27th Mar 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Bomb kills two Iraqi politicians in disputed town

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Kuwait denies presence of Iraq Al-Mahdi militia Debate continues over opposition divisions, national dialogue

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

Who’s the real enemy?

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

KUWAIT: The Acting Speaker Mubarak AlKhrainej said yesterday that Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah has categorically denied the report about the presence of 37,000 stateless people (Bedoons) living in Kuwait who are suspected to be members of Iraqi Shiite militia Al-Mahdi Army of Muqtada Al-Sadr.

The claims were made last week by MP Mishari Al-Hussaini - and several MPs have raised the issue and demanded the gov-

ernment to investigate the report. Also, head of the Bedoons Committee, MP Khaled Al-Adwah said yesterday the government Central Committee for Bedoons has assured them that the reports about the militia were totally baseless.

In another development, the debate between various opposition components about alleged differences within its ranks took a new turn yesterday after a leading opposition activist publicly said the socalled parliamentary bloc has diminished, the protest movement has been fragment-

ed and there is an urgent need to reorganize the opposition. The announcement was made by leading writer and journalist Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem on his Twitter Account but was immediately, though indirectly, denied by leading opposition figure and Islamist former MP Khaled Al-Sultan, who said differences within the opposition groups are “normal”. Former liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla meanwhile made a passionate call for national dialogue, this time between all sides and groups to overcome “an unprecedented state of division

Max 26º Min 14º High Tide 11:46 & 23:27 Low Tide 05:33 & 17:40

within the Kuwaiti society”.

Mulla called for a broad national dialogue between the opposition and the pro-government groups to reach an amicable solution to the ongoing political crisis. Speaking at a gathering, former member of the 2012 Assembly and opposition figure Obaid Al-Wasmi, who two days ago called for national dialogue, called for a code of ethics called Kuwait National Charter as the basis for the proposed dialogue.

Continued on Page 2

Oppn takes Syria’s Arab League seat Arab countries get ‘green light’ to arm Syrian rebels

I

s the Arab World facing ‘the creative chaos’ which Condoleezza Rice termed years ago? Is the Arab Spring the plan she referred to as for the New Middle East? Is the Arab Spring a part of that chaos?

In those days I laughed my head off when she mentioned it. Now her words are banging in my head.

Why did the Arab World collapse in less than two years?

The downfall started in Tunisia and unfolded all the way across Libya, marched throughout Egypt and crept across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the list goes on. Why now and what’s next on the agenda for the New Middle East? Why has the Arab World suddenly lost its position? Key players in the area are frozen now or hardly manage to survive. I am talking about Egypt in particular. Let’s not bluff ourselves.

Politically, Egypt was the leader of the Arab World.

Now we are very busy with other things when Turkey, Israel and Iran are becoming the leading players in the region.

In the meantime, we are very busy fighting between each other - Sunni, Shiite, hatharis (urbanites) and tribes. Excellent! I think Israel is living its Golden Era now. Just look on the map of the Arab world! Point at one country on the map that is peaceful and which has no demonstrations.

Everyone is in turmoil- Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Tunisia. Iraq has been in turmoil for 10 years and we will never know how it will end.

Dividing the country into pieces is one of the rumors that have been circulating about Iraq’s future. God knows what is circulated with regards to the Gulf countries. So, we have to be careful. Even Saudi Arabia is facing problems. Kuwaitis are attacking each other on sectarian notes and tribal affiliations.

I said hundred times that I am not in support of Bashar Assad. He is a dictator and a tyrant. But I am not in support of the vicious civil war, destruction and mass murders of innocent people. I am against the mass exodus of Syrians from their own country as refugees in the neighboring countries. Even the situation in Syria has affected Lebanon badly and we could all see that. If it continues, it is going to affect other countries. As it is, there are around 450,000 refugees at the Jordanian border.

It is like an epidemic. I think the Arab leaders should unite and have a long night together thinking of the pluses and minuses and making a decision without any external influence. They should decide what is best for Syria and the Syrian people before it is too late to regret. Unfortunately, in the Arab world we are always late and we pretend to forget who the real enemy is.

DOHA: Arab League leaders and delegates pose for a picture at the opening of the Arab League summit in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday. (Inset) The Syrian revolutionary flag, is seen in front of the empty seat of the Syrian delegation during the opening session of the Arab League summit. — AFP

Shiite cleric accused of instigating unrest RIYADH: A prominent Shiite Muslim cleric appeared in a Saudi court yesterday facing accusations he instigated unrest and sought foreign meddling in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, a witness said. Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr was arrested in July last year following trouble in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, where the Shiite community is concentrated, and his trial before a special security court opened on Monday.

Yesterday, the prosecution read a list of charges against him including ‘instigating unrest’ and ‘seeking foreign meddling,’ in a clear reference to Iran, the kingdom’s Shiite-dominated arch rival across the Gulf. Nimr was also accused of ‘supporting the rebellion in Bahrain,’ where a month of Shiiteled pro-reform protests erupted in February 2011 before they were crushed in a Saudi-backed crackdown.

The court panel adjourned the hearing until a lawyer is appointed, according to the witness who requested anonymity. Most of Saudi Arabia’s estimated two million Shiites live in the east, where the vast majority of the OPEC kingpin’s huge oil reserves lie. Shiites complain of marginalization in the kingdom. They first took to the streets in protest in February 2011 after an outbreak of violence between Shiite pilgrims and religious police in the holy city of Medina. The protests escalated after the kingdom’s intervention in Bahrain to support the country’s Sunni monarchy. Speaking in November 2011, after four Shiites were shot dead in Eastern province, Nimr had demanded the “release of all those detained in the protests, and all prisoners of conscience-Sunnis and Shiites.” — AFP

Iran ‘spy cell’ RIYADH: An alleged spy cell dismantled last week in Saudi Arabia had “direct links” to Iran’s intelligence services, the kingdom’s interior ministry said yesterday.

“Preliminary investigations and physical evidence that has been collected as well as the defendants’ statements on this case have all revealed direct links between this cell and Iranian intelligence services,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

“These elements had regularly received sums of money in return for information and documents on important installations during the spy operation in the interest of these services,” it said. On March 19, the interior ministry in Riyadh said authorities had arrested 16 Saudis, an Iranian and a Lebanese citizen in four regions including Eastern Province, where the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s Shiite minority is concentrated.

But Iranian media reported on Sunday that the Shiite-dominated Islamic republic has denied any link to the suspected spy cell. “Investigations are still ongoing with members of this cell and legal procedures will be taken against them,” said the Saudi statement. — AFP

DOHA: Arab League leaders gathered for an annual summit in Doha yesterday and gave member states the “right” to offer Syrians all means of self-defense, including arms supplies. The Arab summit affirms the “right of every state to offer all forms of self-defense, including military, to support the resistance of the Syrian people and the Free Syrian Army,” a resolution said. However, “efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis are a priority,” it added.

The Damascus government charges that summit host Qatar and heavyweight neighbor Saudi Arabia have long since been arming the rebels. Arab leaders confirmed the opposition National Coalition “will take Syria’s seat at the Arab League and in its organizations, until elections lead to the formation of a government.” Iraq and Algeria have expressed reservations over seating the opposition.

Lebanon has distanced itself.

Amid the applause from Arab heads of state, a foe of Bashar Al-Assad took Syria’s vacant seat at an Arab summit thus deepening the Syrian president’s diplomatic isolation and diverting attention from opposition rifts.

Speaking at an annual gathering of Arab heads of state in Qatar, Moaz Alkhatib said he had asked US Secretary of State John Kerry for US forces to help defend rebel-controlled northern parts of Syria with Patriot surface-to-air missiles. NATO swiftly rebuffed the idea.

The insurgents have few weapons to counter Assad’s helicopter gunships and warplanes. “It was a historic meeting. You could feel the grandiose nature of the meeting,” said opposition spokesman Yaser Tabbara. “It’s a first step towards acquiring full legal legitimacy.” Alkhatib said the United States should play a bigger role in helping end Continued on Page 13

Spring snow blankets UK

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawaa (right) vies for the ball against Iran’s Javad Nekounam during their Asian Cup qualifiers group B match in Kuwait City yesterday. The match ended in 1-1 draw. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

LONDON: Britain’s military was called into action yesterday to airdrop fodder to farms cut off by freak spring snow as thousands of homes remained without power for a fifth straight day. A Royal Air Force (RAF) helicopter was deployed in Northern Ireland in a bid to reach remote farms where estimates suggest up to 10,000 animals have been buried beneath snowdrifts 20 feet high.

And in southwest Scotland, the Isle of Arran was still without power following Friday ’s unseasonal snowfall that brought down power lines. British media have dubbed the month as “Miserable March” and bookmakers used to offering bets on a White Christmas now say a White Easter this weekend is more likely than not. An RAF Chinook was to be used to reach farms and families cut off by the huge snowdrifts in Northern Ireland, airlifting fodder to the Glens of Antrim by

the north coast.

Thousands of cattle and sheep are already feared to have died in the cold at the height of the lambing season. The bad weather has claimed at least two lives on the British mainland. Around 3,300 customers on the Isle of Arran and in neighboring Kintyre and Argyll were without power overnight. “Instances of significant damage to the electricity network infrastructure have been among the worst seen for 30 years, with the weight of line icing pressurizing the transmission lines,” said a spokesman for Scottish and Southern Energy.

Consumer groups warned that energy bills could rise again as a result of the freezing weather. Ladbrokes has suspended betting on this year being the coldest Easter on record in Britain, while a White Easter-with snow falling in any Continued on Page 13

AHRENSHOOP: An Easter Bunny made out of snow is pictured on the side of the road to advertise rooms for rent in Ahrenshoop, Germany yesterday. This year Easter will be colder than last Christmas in Germany with snow expected in the northeast. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

LOCAL

Dasman Diabetes Institute achieves ACI accreditation Standards of excellence develop

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived here yesterday accompanied by a host of officials, ahead of the Arab League’s 24th Arab Summit, due in Doha. His Highness is to preside over the Kuwaiti delegation to the summit. The Kuwaiti Amir and delegation were greeted upon arrival at Doha International Airport by Crown Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, head of the accompanying mission to honor the Qatari Ambassador to Kuwait Abdelaziz Al-Fehaid, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Qatar Ali Salman Al-Haifi, and Kuwait Embassy staff.

Initiative to support Kuwait development plans

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: For the third year, the National Project for Leaders of Development Program (Thukhur) is being held, under the theme of ‘Thukhur for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation’. This was announced during a press conference held yesterday at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel.

Thukhur was launched in 2010 as a national initiative to support the development plans of Kuwait. “Soon it turned into a national project for sustainable development, implemented in partnership with Cornell University, to ensure the best international quality standards for its leadership development programs.

Thukhur has successfully conducted two programs already, from which 250 participants out of more than 2,000 have benefited. We had to choose the 250 participants only after a strict evaluation process,” said Jassem Al-Safran, Executive Director of Thukhur during the press conference. With its first program, held in 2011, called the ‘Project Executive Program’, Thukhur successfully groomed 150 leaders of Kuwait. In 2012, Thukhur opened its doors to 100 individuals, under the ‘Promising Leaders Program’, which was sponsored by SK Engineering, a division of SK Holding headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

Thukhur is continuing to participate in the development process of Kuwait. “After focusing on providing an integrated learning experience that both deepened the business acumen and enhanced the leadership capabilities of young highpotential Kuwaiti citizens during the previous programs, again in 2013, Thukhur has initiated the Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation (ECI) Program to encourage entrepreneurial minds in Kuwait

and challenge them to think innovatively, promote entrepreneurial attitudes and nurture the ability to turn ideas into action,” added Al-Safran.

This program also aims to support the Kuwaiti economy. “We aim to support the transfer of the Kuwaiti economy into the free market, instead of depending on oil resources only - by expanding its activities with a group of own business initiatives, or establishing profitable branches of its business institutions, or by encouraging those who aim to improve the performance and expand the business of the companies owned or managed by their families since many generations,” he further said.

This year the program will include 75 participants, who will first participate in the local program. “This will be organized in cooperation with Monitor Deloitte a leading global strategy consultancy firm.

Afterwards, only 30 participants will continue the program at the Cornell University in New York, USA. The participants are not obliged to unveil their ideas. Therefore, those who are chosen will sign a contract, under which Thukhur is obliged to keep their ideas confidential,” he explained.

“A recent global study found that current corporate leaders believe the next generation of talent headed for the executive suite needs help to develop the skills necessary to lead tomorrow’s organizations successfully. Specifically, these same corporate leaders said that today’s young high potentials for leadership lack a strategic understanding of the total enterprise of an organization and how its parts work together. Also, the studies showed that about half of the entrepreneurship efforts fail in the first, second or third year, and usually the reason is related to one of these reasons,” stated Al-Safran.

On the occasion, Kim Kyung-Sik,

the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait, praised the Thukhur program. “I’m glad that Korean institutions were able to participate in the human development program in Kuwait, and that its activity is not limited to construction and building projects only. Similar programs had a positive effect on successful development in South Korea.

The support of the Korea’s SK Engineering strengthens the relations between the two nations,” he pointed out. Gordon Stauffacher from Cornell University spoke about the content and purpose of the training program and details of training in Ithaca, New York. “We are pleased to cooperate with Thukhur, and the participants of this program already have experience and achievements in their field. The overall objective of the program is to provide an integrated learning experience that both deepens business acumen and enhances the leadership capabilities of the participants. They will learn from the experience of the developed countries and will choose from it what suits their country,” he noted.

Chris Malone (Managing Partner) and Michael Romkey (Director) of Monitor Deloitte, the Consulting Partners of Thukhur, provided detailed information about the training program in Kuwait. “The margin of Monitor Deloitte companies resulted in a huge body with unlimited resources that can provide its experience in different fields, which will participate in the total development of Kuwait,” stressed Chris Malone.

Candidates can register by filling the application on www.thukhur.com. The candidates should be Kuwaiti nationals aged between 25 and 45, hold a bachelor’s degree, have at least two years’ work experience, should be bilingual (Arabic and English), have computer knowledge and a valid passport.

KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute held a ceremony yesterday to highlight its significant achievement of accreditation through Accreditation Canada International’s Qmentum International (tm) program. Douglas George, Canada’s Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, presented the award to Dr. Kazem Behbehani, the Director General of Dasman Diabetes Institute, on behalf of Accreditation Canada International’s Executive Director, Client Relations, Conny Menger.

“It is rewarding to see that standards of excellence developed with Canadian expertise can help health care organizations in Kuwait demonstrate and improve health care quality and patient safety,” said Ambassador George. “Canadian values are deeply rooted in health care and our ability to share and learn from what is done abroad is of great significance.”

Dasman Diabetes Institute is a diabetes treatment, prevention, research and training facility located in Dasman, Kuwait. The organization’s focus is on the prevention, control, and mitigation of the impact of diabetes and related conditions in Kuwait through research, training, education, treatment, and health promotion programs.

A large ambulatory care center in Kuwait City, the Dasman Diabetes Institute provides a number of health care services including Ambulatory Care, Laborator y, and Diagnostic Imaging. The organization is among hundreds of facilities that are successfully implementing Qmentum International standards.

“Qmentum International’s standards developed by Accreditation Canada are rigorous without being prescriptive. The program helped us to match our extraordinary level of commitment to providing the best possible care to our patients with a plan for continuous improvement backed by excellent support from Accreditation Canada International’s staff,” said Dr. Behbehani. “As a leading provider of diabetes-related care in Kuwait, quality care and patient safety are a top priority for us. We are very pleased to see that confirmed in our achievement of accreditation.”

A growing number of health care organizations in Kuwait and the Gulf Region have accredited their organizations through ACI’s Qmentum International program. The Qmentum International programs builds on more than 50 years of Canadian and

Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer, Conny Menger, Dr. Kazem Behbehani, Canada’s Ambassador Douglas George and Dr. Dalia Badawi.

Guests and doctors during the awarding ceremony. international health care quality bar.” The Qmentum International improvement knowledge and experi- accreditation program provides an ence. “Dasman Diabetes Institute has external validation of the care and done tremendous work implementing safety practices of a health care Qmentum International’s standards, organization against the highest and we are proud to have supported international standards of quality and them,” said Sebastien Audette, Chief safety. The program is well regarded Executive Officer at Accreditation internationally for its focus on high Canada International. “As with our standards and high value. It is the other clients in the Gulf and around only accreditation program used in the world, accreditation reflects their hospitals that includes lab standards deep commitment to health care based on ISO 15189 as well as blood quality and patient safety. Our clients bank standards. The program also more Required and, increasingly, the public, payers features and insurers realize how comprehen- Organizational Practices (ROPs) than sive Qmentum International is and any other international accrediting how it assists health care organiza- organization. ROPs help health care tions, including those focused on organizations reduce harm, improve chronic disease management, to client outcomes, and decrease unnecaddress their challenges and raise the essary costs.

News

in brief

Security cooperation KUWAIT: Kuwait Army Chief-of-Staff, Lt Gen Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Lt-Gen Robert Caslen, Chief of the US embassy’s Office for Security Cooperation in Iraq discussed issues of common interest yesterday.

They also tackled ways of boosting cooperation in the military field. The meeting was attended by Deputy Army Chief of Staff Lt Gen Abdulrahman AlOthman, Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Intelligence and Security, Major General Abdulrahman Al-Hadhoud, Head of the Directorate of Military Cooperation Brigadier Abdulrazzaq Al-Awadhi and Chief of Military Police, Lieutenant Colonel Khaled Al-Sabah.

PAAET graduation ceremony KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sponsors the graduation ceremony of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) faculties and institutes for the scholastic year 2011\2012 today. On behalf of HH the Amir, HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah will attend the ceremony of the outstanding students. The ceremony is to take place at the Basic Education Faculty theatre, in Shamiya, at 10:30 am.

Expat leaps to death

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Chris Malone, Kim Kyung Sik, Jassem Al-Safran, Winston Shim and Gordon Stauffacher during the press conference held at the Courtyard hotel yesterday. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: A 34-year-old Jordanian expat yesterday committed suicide by jumping from his 5th floor apartment along the Coastal Road in Salmiya. Security sources said the deceased’s family pointed out that he was suffering from psychological issues that could have led to his suicide. A case of suicide and death was filed.

Kuwait denies...

Continued from Page 1 Jassem however sent a piece of advice to Wasmi on his Twitter Account telling him to “avoid seeking to surpass the status achieved by opposition figure Mussallam Al-Barrak”. Jassem also said that when the opposition fails to reach a consensus, there must be a process of “filtration” since “the parliamentary bloc is finished and the protest movement has been fragmented by some people deliberately”.

“Now, we must seriously reorganize the movement without any concessions or deals. No election with one or two votes, we need a national project” said Jassem, who added that “I believe that restoring solidarity (within the opposition) is almost impossible but the arena is wide open for all groups and factions to operate”.

Former MP Sultan insisted that the opposition is cohesive and united and the differences are normal. After failing to form a united opposition, at present three blocs operate with some coordination: the Opposition Coalition, the Movement Coordination and a third group for Wasmi and former MP Mohammad hayef.

Meanwhile, the Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee did not hold a scheduled meeting yesterday to discuss the law for waiving interest on bank loans which was approved in the first reading last week. The government has said it will not accept the law in the second reading without fundamental changes which the committee was expected to discuss yesterday, today and tomorrow. The committee did not meet yesterday because of the absence of the Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali.

Banks union rejects allegations, threatens legal action KUWAIT: The Kuwait Banking Association refuted allegations of local banks inflating loans that sparked negotiations between the legislative and executive authorities about a debt relief scheme, and reiterated banks’ right to “defend their legal and constitutional rights.”

The parliament passed a draft law in its first hearing that requires the government to purchase loans taken by citizens from Islamic and conventional banks between January 1, 2002 and March 30, 2008, waive off all the interest accrued in these loans and then reschedule their repayment in easy installments, provided that any installment must not exceed 40 percent of the debtor’s monthly income.

