions like a manic, subversive Christ figure.

Although he’s too old to be playing an upstart, he gives it his all, as always. Meanwhile, the suddenly ubiquitous James Gandolfini has an amusing line or two as Burt and Anton’s preening casino boss.

But it’s hard to care about how far the duo will fall or whether they can make a comeback which is never in question - because there’s nothing for us to hold on to as an audience. If Carell’s character is one-note, Buscemi sadly gets even less to do besides play the sweet, beleaguered second fiddle. And after it’s over, poof! You’ll forget you ever watched it in the first place. “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language.

Running time: 101 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. —AP

with a difficult past of her own. Cretton is also the director “I Am Not a Hipster,” a drama set in the indie music and art scene in San Diego, California where he lived for 10 years. It was released in January and also screened at the Sundance festival.

“Short Term 12” was among eight narrative features in competition at SXSW, where interac-

tive technology events concluded Tuesday leaving the indie film segment to continue unfolding as the new-music portion gets underway. The prize for best documentary went to Brooklynbased director Ben Nabors’ “William and the Windmill,” the tale of a young Malawian who builds a windmill from junk parts to lift his family out of poverty. —AFP

Director Michelle Savill, Short Film Jury Award winner for Narrative Short for the film “Ellen Is Leaving”.

ehran plans to sue Hollywood production companies over anti-Iranian films, including the Oscar-winning “Argo”, a French lawyer hired by the Islamic republic to make the case said yesterday. Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, who arrived in Tehran at the weekend at the invitation of Iran’s culture ministry, told AFP she was seeking “legal ways to stop the production of anti-Iranian movies”. Portrayed as an “anti-Zionist activist” in Iranian media, CoutantPeyre defended notorious Venezuelan militant Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, alias Carlos the Jackal, who is serving a life term in France for deadly attacks in the 1980s.

“Our case is one of defamation and attacks against honor and reputation” of Iran and its people, she said, referring to movies such as “Argo,”“Not Without My Isabelle Coutant-Peyre Daughter,”“300,” “Wrestler” and “Unthinkable” for their anti-Iranian content. Iran has criticized the drama “Argo” as a pro-CIA propaganda film, while assailing the 85th Academy Awards as “the most political Oscars ever” for awarding its top honor to the movie.

“Argo” recounts the long-classified CIA plot to extract from revolutionary Iran six US hostages who had managed to evade Islamist students storming the US embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979.

The other 52 hostages were held for 444 days in an action that caused the rupture of diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran. Coutant-Peyre said Argo should be condemned for what she called its “falsification of history” as “it is supposedly based on a declassified story.” She said she had watched the movie only “in part”. “We have moved from the slogan of ‘Muslim equals terrorist’ to that of ‘Iranian equals terrorist’,” she added. She said a case could be brought before a French court, alluding to a law about the liability of an individual for damages caused to others. Swiss law also punishes defamation against states, she added.

Any trial “would allow a contradictory debate to establish the truth (about the hostage crisis) so that public opinion has more than just one side of the story,” she said. The lawyer added that Iran “does not want Argo to be banned but it wants a statement saying that the facts recounted in the movie do not correspond to reality.” Iran’s contempt of Hollywood is no secret. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month criticized Hollywood as a “totally political” machine that propagates policies brewed in Washington.

Iran and the United States are locked in a tense showdown over an array of issues, including Tehran’s nuclear ambitions which the West and Israel suspect are aimed at military objectives, despite Iran’s repeated denials. —AFP

‘Big Shot,’ Muhammad Ali and Katarina Witt Biopics Highlight Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

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he Tribeca Film Festival announced this year’s Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival lineup of nine sports films, including world premieres of Kevin Connolly’s “Big Shot”; biopics on boxing legend Muhammad Ali, extreme skier Shane McConkey and Olympic figure skater Katarina Witt, and a handful documentaries about women in sports directed by female filmmakers The festival, founded in 2006, is Tribeca’s premiere showcase for independent sports films. Now in its seventh year, it will screen nine world premieres - nearly twice as many as last year’s sports slate.