The bill was proposed based on specu-

lations that violation of Central Bank regulations led to loans, availed of during the aforementioned period, mounting to incredibly high levels, thus making it difficult for the citizens to repay them.

“Local banks are dismayed as being national institutions, they are owned by thousands of Kuwaiti citizens. Due to such accusations, at least 9,000 Kuwaiti workers have every right to feel offended in a baseless fashion. Their reputation was being tarnished both inside and outside the country, thus negatively affecting the state in general and its business institutions,” read a statement released on Monday by the KBA. Furthermore, the KBA urged lawmakers to “reconsider the language of political

discourse and terms being used to blatantly incite the people against the banking sector.”

“The relationship between the banks and their clients is a contractual one and is regulated by terms and conditions agreed upon by both sides,” the KBA reiterated, adding that disputes about alleged violations should be settled in courts. The KBA also insisted that “local banks were under commitment to stick to regulations,” noting at the same time that violations, if any, were corrected during an exercise carried out in 2008 as per instructions of the Central Bank and through international auditing offices.

“The operation covered all loans given during the aforementioned period to veri-

fy banks’ commitment to regulations, and banks were made to bear financial responsibility to correct any violations,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the KBA warned that the debt relief could violate the contractual rights of local banks and involved violation of their legal and constitutional rights.

“Any new regulations that aim to detract from the rights of banks, change the terms of legal contracts binding upon the signatories, or circumvent court orders which ruled in banks’ favor, would be a dangerous legislative basis and would amount to an attempt to violate the rights of institutions owned by hundreds of thousands of Kuwaiti people, and

establishes a precedent for future legislative behavior that could involve violating constitutional and legal rights,” the statement read.

“Therefore, local banks will not hesitate to defend their legal and constitutional rights, especially with regards to regulations that contain constitutionally suspect means.”

The KBA also reiterated that the regulations based on which the interest rate was calculated are explained in the loan contract that clients sign voluntarily. “A client should make sure of their financial and social conditions before taking a loan, as neither the banks nor any other party is required to act as guardians for borrowers,” the statement read.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

LOCAL

KARE strives to make a difference in Kuwait Charity and voluntary work

By Ben Garcia

Gulf Bank visits Maternity Hospital on Mother’s Day KUWAIT: Gulf Bank visited Al Sabah Maternity Hospital on the occasion of Mother’s Day, to congratulate all mothers who delivered on March 21, 2013.

Hadeel Al-Fadhli, Gulf Bank’s External Relations Senior Manager, visited the maternity hospital to hand out flowers and chocolates to mothers delivering on the day as well as to all the staff on duty.

Gulf Bank believes that mothers not only play a pivotal role within the family by providing their love and care to their children but also shape the society and it’s future generations.

Gulf Bank also recently conducted successful visits to the Children’s Units of Farwaniya, Jahra, Razi and Ibn Sina hospitals to celebrate National and Liberation Day with the young patients and hospital staff.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Around the Earth (KARE), a non-government organization established by a Kuwaiti engineer in 2009, is striving to make a huge difference in Kuwait and around the world through charity and voluntary work. KARE activists regularly visit hospitals for children and provide homecare to the aged in several countries around the world, including Kuwait.

The youthful group, headed by its founder Abdulaziz Qamber, also works to enhance awareness about environmental issues. Its activists also visit far flung countries to make their activities known to the world.

“We want our country to be well known. We are doing this not for ourselves, but for our country. We want to tell the world that Kuwait is not just a small country with a sea of oil, but a country ready to help and show compassion for others.

Ours is not a religious or a political group; we are rather an organization ready to help,” Qamber said.

His group has cooperated with other NGOs and visited various hospitals for children in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. They also visited the cancer hospital in Cairo, Egypt and some hospitals around the GCC countries. “Our objective is to show the world that Kuwaiti youth

care, that people in Kuwait care and want to share whatever we have,” he said. Qamber, a mechanical engineer by vocation, has been cooperating with some innovative engineers from Kuwait to improve equipments and tools for people with special needs. They invented a vibration free wheelchair. “Right now, we are in the process of helping people using wheelchairs by reducing the vibration while they are seated in the wheelchair. We found that the wheelchair can be improved and we have already figured out how certain elements (springs) can be added to reduce wheelchair vibration. We can do that for wheelchairs meant for children and adults alike,” he added.

KARE is currently in negotiations with the UNICEF representatives in Egypt to sign an agreement for cooperation to continue their voluntary activities.

KARE accepts volunteers from Kuwait and encourages everyone to be part of it and share their time and effort. “The main issue is about Kuwait - spreading the good word about Kuwait and making us proud to be part of the voluntary work to help people and give something to the world,” he noted. Qamber graduated from the Coventry University in London and is currently working at the KOC as process and mechanical engineer.

Visa transfer suspension - graduates exempted KUWAIT: University graduates, experts and humanitarian cases are to be exempted from the rule to suspend the conversion of visitor visas to work permits, starting from April 1 this year in Kuwait, several local dailies reported yesterday.

The decision became official after a ministerial order (no. 22/2013) to that effect was issued on Monday by Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Thekra Al-Rashidi. The order listed six categories that were to be exempted from the stipulation: peo-

ple with exceptional expertise, people specializing in rare fields, experts, consultants, people with academic qualifications, and humanitarian cases. Still, every application under these categories requires the minister’s approval to

Kuwaiti women impress world society KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Chile, Ecuador and Peru, Reem Al-Khalid, said that Kuwaiti women have impressed the international society with their ideas, highly professional approach and being exceptional in many respects as compared to their counterparts in many other countries.

She said Kuwaiti women have achieved a lot and do not need the typical trappings of political offices to fulfill their ambitions, and added that any Kuwaiti woman was by nature smart and ambitious. Responding to a question about whether she faced any problems in the course of her work being a woman, she said women there were highly respected. She said the people of Chile, Ecuador and Peru respect Kuwait for choosing a woman as its ambassador.

Al-Khalid described the conference of the heads of diplomatic missions as a success and said Kuwait’s political leadership was keen to expand diplomatic relations globally, and with that purpose in view, wanted to build bridges with South America.

In this context, she mentioned the agreements signed by former PM Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad during his visit to Chile which are currently up for implementation. Although, commercial trade between Kuwait and Chile was not up to the required level, yet one of her priorities was to strengthen economic cooperation and improve mutual trade. She said His Highness the Amir has extended an invitation to the Chilean president to visit Kuwait, though the timing of the visit was still to be decided.

Wedding shooting

KUWAIT: Municipality officials holding inspection campaign in various parts of the country yesterday.

KUWAIT: Sources revealed that Ahmadi Governorate Security Director Brig. Maatooq Al-Aslawi has ordered forming a team under the supervision of Ahmadi Assistant Detectives Director Lt Col Salem Murdi and include a number of active officers from Ahmadi governorate to trace shooters in the wedding parties and other occasions.

Coordination was made with Operations

Director Lt. Colonel Faleh Hatheeli by keeping a patrol on standby near every wedding hall at the governorate. The move was in view of last week’s shooting incident, in which a large number of vehicles were damaged in Fahaheel, Ahmadi, Al-Sabahiya and Magaf, with one citizen shot in his neck and another young man injured while sitting near the Al-Kut Complex.

successful. The move was part of the ministry’s efforts to regulate the labour market in the private sector and curb the number of marginal labourers, who are considered largely responsible for the Gulf state’s demographic imbalance.

News

in brief

Interior ministry posts KUWAIT: Five people of general manager rank in the Ministry of Interior will be competing for three vacant posts of Assistant Undersecretaries, sources said. The candidates are General Director of ports Lt. General Faisal Sineen, General Director of immigration detectives Lt. General Abdullah Al-Rasheed, Farwaniya General Director for security Lt. General Abdul Fatteh AlAli, General Director of reform establishments Lt. General Khalid Al-Dayeen and General Director of citizenship and travel documents Lt. General Faisal AlNawaf. Sources said the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Al-Hmoud, will select the three successful candidates next Thursday forwarding their names to the council of ministers for final approval that was expected within a week’s time.

Zubaidi fish weight KUWAIT: Complaints were received from consumers about a large quantity of Zubaidi fish in the market being deliberately stuffed with lead, a heavy metal, in order to increase the weight of the fish. Sources said that some merchants stuff the fish with heavy lead using technology through the mouth of the fish, while the consumer confuses these pellets with fish eggs.

Such dangerous material was making its way through the customs without being noticed. The fish were imported through one of the offices at fish market.

Retailers and sales persons complained about the issue as the consumers were accusing the retailers for cheating. A former secretary of the fishermen’s union, Taher Alsoyan, said it was a very serious issue as those who could smuggle fish stuffed with lead can also similarly smuggle drugs.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

LOCAL kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Addiction to corruption

Co-education ‘a national issue’

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

By Omar Al-Tabtabaei

ducation in Kuwait is mainly a national issue and should not become part of partisan politics, nor should it be used as a bargaining chip by different groups. That is why when lawmakers recently proposed scrapping a law banning co-education, a move that would allow boys and girls to study together in the same institutions, I had thought that all those who claim to be nationalists and advocates of civil progress would support it.

I wanted to wait before writing on this issue till we heard the reaction of nationalist groups to the proposal. It is clear that their position is disappointing, and that the liberal politicians are keeping in view their personal interests and how other groups could gain, instead of taking into account the general interest and the country’s comprehensive development.

They do not wish to see the current parliament that they oppose, to walk away with credit for lifting the ban on co-education. They do no want that the same lawmakers, with whom they disagree, should end up achieving something that they failed to, or, in fact, never accorded any priority.

The moment the emergency decree to change the voting mechanism was announced, there was a window of opportunity to caste aside all reservations and let the Kuwaiti election process again have a democratic face. This was an opportunity that could have been used to stem and reverse process by which religious and tribal groups were able to suppress progressive and democratic movements.

The previous electoral system was a result of a policy based on forgery and coalition between the government on the one hand, and religious and tribal groups on the other. There is no difference between the single vote system and the 25constituencies system from legal or constitutional standpoints - they can both be adjudged constitutional or unconstitutional.

But nationalist groups decided out of naivety to join religious and tribal groups in their opposition against the single -vote system.

Unfortunately, the nationalists are today doing the same when they side with groups who want to promote the ban on co-education. They are ignoring the bold efforts to end this pernicious ban. Some mistakes happen due to inexperience or foolishness. However, the mistakes being committed by democratic forces are so complicated that it makes me strongly believe there must be other motives behind their unreasonable stances. — Al-Qabas

ases of death as a result of overdose saw an increase in recent years, according to official statistics, and it was later discovered that a significant number of victims had died after taking pure drugs that their bodies were not used to. Investigations revealed that drug dealers tend to mix drugs with other powdery substances in order to increase their weight, and subsequently their income. When an addict’s body gets used to a certain minimum dosage provided by the mixed drugs he takes, then a similar dosage of pure drugs would cause him to actually end up consuming an overdose.

This overdose concept can be used as a metaphor to describe the situation of our society which has become addicted to corruption. There is a small corrupt person that society has implanted inside each one of its individual members, and the only thing that can eliminate it is culture. Yes, the very word that intimidates addicts among the opposition and the government alike.

There is no point in sweet talking at a time when we all share the blame for failing to build our nation.

Before you start complaining, I urge you to look around, think carefully of our country’s situation, and most importantly think of the reasons why our country has failed to take a single step forward. You would eventually find out that the reason is our addiction to corruption. From egoism to giving priority to personal interests, breaking laws, ignoring others who do the same, even stealing other people’s posts from Twitter, we are all committing forms of corruption that certainly exceed just theft of public funds.

A majority among the current generation and the one that preceded it has become expert in failure and is addicted to corruption. That is why we find the government and the opposition always looking for something to blame for their failures. We have a weak government that continues to be stubborn, an opposition that changes shape but remains the same in essence, and a people of whom a majority can only talk but do nothing productive. None of them can take part in building the country. And all of us - the government, the opposition and the people - are addicted to corruption one way or another.

The current generation is a victim of the mistakes committed by their predecessors. Our forefathers had planted our land for their children to live in with dignity. Unfortunately, their children destroyed the land that they were supposed to plant for us, so that we could reap the fruits of development. Therefore, it is our destiny to be the victims of the greed of some people of our fathers’ generation.

The current generation was nothing but a field test for the fathers’ generation in the government and the opposition, with no true plans to build the society.

Reform for this generation would be like an overdose that can lead to the termination of the society. I am not calling for giving up our children, but to make sure that our addiction to failure and corruption is not transferred to the future generations.

The solution is very simple, but it needs faith, unselfishness and love for the future generations. Our main goal should be building a new generation capable of achieving what we have failed to accomplish, and create a culture in which they can build their future. This requires good education that can enable them to keep pace with the world’s development. Most importantly, we need to inculcate a culture of respect for the law, value of time, understanding true political reform and true patriotism. We need to make them understand the absolute necessity of diversifying the sources of national income. This is how we can cure the addiction to corruption without making them choke on overdose.— Al-Rai

C

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kuwait digest

Something good about parliament

By Dr Hassan Abbas

T

here is no doubt that the incumbent parliament latter helped them get rid of the remaining debts.

Much like its predecessor, this parliament deprived is quite different from its predecessor, but at the same time shares many traits with it. How can the people from a chance to prosecute lawmakers since, like its predecessor, it that be? refused to lift the immuThis parliament has taken The ‘Family Fund’ law, which also also nity available to MPs as per the same route that its earlier avatar did by undertaking comprised a debt relief scheme, was the court’s request. It also legislative exercise that has based on inaccurate figures of the manipulated constitutional devices, marginalized grilling no scientific or legal basis. It has passed laws just because number of borrowers, defaulters, the motions, and made other these were populist even value of loans that it covered, the empty claims of achieve though they lacked a sense amount of interests that was to be ments that MPs are proud of, just as members of the previof objectivity or any scientific written off, the number of beneficiar- ous parliament were when explanation.

The ‘Family Fund’ law, ies or the quantification of the bur- they tom-tommed their false which also comprised a debt den on the public funds. It failed to accomplishments.

But despite all that, there relief scheme, was based on is one thing singularly good inaccurate figures of the fix accountability for the lapses. about this parliament that number of borrowers, defaulters, the value of loans that it covered, the was not there with the previous one. It is its ability to amount of interests that was to be written off, the contain sectarian and racial tensions that thrived durnumber of beneficiaries or the quantification of the ing the tenure of the earlier parliament.

If for nothing else, we must complement the lawburden on the public funds. It failed to fix accountability for the lapses. Instead, it has made it virtually makers for helping reduce social tensions and avoidmorally obligatory upon those who were to repay ing sectarian incitement that we have been suffering their debts to now ‘return the favor’ to MPs since the from for so long. — Al-Rai

kuwait digest

Co-education ‘controversy’

By Dr Shamlan Al-Essa

M

embers of Parliament Maasouma Mubarak, Salah Al-Ateeqi, Abdulhameed Dashti, Adnan AlMutawaa and Nabil Al-Fadhl submitted their proposal to scrap a clause banning co-education in the higher education regulation law. They said that implementation of this particular provision in the law was harming the education process. Also, they questioned the rationale behind segregating sexes when they mingle freely in markets, shops and workplaces in public and private sector.

These MPs will be remembered in Kuwait’s modern history for their courage and their keenness to rescue the country. They, with their progressive proposal, found it in the country’s interest to change this bad law.

They diagnosed our illnesses, contradictions and hypocrisy by demanding scrapping of the segregation law, passed in 1996 and applicable in the university. Political Islam groups, headed by those opposing the MPs’ proposal, are committing a big mistake in the name of religion. They are trying to deny the progress in the field of human rights, and women rights in particular, just as they deny the achievements of modernity in the form of scientific advancement in all fields. Their attempt to keep female students from getting in touch with their male counterparts is nothing but a declaration of war against the spirit of the times.

National Assembly MPs who belong to political Islam groups - both Sunni and Shiite who opposed the scrapping of the segregation clause - do not differentiate between democracy as being just a formal mechanism that includes proposals, elections, voting etc, and democracy as an integrated culture, as a philosophy and a way of life.

They do not understand that democracy cannot be separated from modernity and development. This was clear from the statement of MP Khalid Al-Shulaimi who saw his colleagues’ proposal as spreading vice, destroying virtue and damaging the Sunna people’s belief. He said he and his associates will work to block this proposal, even if it were to be at the expense of dissolving the assembly. Such talk indicates that the MP does not believe in democracy, and has not respect for concepts like justice, equality and respect for law and human rights - all products of democracy. Some people are looking at this proposal as a bargaining chip to trade in religion, garner profits, cheat the public and collect huge amounts of money, while pretending falsely that they are religious.

Politicizing religion in our country has reached its zenith.

Religion is being used as a vehicle to achieve personal goals by some people with so much audacity that MP Khalid AlShulaimi can accuse his colleagues, as we said, of spreading corruption and destroying the Sunna virtue.

The MP’s focus on Sunna is an attempt to drive a wedge between these respected MPs who mooted the proposal and religious and sectarian groups, just as was the case with Europe where crimes were committed in the name of Christianity.

Opponents of co-education system will now oppose the proposal and focus on religion, claiming themselves to be the clergy and declaring who was truly religious. This issue will stir a wave of takfeer and anti-takfeer, and the MPs who mooted the proposal will face all kinds of accusations. All civil and democratic forces must support the MPs’ proposal and reject the rigid thinking, because it was no longer acceptable to continue with the policy of appeasement at the expense of the interests of the country. —Al-Watan

kuwait digest

Mobile jam at govt offices

By Saad Al-Muattash

T

he Ministry of Commerce and Industry has advertised a telephone number for consumers to lodge their complaints regarding inflated prices and cheating in commerce, but it has not provided us with any number to complain against ministry’s erring employees.

Last Tuesday, I remember the Director for Traffic, Lt Gen Mustafa Al-Zaabi, saying that the traffic jams were sometimes good because of two reasons. The first was that they helped reduce the speed of cars and the second that the vehicle drivers could now use their mobiles without causing traffic accidents.

I recalled this statement of the Director of Traffic when I witnessed an argument between a citizen and some employees of the Ministry of Commerce at the Liberation Tower. He told the department head that his file was incomplete but was told that he had not asked the concerned employee to add a specific paragraph to the file.

The citizen countered by telling her that the employee was busy on her mobile and asked him to go away and wait. The citizen complained that just because he obeyed the state’s employee, he was now being told why he did not ask her to add the particular paragraph, but if he had not obeyed her, he would have been accused of not abiding by the instructions of an official? “In both the cases, you do not admit your mistakes,” he said.

I really wish that Lt. Genl Dr Al-Zaabi changes his statement and ideas about traffic jams and tells the Minister of Commerce that the Liberation Tower has become “The Tower of Complications,” thanks to the mobiles of the ministry employees. At the government offices, where people’s sufferings should be alleviated, these mobiles are causing a much more serious traffic jam. This jam at the state’s offices was more serious than the one witnessed routinely at the Jamal Abdul Nasser Street during peak hours. May Allah bless those who make other people’s official work easy and clear their files expeditiously, and reserves a special place in hell for those who complicate matters forcing the citizens to resort to wasta—Al-Anbaa

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

LOCAL

US embassy honors Jawad Bukhamseen KUWAIT: On Sunday, Charge d’Affaires Michael J. Adler and US Deputy Assistant Secretar y of Commerce Holly Vineyard presented Jawad Bukhamseen, Chairman of Bukhamseen Group Holding Company with the US Commerce Department’s Achievement in Trade Award. This special award recognizes organizations that have contributed greatly to growth in trade between the US and Kuwait.

“This award highlights the role of commercial cooperation in strengthening bilateral ties.

Bukhamseen Group Holding Company has brought multiple US brands to Kuwait-brands that remind Americans of home and whose presence links our countries together,” Charge Adler said.

“It is an honor for me to take part in tonight’s

event at which we also acknowledge Chairman Jawad Bukhamseen’s life story of remarkable accomplishment, overcoming challenges, and contributions to the strong friendship between Kuwait and the United States.”

“I would like to congratulate Bukhamseen Group Holding Company on its accomplishments and its significant, long-term contributions to advancing US-Kuwait trade,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Vineyard.

“I am honored and pleased to receive this award from the US Department of Commerce. Within the many nominations and awards I have received in my line of business to date, this one is of particular significance to me, both as a Kuwaiti and as a businessman. It is particularly significant, because it is

coming from a friendly country whose excellent relations with the State of Kuwait go back more than 60 years,” said Bukhamseen.

The US Department of Commerce’s Achievement in Trade Award recognizes foreign business partners and organizations that create opportunities for trade by working with the Department’s US Commercial Service to support US export development.

Bukhamseen Group Holding Company, headquartered in Kuwait, has grown from being a family business into a full-fledged institution with interests in several economic sectors. In 1957, Jawad Ahmed Bukhamseen, a pioneering Kuwaiti businessman, founded the company which has transformed into a large group with presence in Kuwait and through-

out the Middle East region. The Group operates in many sectors such as financial investment, banking, hospitality, travel and tourism, industrial production, media, and consultancy services in major development projects. In 1977, the company signed the first Holiday Inn Hotel in the Middle East, and later signed Kuwait’s Crowne Plaza.

Bukhamseen has plans to build a wholly-owned Grand Hyatt Hotel and Towers complex, which is designed to be a 7-star hotel.

With its network of offices across the US and in more than 70 countries, the US Commercial Service utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help match US companies selling their products and services with international buyers.

Rights group praises Kuwait bedoon move

Health minister opens new clinic KUWAIT: Minister of Health Mohammad AlHaifi on Monday opened Ali Sabah Al-Salem Area’s Health Center specializing in primary health care.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the new center in Ali Sabah Al-Salem Suburb in Ahmadi Governorate, the minister hailed the clinic as giving a quantum leap in primary health care centers nationwide and providing better medical services to citizens and expatriates.

He said the center was a wonderful example for developed primary health care services in different governorates in the country.

He affirmed that the Ministry of Health was going ahead with its efforts to provide better health services in line with the political leadership’s vision and support for health programs.

The new health center will serve Ali Sabah Al-Salem Suburb and the vicinity where motorists pass while driving to camps and chalets, where car accidents are on the increase, the minister said.

The ministry’s vision for medical care is not restricted to the construction of new facilities

or procurement of modern equipment, but it includes personnel training as well, he boasted.

Also addressing the opening ceremony, Al-Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim AlDuaij Al-Sabah stressed the significance of the new clinic as lying between two main roads; King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Highway and King Fahad Bin Abdulaziz Highway, which link Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The importance of the health center also stems from the fact that it is near the area of camps, farms and chalets, the governor pointed out.

He hailed the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health to provide better medical services and to develop its health facilities nationwide.

For his part, Chief of Ahmadi Governorate Primary Health Care Department Dr. Fahad AlAzmi said primary health care is the core element for providing medication to patients; including preventive services, vaccination and clinics. The two-floor new medical facility is working round the clock through four shifts, he added. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Activist group Human Rights Watch praised the Kuwaiti government for granting citizenship to 4,000 stateless Arabs but said more needs to be done to better protect the rights of more than 100,000 bedoons in the Gulf state. Forty-three MPs voted in favour of a bill last week to grant citizenship to 4,000 stateless people. In order to take effect, the law must now be signed by the Emir of Kuwait.

“While this bill is a welcome step, the Kuwaiti government must intensify its efforts to find a lasting solution for all the bedoon in the country,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “ The bedoon’s human rights must be upheld without discrimination, in particular

their rights to health, education and work.

“The absence of policies to resolve the plight of the bedoon, rooted in human rights standards, is a stain on the country’s international reputation. It deprives thousands of bedoon families of their basic political, economic and social rights and bars them from contributing fully to Kuwaiti society,” he added.

Kuwait, home to an estimated 180,000 bidoon, set up a committee in November 2010 promising some rights to bedoon, such as identification papers and access to public education. However, local reports said only 16,000 citizenship applications had been approved in the last 20 years.

Sheikh Ahmad Al Humoud Al Sabah, the interior minister, said last year it would start to

Wisdom of Amir extolled DOHA: Kuwait’s ambassador to Qatar Ali Salman Al-Haifi said here yesterday that participation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the 24th Arab Summit and his wisdom and long political history will push forward its deliberations to come up with tangible recommendations.

The ambassador said HH the Amir’s vision and rich experience would enrich the Arab visions towards issues on the summit’s agenda. He recalled HH the Amir’s hosting of the economic summit in 2009 saying that the Amir has always been keen on the wellfare of Arab peoples and his belief that economy is the best way for the success of the joint Arab action. He pointed out the initiative of His Highness the Amir in the economic summit reflected his determination to push the joint Arab action to wider horizons by supporting and encouraging small and medium enterprises with a capital of $2billion “as he ordered to provide $500 million to activate the launch of this developmental initiative”. — KUNA

Call for mini-Arab summit welcomed DOHA: Arab League Secretary General Dr Nabil El-Arabi welcomed yesterday the proposal by the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to hold a mini-Arab summit in Cairo to directly supervise the conclusion of Palestinian national reconciliation. The Palestinian issue has always been the core of the Middle East conflict, El-Arabi told the 24th Arab summit, which opened in Doha earlier today. He added that it is no longer acceptable to be involved in fruitless

negotiations or accepting to negotiate initiatives dealing with marginal and partial issues to waste time and perpetuate settlement and occupation without seriously addressing the essence of the conflict. El-Arabi praised Palestine’s achievement at the UN General Assembly in November as it was granted an observer non-member status at the international organization, saying that it is a success that should be built on in order for Palestine to be recognized as a state

under occupation.

He hailed the ongoing building process in a number of Arab countries to achieve peoples’ aspirations in freedom and democratic change, highlighting Tunisia and Egypt as two countries on the path to build democratic regimes despite difficulties and obstacles. The secretary general welcomed the national dialogue in Yemen as a step towards the full implementation of the Gulf initiative and its mechanisms. He also pointed

to Libya where a national congress was elected and a government was formed to manage the transition and restore security and stability and draft a constitution.

He stressed that the Arab League is in continuous contacts with the State of Qatar and the African Union to support peace and development in Sudan and the Darfur region, urging the memer states to participate in the Darfur donors conference, due to be held in Doha on April 7 and 8. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored a carnival organized by the Universal American School recently.

naturalise some of its bedoon following repeated protests, which were broken up by water cannon and tear gas during the Arab Spring.

Saleh Al Fadhalah, who heads the government’s central agency for illegal residents, said as many as 34,000 stateless people could qualify for citizenship.

Kuwait has long claimed the bidoon have destroyed their original passports to claim Kuwaiti citizenship, which would allow them to claim the Gulf state’s generous welfare benefits.

In a bid to force the bedoon, often descendants of desert nomads, to produce original nationality papers, Kuwait has refused to issue essential documents to most of them, including birth, marriage and death certificates.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

LOCAL

MNP ‘a good news’ for consumers in Kuwait Mobile Number Portability KUWAIT: With the imminent launch of Mobile Number Portability in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti mobile market is about to pass a major milestone in telecommunications development and liberalization. After repeated delays, the Ministry of Communications is resolutely pushing for the implementation of MNP, with a target launch in the summer of 2013. Bearing in mind that half of GCC countries and the vast majority of developed countries have already implemented MNP, Kuwait is not an early adopter. However, despite the delay, MNP will bring a much needed wave of consumer choice.

Consumers will no longer have to relinquish their mobile numbers if they choose to switch among operators. In effect, this could open the door for many subscribers, who until now were staying put for fear of losing their number, to leave operators without looking back.

While MNP is clearly good news to consumers and businesses in Kuwait, its impact depends greatly on how it is implemented. Indeed, it is important to note that the impact of MNP in the markets that have implemented it has varied greatly, depending on the fluidity and cost of the number porting process as perceived by customers. In some markets as many as 30 percent of mobile subscribers switched providers in the wake of MNP launch, while others saw virtually none budging. For MNP to have a lasting effect in Kuwait and help take the industry to a new level of healthy competition and service innovation, the Ministry of Communications, along with all stakeholders, must insure that a straightforward and affordable porting process is

in place.

As for mobile operators, the imminent launch of MNP in Kuwait signals that the name of the game going forward will be a flawless focus on the customer and the best possible customer experience. They should regard MNP as an opportunity to up their game and give customers reasons to stick around beyond attachment to numbers and a penchant for lower tariffs. The hope for operators is that they can turn subscribers from mere opportunistic or functional users into emotionally involved advocates who are attached to the brand and the services and who do not hesitate to recommend them to their social and business networks.

To get the customer experience right, mobile operators need to revamp their value proposition into a holistic experience centered on customer needs. Granted, most operators have been trying to adapt their identities and position themselves as innovative brands that customers can relate to emotionally. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg; customer experience goes well beyond customer segmentation and branding elements. It includes all business areas, stretches into all customer touch points and covers every stage of the customer journey: from customer acquisition and service usage, to billing and customer care, and into retention.

It involves intimately studying the behavior and purchasing habits of customers, and mapping their evolving needs into the operational DNA and culture of the company. During customer acquisition, this can translate into specifically tailored offerings and

welcome packages; and of course a satisfactory buying experience in all direct, indirect or virtual channels. In subsequent phases of the customer lifecycle, a positive customer experience builds on a reliable network, appealing promotions to target segments, and all-important customer care. In parallel, the customer experience must be mirrored internally through the right culture, systems, processes, people and operating structure. For culture in particular, enhancing customer experience spans putting in place the right motivators, incentive schemes, and staff development models to ensure people know what they need to focus on and are rewarded for doing so.

All in all, getting customer experience right is certainly not a simple task, but the incremental value is real and proven. Experience shows that operators benefit by reducing churn levels and prolonging customer tenure; customer experience excellence also provides an opportunity for additional revenues through usage stimulation, leading to a higher customer willingness to consume new services, and a powerful word of mouth effect. In the US alone, the impact of customer experience enhancement on mobile operators’ revenues was estimated at $1.3 billion in 2011.With the impending implementation of MNP in Kuwait, the case for achieving customer experience excellence is particularly compelling.

Unless operators in Kuwait start adapting internally and externally, they may soon start to see their subscriber bases and revenues thinning, to the advantage of those who understand the importance of customer experience.

Kuwait donates $500,000 to Global Fund GENEVA: Head of Kuwait’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Ambassador Dharar A. Razzooqi yesterday asserted that Kuwait’s voluntary aid and financial contribution of $500,000 to the Global Fund is dedicated to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Ambassador stressed the significance of such donation in continuing vital projects established by the Global Fund, which mainly focuses on fighting diseases in Islamic countries, particularly diseases that have become immune to treatment.

Razzooqi added that such critical stage requires new investments and methods in fighting such diseases, including projects that cost trillions of dollars to produce the best treatment.

The Kuwaiti representative noted as well that such donation does not interfere with other contributions by Kuwait to similar organizations, such as the World Health Organizations. The Global Fund relies on voluntary financial contributions from all sectors of society, governments, private sector, social enterprises, philanthropic foundations and individuals. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored the 2nd Regional Conference on E-Learning that took place recently in Kuwait. The picture shows CBK Advertisement and Public Relations Assistant Manager Amani Al-Waraa receiving a commemorative plaque from Minister of Information Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah who patronized the event.

Kuwaiti MPs promote human rights at IPU meeting QUITO, Ecuador: Parliaments should protect the interests of the public by standing up against all types of violations to human rights, said a Kuwaiti MP here yesterday.

MP Yaqoub Al-Sanea, addressing a meeting on the sideline of an IPU (Inter-parliamentary Union) conference being held here today, urged the IPU to effectuate sternly policies that discredit with no uncertain terms all practices that result in violating the basic political, social, legal, or cultural rights of people anywhere.

He cited in that regard the plight of the Palestinian people whose basic human rights are constantly being trampled on by an oppressive, dominating force in the Palestinian territories.

After a similar sideline meeting, Kuwaiti chief of Arab staff at parliaments Allam al-Kaneri told reporters that administrative issues pertaining to improving the work

done by parliamentary staffs were discussed, including the pressing need for competent interpreters at international parliamentary meetings such as at the IPU. In a similar sideline meeting for female parliamentarians, Kuwaiti MP Maasouma al-Mubarak sought to underline the issue of children and women’s protection in regions of conflict and political turmoil.

She said though children and women do not instigate wars and armed struggles, they end up paying a higher price than others, noting that two thirds of armed conflicts’ victims are more often than not women and children.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s ambassador to Chile and nonresident plenipotentiary to Ecuador Reem al-Khalid held dinner banquet to the Kuwaiti lawmakers taking part in the 128th Inter-parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU) in Quito. — KUNA

KUWAIT: In honour of the late President of Bangladesh Md. Zillur Rahman, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Kuwait opened a condolence book. A number of diplomats and Kuwaiti dignitaries signed the condolence book on March 24 and 25.

Woman held for torturing children KUWAIT: A woman was taken into custody on accusations of torturing her four children at their Farwaniya home.

Police reached the house with a warrant that was issued following investigations after information was received about a Kuwaiti woman using different ways to torture her children. She was arrested after police found burn marks inflicted by exposure to caustic material on the skin of a child. Her other three children also complained that their mother usually forces them to wake up by spraying cold water on them in their sleep. The woman was taken to the proper authorities to face charges of negligence in child rearing, while procedures were on to provide shelter to her children.

Ship accident averted An accident was averted near the Shuwaikh Port on Monday when a cargo ship captain managed to stop the vessel just meters away from the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation building. According to a report in the AlWatan newspaper, the captain had lost control over the ship as it was preparing to dock at the Shuwaikh Port, which caused it to continue moving towards the nearby KPC building. He eventually managed to stop it in time by using the anchor. An investigation is expected to be opened into the incident.

Armed intruder A woman who did not have an ID required to enter a building brandished a gun to intimidate security personnel at a Shuwaikh college on Monday before escaping. According to the police report, the suspect was denied access to the telecommunications institute of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training when she failed to produce an ID. The woman, identified later as a Kuwaiti in her twenties, then pointed a gun at the security personnel and threatened to shoot if she was stopped. She soon escaped after security personnel refused to yield. The woman reportedly wanted to meet a friend who was summoned for investigations through which police identified the suspect.

Infant found dead Investigations were on to determine the circumstances behind the death of a newborn whose body was found on Monday in Sabah Al-Salem.

Police and paramedics headed to a location outside a college run by Public Authority for Applied Education and Training from where the case was reported. They found a dead body of a baby girl which was taken to the forensic department for an autopsy after criminal investigators examined the scene. Detectives were trying to identify the suspects who left the

infant outside the wall of the college.

Car theft Two men decamped with a Kuwaiti man’s car after brutally assaulting his driver in Al-Qurain. According to the police report, the suspects forced the driver to stop by hitting his car from behind. One of them alighted from their vehicle and physically assaulted the driver, pulling him out. This suspect then drove away with the vehicle while his accomplice ran over the Asian driver. Thus, both fled the scene in separate vehicles. The driver was hospitalized and diagnosed with multiple fractures and contusions. A case was filed.

Second wife charged A woman pressed charges against her husband’s second wife and accused her of attempting to kill her daughter with overdose of a medication. The girl, who reportedly lives with her father, was recently hospitalized after she fell sick. She was diagnosed as suffering from complications arising out of an overdose of medication. Her mother, who reportedly lives in a separate hospital, filed a case at the Riqqa police station later, accusing her husband’s second wife of attempting to kill her daughter by putting the drugs in her food or drinks.

Investigations were on.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Abducted Israeli, Norwegian set free

Russian teen ‘flees US adopters back to grandma’ Page 9

Page 8

WASHINGTON: Same-sex marriage supporters shout slogans in front of the US Supreme Court yesterday in Washington, DC. The US Supreme Court takes up the emotionally charged issue of gay marriage as it considers arguments that it should make history and extend equal rights to same-sex couples. Waving US and rainbow flags, hundreds of gay marriage supporters braved the cold to rally outside the court along with a smaller group of opponents, some pushing strollers. — AFP

US court cautious on gay marriage Supreme Court grounds packed on first day WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court treaded cautiously yesterday as it considered gay marriage, with justices appearing hesitant to deliver a sweeping historic verdict on the emotionally charged issue. On a day long awaited by both sides of the debate, thousands of gay rights advocates descended on the Supreme Court, many waving US and rainbow flags, outnumbering a rally of religious activists opposed to same-sex marriage.

The Court will take months to issue a ruling.

But the majority of the justices lean conservative and several indicated that the court would be in no hurry to extend the right to same-sex marriage to the entire country.

“It seems to me we have an institution and you don’t have to include everybody,” Chief Justice John Roberts, who is generally consid-

ered a conservative, said during the first of two days of arguments.

Justice Samuel Alito, also a conservative, said the court needs to be cautious about same-sex unions as marriage “is essential for the preservation of society.”

Pundits closely watched comments from Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is often seen as the swing vote on the nine-judge bench.

Kennedy appeared to question the breadth of the case, playing down calls for a sweeping ruling. But he also voiced concern for the rights of children of same-sex couples, saying they want full recognition for their parents.

Nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage. Some rights advocates hope that the Supreme Court will pave the way to guarantee gay marriage across the

United States, sidestepping legislative fights.

The top court is hearing two cases. The first concerns the constitutionality of Proposition 8, in which California voters in 2008 ended the right to same-sex marriage in the nation’s most populous state. Theodore Olson, a prominent lawyer who is leading the charge for same-sex marriage, declined to predict how the court would rule from the justices’ comments. Olson said that justices could issue a “very broad, sweeping conclusion with respect to the rights of our citizens” or issue a narrower decision that pertains only to California.

Sandy Stier, one of plaintiffs in the case, said that the voters’ referendum had hurt her family by invalidating her marriage. She and her partner, Kris Perry, have four sons.

“I, like all Americans, believe in equality. I

Italian court orders new trial for Knox ROME: Italy’s highest criminal court ordered a whole new trial for Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend yesterday, overturning their acquittals in the gruesome slaying of her British roommate. The move extended a prolonged legal battle that has become a cause celebre in the United States and raised a host of questions about how the next phase of Italian justice would play out.

Knox, now a 25-year-old University of Washington student in Seattle, called the decision by the Rome-based Court of Cassation “painful” but said she was confident that she would be exonerated. The American left Italy a free woman after her 2011 acquittal - but only after serving nearly four years of a 26-year prison sentence from a lower court that convicted her of murdering Meredith Kercher.

The 21-year-old British exchange student’s body was found in November 2007 in a pool of blood in the bedroom of a rented house the two shared in the Italian university town of Perugia. Her throat had been slit.

Raffaele Sollecito, Knox’s Italian boyfriend at the time, was also convicted, sentenced and later acquitted. It could be months before a date is set for a fresh appeals court trial for Knox and Sollecito in Florence, which was chosen because Perugia has only one appellate court.

Italian law cannot compel Knox to return

Amanda Knox for the new trial and one of her lawyers, Carlo Dalla Vedova, said she had no plans to do so. “She thought that the nightmare was over,” Dalla Vedova told reporters on the steps of the courthouse. “(But) she’s ready to fight.”

He spoke minutes after relaying the top court’s decision to Knox by phone shortly after 2 am local time in Seattle.

Another Knox defender, Luciano Ghirga, was gearing up psychologically for his client’s third trial. Ghirga said he told Knox: “You have always been our strength. We rose up again after the firstlevel convictions. We’ll have the same

resoluteness, the same energy” in the new trial.