Connolly returns to Tribeca after his 2007 directorial of the feature film “Gardener of Eden.” In the documentary “Big Shot,” which kicks off the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, Connolly chronicles John Spano’s fraudulent 1996 purchase of the New York Islanders for a bank-busting $165 million. The film follows Spano’s scheme and the biggest the biggest case of fraud in hockey history. Directors by Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie take a heartbreaking look at high-school basketball player Lenny Cooke, who in 2001 was ranked above future greats LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. A decade later, Cooke is found flamed out, never having made it to the NBA. Senain Kheshgi and Jennifer Arnold’s film on onetime Playboy cover girl and Olympic figure Witt, follows her rise to fame and her connections to the East German secret police. The following films, which will screen throughout the festival, will be featured in the 2013 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. Big Shot: Directed by Kevin Connolly; US Documentary. Connolly chronicles John Spano’s fraudulent purchase of the New York Islanders for $165 million in 1996. —Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

lifestyle F e a t u r e s

The Hanoi Museum in Hanoi, Vietnam, resembles an inverted pyramid with four levels of descending squares, the bottom level significantly smaller than even the first floor.

W

hile most travelers know to visit the Musee d’Orsay while in Paris or the Guggenheim Museum when in New York City, there are hundreds of buildings that get overlooked, either because of their location or simply the number of sites in the city deemed worth seeing. With jaw-dropping structures in mind, the members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com have put together a list of the “Top 10 Overlooked Stunning Buildings.”

now known as the Mezquita. The building is a rare example of Mudejar style, or the mixing of Muslim and Christian elements that occurred when the two cultures lived side by side. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is a must see for a visitor to Southern Spain.

3.

The Jantar Mantar-Jaipur, India A visit to Jaipur usually includes the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and the Amer Fort, but we have another great landmark for upcoming travelers to India. The Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observation site in Jaipur that stands out as the most significant and best preserved of India’s historic observatories. Unlike modern observatories with telescopes and special lenses, the Jantar Mantar was built in the early 18th century for observing astronomical events and positions with the naked eye. Among the twenty-plus fixed instruments at the compound, a VirtualTourist member noted that his favorite was the Jai Praksh Yantra, a pair of hemispheres made from marble and sunken into the ground that is capable of determining both the ecliptic pole during the day and the celestial coordinates at night. Multiple members suggested hiring a guide to better understand the different instruments and their uses since many were used for purposes other than simple astronomy, like telling time and predicting monsoon weather.

4.

The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum is one of the few Muslim mausoleum complexes in the world that is open and accessible to nonMuslims.

1.

Military History Museum-Dresden, Germany A discussion of overlooked stunning buildings caused multiple VirtualTourist members to immediately mention Dresden, Germany. Though many of the city’s buildings were severely damaged in the bombing campaigns of World War II, Dresden has worked to restore its landmarks including the Royal Palace with its incredible sgraffiti (a mural technique involving multiple layers of plaster in contrasting colors) and the Frauenkirche, a Protestant church with outstanding Baroque architecture. However, a new landmark has emerged that deserves proper attention: the redesigned Dresden Museum of Military History. The original building had a number of reincarnations, but once Germany unified a design competition was held for an extension and rebranding of the museum.

Daniel Libeskind, perhaps best known for winning the competition to rebuild Ground Zero in New York City, designed a bold interruption of the original building’s symmetry with a glass and steel wedge slicing through the structure. According to the architect’s website, the new extension with its openness and transparency was envisioned to reflect the new democratic society of Germany, in comparison to the original rigid building and the country’s authoritarian past.

2.

The Mezquita-Cordoba, Spain Spain’s history of occupation and religious overhaul is no better exemplified than through the Mezquita in Cordoba. Nestled between Seville and Granada in the rolling hills of Andalucia, Cordoba was once the capital of the Moorish emirate in Spain. The Great Mosque was built as the primary site of the Muslim religion in the country, complete with traditional Muslim architectural elements like arches and complex woodwork. In the 13th century, following the Reconquista by the Christians, the entire complex was revamped into a Cathedral

The Hanoi Museum-Hanoi, Vietnam While most visitors to Vietnam focus on temples and colonial buildings, a new modern museum in the country’s capital might change that tradition.

The Hanoi Museum, designed by GMP Architekten of Germany, incorporates some common themes of museum construction with a new twist, literally.