Still, it was a tough blow for the former exchange student, whose parents have had to mortgage both their homes to raise funds for her lengthy, expensive defense. “It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution’s theory of my involvement in Meredith’s murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair,” Knox said in a statement.

Knox said the matter must now be examined by “an objective investigation and a capable prosecution.” “No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity,” Knox said.

Prosecutors alleged that Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex game gone awry. Knox and Sollecito denied wrongdoing and said they weren’t even in the apartment that night, although they acknowledged they had smoked marijuana and their memories were clouded. An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the Kercher slaying in a separate proceeding and is serving a 16-year sentence. — AP

also believe in our judicial system and I have great faith in it. But more than anything, I believe in love,” Stier said on the steps of the Supreme Court.

“It is our hope that we can move forward and remove this harm from society so that gays and lesbians in California can go back to their lives living equally alongside their neighbors with the same rights and protections as everyone else,” she said.

Today, the court will consider the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law which defines marriage as an act between a man and woman. The star plaintiff in that case is Edie Windsor, 83, who had to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes when her partner of more than 40 years, Thea Spyer, whom she had married in Canada in 2007, died in 2009. Under the law,

the surviving member of a heterosexual married couple is exempt from such taxes. Outside the Supreme Court protesters from both sides of the debate set out their positions. One demonstrator dressed in pink and danced to music of Lady Gaga, the superstar singer and supporter of gay rights.

Among opponents, protesters pushed strollers and chanted: “Every child deserves a mom and dad.” Opinion polls have repeatedly indicated that most Americans accept the principle of same-sex marriage, including an overwhelming majority of younger Americans.

President Barack Obama-who last May became the first US president to publicly back gay marriage-restated his support for it on Monday through a Twitter account managed in his name by an advocacy group. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

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

Iraq campaigns kick off, with often bizarre posters BAGHDAD: Baghdad and much of Iraq has been plastered with posters, ranging from the ordinary to the bizarre, of election candidates vying for voters’ attention ahead of provincial elections next month. Judging by the slogans and appeals on many of the posters, analysts and commentators note, Iraqi political campaigning still has a long way to go, with most making no mention of ideology or policies and many not even featuring the candidate running for office.

For one of his election posters, erected in a town south of Baghdad, Salam Kurdi Abboud is depicted in traditional attire-clad in the dishdasha, the long robe worn in the Gulf, and keffiyeh, or chequered scarf.

Across the poster runs text in Arabic relating one salient detail: Salam Kurdi Abboud is dead. The poster is asking voters to cast their ballots for his widow, Sausen Abduladhaim Ahmed, a member of the secular Sunni-backed Iraqiya blocbut her face does not appear anywhere on the poster.

There is more of the same further afield of the capital. In Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, parliament member Aytab al-Duri, stands clad in a black abaya, or full-length female robe, her hand placed across her heart.

Next to her stands her husband, and

the poster reads, “The candidate, Karim Khalaf Mohammed Hussein is the husband of the MP Dr Aytab al-Duri,” but makes no reference to any of his credentials or policies.

“These posters reflect the quality of the candidates,” laments Yasir alMussawi, a Baghdad-based journalist, reflecting widely-held frustration with Iraq’s politicians. “If these are their campaigns-naivete coupled with ineptitudejust imagine what they will be like in office.” Another Baghdad resident, 36year-old defence ministry employee Ali Adnan, complains that candidates in Iraq are elected “by proxy”. “They want to create political families, all at the expense of voters,” he says.

After decades of dictatorship, conflict and sanctions, Iraq has held several elections since the 2003 US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein. Its first free polls were held in January 2005, with voters choosing representatives to write the country’s constitution, and most recently, Iraq held parliamentary elections in March 2010.

On April 20, it will hold provincial polls in 12 of its 18 provinces, but parties still rarely clash on ideological grounds, and instead typically look to appeal to voters with similar tribal, ethnic or sectarian backgrounds. Other posters look

to establish candidates’ credibility by linking them-at least on campaign paraphernalia-to well-known politicians such as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, even if they have never met them.

One candidate in Babil province south of Baghdad, Ismail Khalil al-Obeidi, hopes to trade off his reputation as a former player for Iraq’s national football squad, and features his nickname, “the fast bird”. His poster features him playing football, but in an Inter Milan jersey-a team for which he has never played.

“This is all a result of a big problem in the political process,” complains Tareq alMaamuri, a lawyer and political analyst, who argues that Iraq still lacks an understanding of modern election campaigning.

“This has led to disrespected figures being elected into office which has, in turn, eroded confidence in the electoral process.” So while posters on the streets present candidates as studious and hard-working, Iraqis on social networking websites such as Twitter mercilessly mock candidates. In one instance, a poster features a female candidate wearing an abaya whose face is obscured by a halo, with one commentator writing, “Vote for the amazing woman who no one has seen!”

Other candidates have featured as their

BAGHDAD: Iraqis walk past the electoral campaign poster of a candidate running in the upcoming provincial elections in Baghdad yesterday. Baghdad and much of Iraq has been plastered with posters, ranging from the ordinary to the bizarre, of election candidates vying for voters’ attention ahead of provincial elections next month. — AFP slogan, “My province comes first.” However, in Arabic, removing one letter from the word for province turns it into the word for

wallet, a fact that has not escaped Iraqi Facebook users’ notice in a country where corruption is rampant. —AFP

Bomb kills 2 politicians in northern Baghdad Total of 11 election candidates killed

SINAI: An Israeli Arab tourist identified as Amir Omar Hassan (L) and a Norwegian tourist (no name given), who were kidnapped by armed Bedouin tribesmen, sit in a car outside a police station in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula following their release early yesterday. An Israeli man and a Norwegian woman kidnapped by armed Bedouin tribesmen in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula four days ago were set free, state news agency MENA said. — AFP

Abducted Israeli, Norwegian set free EL-ARISH: An Israeli and a Norwegian tourist abducted last week by Bedouin gunmen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula were released early yesterday, security officials said.

The tourists were seized last Friday along a main road in Sinai and were held in the peninsula’s desolate mountainous Gabal-Maghara area. According to earlier reports, a taxi driver told police he was driving the two to the popular Red Sea diving site of Dahab when gunmen ambushed his vehicle and seized them.

After the two - an Israeli man and a Norwegian woman - were set free, they were taken to police headquarters in the city of el-Arish near the border with Israel and Gaza, the officials said.

The woman was identified by Nor wegian media and the NTB news agency as Ingvild Selvik Ask, 31. Israeli media identified the man as Amir Hassan from the northern Arab-Israeli city Nazareth.

Following the abduction, authorities negotiated with the kidnappers who demanded the release of a cousin suspected of involvement in the killing of policemen. The kidnappers were given assurances that authorities would look into their demand, said the Egyptian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson confirmed the release and said the Israeli tourist was on his way to Cairo. It wasn’t immediately clear when he would return to Israel.

In Norway, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide thanked the Egyptians, saying he was “happy and relieved” at the Norwegian tourist’s release. “The cooperation with Egyptian authorities has been excellent and we owe them gratitude for the happy ending to this matter,” he said.

Egypt’s private ONTV channel aired an interview with the Norwegian tourist after her release. She said that she was treated well. “It has been difficult but I am so happy ... for going back to Norway and my family,” she told the TV, and added: “We have been very well treated.”

During the interview, the Israeli tourist shielded his face and did not speak.

Tourists have been targeted in the past by Bedouins in Sinai seeking to pressure police to free detained relatives. They are typically not held long and are released unharmed.

Earlier this month, a British couple were kidnapped and held briefly by Bedouins who demanded release of their detained relative arrested and accused of smuggling weapons from Libya to Egypt.

Sinai’s local Bedouin population is largely resentful of the central government in Cairo because of years of discrimination, marginalization and heavy-handed security sweeps under Egypt’s former autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak. Many live on smuggling of weapons, drugs and human trafficking. Egypt’s northern Sinai region and border areas with Israel and Gaza have plunged into lawlessness and are also believed to be strongholds of Islamic extremists. — AP

TUNIS: A woman waves the Tunisian flag as she flashes the sign for victory at the opening of the World Social Forum (WSF) yesterday, in Tunis. More than two years after the Jasmine revolution, tens of thousands of people are expected for the WSF, dubbed the forum of “dignity”, a watchword of the Tunisian uprising that inspired revolts across the Arab world. — AFP

KIRKUK: A bomb tore through an armour-plated car near a disputed town north of Baghdad yesterday, killing two election candidates and badly hurting a town mayor, weeks before Iraq’s first vote since 2010.

The blast in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, which also killed a bodyguard and wounded another, brings to 11 the number of candidates in the provincial council elections who have been killed.

Mayor Shallah Abdul, council chief Abdulqader Naimi and Salaheddin provincial councillor Rashid Khorshid had been travelling together to inspect a road paving project north of the town when the bomb went off close to their armour-plated car.

Naimi and Khorshid, both candidates in provincial elections due to be held on April 20, were killed, and Abdul was badly wounded and transported to a hospital in nearby Kirkuk city, capital of the eponymous province that neighbours Salaheddin.

“What happened today is a terrorist operation,” Kirkuk provincial governor Najim al-Din Omar Karim said. “They were targeting the democratic process, as we are close to elections.” Referring to a wide variety of political disputes in Iraqbetween Arabs and Kurds, and within the national unity government itself-Karim added, “as long as the problems continue, the terrorist groups will reflect these differences by carrying out criminal activity.”

A total of 11 election candidates have been killed, according to an AFP tally, and authorities have already postponed the polls in two large provinces, throwing into doubt the credibility of the vote, Iraq’s first since March 2010 parlia-

mentary elections.

The attack is likely to raise tensions in the town which is at the centre of a years-long row that politicians have warned threatens civil war.

Tuz Khurmatu, home to about 110,000 Arabs, Kurds and Shiite Turkmen, lies 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of Baghdad at the centre of a tract of disputed territory claimed by both the mostly-Arab government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region.

The dispute is often cited by officials and diplomats as the biggest long-term threat to Iraq’s stability.

The establishment in September of the federal Tigris Operations Command, which covers disputed northern territory, drew an angry response from Kurdish leaders and increased tensions with the federal government.

Then on November 16, a firefight broke out during an attempt

by Iraqi forces to arrest a Kurdish man in the town.

One person was killed and others were wounded, further worsening relations between Baghdad and Kurdistan as both sides deployed reinforcements.

The crisis, which Iraq’s parliament speaker warned could lead to civil war, has since eased, but the dispute over territory remains unresolved. Violence elsewhere in Iraq on Tuesday left one person killed and eight others wounded, officials said, as the country grapples with a spike in unrest 10 years since a USled invasion ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

A total of 230 people have been killed so far this month, according to an AFP tally, already more than in February. — AFP

KIRKUK: Najm al-Din Omar Karim (L), governor of Kirkuk, visits Tuz Khurmatu mayor Shallah Abdul as the latter receives treatment at a hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk after being wounded in a bomb blast yesterday. A powerful bomb tore through an armoured car near the disputed town of Tuz Khurmatu, north of Baghdad, killing two officials and wounding Abdul, weeks ahead of Iraq’s first polls since 2010. — AFP

US training Syrian moderates in Jordan WASHINGTON: For months now, the United States has been training secular Syrian fighters in Jordan with the goal of bolstering the array of forces battling President Bashar Assad’s regime while at the same time strengthening the hand of moderates among the country’s fractured opposition, American and foreign officials said. They said the effort is ongoing.

The training has been taking place since late last year at an unspecified location, concentrating largely on Sunnis and tribal Bedouins who formerly served as members of the Syrian army, officials told The Associated Press. The forces aren’t members of the leading rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, they said.

The US and others fear the growing role of extremist militia groups in the rebel ranks, including some linked to al-Qaeda.

Officials said the operation is being run by US intelligence. But those in Washington stressed that the US was only providing nonlethal aid at this point, stopping shor t of a step that is being increasingly advocated by lawmakers in Congress but which the Obama administration opposes.

Others such as Britain and France are involved, officials added, though it’s unclear whether any Western government is providing materiel or other direct military support after two years of civil war that, according to the United

Nations, already has killed more than 70,000 people.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the program. Officially, the Obama administration has been vague on the subject of what type of military training it may be providing, while insisting that it is doing all it can short of providing weapons to the rebels or engaging in its own military intervention - to hasten the demise of the Assad family’s fourdecade dictatorship.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday the US has “provided some logistical nonlethal support that has also come in handy for the Syrian rebels who are, again, fighting a regime that is not hesitating to use the military might of that regime against its own people.

“That is something we’re going to continue to work to bring to an end,” he told reporters. It’s unclear what effect the training has had in the conflict. It has become a quagmire, with Assad’s regime unable to snuff out the rebellion and Syria’s opposition incapable thus far of delivering any serious blow to the ruling government ’s grip on Damascus and control over much of the country.

Some of the Syrians the US is involved with are in turn training other Syrians inside the country, officials said. They declined to provide more information because

they said that would go too deep into intelligence matters. Defense Department officials insisted the Pentagon isn’t involved with any military training or arms provisions to the Syrian rebels, either directly or indirectly. The CIA declined to comment.

The New York Times reported Monday that the CIA helped Arab governments and Turkey sharply increase their military aid to Syria’s opposition in recent months, with secret airlifts of arms and equipment. It cited traffic data, officials in several countries and rebel commanders, and said the airlift began on a small scale a year ago but has expanded steadily to more than 160 militar y cargo flights by Jordanian, Saudi and Qatari planes landing at Turkish and Jordanian airports.

The training in Jordan, however, suggests the US help is aimed somewhat at enhancing the rebels’ capacity in southern Syria, the birthplace of the revolution two years ago when teenagers in the sleepy agricultural outpost of Dara’a scribbled graffiti on a wall and were tossed into jail, spurring Syria’s own version of an Arab Spring uprising. Much of the violence since, however, has been in the northern part of the country, where rebels have scored several military successes after the Assad regime cracked down brutally on peaceful protesters.

Despite months of U.S. and

international support to build a cohesive political movement, Syria’s fractured opposition is still struggling to rally Syrians behind a common post-Assad vision. And the opposition coalition appears as much hampered by its political infighting as its military deficiencies against an Assad regime arsenal of tanks, fighter jets and Scud missiles.

The coalition’s president, Mouaz al-Khatib, resigned his position Sunday because of what he described as restrictions on his work and frustration with the level of international aid. He said Monday he would still represent the opposition this week in Doha, where the Gulf state of Qatar will host a two-day Arab League summit starting today.

Al-Khatib’s resignation comes only days after the opposition chose Ghassan Hitto, a long-time Texas resident, to head its interim government after intense wrangling over posts and influence that U.S. officials say has strained the opposition’s unity and caused friction among its primary benefactors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

It’s also unclear how al-Khatib’s departure will affect the US goal of political negotiations with amenable members of the Assad regime to end the civil war, given the moderate preacher’s support for talks. Much of the Syrian opposition, including Hitto, rejects such talks. — AP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

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

Looters, gunmen roam CAR capital after coup Coup embarrasses South Africa

CHEBOKSARY: In this photo taken on Saturday, March 20, 2013, Alexander Abnosov shows his American passport to journalists in the Volga river city of Cheboksary, Russia. His 72 years old grandmother is in the background. Abnosov was adopted by an American couple at age 12 has returned to Russia claiming that his parents treated him badly, according to reports from Russian media with close ties to the Kremlin. — AP

Russian teenager ‘flees US adopters back to grandma’ MOSCOW: A Russian-born youth has run away from his adoptive parents in the United States and returned to his grandmother in Russia, state television said yesterday, adding fuel to a furious row with Washington over adoption.

State television made huge play of the story on its main bulletins, after the Russian parliament in December passed a controversial bill banning adoptions by US parents. Alexander Abnosov, 18, also known as Joshua Salotti, told state broadcasters that a family in Pennsylvania adopted him at 12 but threw him out at 18 and he lived rough before flying back to Russia to live with his grandmother in the provincial town of Cheboksary.

Russia has been outraged by the deaths of some children adopted by US citizens in recent years. Earlier this month, Moscow expressed concern over a high-profile decision by US officials not to prosecute the Texas parents of an adopted Russian boy after his death was deemed accidental.

Russia’s parliament passed the ban on US adoptions in reaction to US legislation imposing travel bans and asset freezes on officials implicated in the prison death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Channel One said Abnosov had not wanted to be adopted and said “he wants to forget the five years he spent in America as soon as possible”. Rossiya television added that the teenager “now plans to start a new life, to get a job, finish studying and

in spring pass the medical commission to serve in the army.”

National service is compulsory in Russia for men aged over 18. Abnosov told Rossiya television he argued with his adoptive family after they refused to take in a friend who had been thrown out of his home.

“They threw me out. Probably they had stopped receiving benefits for me. To save money, they thought up how to do it,” said Abnosov, his long dark hair falling over his eyes, speaking in his grandmother’s neat living room.

“I mainly had bad relations with my mother. She kept criticising me for small things,” he said. His US passport shown on television showed that he turned 18 last June. One channel said Abnosov managed to save money to buy an air ticket while living rough, while another said his adoptive father paid $500 for the ticket.

Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid contacted Abnosov’s adoptive mother, named as Jackie Salotti, who said the family did not throw him out but he had refused to return after running away. “We lived OK, we just argued all the time about things that didn’t matter,” Abnosov told the daily in a more in-depth videoed interview.

Russian television said his grandmother had not been allowed to adopt him after his mother died and his father was deprived of parental rights because of alcoholism. — AFP

BANGUI: Looters and gunmen roamed the streets of Central African Republic’s capital Bangui yesterday as regional peacekeepers struggled to restore order two days after a coup plunged the mineral-rich country into chaos.

The ousting of President Francois Bozize and the political turmoil around it has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis in the former French colony - and embarrassed regional power South Africa which had sent troops to defend the government.

Thousands of rebel fighters poured into the capital on Sunday, brushing aside a 400strong South African force which attempted to block their path. At least 13 South African soldiers were killed and 27 wounded.

Rebel leader and self-proclaimed president Michel Djotodia - who had accused Bozize of breaking past peace accords - on Monday asked regional peacekeepers stationed in the countr y to help him restore order. But sporadic gunfire continued to ring out across the sprawling riverside capital, home to 600,000 people, and electricity was down for a fourth day running.

“We have been patrolling for two days in an effort to stop the pillaging,” a senior officer from the roughly 1,000-strong fivenation regional force FOMAC told Reuters. “Things are slowing getting better but we are far from being able to say things are normal,” he added.

FOMAC commanders have been trying to persuade Seleka leaders to get their fighters - a ragtag group of mostly northern rebels, many of them children off the streets and into barracks amid concerns they were behind some of the looting.

Djotodia pledged on Monday to name a power-sharing government and to set elections after

Congo warlord denies guilt at Hague court THE HAGUE: Bosco Ntaganda, a Congolese warlord known as “the Terminator” who evaded arrest on war crimes charges for seven years, denied guilt when he appeared for the first time at the International Criminal Court yesterday.

Ntaganda unexpectedly gave himself up to diplomats at the US Embassy in Rwanda last week, walk-

period of fighting in Rwandanbacked rebellions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

His appearance almost seven years after the court first issued a warrant for his arrest is a muchneeded success for the ICC following the collapse of several cases.

Dressed in an ill-fitting dark blue suit, blue shirt, and stripy tie - attire

THE HAGUE: Rwandan-born warlord Bosco Ntaganda is seen during his first appearance before judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, yesterday, since his surprise surrender to face charges including murder, rape pillaging and using child soldiers in eastern Congo. — AP

ing in off the street and demanding to be handed over the ICC. Within days he was put on a plane to The Hague.

He is accused of murder, rape and other crimes over a 15-year-

most likely provided by the court - a stooped and bowed Ntaganda appeared ill at ease in the courtroom yesterday, leaning forward and looking down as the hearing began. He confirmed his name, gave his age as 39, and told the court he was not guilty of the charges, but a judge interrupted and said this was not the occasion for discussing his guilt.

Asked whether he was aware of the charges against him, Ntaganda said: “I was informed of these crimes, but I plead not guilty.”

Ekaterina Trendafilova, who was presid-

ing alone over the hearing, stopped him.

“I wouldn’t like to interrupt you, because you should feel at ease,” she said. “But the purpose of this initial hearing is ... to know whether you have been informed about the crimes ... your rights, and we are not discussing now anything related to your guilt or innocence.”

“I was born in Rwanda but I grew up in Congo. I am a Congolese citizen,” Ntaganda told the court, speaking in Kinyarwanda through interpreters. “I was a soldier in the Congo.”

Ntaganda is accused of recruiting child soldiers, murder, ethnic persecution, sexual slavery and rape during a 2002-2003 conflict in northeastern Congo’s mineral-rich Ituri district.

Most recently, he was a commander in the M23 rebel movement, but his whereabouts had been unknown after he had fled to Rwanda with hundreds of his followers, and his decision to turn himself in to the US Embassy in the capital Kigali caught diplomats there by surprise.

Analysts said he may have felt that his life would be safer in an ICC detention cell than in an increasingly hostile Rwanda.

A date of Sept 23 was set for the next hearing at which judges will decide whether the evidence against Ntaganda is strong enough to warrant a trial - by no means a foregone conclusion.

Recently, prosecutors withdrew their case against Kenyan civil servant Francis Muthaura after a witness retracted his testimony, prompting lawyers for his coaccused Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya’s president-elect, to charges also be dropped against him.

With many of the court’s suspects, including Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, at large and beyond its reach, Ntaganda’s arrival is especially welcome to prosecutors and activists.

“Ntaganda’s appearance at the ICC after years as a fugitive offers victims of horrific crimes a real hope of seeing justice,” said Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltner of Human Rights Watch. “Ntaganda’s detention in The Hague shows that no one is above the law.” —Reuters

BANGUI: Rebels of the Seleka coalition arrest yesterday a man wearing military fatigues (sitting at C), claiming to also belong to the Seleka movement, who was looting a house in a popular neighbourood of Bangui.

The African Union on March 25 suspended the Central African Republic and ordered sanctions against the rebel leaders who captured the capital Bangui over the weekend, a senior AU official said. — AFP

three years in a bid to defuse international criticism of the coup. The removal of Bozize, who himself seized power in a coup backed by Chad in 2003, was the latest of many rebellions since the poor, landlocked country won independence from France in 1960. Bozize fled to neighbouring Cameroon.

As rebels approached, former colonial power France made it clear it would not intervene Paris has long said its days as ‘Africa’s policeman’ have passed.

Bozize turned instead to regional power South Africa, which has

been trying to build up its influence in the resource-rich territory.

“This is complete disaster for South Africa,” said Thierr y Vircoulon, Central African specialist at the International Crisis Group. “They did not at all understand they were backing the wrong horse. They did not consult within the region.”

Seleka took a series of towns and came close to the capital last year, after accusing Bozize of failing to honor an earlier peace deal to give its fighters cash and jobs in exchange for laying down

their arms.

Chad and other regional powers sent in troops to back the government and that revolt ended in a January peace accord. But Seleka last week said the government had again failed to implement agreements - to incorporate its fighters into the army and get the foreign troops withdrawn - and started a lightning advance on Bangui.

Despite rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium, Central African Republic remains one of the world’s least developed nations. — Reuters

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

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

Kerry, Karzai strike upbeat note in Kabul ‘US is committed to an enduring partnership’

YANGON: A Chinese origin Myanmar man buys flowers in a street market in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday. Myanmar’s government warned that religious violence could threaten democratic reforms after anti-Muslim mobs rampaged through three more towns in the country’s predominantly Buddhist heartland. — AP

US issues travel warning as Myanmar unrest spreads YANGON: Communal riots in Myanmar have spread closer to the main city Yangon, police said yesterday as the United States warned against travelling to parts of the country in the wake of unrest that has left 40 dead. Fresh clashes broke out late on Monday in villages in the Bago region north of Yangon, police said, as the Buddhist-Muslim violence that has gripped areas further north rippled out towards the country’s commercial hub.

“Police and soldiers had to control the clashes almost the whole night,” a police officer who did not want to be named said of the violence in Bago, where two mosques and dozens of homes were reported to have been destroyed.

“Security forces are still watching the area closely as Muslim communities are staying in that region,” he said, adding that there were no reports of casualties in the latest incident.

In a statement on its website, the US Embassy in Yangon said the rioting “has resulted in strong feelings on many sides”.

It “strongly advised” citizens to avoid travel to the Mandalay region as well as to the Mingalar Market/Yuzana Plaza area of Yangon because of the risk of violence.

Police in the main city of Yangon have been instructed to be extra vigilant, a second police officer told AFP. “Police in every township are on alert and ready in case something happens,” he said, adding that some soldiers had also been on patrol in the former capital.

The clashes are a stark reminder of the challenge that Muslim-Buddhist tensions pose to Myanmar’s government as it tries to reform the country after decades of iron-

fisted military rule ended two years ago.

In a televised statement late on Monday, Myanmar’s government called for an end to “religious extremism” that it warned could derail the Buddhist-majority country’s reform process.

The quasi-civilian government has faced strong international pressure over the unrest, which according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has displaced more than 12,000 people. The clashes-apparently triggered by an argument in a gold shop-began on March 20 in Meiktila, 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Naypyidaw, with mosques burned, houses razed and charred bodies left lying in the streets.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the eight new bodies were retrieved from the debris during the cleanup operation over the weekend. Dozens of people have been detained in connection with the violence, which saw armed riotersincluding Buddhist monks-roam the streets, threatening journalists who visited Meiktila.

It was the worst sectarian strife since violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine last year left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.

The bloodshed has raised fears that long-standing religious tensions that were largely suppressed during junta rule could now spread to other parts of the country.

After a state of emergency was declared on Friday and the army was sent into the area, an uneasy calm has returned to Meiktila, where a nighttime cur few has been imposed.—AFP

KABUL: US Secretary of State John Kerry held a second round of talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul yesterday after the two put on a public show of unity in a bid to repair damaged ties.

Kerry visited Afghanistan as the United States ceded to a key longstanding demand of Karzai by delivering full control of Bagram prison, where Taleban and AlQaeda suspects are held north of Kabul, to Afghan forces.

Karzai had turned the fate of Bagram and its hundreds of detainees into a rallying cry for his push to take back sovereignty as the bulk of US-led combat troops prepare to leave by the end of 2014 after more than a decade of war. The militant threat facing Afghanistan was yesterday again underlined when seven suicide bombers targeted a police base in the eastern city of Jalalabad. All the attackers and five officers died in the assault, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.

After a series of fiery anti-US outbursts from Karzai in recent weeks, both he and Kerry were keen to make a public display of friendship and stress that relations were back on track. “Bagram prison was handed over to the Afghan government... Finally after many years of effort we have reached a deal,” Karzai told reporters at a joint press conference late Monday.

Kerry said: “The US is committed to an enduring partnership...

The US supports a strong and united Afghanistan. “We are committed to Afghanistan’s sovereignty and we will not let Al-Qaeda or the Taleban shake this commitment.” Earlier this month, Karzai accused Washington of working in concert with the Taliban and his spokesman described the NATO coalition’s war effort as “aimless and unwise”, triggering fury from Afghanistan’s foreign backers.

Responding to a storm of protest over the collusion allega-

‘Combat-ready’ N Korea threatens US mainland

Veteran actress Sukumari dead CHENNAI: Renowned Malayalam actress Sukumari died following a cardiac arrest here yesterday in a private hospital. She was 74.

“She was undergoing treatment for burn injuries in our hospital for the last few days. She died following cardiac arrest,” a source from Global Hospital told IANS. Sukumari was admitted to the hospital after she sustained burn injuries while lighting a lamp in a temple recently. She even underwent plastic surgery.

In Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala State Film Minister K B Ganesh Kumar said her demise was a “shocking news”. “She was convalescing in a hospital in Chennai and we wish that her funeral is held in our state. I have already talked to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and he has pledged complete support. Now the decision has to be made by her son Suresh Bhimsingh,” Kumar told media person.

Sukumari started acting at the age of 10 and featured in more than 2,500 films in various languages. In 2003, she was awarded the Padmashri.

In 2010, she won the National Award for her performance in the Malayalam film ‘Namma Gramam’. She has donned the role of mother, grandmother, aunt and many other to various actors in the stardom.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha had paid her a visit. They acted together in ‘Pattikkada Pattanama.’

Some of Sukumari’s best films include ‘Ezhu Nirangal,’ ‘Arappatta Kettiya Gramathil’ and ‘Chiriyo Chiri.’ She is survived by son Suresh Bhimsingh.

Afghan police killed in suicide attack KABUL: Eight suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad yesterday, killing five officers and wounding four others, a security official said.

An insurgent in a bomb-laden car detonated his vehicle in front of the Jalalabad Police Quick Reaction Force to start the attack, and another seven attackers wearing bomb vests then stormed the compound, police said. Three of those attackers blew themselves up inside the compound and the other four were shot by police during a gunfight that lasted more than an hour. Nangarhar provincial police chief Mohammad Sharif Amin said some of the attackers were wearing uniforms resembling those worn by the US-led NATO coalition. Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Kabul. The attack occurred on the second day of a visit to Kabul by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Insurgents have in recent months been carrying out complex attacks involving car bombs and gunmen in bomb vests against government and police buildings around the country.—- AP

SEOUL: North Korea’s military put its “strategic” rocket units on a war footing yesterday, with a fresh threat to strike targets on the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam, as well as South Korea.

“All artillery troops including strategic rocket units and long-range artillery units are to be placed under class-A combat readiness,” the Korean People’s Army supreme command said in a statement.

The units should be prepared to attack “all US military bases in the Asia-Pacific region, including the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam” and South Korea, said the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

Despite a successful long-range rocket launch in December, most experts believe North Korea is years from developing a genuine inter-continental ballistic missile that could strike the mainland United States.

Hawaii and Guam would also be outside the range of its medium-range missiles, which would be capable, however, of striking US military bases in South Korea and Japan. The supreme command announcement came days after the South Korean and US militaries signed a new pact, providing for a joint military response to even low-level provocative action by North Korea. While existing agreements provide for US engagement in the event of a full-scale conflict, the new protocol addresses the response to a limited provocation such as an isolated incident of cross-border shelling.

It guarantees US support for any South Korean retaliation and allows Seoul to request any additional US military force it deems necessary. Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have been at an elevated level for months, following December’s rocket test and the North’s third nuclear test which it carried out last month. Both events triggered UN sanctions that infuriated the North, which has spent the past month issuing increasingly threatening statements about unleashing an “all-out war” backed by nuclear weapons.

Some have included similar warnings of looming strikes on US bases in the Pacific region, including Guam. North Korea was particularly incensed that nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers flying out of Andersen Air base on Guam took part in recent joint South Korea-US military exercises. “We will demonstrate the firm resolution of our people and military to protect our sovereignty and dignity through real military action,” yesterday’s statement warned.

“There is no greater delusion than the idea that they will have an opportunity for retaliation,” it added.

The statement coincided with the third anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel by what Seoul insists was a North Korean submarine.

Pyongyang has always denied any involvement.

Addressing a memorial ceremony for the 46 sailors who died in the incident, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye warned North Korea that its only “path to survival” lay in abandoning its nuclear and missile programmes.

Sabre-rattling and displays of brinkmanship are nothing new in the region, but there are concerns that the current situation is so volatile that one accidental step could escalate into serious conflict. — AFP

KABUL: US Secretary of State John Kerry talks to staff during his visit to the US Embassy in Kabul, yesterday. Kerry met again yesterday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a day after they put on a show of unity as they tried to end recent bickering over anti-American comments made by the Afghan leader. — AP

tions, Kerry said he was confident that Karzai “does not believe that the United States has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace”.

For his part, Karzai said: “I was interpreted as saying the US and Taliban are colluding, but I did not use this word.” Afghan forces are gradually taking on responsibility for battling the Taliban as most of the 100,000 foreign troops prepare to exit by the end of 2014.

Australia said Tuesday it was withdrawing the bulk of its 1,550 troops this year, with the closure of their main base in Uruzgan province.

“We’ve been there for over a decade, and that’s far too long,” Defence Minister Stephen Smith said, adding that the war was “the

easiest thing in the world to get in, hardest thing in the world to get out”.

Karzai is due to step down at elections next year, 13 years after he came to power with US backing when the hardline Taleban regime was ousted in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks of 2001.

During his trip, Kerry emphasised the importance of a credible poll in 2014, and paid tribute to Afghan lawmakers, rights activists and election officials. “You’re engaged in a remarkable effort and the whole world is watching,” he told them on Tuesday before he flew out of Kabul.

The war in Afghanistan is increasingly unpopular in the United States, and the latest out-

bursts from Karzai led many US commentators to call for Washington to take a tougher stance towards Kabul.

The Afghan leader in past weeks has also demanded US special forces leave the flashpoint province of Wardak and banned international troops from university campuses, both due to unproven harassment claims.

Washington was concerned that the handover of Bagram to Afghan forces would allow suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda detainees to return to the battlefield.

But a final agreement was sealed on Saturday and a handover ceremony was held at the jail shortly before Kerry landed in Afghanistan. —AFP

NEWS Oppn takes Syria’s Arab League seat Continued from Page 1 the two-year-old conflict in Syria, blaming Assad’s government for what he called its refusal to solve the crisis.

“I have asked Kerry to extend the umbrella of the Patriot missiles to cover the Syrian north and he promised to study the subject,” Alkhatib said, referring to NATO Patriot missile batteries sent to Turkey last year to protect Turkish airspace. “We are still waiting for a decision from NATO to protect people’s lives, not to fight but to protect lives,” he said. Responding to Alkhatib’s remarks, an official of the Western military alliance at its headquarters in Brussels said: “NATO has no intention to intervene militarily in Syria.

“NATO calls for an end to violence in Syria, which represents a serious threat to stability and security in the region. We fully support the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution,” the official said.

Michael Stephens, a researcher based in Qatar for Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, said acceding to Alkhatib’s request would effectively put NATO at war with Damascus.

NATO’s current deployment of three Patriot missile bat-

teries, in eastern Turkey, is intended to be purely defensive, shielding Turkey from possible attack from Syria. The Patriots are designed to shoot down hostile missiles in mid-air. Alkhatib, a Sunni Muslim cleric, took Syria’s chair at the summit for the first time despite announcing on Sunday that he would step down as leader of the Syrian National Coalition.

The Emir of Qatar, a strong supporter of the struggle to topple Assad, asked his fellow-Arab leaders to invite the coalition delegation to represent Syria formally at the summit, despite the internal divisions plaguing the opposition. The Arab League suspended Syria in November 2011 in protest at its use of violence against civilians to quell dissent.

In his opening speech, Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani urged the UN Security Council to stop the “oppression and repression of the people” in Syria, halt the bloodshed and “present those responsible for these crimes against their people to international justice”. The United Nations says about 70,000 people have been killed in a conflict that began with peaceful anti-Assad protests and turned into an increasingly sectarian armed insurrection. The war in Syria has divided world powers, paralyz-

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Spring snow blankets... ing action at the Security Council. The Arab world is also split, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar the most fervent foes of Assad, and Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon the most resistant to calls for his removal.

Syrian rebels again fired mortar rounds into central Damascus yesterday. State television said several people had been wounded by “terrorist” mortar bombs that landed in the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA compound in the Baramkeh district. The attack followed a similar flurry of rebel mortar bombs that struck near the Opera House on Ummayad Square in the heart of Damascus, killing two people on Monday. Syrian state TV did not cover the Arab League meeting in Qatar, airing a program on makeup for women instead.

Alkhatib’s decision to quit, which he blamed on the world’s failure to back the armed revolt against Assad also appeared to be motivated by internal disputes in the alliance. It undermined the alliance’s claim to provide a coherent alternative to Assad. Liberals saw it as a protest against what they view as the rising influence of hardline Islamists in the Qatari-backed umbrella group set up in Doha in November to replace the ineffectual Syrian National Council. — Agencies

Continued from Page 1 major British city-at 4-6. They are even offering 10-1 that ice on the River Thames will disrupt Sunday’s annual university boat race in London, although the capital has so far escaped ice and snow. The temperature in London was still below freezing at 11:00am (1100 GMT) yesterday.

In another development, twenty-five people have died from exposure to the cold across Poland amid an unseasonal chilly snap this March, sending the toll claimed by hypothermia this winter and spring to 175, national police said yesterday. Since the arrival of spring on March 21, five people have died from exposure as daytime temperatures plunged to minus 15 degrees Celsius and a bone-chilling minus 24 Celsius at night. December claimed the highest toll, with 62 deaths, while January saw 55 people perish due to cold. So far the toll this winter and spring is lower than the 200 deaths recorded due to exposure last winter in Poland, which is home to 38 million people. The vast majority of victims were homeless men under the influence of alcohol. — Agencies

14

ANALYSIS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

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Issues

BRICS - and the ‘new imperialists’ in Africa

By Pascal Fletcher RICS, Don’t Carve Africa” reads a banner in a church hall in downtown Durban where civil society activists have gathered to cast a critical eye at a summit of five global emerging powers. The slogan evokes the 19th Century conference in Berlin where the predominant European colonial states carved up the African continent in a scramble historians see as epitomizing the brash exploitative capitalism of the time. Decades after Africans threw off the colonial yoke, it is the turn of the blossoming BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa to find their motives coming under scrutiny as they proclaim an altruistic-sounding “partnership for development, integration and industrialization” with Africa.

Led by that giant of the emerging powers, China, the BRICS are now Africa’s largest trading partners and its biggest new group of investors. BRICS-Africa trade is seen eclipsing $500 billion by 2015, with China taking the lion’s share of 60 percent of this, according to Standard Bank.

BRICS leaders persist in presenting their group - which represents more than 40 percent of the world’s population and one fifth of global gross domestic product - in the warm and fuzzy framework of benevolent South-South cooperation, an essential counterweight to the ‘old’ West and a better partner for the poor masses of the developing world.

In his first trip to Africa as head of state, China’s new president Xi Jinping expounded this line in Tanzania on Monday, saying his country wanted “a better life for African people” and was offering a relationship of equals.

“We think there’s too much back-slapping,” said Patrick Bond of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s centre for Civil Society, who helped to organize an alternative “BRICSfrom-below” meeting in Durban to shadow the BRICS summit on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bond and other critics of the BRICS’ South-South pitch say developing countries that receive investment and assistance from the new emerging powers need to take a hard, close look at the deals they are getting. Beneath the fraternal veneer, Bond sees “incoherent imperial competition” not unlike the 19th Century scramble, saying that BRICS members are similarly coveting and exploiting African resources without sufficiently boosting industrialization and job-creation, all much needed on the continent. This view has gained some traction in Africa as citizens from Guinea and Nigeria to Zambia and Mozambique increasingly see Brazilian, Russian, Indian, Chinese and South African companies scooping up multi-billion dollar oil and mining deals and big-ticket infrastructure projects.

Many of these deals have come under scrutiny from local and international rights groups. More than a few have faced criticism that they focus heavily on raw material extraction, lack transparency and do not offer enough employment and developmental benefits to the receiving countries - charges often leveled against corporations from the developed West.