Photos of the museum’s interior, with its white walls and large spiral ramp, somewhat resemble Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum, except the exterior of the Hanoi Museum completely contrasts the former’s exterior. The Hanoi Museum resembles an inverted pyramid with four levels of descending squares, the bottom level significantly smaller than even the first floor. This significantly smaller bottom level means that the surrounding gardens and water features almost appear to begin beneath the building leading visitors from the outside in. This was also taken into account when planning the gardens and surrounding area of the museum. Visitors encounter exhibits from the history of Hanoi and reconstructed traditional Vietnamese villages upon entering the museum landscape and then can enter the museum from any one of the four sides.

5.

Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumBoston, Massachusetts, USA Few house museums have the history, collection, and longstanding influence within the community as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

One of the foremost female art patrons of her time, Stewart Gardner was a true character who enjoyed travel, adventure, and entertaining in a way that was somewhat scandalous for a lady of her social breeding and education in Victorian Boston. The museum, located in the Fenway area of Boston, was actually constructed after Stewart Gardener realized her Back Bay manse could not house her growing collection. Built in 1902, the museum is modeled after a 15th century Venetian palazzo.

Among the more than 2,500 pieces in her collection, highlights include multiple Sargents, Whistlers and Titian’s Europa. In addition to the building’s storied legacy, the museum has continued to evolve its role in Boston’s artistic and cultural future most recently by adding a new wing to the historic palace in order to relieve pressure on the historic spaces and spread out the collection.

The new wing was designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano and opened in January 2012.

6.

Horta Museum-Brussels, Belgium Many have traveled to Barcelona to see Gaudi’s Modernisme landmarks, but another architect that is credited with helping to start the Art Nouveau architectural movement is often snubbed. Victor Horta, a Belgian, was incredibly influential in spearheading the movement. In Brussels, four of his buildings are classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites, so a great place to start is at his former studio.

The Horta Museum, situated in the Saint-Gilles neighborhood of Brussels, was Horta’s personal residence and studio, and it has been converted

The view into the Courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.

into a museum that visitors can tour. In addition to being constructed and inhabited by the architect at the height of Art Nouveau, the building’s interior is largely preserved with mosaics, curved windows, ironwork and even the furniture was designed to work together with the building’s architecture.

From the Horta Museum visitors can walk to the Hotel Tassel and Hotel Solvay, other Hortadesigned landmarks in the same neighborhood of Brussels.

7.

Moulay Ismail Mausoleum-Meknes, Morocco Four cities in Morocco are collectively known as the “imperial cities,” each having been at some point in Morocco’s history the nation’s capital: Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, and the present capital, Rabat.

Of the cities, the most commonly overlooked is Meknes since it is much more relaxed than Fez and lacks the sheer number of sights of Marrakesh.

However, the city contains some fantastic buildings including the oft overlooked Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. One of the few mausoleum complexes in the world that is open and accessible to nonMuslims, a visit to the Masouleum of Moulay Ismail is said to bring baraka, or divine blessing.

VirtualTourist members noted that despite the plain exterior, the interior is exquisitely decorated with sunny yellow walls in the three ornate courts, leading to the detailed woodwork and tiling of the anteroom. Although non-Muslims cannot enter the actual tomb area, they can view it from an adjacent

visible from any point inside the mosque.

9.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort worth-Fort Worth, Texas Often overlooked as the lesser half of the Dallas Metroplex, Fort Worth has put arts and architecture at the forefront of its community fundraising leading to a number of outstanding museums in its Cultural District. Most recently, Japanese architect Tadao Ando was commissioned to build the Modern Art Museum, which showcases his talent for incorporating Zen philosophies into his structures and reinforced concrete in their construction.

With an interior structure of architectural concrete protecting the collection, the museum is then surrounded by forty-foot-high glass walls which are similarly surrounded by a 1.5-acre pond. The basic materials, simple construction, and importance of light and reflection mimic the key elements of a modern work of art. If you are looking for other cool buildings to explore, there are two other landmarks in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Directly opposite the Modern, visitors can find the Kimbell Art Museum designed by celebrated architect Louis I. Kahn. Further down the street, the Amon Carter Museum was designed by Philip Johnson of “Glass House” fame.

10.

Rila Monastery-Rila, Bulgaria Though not widely known outside Bulgaria, the Rila Monastery should be a must-see for anyone visiting the country. Founded in the 10th century

Japanese architect Tadao Ando was commissioned to build the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, which showcases his talent for incorporating Zen philosophies into his structures and reinforced concrete in their construction.