Anti-poverty activists say the profit motivation of large BRICS corporations working in Africa is no different from that of Western companies. “Matters of greed are universal and their actors come from both the North and the South,” said Wahu Kaara, a Kenyan social justice campaigner and coordinator of the Kenya Debt Relief Network who attended the “BRICS-from-below” meeting. This wariness of the new players in Africa has even permeated some government circles on the continent. Warning Africa was opening itself up to “a new form of imperialism”, Nigerian central bank governor Lamido Sanusi accused China, now the world’s No 2 economy, of worsening Africa’s deindustrialization and underdevelopment.

“China takes our primary goods and sells us manufactured ones. This was also the essence of colonialism,” Sanusi wrote in a March 11 opinion column in the Financial Times. “Africa must recognize that China - like the US, Russia, Britain, Brazil and the rest - is in Africa not for African interests but its own,” Sanusi added. Chinese and other BRICS leaders indignantly reject the criticism their group represents a kind of “sub-imperialism” in their growing economic and political engagement with Africa.

Zhong Jianhua, China’s special envoy to Africa, told Reuters that China and Africa’s common history of resisting colonial pressure put their relationship on a different level. “China was bullied by others in the past, and so was Africa. This shared experience means they have a lot in common. This is China’s advantage and the reason why many Western countries are at a disadvantage,” he said in an interview with Reuters. —Reuters

“B

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

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

Europe’s disturbing precedent in Cyprus bailout

By George Friedman he European economic crisis has taken different forms in different places, and Cyprus is the latest country to face the prospect of financial ruin. Overextended banks in Cyprus are teetering on the brink of failure for issuing loans they cannot repay, which has prompted the tiny Mediterranean country, a member of the European Union, to turn to Brussels for help. Late Sunday, the European Union and Cypriot president announced new terms for a bailout that would provide the infusion of cash necessary to prevent bankruptcies in Cyprus’ banking sector and, more important, prevent a banking panic from spreading to the rest of Europe.

What makes this crisis different from the previous bailouts for Greece, Ireland or elsewhere are the conditions Brussels has attached for its assistance. Due to circumstances unique to Cyprus, namely the questionable origin of a large chunk of the deposits in its now-stricken banking sector and that sector’s small size relative to the overall European economy, the European Union, led by Germany, has taken a harder line with the country.

Cyprus has few sources of capital besides its capacity as a banking shelter, so Brussels required that the country raise part of the necessary funds from its own banking sector-possibly by seizing money from certain bank deposits and putting it toward the bailout fund. The proposal has not yet been approved, but if enacted it would undermine a formerly sacred principle of banking in most industrial nations-the security of deposits-setting a new and possibly destabilizing precedent in Europe.

T

Cyprus’ Dilemma For years before the crisis, Cyprus promoted itself as an offshore financial center by creating a tax structure and banking rules that made depositing money in the country attractive to foreigners. As a result, Cyprus’ financial sector grew to dwarf the rest of the Cypriot economy, accounting for about eight times the country’s annual gross domestic product and employing a substantial portion of the nation’s work force. A side effect of this strategy, however, was that if the financial sector experienced problems, the rest of the domestic economy would not be big enough to stabilize the banks without outside help.

Europe’s economic crisis spawned precisely those sorts of problems for the Cypriot banking sector. This was not just a concern for Cyprus, though. Even though Cyprus’ banking sector is tiny relative to the rest of Europe’s, one Cypriot bank defaulting on what it owed other banks could put the whole European banking system in question, and the last thing the European Union needs now is a crisis of confidence in its banks.

The Cypriots were facing chaos if their banks failed because the insurance system was insufficient to cover the claims of depositors. For its part, the European Union could not risk the financial contagion. But Brussels could not simply bail out the entire banking system, both because of the precedent it would set and because the political support for a total bailout wasn’t there. This was particularly the case for Germany, which would carry much of the financial burden and is preparing for elections in September 2013 before an electorate that is increasingly hostile to bailouts.

Even though the German public may oppose the bailouts, it benefits immensely from what those bailouts preserve. As I have pointed out many times, Germany is heavily dependent on exports and the European Union is critical to those exports as a free trade zone. Although Germany also imports a great deal from the rest of the bloc, a break in the free trade zone would be catastrophic for the German economy. If all imports were cut along with exports, Germany would still be devastated because what it produces and exports and what it imports are very different things. Germany could not absorb all its production and would experience massive unemployment.

Currently, Germany’s unemployment rate is below 6 percent while Spain’s is above 25 percent. An exploding financial crisis would cut into consumption, which would particularly hurt an export-dependent country like Germany. Berlin’s posture through much of the European economic crisis has been to pretend it is about to stop providing assistance to other countries, but the fact is that doing so would inflict pain on Germany, too.

Germany will make its threats and its voters will be upset, but in the end, the country would not be enjoying high employment if the crisis got out of hand. So the German game is to constantly threaten to let someone sink, while in the end doing whatever has to be done. Cyprus was a place where Germany could show its willingness to get tough but didn’t carry any of the risks that would arise in pushing a country such as Spain too hard, for example. Cyprus’ economy was small enough and its problems unique enough that the rest of Europe could dismiss any measures taken against the country as a one-off. Here was a case where the German position appears enormously more powerful than usual. And in isolation, this is true-if we ignore the question of what conclusion the rest of Europe, and the world, draws from the treatment of Cyprus.

A Firmer Line Under German guidance, the European Union made an extraordinary demand on the Cypriots. It demanded that a tax be placed on deposits in the country’s two largest banks. The tax

would be about 10 percent and would, under the initial terms, be applied to all accounts, regardless of their size. This was an unprecedented solution. Since the global financial crisis of the 1920s, all advanced industrial countries-and many others-had been operating on a fundamental principle that deposits in banks were utterly secure. They were not regarded as bonds paying certain interest, whose value would disappear if the bank failed. Deposits were regarded as riskless placements of money, with the risk covered by deposit insurance for smaller deposits, but in practical terms, guaranteed by the national wealth.

This guarantee meant that individual savings would be safe and that working capital parked by corporations in a bank was safe as well. The alternative was not only uncertainty, but also people hoarding cash and preventing it from entering the financial system. It was necessary to have a secure place to put money so that it was available for lending. The runs on banks in the 1920s and 1930s drove home the need for total security for deposits. Brussels demanded that the bailout for Cypriot banks be partly paid for by depositors in those banks. That demand essentially violated the social contract on the sanctity of bank deposits and did so in a country that was a member of the European Union-one of the world’s major economic blocs.

Proponents of the measure pointed out that many of the depositors were not Cypriot nationals but rather foreigners, many of whom were Russian. Moreover, it was suggested that the only reason for a Russian to be putting money in a Cypriot bank was to get it out of Russia, and the only motive for that had to be nefarious. It followed that the confiscation was not targeted against ordinary people but against shady Russians.

There is no question that there are shady Russians putting money into Cyprus. But ordinary Cypriots had their money in the same banks and so did many Cypriot and foreign companies, including European companies, who were doing business in Cyprus and need money for payroll and so on. The proposal might look like an attempt to seize Russian money, but it would pinch the bank accounts of all Cypriots as well as a sizable amount of legitimate Russian money. Confiscating 10 percent of all deposits could devastate individuals and the overall economy and likely would prompt companies operating in Cyprus to move their cash elsewhere. The measure would have been dev-

European Union has now made it official policy, under certain circumstances, to encourage member states to seize depositors’ assets to pay for the stabilization of financial institutions. To put it simply, if you are a business, the safety of your money in a bank depends on the bank’s financial condition and the political considerations of the European Union. What had been a havenno risk and minimal returns-now has minimal returns and unknown risks. Brussels’ emphasis that this was mostly Russian money is not assuring, either. More than just Russian money stands to be taken for the bailout fund if the new policy is approved. Moreover, the point of the global banking system is that money is safe wherever it is deposited. Europe has other money centers, like Luxembourg, where the financial system outstrips gross domestic product. There are no problems there right now, but as we have learned, the European Union is an uncertain place. If Russian deposits can be seized in Nicosia, why not American deposits in Luxembourg?

This was why it was so important to emphasize the potentially criminal nature of the Russian deposits and to downplay the effect on ordinary law-abiding Cypriots. Brussels has worked very hard to make the Cyprus case seem unique and non-replicable: Cyprus is small and its banking system attracted criminals, so the principle that deposits in banks are secure doesn’t necessarily apply there. Another way to look at it is that an EU member, like some other members of the bloc, could not guarantee the solvency of its banks so Brussels forced the country to seize deposits in order to receive help stabilizing the system.

Viewed that way, the European Union has established a new option for itself in dealing with depositors in troubled banks, and that principle now applies to all of Europe, particularly to those countries with financial institutions potentially facing similar problems. The question, of course, is whether foreign depositors in European banks will accept that Cyprus was one of a kind.

If they decide that it isn’t obvious, then foreign corporations-and even European corporations-could start pulling at least part of their cash out of European banks and putting it elsewhere.

They can minimize the amount of cash on hand in Europe by shifting to non-European banks and transferring as needed.

Those withdrawals, if they occur, could create a massive liquidity crisis in Europe. At the very least, every reasonable CFO will now

NICOSIA: Cypriot college students light a flare outside the presidential palace during a protest in Nicosia against a bailout for the financially crippled island yesterday. — AFP astating and the Cypriot parliament rejected it. Another deal, the one currently up for approval, tried to mitigate the problem but still broke the social contract. Accounts smaller than 100,000 euros (about $128,000) would not be touched. However, accounts larger than 100,000 euros would be taxed at an uncertain rate, currently estimated at 20 percent, while bondholders would lose up to 40 percent. These numbers will likely shift again, but assuming they are close to the final figures, depositors putting money into banks beyond this amount are at risk depending on the financial condition of the bank.

The impact on Cyprus is more than Russian mafia money being taxed. All corporations doing business in Cyprus could have 20 percent of their operating cash seized. Regardless of precisely how the Cypriot banking system is restructured, the fact is that the European Union demanded that Cyprus seize portions of bank accounts from large depositors. From a business’ perspective, 100,000 euros is not all that much when you are running a supermarket or a car dealership or a construction company, but this arbitrary level could easily be raised in the future and the mere existence of the measure will make attracting investment more difficult.

A NEW PRECEDENT The more significant development was the fact that the

assume that the risk in Europe has risen and that an eye needs to be kept on the financial health of institutions where they have deposits. In Europe, depositing money in a bank is no longer a no-brainer.

Now we must ask ourselves why the Germans would have created this risk. One answer is that they were confident they could convince depositors that Cyprus was one of a kind and not to be repeated. The other answer was that they had no choice.

The first explanation was undermined March 25, when Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that the model used in Cyprus could be used in future bank bailouts. Locked in by an electorate that does not fully understand Germany’s vulnerability, the German government decided it had to take a hard line on Cyprus regardless of risk. Or Germany may be preparing a new strategy for the management of the European financial crisis. The banking system in Europe is too big to salvage if it comes to a serious crisis. Any solution will involve the loss of depositors’ money. Contemplating that concept could lead to a run on banks that would trigger the crisis Europe fears. Solving a crisis and guaranteeing depositors may be seen as having impossible consequences. Setting the precedent in Cyprus has the advantage of not appearing to be a precedent. It’s not clear what the Germans or the EU negotiators are thinking, and all these theories are speculative. — Stratfor

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Reading sign Adkins

Clarke facing fitness race

Misbah rings alarm bells

LONDON: Former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has been appointed manager of relegation-threatened Reading, replacing Brian McDermott who was axed by the Premier League club two weeks ago. Adkins, sacked by Southampton in January, has signed a three-year deal, the club said in a statement on its website (www.readingfc.co.uk) yesterday.

He faces the task of keeping Reading in the Premier League. They are second-bottom in the table and seven points adrift of safety with eight games remaining. “Adkins is the right man for Reading,” the club statement said.

“He comes to Madejski Stadium with great experience, a winning mentality, the ability to develop and improve players - especially youngsters - four promotions on his CV and excellent knowledge of the ... Premier League.”

Adkins’s dismissal by Southampton was a shock because they had lost just twice in their last 12 Premier League games. He joined the southcoast club in 2010 and oversaw back-to-back promotions from League One (third division) and the Championship (second division) to take them back to the top flight for the

SYDNEY: Australia captain Michael Clarke will need a minimum of seven weeks before he can resume training but Cricket Australia (CA) expect him to recover from his lower back and hamstring injuries before the Ashes series against England starting in July.

Clarke missed the fourth and final test in India, where Australia suffered their first four-test whitewash in 43 years, to return home after the nagging back injury flared up in addition to a hamstring problem.

“Michael is having intensive rehabilitation for both his back and hamstring but is still 7-10 weeks away from returning to training and playing,” CA chief medical officer Justin Paoloni said in a statement yesterday.

“We are confident that it will not affect his Ashes preparation but will know more over the coming weeks.” Clarke will miss the April 3-May 26 Indian Premier League and looks doubtful for the June 6-23 Champions Trophy in England. Australia will stay back for the Ashes series, starting on July 10 with Nottingham’s Trent Bridge hosting the first of five tests.

Paoloni said Clarke’s back injury, if allowed to aggravate, could turn serious. “Michael Clarke had scans that confirmed his current lower back injury is an exacerbation of previous issues he has had with his spine,” Paoloni added. “As always, we need to manage this carefully as there are potentially serious consequences with further aggravation. He still has pain with basic activities and is not back to full function as yet. “He also has a hamstring injury that has been a concern for most of the (Australian) summer and will complicate his return.” —Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Disappointed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said yesterday his team faces an alarming situation after losing both its test and one-day series to South Africa. Misbah was booed by a handful of cricket fans as the team arrived in the eastern city of Lahore early from South Africa yesterday.

“The series was disappointing,” a tired-looking Misbah told reporters at the airport. “In one-dayers the performance was a bit better, but in the test series we couldn’t do anything. It’s a very alarming situation for us and we need improvement in lots of things.” Pakistan won just three of nine matches in South Africa, including a 3-0 test whitewash and a 3-2 ODI series loss. Pakistan’s only other win came in the Twenty20 match when it was led by Mohammad Hafeez.

Fast bowlers Dale Steyn (20) and Vernon Philander (15) combined for 35 wickets in three test matches and bulldozed Pakistan’s batting lineup at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Centurion. Only Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq scored centuries at Cape Town, but even their double century stand could not prevent a fourwicket defeat. — AP

Kings edge Blackhawks

NHL results/standings Boston 3, Toronto 2 (SO); Ottawa 3, New Jersey 2 (SO); Los Angeles 5, Chicago 4; Nashville 3, Edmonton 2; Minnesota 7, Dallas 4; Detroit 3, Phoenix 2; San Jose 5, Anaheim 3.

Pittsburgh New Jersey NY Rangers NY Islanders Philadelphia

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF 25 8 0 116 15 11 7 82 15 13 3 73 14 15 3 93 13 16 2 82

GA 84 89 76 105 94

PTS 50 37 33 31 28

Montreal Boston Ottawa Toronto Buffalo

Northeast Division 20 6 5 98 21 7 3 89 18 9 6 86 17 12 4 99 13 15 4 86

77 66 72 95 100

45 45 42 38 30

Winnipeg Carolina Washington Tampa Bay Florida

Southeast Division 17 14 2 84 15 13 2 85 15 16 1 92 13 18 1 103 9 18 6 78

98 86 90 98 116

36 32 31 27 24

Chicago Detroit St. Louis Nashville Columbus

Western Conference Central Division 24 4 3 106 17 11 5 90 17 12 2 92 14 13 6 83 13 13 6 75

71 83 86 88 85

51 39 36 34 32

Minnesota Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Colorado

Northwest Division 19 10 2 86 17 9 6 87 11 13 7 74 12 14 4 85 11 16 4 79

75 85 91 103 100

40 40 29 28 26

Pacific Division Anaheim 22 6 4 104 83 48 Los Angeles 18 12 2 93 80 38 San Jose 14 11 6 76 82 34 Dallas 15 14 3 87 97 33 Phoenix 13 15 4 82 90 30 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Hamilton turns his rage on rivals LONDON: Lewis Hamilton has turned his fire on Formula One rivals Red Bull for suggesting after a controversial Malaysian Grand Prix that he has joined Mercedes as their clear number one.

The race at Sepang was dominated by controversial team orders issued by champions Red Bull and Mercedes but Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko said afterwards that his team had a different approach to Hamilton’s. “The team will have a word because we have to control the drivers,” the Austrian told Sky Sports television after world champion Sebastian Vettel had won by ignoring instructions to remain behind team mate Mark Webber.

“It’s not like at Mercedes where it’s a clear number one and number two. Basically we treat the drivers the same,” added Marko. Speaking to British reporters, Hamilton said that was nonsense and he and Germany’s Nico Rosberg had equal status.

“They (Red Bull) have a clear one and two, they always have,” he said. “And that is why they have always had the problems they have had. “We don’t have a one and two here (at Mercedes). I have always said, from the moment I was speaking to the team, that I wanted equality. “I am not a driver that comes and requests that (favored status) like a lot of other drivers do. You have to be able to look yourself in the mirror (and say) you won fair and square.” Hamilton finished third at Sepang, the 2008 world champion’s first podium for the team since his move from McLaren at the end of last season, while Rosberg was fourth after being told to stay behind.

The team, whose title sponsor is Malaysian oil company Petronas, explained that was because fuel levels were low and they had to manage the pace. The German did as he was told but Hamilton said on the podium after that race that he felt Rosberg should have been up there instead of him.

“In Malaysia I don’t feel like I won my spot fair and square,” said Hamilton. “Although I did drive a decent race, I don’t feel spectacular about it.” Hamilton also addressed a newspaper report in Britain on Sunday quoting Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone saying the Briton had asked him last year to broker a move to Red Bull before he signed the deal with Mercedes. “I’m not quite sure why Bernie keeps making comments about me,” he said. “It makes me a little bit nervous because we have quite a good relationship.” —Reuters

GLENDALE: Boyd Gordon No. 15 and David Moss No. 18 of the Phoenix Coyotes skate after the puck as goaltender Jonas Gustavsson No. 50 of the Detroit Red Wings protects the net during the NHL game. —AFP CHICAGO: Dustin Brown converted his own rebound with 1:27 remaining, lifting the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night.

Brown’s first attempt went off the back of Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya, but it bounced right back to the captain, who sent it past Corey Crawford for his 12th of the season. Anze Kopitar set up the score by winning a faceoff in Chicago’s end.

Kopitar also had a goal in the second period to end Los Angeles’ scoreless streak at 150 minutes, 35 seconds. Michael Frolik had two goals and an assist for Chicago, which has lost two in a row. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews also scored. The Blackhawks were without right wing Marian Hossa for the second straight game due to an upper-body injury. Hossa isn’t expected to play Tuesday night against Calgary, but could return this weekend.

Toews gave Chicago the lead when he beat Jonathan Quick with a rebound backhand early in the third period, but Tyler Toffoli responded with a quick tying snap shot.

Jarrett Stoll and Dwight King also scored for Los Angeles, which had been shut out

in each of its previous two games. The reigning Stanley Cup champions have won four of six overall.

Wild 7, Stars 4 In Dallas, Zach Parise scored two goals and added an assist as Minnesota extended its winning streak to six games. Both of Parise’s goals came on bounces that barely made it over the goal line. Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen each had a goal and assist for Minnesota, which won for the first time in Dallas since March 21, 2003, snapping a 16game losing streak in Dallas (0-11-5). With the game tied 4-4 in the third period, the Wild got a short-handed goal from Kyle Brodziak at 12:38. Dany Heatley added an insurance goal with 1:28 remaining PierreMarc Bouchard added an empty-netter with 16 seconds left. Niklas Backstrom, who is 143-1 in his past 18 games and coming off a 2-0 shutout of San Jose on Saturday, stopped 22 shots for the win. Jaromir Jagr, Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley and Philip Larsen scored for the Stars, who were playing their first game since longtime captain Brenden Morrow was traded to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Bruins 3, Maple Leafs 2 In Boston, Patrice Bergeron scored the equalizing goal with 9:24 left in regulation, then put Boston ahead in the shootout as the Bruins held on for a victory. Milan Lucic also scored for Boston, which rallied from a 2-0 deficit and improved to 11-2-1 at home this season.

Tuukka Rask had 23 saves through regulation and overtime, then stopped Nikolai Kulemin on the Maple Leafs’ last chance to extend the shootout, which Boston led 2-1 on goals by Tyler Seguin and Bergeron.

Rask had been beaten by Kulemin on a breakaway in the second period, but stopped him this time, knocking the puck away with his blocker and preserving the win for Boston. Toronto held Boston to just six shots in the third period, but Boston got a goal out of one of them when Bergeron scored at 10:36.

Senators 3, Devils 2 In Ottawa, Mika Zibanejad scored the winner in the shootout to give Ottawa a win over New Jersey. Chris Phillips and Colin Greening also scored for the Senators,

who got 32 saves from Ben Bishop. Captain Daniel Alfredsson also scored in the shootout for Ottawa.

Andrei Loktionov and Marek Zidlicky scored for the Devils as Martin Brodeur faced 14 shots. New Jersey tied the game 22 at 6:05 of the third period as Zidlicky beat Bishop with a wrist shot from the left circle.

After a scoreless overtime, Alfredsson scored on Ottawa’s second shootout attempt. The Devils’ Travis Zajac tied it 1-1, then Zibanejad’s goal and Bishop’s save on Loktionov ended the game.

Predators 3, Oilers 2 In Nashville, Sergei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist to lead Nashville over Edmonton. Kevin Klein and Chris Mueller also scored for Nashville, which its third straight. Martin Erat added two assists for the Predators. He has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past three games.

Taylor Hall and Shawn Horcoff scored for the Oilers in their third consecutive loss.

Hall opened the scoring at 7:53 of the opening period. The goal was Hall’s seventh of the season. —AP

KFH, Boubyan Bank face off in KBC Final Four KUWAIT: The Kuwait Finance House eliminated the National Bank of Kuwait from the Final Four of the KBC League after a penalty shootout victory during a competitive match held

recently at the Kazma Club Stadium. The win puts KFH one step away from the final match of the tournament that is organized by the Kuwait Banks Club. They go head to head tomorrow

night with second place Boubyan Bank to determine which team faces the Gulf Bank who booked their ticket in the finals by finishing the regular season on top of the standings.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Woods recaptures world No. 1 spot ORLANDO: Tiger Woods reclaimed the world number one spot on Monday for the first time since his career was derailed by a sex scandal and a string of injuries. Woods’ victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational saw the 37-year-old replace Rory McIlroy atop the rankings in the latest milestone of his comeback from a spectacular fall from personal and professional grace.

“I play well here,” said Woods, who secured his eighth victory at Bay Hill with after a closing round of two-under 70. “That is about as simple as it gets.

It is a by-product of hard work and patience.”

It took an extra day, but Woods out-dueled fellow American Rickie Fowler down the stretch, winning the $6.2 million event by two strokes.

Woods, who pocketed $1.08 million for Monday’s win, has won 14 majors in his career and had previously spent a record 623 weeks on top of the world.

But he has not led the rankings for nearly three years, after injuries and an infamous scandal saw him stumble. Woods fell to his lowest rank on November 11, 2011 when he dropped to 58th in the world. His woes began in 2009 when a US tabloid aired claims he had had an affair with a nightclub manageress.

Two days later, amid speculation about his marriage, he was slightly injured when he crashed his car near his home. In December of that year, Woods issued two statements admitting to serial marital

infidelity and announced he would take a break from golf. He later said that he had undergone therapy to help him change his behavior.

He returned to golf at the 2010 Masters in April, but his marriage was over and his divorce with former model Elin Nordegren was granted in August.

His game had clearly suffered during the turmoil and his return to the top took three years. “The first step in the process was getting healthy. Once I got there, then my game turned,” Woods said. “I’ve won six times on the tour the last couple years. That’s not bad.”

Last week, Woods announced that he was dating US ski racer Lindsey Vonn. “Number 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!” Vonn tweeted after Woods’ victory. Woods also claimed his 77th PGA Tour victory — his 99th professional victory — in his final tune -up event for next month’s Masters.

The Monday finish followed a severe thunder storm on Sunday that postponed the fourth round.

The storm swept across the Bay Hill Club & Lodge course with gusting winds toppling trees and television towers. Woods and playing partner Fowler began on the third hole Monday and Woods quickly set the tone with birdies on a pair of par-fives.

He finished on 18 with a bogey but it was enough to reach 13-under 275, giving him the win and propelling him the Number One spot for the first time since October 2010.

“I am getting back to winning golf tournaments,”

Woods said. “I won some golf tournaments the last couple years so consequently I moved up.” Runnerup Justin Rose fired a two-under 70 to finish at 11under while Fowler stumbled down the stretch, closing with a one-over 73 as he plummeted to a four-way tie for third at eight-under 280.

Fowler finished alongside Mark Wilson (71), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (72) and Keegan Bradley (71). “I was swinging it well, I made a few putts, and trying to put a little pressure on him, let him know I was there,” Fowler said. Woods, who has won six times in his last 20 tournaments, attributes his recent success to learning how to juggle his family life with golf.

“It was a lot easier to work on the game and make all those changes when I was younger,” he said Monday. “Having family responsibilities changes things. Trying to find the time to do it tests your time-management skills.

“I had to work differently. It was going to have to be done in short bursts. But I wouldn’t trade it. My two little ones are the most important thing in my life.”

Woods has now won 51 times in 55 tries when holding the lead entering the final round and is five wins shy of matching Sam Snead’s all-time record on the PGA Tour. He and Snead are also the only players to win the same tournament eight times with Snead doing it at the Greater Greensboro Open. —AFP

ORLANDO: Tiger Woods holds the trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge. —AFP

NBA results/standings Washington 107, Memphis 94; Miami 108, Orlando 94; Indiana 100, Atlanta 94; New Orleans 110, Denver 86; Utah 107, Philadelphia 91; Golden State 109, LA Lakers 103.

NY Knicks Brooklyn Boston Philadelphia Toronto

Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland

Miami Atlanta Washington Orlando Charlotte

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT 42 26 .618 41 29 .586 36 33 .522 27 43 .386 26 44 .371 Central Division 44 27 38 31 34 35 24 47 22 47

.620 .551 .493 .338 .319

Southeast Division 56 14 .800 39 32 .549 26 44 .371 18 53 .254 16 54 .229

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 52 19 .732 49 23 .681 Denver Utah 35 36 .493 Portland 33 37 .471 Minnesota 24 44 .353

LA Clippers Golden State LA Lakers Sacramento Phoenix

San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans

Pacific Division 48 22 41 31 36 35 25 46 23 48

GB 2 6.5 16 17

5 9 20 21

17.5 30 38.5 40

SALT LAKE CITY: Utah Jazz’s Al Jefferson (right) defends against Philadelphia 76ers’ Spencer Hawes (00) in the third quarter during an NBA basketball game. —AP 3.5 17 18.5 26.5

.686 .569 .507 .352 .324

8 12.5 23.5 25.5

Southwest Division 53 17 .757 47 23 .671 39 31 .557 34 36 .486 25 46 .352

6 14 19 28.5

Heat winning streak continues ORLANDO: LeBron James finished with 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Miami Heat won their 27th straight game by running away in the final minutes to beat the Orlando Magic 108-94 on Monday night. Mario Chalmers scored 17, and Chris Bosh and Ray Allen each had 12 for Miami, which broke open a tie game with a 13-0 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. The Heat now are within six games of matching the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history. It was the 250th win for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as well.

Jameer Nelson had 27 points and 12 assists for the Magic, who got 20 points from Tobias Harris. Miami was without Dwyane Wade, sidelined by a sore right knee. The Magic were again missing Nik Vucevic, sidelined with a mild concussion.

Hornets 110, Nuggets 86 In New Orleans, Ryan Anderson scored 23 points, Brian Roberts doubled his career high with 18 assists and short-

handed New Orleans ended Denver’s 15-game win streak.

New Orleans, playing without its starting backcourt of Eric Gordon and Greivis Vasquez, won its third in a row and was in control all the way.

Roberts, a rookie making his second start, had 11 assists by halftime, two more than his previous best. Anderson was 5 of 11 on 3-pointers, and the Hornets sank 14-of-25 3s as seven players scored in double figures. Danilo Gallinari had 24 points for the Nuggets, who were without starting point guard Ty Lawson (right heel injury) for the third consecutive game.

Wizards 107, Grizzlies 94 In Washington, John Wall scored a career-high 47 points and added eight assists, Emeka Okafor had 21 points and nine rebounds, and undermanned Washington beat Memphis. Wall shot 13 of 22 from the field and made a career-high 19 free throws on 24 attempts. Mike Conley led Memphis with 23 points. It was Washington’s sixth straight home win, while Memphis dropped its fourth straight road game. Already without guard Bradley Beal (sprained left

ankle), guard A.J. Price (groin) and forward Trevor Ariza (flu), Wizards coach Randy Wittman announced before the game that forwards Nene (sore right knee) and Martell Webster (abdomen strain) were also out. Memphis center Marc Gasol missed his second straight game after aggravating an abdominal tear Friday at New Orleans.

Pacers 100, Hawks 94 In Indianapolis, Gerald Green scored 19 points and Roy Hibbert finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, leading short-handed Indiana past Atlanta. The Pacers (44-27) extended their Central Division lead to five games over second-place Chicago with 11 games to play. And they did it despite playing without Danny Granger, George Hill, Lance Stephenson or David West. All four sat out with injuries. They also won on a night that Atlanta (39-32) could have clinched a playoff spot. Josh Smith led the Hawks with 20 points and Al Horford had 13 points and eight rebounds, not nearly enough against the revamped and focused Pacers. —AP

Sharapova powers on in Miami

SIERRA NEVADA: Canadian snowboarder Jonathan Versteeg competes in the Men’s Slope Style final race at the Snowboard and FreeStyle World Cup Super finals at Sierra Nevada ski resort. —AFP

MIAMI: Maria Sharapova powered her way past another opponent at the Sony Open in Miami on Monday as the Russian world number two remains on target to finally claim a tournament that has brought her plenty of heartbreak.

The third seed shrugged off the challenge of Klara Zakopalova, easing to a 6-2 6-2 victory over the Czech to advance to the quarter-finals and inch closer making it fifth time lucky in Florida.

Sharapova was beaten in the last two finals after also falling in the tournament decider in 2005 and 2006, and her determination to go one better this year was evident against Zakopalova, who was helpess in the face of the Russian’s power.

On the men’s side, second seed Andy Murray overcame some early jitters before advancing past Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 6-3 in their third round encounter. Murray had issues with his serve early on and fell behind 5-2 in the first set but his Bulgarian opponent was unable to close out the set, suffering as a result of three double faults.

The Briton found his rhythm in the second set and never looked back. “It was way cooler today with much slower conditions,” Murray said. “I was leaving the ball a bit short. Once I started to improve my depth a bit, I made it tough for him.” The reigning US Open Champion will next play Italy’s Andreas Seppi. Murray, a Miami winner in 2009, was beaten by Novak Djokovic in last year’s final. Meanwhile, Serena Williams’ match was more than an hour old Monday before she began providing a soundtrack for her comeback. “Come on!” she shouted

at her fist through gritted teeth. Her demeanor transformed, Williams rallied past Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round of the Sony Open 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The top-ranked Williams, seeking her sixth Key Biscayne title and first since 2008, was down a service break trailing 4-1 in the second set before she swept the final five games of the set. She also won the last three games of the match and served it out at love with three aces.

“I just felt slow and sluggish,” she said.

“Then I started hitting errors, and I was getting frustrated. Then I tried not to be frustrated. “I was just proud of myself because I didn’t throw any rackets.”

Williams’ opponent in the quarterfinals Tuesday will be No. 5-seeded Li Na, who beat wild card Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (6), 62. America’s Sloane Stephens started strong before losing the last nine games to be eliminated by defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

That spoiled the possibility of a rematch in the semifinals between Williams and Stephens, who pulled off an upset when they met at the Australian Open in January.

Since beating Williams, the No. 16-ranked Stephens is 2-5.

“There’s no specific thing that I’d say has happened or is not happening, but I don’t think it really matters,” she said. “I’m 16 in the world. I can lose in the first round the next two months and I probably would still be top 30. I’m not really too concerned about winning or losing or any of that, I don’t think. My life has changed, yeah, but I wouldn’t say I’m in a panic or anything.”

In men’s third-round play, 2009 champion Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (3), 6-3. No. 6-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-3, American Sam Querrey advanced when No. 14-seeded Milos Raonic withdrew because of illness and American John Isner hit 20 aces but lost to No. 9-seeded Marin Cilic, 63, 7-6 (3). Williams was impassive and flat on her feet in the early going against the No. 13-seeded Cibulkova, and the halfempty stands made for a sleepy atmosphere. “Bor-ing!” one spectator shouted.

Williams said she has learned not to force showing emotion.

“It just kind of has to come,” she said.

“You can’t be yelling, ‘Come on!’ after 40 unforced errors and you miss another shot.

That’s not going to necessarily work.”

During changeovers, disco, salsa and Coldplay blared from the public address system, and something finally got Williams going. Her shots began landing consistently just inside the lines, and she won 10 consecutive points to surge ahead in the second set. — AP

KEY BISCAYNE: Serena Williams, of the United States, follows through on a return to Li Na, of China, during the Sony Open tennis tournament. —AP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Dark days for Aussies ahead of Ashes SYDNEY: These are dark days for Australian cricket fans, facing the prospect of back-to-back Ashes series going up in smoke. Timing is everything in cricket, so the confluence of events yesterday certainly didn’t help the national mood.

Ahead of an Australia squad that returns from India in the wake of its first 4-0 series loss in more than four decades, coach Mickey Arthur arrived home suggesting that the embarrassing defeat had somehow “galvanized” the team.

Not long after that, Cricket Australia announced that skipper Michael Clarke, the only genuinely inform batsman, will need to rest for up to 10 weeks to rehabilitate a back problem which forced him home early from India.

And later in the afternoon, old foe England held on for a draw against New Zealand to ensure their three-test series finished at 0-0. After starting the day with six wickets in hand and chasing an impossible target, old-school tailender Monty Panesar helped century-maker Matt Prior navigate the last three overs in a last-wicket partnership that denied the No. 8-ranked New Zealanders a historic win.

It was precisely the kind of defiant, resolute batting that has been lacking from the Australia top order. The accolades flowed for the Aussies while they ruled the cricket world in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning three consecutive World Cups and twice completing a record sequence of 16 consecutive test wins. Now the critics are heaping scorn on an inexperienced squad, with many complaining that the players are overpaid and under-performing. News Ltd. newspapers highlighted the fact that up to eight members of the squad that toured India “are set for pay rises as Australian cricket ushers in a generation of mediocre millionaires.”

Courier-Mail columnist Robert Craddock said one of the reasons for Australia’s slide in the test

rankings “is that many players are paid like princes but perform like paupers.”

Australia hasn’t had a lot of success in the past in India, where the spin and pitches confound batsmen more familiar with bouncy pitches, so some pundits are writing the tour off as part of the learning curve.

But veteran Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio commentator Jim Maxwell, who has earned civic honors for his coverage of cricket, is among those saying a heavy Ashes defeat will force another wholesale cleanout in Australia.

“Everyone is accountable. If Australia has two bad Ashes series this year, I’d have thought there’ll be a lot of positions up for review,” Maxwell told ABC television. “The coach, the high-performance manager, the chairman of selectors, the CEO. The chairman of the board. They’re all in positions which could be reviewed if Australia does not perform.”

Australia hasn’t produced a world-class spin bowler since Shane Warne retired in 2007. The constant rotation of pacemen has caused some alarm in the interim, but recently has increased the depth in that department. The batting lineup lost its two most experienced players when ex-skipper Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey retired in December and January, and none of the replacements has yet to cement spots.

Hussey, who has rejected calls to return for another series, hasn’t given up on Australia’s prospects in the Ashes. “I’m trying to stay positive,” he said. “I’m an Aussie cricket fan and I want us to win. The tour of India has been a real tough one, but I think it’s going to be a great education for those guys.” An Ashes defeat on home soil in 201011 forced a major shakeup in the Australian setup, with South African Arthur hired as the national team’s first foreign coach. A high-performance man-

ager was appointed, the role going to former Australia rugby union international Pat Howard. The formation of the selection panel was changed dramatically. The new regime seemed to be working in December, when the Australians went close to beating top-ranked South Africa in Adelaide before losing the series-decider in Perth.

Now it’s seemingly in disarray. Arthur’s decision to ban four players, including vice-captain Shane Watson, for the third test against India because they failed to deliver self-assessments to him by deadline, was widely ridiculed by former test players.

Arthur said the suspensions were the last straw after the squad had plenty of warnings about poor discipline. “If we had our time again, we would do exactly the same thing,” Arthur, who had to shut down his Twitter account due to a torrent of abuse from disgruntled fans, told a news conference yesterday. “It was a line-in-the-sand moment and it’s galvanized the team.

“We want to get ourselves to No. 1 in the world. ... We’ve put some stuff in place that we think can get that team there over the next 24 months.”

Watson left the tour and returned to Australia after the ban was announced for the birth of his first child, then returned to India for the fourth test and took over the captaincy when Clarke was ruled out.

The appointment came only days after his future in the lineup was being called into question and was widely debated.

Arthur is contracted until the 2015 World Cup, but knows he’ll be judged by the outcome of the 10 consecutive Ashes tests against England, the series which Australians generally consider the pinnacle of Test cricket. “I’m under no illusions. We need to deliver and we need to deliver in the next year to really have said we’ve made a proper go at this job,” Arthur said. “It’s actually the best time to be a coach

KINGSTOWN: In this March 14, 2012 file photo, Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur speaks during the media launch of the 2012 cricket series between the West Indies and Australia. —AP in these tough times when you’ve got a young team. “Because if you believe in those players, you’ll see those players develop in front of you.” Arthur said his squad was “firmly on track for the Ashes there’s no doubt about that.”

“I was always really worried about the conditions in India, especially with a group of young players.

With the Ashes, the conditions are a lot closer to what we’re comfortable with. “Our pace bowlers will be a real factor in England, and that’s a real strength of ours.” — AP

Prior leads England to series-saving NZ draw

KUWAIT: Mahmoud Bastaki, Chairman, Kuwait Banks Club, Sayed Hussein of KBC along with Jeff De Lange, Chairman Kuwait Cricket Council, S. Shetty, Director, Technical Affairs & other Kuwait Council members cutting the cake to officially inaugurate the Kuwait Banks Club cricket league-2013.

National Bank & Burgan Bank wins first round matches KUWAIT BANKS CLUB TROPHY KICK OFF KUWAIT: Kuwait Cricket, the apex body of cricket in Kuwait added one more feather to its cap by organizing the Kuwait Banks Club cricket tournament in association with Kuwait Banks Club, a tournament exclusively for bank teams who are members of Kuwait Banks club. In a colorful ceremony at Kuwait Crickets’ Sulaibiya pavilion, Mahmoud Bastaki, Chairman of Kuwait Banks Club, Hussein Sayed of KBC along with Jeff De lange, Chairman, Kuwait Cricket council, Sudhakar Shetty, Director, Technical Affairs, Arjuna Amaratunga, General Manager, Web site & Statistics, Taher Khan, Amanulla Palekar, Iqbal Rajpurkar & Mohammed Naim Jan of Kuwait Cricket Council jointly cut the cake to inaugurate the Kuwait Banks Club league tournament.

In the inaugural match of the new season, National Bank of Kuwait won a thrilling 2 wicket victory over Boubyan Bank.