— MCT photos

ante chamber. Not only is the interior awe-inspiring, but it is a unique opportunity for non-Muslims to gain entrance to a holy site and learn more about the culture.

8.

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne, Turkey While most visitors to Turkey focus on the mosques and palaces of Istanbul to gain a greater understanding of Ottoman architecture, some of the greatest masterpieces of the time period are located outside of the city. Sinan, one of the most famous Ottoman architects, designed the Suleymaniye Mosque, the largest mosque in Istanbul and one of the most well-known sites in the city, but it was not this building that he considered his masterpiece. In his opinion, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, the former Ottoman capital located on the Greek and Bulgarian borders along Turkey’s European side, is his greatest achievement. The building is more of a social complex encompassing madrasas (Islamic schools) as well as shops and is considered to be the most unified expression of the Ottoman kulliye, or group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution. VirtualTourist members noted that one of the unique features of the Selimiye Mosque is that the mihrab, the niche in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca, is

by St John of Rila, the monastery is located about 120 km (75 miles) south of Sofia in the Rodopi Mountains. The complex played an important role in the spiritual and social life of Bulgarian people for more than 10 centuries and the architectural styles of the various time periods are preserved throughout the property. VirtualTourist members commented that the architecture gives an interesting look at the occupied experience of Bulgarians since it incorporates Ottoman elements alongside evidence of the Bulgarian Renaissance. In addition to the building itself, the artistry of the Bulgarian people can also be seen in the monastery’s exquisite ceiling frescos. — MCT

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

lifestyle

This Sept 18, 2011 publicity photo provided

by RCA Records/PictureGroup shows the making of the Sony Music video with Elle Varner featuring J Cole in the Williamsburg section of New York. — AP photos

In this Feb 10, 2013 file photo, Miguel performs at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

In this Feb 12, 2012 file photo, Ryan Tedder poses backstage with the award for album of the year for ‘21’ at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

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acklemore & Ryan Lewis aren’t the only ones poppin’ tags at thrift shops. In light of the hip-hop duo’s multiplatinum, No. 1 smash “Thrift Shop,” musicians including Debbie Harry, Miguel and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder discuss their adventures buying used clothes, even after their careers took off.

Hard times for a rock star Debbie Harry loves to search for unique items at thrift shops, but sometimes the Blondie frontwoman had to do it because times were hard. “At various times in my life (it has) been really necessarily to shop like that,” she said in an interview. Harry, 67, said she also hit up thrift shops to fuel her creativity when deciding what to wear to an event or photo shoot. Her favorite used item? A silver 1960s Betsey Johnson jumpsuit. “Let’s face it, when you don’t have a lot of money and have to dress cool, it’s the best way to go,” she said. The singer says she loves thrift shops in Florida and that as a kid her bargain shopping annoyed her father. “My dad was horrified when I was in high school and I would come home with something from Salvation Army,” she said. “He was terrified that I would be bringing a large population of bugs.” She also enjoys thrift shopping because it’s somewhat of an adrenaline rush. “In a way it’s a sense of adventure too because you’re not walking in and seeing a rack of clothing,” she said. “You have to go in and hunt and it can be very entertaining.”

In this July 6, 2011 photo, American singer Debbie Harry performs during a concert of her band Blondie at the Optimus Alive music festival in Lisbon.

KUWAIT: Persil Abaya Shampoo, a German technology product from Henkel has announced that it has started the recruitment of contestants for the re-energized and renewed format of the much-awaited Season 5 of Persil Arwaa Abaya Competition.

The recruitment drive to shortlist the contestants for the Season 5 got under way online a fortnight back and on-ground effective last week. As part of the drive, which continues till midMarch 2013, the contestants are being screened across top universities in the UAE & KSA. The recruitment drive will continue across the Gulf as part of Persil’s

attempt to bring the local and regional talents across the region to the fore and offer them a platform to succeed and showcase their skills and expertise in Abaya designs. The winner of the Season 5 will win an internship with a well known designer and a scholarship course in one of the most famous design schools.

The Persil Arwaa Abaya Competition Season 5 has introduced new mechanics and format - introducing more inter-

International singer - and thrift shopper While on his latest international tour, Los Angeles-born Miguel was happy to meet his fans with different accents. He was also hype about his fans’ thrift shops. “I tried to do it while

actions between the contestants as well as creating new team challenges.

Similarly, the jury has been further strengthened with the introduction of top Abaya experts along with Amal Murad in the panel, which will assess the creativity in the various Abaya designs among other criteria.

The Persil Arwaa Abaya contest will be telecasted on Sabah Al-Kheir Ya Arab on MBC 1 between 11 AM to 1 PM, effective on the 22nd of April. Once shortlisted, the contestants will be judged by the jury on the MBC show.

Some episodes will involve Arab celebrity appearances and surprise collaborations would be unveiled to make

this season truly entertaining, engaging and interactive.

Announcing the recruitment drive, Memosh Khawaja, General Manager of Henkel Arabia, said: “The Persil Arwaa Abaya competition has become a major success in the last four years, and we aim to continue this in the 2013 season. This competition has taken Abaya fashion to a totally new level - showcasing the immense talent in store in the region and what better to tap into this

than our university students.”

He added: “Ever since we launched our recruitment, we have seen how today’s students are way ahead of their time in terms of creativity and how they have translated their ideas into beautiful designs and highlighted the beauty of Abayas on a wider platform, which gives us extreme pleasure on how this initiative is helping Arab women explore their talents and help in enhancing their careers. We are extremely excited with the response among the student community and will continue to visit more universities in the region. This competition has once again proved that it is a unique platform to discover creative Abaya designing talents that will help launch new designs to this special line of fashion.”

Those interested to enroll into the competition can register in the application https://www.facebook.com/persilabayaworld. The contestants should be at least 18 years old and should have a know-how on Abaya sketches and designs. Once enrolled, the contestants will be shortlisted by an eminent panel of jury, which includes, apart from Amal Murad, renowned Abaya designers such as the TV personality Lojain Omran, as also a judge representing Zahrat Al Khaleej and Anazahra magazines.

The grand finale - choosing the best and most in-vogue Abaya designs in the market which garner positive critic by the jury - will be held in June 2013.

The Persil Abaya Shampoo offers the ultimate level of Abaya cleanliness and black colour retention with its revolutionary German technology ‘black colour lock’, protecting the blackness of the Abaya and keeps as good as new after every wash, besides safeguarding the fabric feel and leaves the Abaya with a long lasting fragrance.

In this Feb 10, 2013 file photo, Jay-Z poses backstage with the awards for best rap/sung collaboration for ‘No Church in the Wild’ and best rap performance for ‘N****s in Paris’ at the 55th annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles.

we were on tour in Europe. I did a little bit in Stockholm, Sweden, a little bit in London,” recalled Miguel, who was sporting his favorite rag - a red one from a thrift store - in his back pocket. The pint-sized R&B singer is known for his smooth sound and chic style. His look is mostly clean - fitted blazers and tight jeans are his forte. He’s also an accessories guy. The Grammy winner says he prefers clothes from thrift shops because “it’s like clothes with character.”

The thrift queen When Elle Varner made her debut to the music world with her first music video, she did so in a hand-me-down. “The jacket I’m wearing in the ‘Only Wanna Give It to You’ (music video) was $4 at Good Will,” she said of the bright orange blazer that got attention on urban blogs when the video was released in 2011. “It’s hot - and wasn’t everyone wearing colored blazers after that?” she asked happily, giving herself credit for helping to push the trend.

Grammy-nominated Varner, a rising R&B singer who counts first lady Michelle Obama as a fan, says she loves to thrift shop. She even called herself “a thrift queen.” Her favorite spot for “thrifting” in New York is Beacon’s Closet. In Los Angeles, the singer “used to love Jet Rag, but it’s so crazy now on Sunday mornings.”

In this May 17, 2011 file photo, Best New Artist nominee Miguel attends the BET Awards nominee announcement held during a live broadcast of ‘106 and Park’ in New York.

I had when I was 17, 18,” he said, looking down to see if he was wearing one of his classics under his leather jacket. He wasn’t.

But for the producer behind hits for Beyonce and Adele, thrift shops aren’t just about clothes. They serve as gift shops, too.

“Me and my best friend back in Colorado, as a joke every year we’d go to the DAV, Disabled American Veterans, thrift shop and pick out the nastiest trophy and that would be the Christmas present we’d give each other,” he recalled, smiling.

“The African American Junior League Bowlers Association stuff like that.”

You can’t jock her style You can’t deny the uniqueness of Janelle Monae: Her sound is a mixture of rock, funk and R&B beats; her songs sound space-like and are inspired by things like Muhammad Ali’s fists and Walt Disney; and she rocks a pompadour. But her onstage ensemble is a familiar one: the tuxedo. But that’s not always the case. Monae says she’s an avid thrift shopper, namedropping stores like Rag-O-Rama and Poor Little Rich Girl as favorites in her Atlanta hometown. But when she’s not working, she loves to rock used clothes simply because others can’t jock her style. “I like one-of-a-kind pieces,” the singer said. “I don’t like everybody walking around in stuff that I have on.” — AP

Teenage t-shirt swag How old are Ryan Tedder’s favorite T-shirts? Super old. The 33-year-old OneRepublic singer and songwriter says his favorite shirts are the ones he bought when was a teenager and they’re from thrift shops. “I’ve thrift shopped since I was 13 and half of my wardrobe to this day are still the same shirts

In this undated photo provided by Bravo, Christos Garkinos, left, and Cameron Silver, owners of Los Angeles vintage store Decades, and hosts of the new reality TV show ‘Dukes of Melrose,’ talk about a pair of shoes in their store during one of the show’s episodes.

T

he “Dukes of Melrose” hold many style secrets of fashion’s royalty, and the duo of Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos dish some of them on their new Bravo series that follows the owners of Los Angeles’ famous Decades vintage store. They love the gowns, handbags, jackets and shoes they’re selling to their upscale and style-savvy clientele, but they love the stories of the lives the clothes have lived even more.

They gossip about the Marni wedding dress they’ve bought and sold, and bought and sold again. “No. 1 is divorced, No. 2 was over the dress and No. 3 still has it,” Garkinos says. Sometimes they have to run interference between families: There’s a gaggle of socialite sisters with similar tastes and a competitive spirit, each one trying to top the others.

Sometimes, they’ll have to stop a sister from buying something from another sister’s stash.

It’s no problem to call them style matchmakers, either. Customers get to know the look of their favorite sellers. At a recent trunk show, a client couldn’t wait to snap up the goat-fur Roberto Cavalli jacket of a woman she’d met at an earlier Decades event. Nicole Miller attended the same trunk show. Garkinos and Silver consider it a badge of honor that designers shop at their store for inspiration.

Alexander Wang, for one, felt like he had made it to the big league when he saw his own merchandise on Decades’ racks, they say.

Donatella Versace was refused entry.

She came on a Sunday, Garkinos recalls, and he was wearing - gasp - overalls because they had been painting the store. “I told her, ‘The store isn’t ready to be shopped,’ and she came back the next day.” Silver opened Decades in 1997.

Garkinos joined two years later. They

have a shared passion for good fashion: pieces that last, make an impact and deserve to be enjoyed more than once.

“Yes, there are some people who are a little freaked out by the idea of vintage, but we’re shopping from really good closets,” Silver says, “and these clothes are usually from happy moments. A couture gown from the 1950s is just embedded with history - and probably champagne.”

He defines clothes in this way: “Used” means something has been worn. “Retro” means it’s from a certain period. And “vintage” means something with value

clothes, especially in Hollywood, provide the opportunity for a little less cookiecutter dressing. Some people like walking into the room knowing they’re not wearing a “trend,” although not enough starlets understand that, Silver says. “I want to see more people have their Cher moments, the Celine Dion-in-the-backward-Galliano moment.”

Garkinos muses how some clothes and accessories sell the moment they come in the door, while others, including a custom-made Versace suitcase that was made for Prince and even has his initials

This undated photo provided by Bravo shows Cameron Silver, left, and Christos Garkinos, owners of Los Angeles vintage store Decades, and hosts of the new reality TV show ‘Dukes of Melrose.’ — AP photos and designer integrity - and quite possibly from an important house.

Garkinos says age isn’t a criterion. For example, a Prada nylon backpack from the late ‘90s is vintage - and so might one of the ombre bags from 2008. It also can be expensive - in the four-digit category and, occasionally, even more. Vintage

and a purple lining inside, don’t - though eventually there’s the right buyer for everything. (It took almost two years to find the now very proud owner of the Prince piece.) — AP

$20 in my pocket: Celebs also hit the thrift shops

39

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Madame Tussauds museum in Tokyo

A figure production maintenance staff adjusts the wax figure of Lady Gaga.

A man mimics the wax figure of football star David Beckham at a press preview of Madame Tussauds museum in Tokyo yesterday.

Tokyo’s Madame Tussauds museum will exhibit some 60 wax figures of Japanese and foreign stars when it re-opens on March 15.

—AFP

A visitor poses with the wax figure of Lionel Messi.

A figure production maintenance staff retouches the wax figure of princess Diana.

A woman sits with the wax figure of Hollywood star George Clooney.

A woman sits on a motorbike with the wax figure of Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

US ‘hair archaeologist’ recreates coiffures of antiquity

B

y day, Janet Stephens cuts and colors at a hair salon.

By night, she is an amateur archaeologist, meticulously recreating hairstyles dating back to the times of Roman antiquity.

Stephens, 54, who has worked as a hairdresser for more than two decades, recreates updos from the Roman era at her home in Baltimore, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Washington, DC. She combines her vocation as hairdresser with her love of archaeology, in the process revealing the secrets of how women wore their hair in ancient times.

Stephens styled the hair of one particular mannequin as it would have been worn by Empress Plotina around 110 AD, pointing out that the unique braided loops and coils signaled

her exalted status. Historians and archeologist long believed that the elaborate hairdos of women of that era as depicted in marble sculpture were merely flights of artistic imagination that bore little relationship to the real styles of women at that time. But Stephens, a trim redhead, said the intricate updos were fairly faithful representations of how women of that social station actually wore their hair.

“The styles work,” Stephens said. “When you know how to look at them, you see their logic,” she said. “You can see the braids starting at one spot and traveling to another spot and turning into something else,” she told AFP. Stephens’ exhaustive research has helped her to develop a novel theory as to

how some of the most elaborate hairstyles of the day came about.

She surmised that some of the elaborate and unwieldy dos were made using a needle and thread to keep them in place.

“The theory before mine was that all these hairstyles were either made for wigs or that they were the complete inventions of the sculptors who portrayed these women,” she told AFP. “I had a leap of intuition, as I was sweating in my basement over (one) hairstyle and I realized that if I sewed it together with a needle and thread, it worked and I could make all of them,” she told AFP. She guessed that slaves probably used a needle and thread to stitch together the elaborate hairstyles that could then stay in place for days.

Stephens haunted museums,

spent long hours in libraries, and even learnt German to continue her research, back up her theory and draft a paper in which to present her evidence. She discovered-with help from the Second Century grammarian Pompeius Festus-that the Latin word “acus” normally translated as “pin” can also be translated to mean “needle.” The tell-tale clue provided evidence that the hairstyles of antiquity might indeed have been sewn into place.

Stephens published her findings in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, making her one of the few non-academics to have written an article in the scholarly periodical.

She said that the fact that she was not a scholar allowed her to approach her research with an unjaundiced eye. “I was not look-

ing for something in advance,” she told AFP. “I came in as a hairdresser, and I knew an awful lot about hair,” she said. Stephens posted her meticulous recreations on YouTube, demonstrating in painstaking detail how the hair first is carefully sectioned, then plaited, looped and twirled, sometimes covered partially or entirely with a head wrap.

She even uses historically accurate tools to recreate the elaborate hair designs, including bone needle, gum acacia and rudimentary curling irons.

Stephens said she does not pursue her hobby for profit, but has encouraged Hollywood producers seeking to make movie scenes set in ancient Rome to log onto YouTube to see how she does it. She has been amused over the years to see the

fanciful, but totally inaccurate, depictions of how to recreate the hairstyles that have been all but lost to time.

Stephens chuckles when thinking back to 1970s British television series “I, Claudius,” which depicted hairdos that no woman of the Roman Empire would ever have worn.”In ‘I, Claudius’ it is hilarious how ‘70s the hair is,” she said. “At no time during Roman fashion history did any woman ever wear a side parting,” said Stephens. “It’s always from the center. It’s always symmetrical.” Now though, as Stephens points out, historically inaccurate hairdos can be a thing of the past. “I’m sure Hollywood can go to my YouTube channel,” she said, “and find all they need to know about how to do this.” —AFP

Hairdressers Janet Stephens works on the hair of model Jackie Rose Womelsdorf to recreate the hairstyle worn by Roman Empress Faustina in Baltimore, Maryland. —AFP photos