Winning the toss and electing to field first, NBK snatched an early wicket of opener Akbar. Thereafter, hard hitting Irfan Bhatti & Hisham Baig consolidated the innings by some sensible batting. Both the players proved their class with some scintillating batting display and as the pair was looking dangerous, Irfan was foxed to play a bit earlier by Victor only to be caught by Kiran for quick fire 23 runs. This brought Faraz to the crease and along with his senior partner Hisham settled to exploit the field by nudging singles and doubles and dispatching the loose deliveries to the fence. The duo made excellent use of the beautiful batting strip and shared a 4th wicket partnership of 84 runs. Hisham made a classic 52 with two boundaries and 2 sixes while Faraz stroked a handsome 46 out of 32 balls which contained 3 well hit fours and two sixes. Asif was the most successful NBK bowler bagging 2 wickets while Khurram, Victor, Imran, Kiran & Saud shared a wicket each. At the end of the allotted 20 overs, Boubyan posted a challenging 151 runs on board.

Chasing 152 to win the opening encounter, Boubyan Bank quickly got rid of Khurram but Shakti & Saud put their heads down to tame the hostile Boubyan bowling as they steadied the innings with a 45 runs second wicket partnership. Boubyan was back in the game as Shakti was trapped in front of the wicket by Hisham for 16 runs while Abdulrehman bowled Saud for a matured knock of 24 runs. Sensing victory midway through, Boubyan bowlers took out all the trade tricks to unsettle Ronnie & Kiran but sensing the need to stay at the crease both the batsman played with cool mind and began flourishing gradually to post 68 runs 4th wicket partnership. Against the run of the play, Irfan bowled Kiran for a masterly made 42 runs and Faraz at the other end accounted for two quick wickets to bring back the game to Boubyan’s favor. In a nail biting finish, Ronnie who stayed up to the end with a painstaking 27 runs saw NBK go past the Boubyan total with one ball to spare. Hisham, Faraz & Irfan bowled well by

capturing 2 wickets each for Boubyan Bank while Abdulrehman & Mazhar took a wicket each. Kiran was rightly declared Player of the match for his valuable 42 runs & economical bowling per formance. Riaz Choudhary & Naveen D’zousa officiated the match.

In the second match of the day, Burgan Bank caused a major upset by prevailing over last year’s title holder Ahli United Bank (AUB) champ won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny afternoon as Dilip & Sufiyan put on 37 runs opening partnership.

Introduction of Saud Qamar applied brakes on Burgan scoring and first Sufiyan was run out after making 13 runs and Dilip was stumped by Sreekumar for a fighting 21 runs. Thereafter, wicket began to fall like nine pins and Manoj batting at 11 scored a quick 11 runs as Burgan were all out for 97 runs in the 19th over. Saud Qamar took 419& Nabeel 2-15 while Mahmoud Bastaki, Jagat, & Aby George took a wicket each.

Chasing a moderate total of 98 runs, AUB had an early set back as Burgan opening bowler Dilip had Saud Qamar caught at mid wicket & then accounted for Nabeel Ghaffor for 12 & Jagat Roshantha for 5 to send the AUB reeling to read the score 3 for 22 in 6 overs. AUB skipper Mahmoud Bastaki pulled 2 consecutive boundaries to ease the builing up tension but was forced to play early and was bowled for 11 runs. Fahad Bastaki & Sreekumar were involved in a 30 runs partnership to secure a brief recovery but old war horse Syed Ejaz Ali proved that he was still a force to reckon & with his well flighted deliveries captured 3 vital wickets to put AUB in a dire situation.

Waleed supported Ejaz Ali by quickly polishing the tailenders. Sreekumar the sole hope of AUB top scored with 31 runs and as he was caught at mid on, AUB had lost all hopes and were all out for 89 runs. Dilip, Syed Ejaz Ali & Waleed bowled extremely well to take 3 wickets each. Dilip was declared player of the match for his all rounder skills. Fareed Dalwai & Gerald of KCup officiated the match while Nadeem was the official scorer.

KUWAIT: Dilip of Burgan Bank receiving the Player of the Match award from Mahmoud Bastaki, Chairman, Kuwait Banks Club along with Jeff De Lange, Chairman, Kuwait Cricket Council.

AUCKLAND: Wicketkeeper Matt Prior produced a belligerent century to ensure England saved the series-deciding third test against New Zealand at Eden Park yesterday, despite Kane Williamson taking two late wickets that almost snatched victory for the hosts.

Prior (110 not out) took up the responsibility of seeing the tourists home after Ian Bell had defied New Zealand for almost six hours, as England finished on 315 for nine, after they had given up chasing the 481 needed for victory on the fourth day.

With England looking comfortable in the final hour, Williamson grabbed two wickets in three balls to bring Monty Panesar to the crease but the left-arm spinner and Prior saw out the final 19 deliveries to ensure the series was drawn 0-0.

“Clearly quite gutted, we were so close, the boys tried everything,” Williamson, who finished with figures of four for 44, said in a televised interview. “It went down to the last ball and just gutted that we didn’t come away with the win.”

New Zealand had been seeking just their ninth test win in 97 matches against England, and their first series victory against them since Stephen Fleming’s team achieved a 2-1 series win in England in 1999.

Neil Wagner had captured the crucial wicket of Bell just before tea to push New Zealand to the brink of victory. Bell had curbed his natural attacking game to play the anchor role, plodding his way to 75 from 271 balls, but surrendered three balls before the break when he prodded at a Wagner delivery and it flew to Tim Southee at third slip.

Prior battled on to his seventh test century and was ably supported by Stuart Broad (two not out) who had a lbw-decision overturned on review and provided obstinate defence taking 62 balls, and 102 minutes, to get off the mark.

“I’m not really one to celebrate draws but to get away with that was a phenomenal effort,” Prior said. “You just dig in as best as you can.

What a phenomenal effort (from Broad), what was he? Nought after facing 50 balls or something? “He’s been working so hard on his batting with Andy Flower and an innings like that proves all that hard work was worth it. “Monty was good, all our guys have been working hard in the nets for just that kind of moment.”

The match had been crackling with tension all day, particularly when Jonny Bairstow fell after lunch as New Zealand’s bowlers, knowing the Bell-Prior partnership was the one to break, charged in, seeking that one delivery that would tip the game in their favour.

Southee hit Prior on the pads twice in one over. One appeal was turned down, the next was successful, but the England wicketkeeper immediately asked for a review, knowing that he had

nicked the ball into his legs first.

Less than 10 minutes later, Prior mistimed a pull shot from a Southee bouncer and Wagner turned at mid-on, bolted 20 metres in a desperate attempt to make the catch that would place the hosts under huge pressure. His diving effort fell just short, however.

Wagner then hit Prior in the helmet and the ball dropped down the face of the stumps, bounced and spun back and nestled at the foot of the wicket but failed to dislodge the bails.

The left-armer ultimately had the final say when a tired-looking Bell fell in the final over before tea. —Reuters

AUCKLAND: England’s Matt Prior celebrates as the match ended in a draw against New Zealand on the fifth day of the 3rd international cricket Test at Eden Park in Auckland. —AP

SCOREBOARD AUCKLAND: Scoreboard at the conclusion of the drawn third and final test between New Zealand and England at Eden Park yesterday: The series finished 0-0.

New Zealand first innings (443) England first innings (204) New Zealand second innings (241-6 dec.)

England second innings (overnight 90-4) A. Cook c Brownlie b Williamson 43 N. Compton c Watling b Southee 2 J. Trott c Watling b Wagner 37 I. Bell c Southee b Wagner 75 S. Finn c Southee b Williamson 0 J. Root lbw b Boult 29 J. Bairstow c Taylor b Southee 6 M. Prior not out 110 S. Broad c Taylor b Williamson 6

J. Anderson c Taylor b Williamson 0 M. Panesar not out 2 Extras: (lb-4, nb-1) 5 Total: (for nine wickets, 143 overs) 315 Fall of wickets: 1-2 2-60 3-90 4-90 5-150 6-159 7-237 8-304 9-304 Bowling: Boult 29-13-55-1 (nb-1), Southee 306-77-2, Martin 39-18-74-0, Wagner 25-8-61-2, Williamson 20-8-44-4.

Result: Match drawn Previous results: First test - match drawn Second test - match drawn

Sri Lankans will not play IPL games in Chennai NEW DELHI: Sri Lankan cricketers have been barred from playing in Chennai after Indian Premier League officials kowtowed yesterday to a warning from the state government that they weren’t welcome.

The IPL and Board of Control for Cricket in India made the decision after the chief minister of Tamil Nadu province said any Sri Lankans who play in the state capital Chennai will “aggravate an already charged atmosphere.” Tamils in the southern state have raged against the treatment of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.

“The security of all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the

BCCI,” the IPL said in a statement.

“The governing council decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in league matches in Chennai and will advise the nine franchises accordingly.” Chennai is home to the IPL’s dominant team, the two-time champion Super Kings, who feature two Sri Lankan players.

But Jayaram Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to warn off all Sri Lankan players because people in her state were disturbed by alleged human rights violations and the systematic killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

“The government of Tamil Nadu will permit IPL matches to be held

in Tamil Nadu, only if the organizers provide an undertaking that no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff would participate in these matches,” Jayalalithaa wrote.

Before the IPL decision, Sri Lanka Cricket said it had been monitoring the situation in Tamil Nadu.

“Sri Lanka Cricket has ... received assurances that the BCCI will take all necessary steps to ensure that the players feel safe and action will be taken to ensure that the players’ safety is paramount,” SLC said in a statement.

“BCCI also stated they ... will take necessar y action as and when required, to request teams not to bring Sri Lankan players to Tamil Nadu if the situation escalates.”

The Chennai Super Kings feature

Sri Lankan bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya.

Eleven other Sri Lankans feature in seven other teams. Chennai’s first home game is on April 6 against Mumbai Indians, who include Lasith Malinga.

Jayalalithaa last month refused to host the Asian Athletics Championships in July as it would feature Sri Lankans. Tamil Nadu is home to more than 70 million Tamils, who share linguistic, cultural and family ties with the Tamils of Sri Lanka.

Tamils, who comprise 18 percent of Sri Lanka’s nearly 20 million people, claim they suffer discrimination from the majority Sinhalese, who control the government and the military. —AP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Australia salvages draw against Oman SYDNEY:- Brett Holman helped Australia keep their World Cup qualifying hopes alive with a late long-range goal that salvaged a 2-2 draw and denied a fighting Oman an upset victory in Sydney yesterday.

The Omanis went 2-0 up in the 49th minute but Tim Cahill, who was a constant menace, pulled one back with a trademark header three minutes later.

And Holman, who has been little used by English Premier League strugglers Aston Villa this season, saved Australia from a humiliating home defeat when he unleashed a fierce long-range volley with five minutes left of normal time. The equaliser meant Australia salvaged a point to stay in second spot in Asia Group B, behind Japan.

But the Australians, ranked 39th in the world, 66 places above the Omanis, will rue missing out on two crucial points as they bid for their third straight World Cup finals appearance in Brazil next year. The Socceroos have just one win and six points from five qualifying games, and must at least maintain their number two spot in group B with three games to play. “For us it’s disappointing.

We had a game plan, we didn’t stick to it, we didn’t move the ball quick enough in the first half and at the end

of the day this is what could make the difference between qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil,” Cahill said.

“They didn’t surprise us. We surprised ourselves. We are a lot better than that and we were trying to make the killer ball all the time, we’ve got to play football. “They (Oman) are coming here to waste time and ruin the game and overall we’ve got to look at ourselves instead of what they did.”

Oman meanwhile move ahead of Iraq and Jordan into third place with two games to go. The Omanis rocked Australia with a goal from virtually their first attack in the sixth minute.

Amad Al-Hosni played in Abdulaziz Al-Miqbali, who got the better of defender Michael Thwaite and beat Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer from a tight angle with a left-foot drive.

It was Al-Miqbali’s fourth goal in his 14th international and gave Oman a psychological boost against the flat Australians, who were missing suspended skipper Lucas Neill.

For much of the opening 45 minutes goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, who plays for Wigan Athletic in the EPL, had little to do. And the night took a turn for the worse for the Australians when Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak conced-

ed an own goal in the 49th minute after an innocuous cross from Raed Ibrahim.

But minutes later Australia hit back through talisman Cahill with his 27th international goal. Cahill outjumped AlMukhaini to head home Luke Wilkshire’s corner and wake the Australians from their lethargy.

It was Cahill again who forced AlHabsi into a flying save to beat away his bullet header off another corner with 16 minutes left. And another Cahill header, from a corner, bounced over the bar to Oman’s relief. Holman rescued the desperate Australians when he unleashed a fierce drive outside the area to beat Al-Habsi in the 85th minute. And Cahill could have pinched it for Australia deep in injury time with yet another header, but Al-Habsi got down well to beat the ball away.

“Let’s say we had a poor first half and we simply played way too slow and the penetrating ball never came, we played in front of them and I knew that Oman would have that kind of shape,” Australia coach Holger Osieck said.

“Second half we showed a lot more spirit and I give credit to our experienced players, they really changed it and with a bit of luck we could have scored again.” —AFP

Photo of the day

Josh Sheehan of Australia performs during the qualifying of the first stage of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Mexico City, Mexico - www.redbullcontentpool.com

Jordan stun Japan

AUSTRALIA : Oman’s Ismail Al-Ajmi (center) vies with Matt Mckay of Australia during their World Cup football qualifier in Sydney. —AFP

Egypt snatch World Cup victory over Zimbabwe JOHANNESBURG: Mohamed Abou Trika scored a penalty to earn Egypt a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Zimbabwe yesterday in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

The veteran midfielder netted two minutes from time in Mediterranean city Alexandria after Hosny Abd Rabou had put Egypt ahead midway through the second half and Knowledge Musona levelled.

Abd Rabou scored off a free kick and Musona off a

EGYPT: Egypt’s Mohammed Salah (left) competes for the ball with Zimbabwe’s Esrom Nyandoro (right) during their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier football match in Borg el-Arab. —AFP

long-range shot before Mohamed Salah was tripped in the box and United Arab Emirates-based Abou Trika calmly slotted the ball past Washington Arubi.

Authorities allowed 10,000 spectators to watch the game in the 90,000-seat Borg El Arab stadium after recent games involving the national team were staged behind closed doors because of post-Arab spring security concerns.

Riots after a national league game in Port Said 13 months ago led to 74 Al-Ahly supporters being killed, and a subsequent ban on domestic football was lifted only this year.

Success maintained the per fect record of the Pharaohs in Group G with nine points from three matches after defeating Mozambique at home and Guinea away last June.

Zimbabwe, who were playing their first competitive match under German coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels, were defeated at home by Guinea and drew away to Mozambique in mid-2012.

Egypt have nine points, Guinea four, Mozambique two and Zimbabwe one halfway through the sixround qualifying competition and the group winners advance to the final, five-tie phase late this year. A win for 2010 World Cup qualifiers Algeria or Benin later Tuesday in Blida, south of Algiers, would take them above Mali to the top of the table in the highly competitive Group H. —AFP

Uzbeks down Lebanon TASHKENT: A deflected strike from captain Server Djeparov was enough for group leaders Uzbekistan to see off spirited Lebanon 1-0 yesterday to leave them within touching distance of a first World Cup finals appearance.

The playmaker, twice AFC Player-of-the-Year, fired a left foot effort from the edge of the area in the 66th minute that took a heavy deflection off an onrushing defender to bounce past a wrong-footed Abbas Hassan in the Lebanon goal.

The final whistle brought huge cheers from the home fans in Tashkent, who have seen their side rebound brilliantly after taking only two points from their opening three Group A games.

Their third consecutive 1-0 victory leaves them on 11 points, one ahead of South Korea who beat Qatar 2-1 earlier on Tuesday, and crucially four ahead of third placed Iran.

Korea and Iran have three games remaining.

The top two from the group qualify for the 2014 finals in Brazil while the third placed side faces two playoffs against another Asian country and then a South American team for another berth.

For Lebanon, their fourth defeat in six matches leaves their unlikely World Cup dream all but over after an eventful campaign where they have had to deal with a matchfixing crisis at home and shock player retirements.

They have four points from six games with a home tie against the Koreans and a trip to Iran remaining in June.

Theo Bucker’s side looked dangerous on the break in the opening stages of the clash in Tashkent with Hassan Chaito going close with a left foot drive in the 12th minute.

But the home side always looked the most likely to grab the breakthrough and Djeparov was one of a number of

AMMAN: Goalkeeper Amer Sabbah pulled off a heroic late penalty stop yesterday as Jordan stunned Japan 2-1 to reignite their World Cup hopes and foil the Asian champions’ hopes of booking an early ticket to Brazil 2014. A headed goal on the stroke of half-time and a breakaway effort on the hour-mark put the hosts 2-0 ahead but Japan got one back through Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa, and then earned a penalty just a minute later.

However, Sabbah flung himself at Yasuhito Endo’s well-taken spot-kick to earn Jordan the points that take them from bottom to second in Group B-and deny Japan the draw that would have made them the first country to qualify for the World Cup. At the final-round qualifier inside a cacaphonic King Abdullah International Stadium, Ahmad Ibrahim flashed an early warning when he rounded Atsuto Uchida and stung Japan ‘keeper Eiji Kawashima’s hands at his near post on the quarter-hour.

At the other end, Ryoichi Maeda beat the offside trap and headed off the crossbar as Japan, the runaway leaders in Group B, pressed with their customary attacking flair, despite the absence of blond talisman Keisuke Honda. But it was Jordan who took the lead in firsthalf injury time when Khalil Bani Ateyah stole in unmarked and met Amer Deeb’s corner with a header which crashed past Kawashima.

And Japan’s defence was also found wanting in the 59th minute when Gotoku Sakai lost the ball near the halfway line and Ibrahim cruised past the last defender, drifted central and

poked it past the outstretched Kawashima. Japan threw on tall striker Mike Havenaar and they got their break on 69 minutes when Hiroshi Kiyotake beat the defence with a cute backheel to Kagawa, who drilled it into the Jordanian net to make it 2-1.

Just a minute later Japan, needing only a draw to qualify for Brazil after Australia were held 2-2 by Oman earlier, appeared odds-on to book their ticket when Atsuto Uchida was brought down in the box by Jordan’s Abdallah Salim.

Despite green laser flashes from the crowd shining on his face, Endo was

calmness personified as he struck a solid penalty to Sabbah’s left-but the goalkeeper stretched full-length to make a brilliant stop. Yasuyuki Konno flashed a shot narrowly wide but Jordan held on for the win which boosted their World Cup hopes and delayed the progress of Japan, previously unbeaten in the final qualifying round, to next year’s World Cup. The top two in both groups of five teams qualify automatically, with the two third-placed sides going into a playoff series. Japan lead Group B on 13 points, six ahead of Jordan. —AFP

AMMAN: Japan’s Kagawa Shinji (center) vies for the ball against Jordan’s Oday Zahran (left-23) during their FIFA World Cup Group B Asian qualifiers round four football match. —AFP

Late drama as South Korea beat Qatar 2-1 SEOUL: Hamburg SV winger Son Heung-Min prodded home an injury-time winner as South Korea edged a badtempered encounter with Qatar 2-1 to give their 2014 World Cup qualification hopes a boost yesterday.

The substitute toe-poked from just a yard out and deep into stoppage time after a speculative effort came off the crossbar, sparking delirium in the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The hosts had earlier blown a 1-0 second-half lead and were drawn into some testy exchanges, including a mass pushing and shoving match with five minutes to go, as a disappointing draw beckoned. But Son’s strike was golden as it gave the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists a third win from five games in the final qualifying round to leave them one point off Group A leaders Uzbekistan with three to play. “We lost our concentration after scoring the first goal and we made it difficult on ourselves,” said South Korean coach Choi Kang-Hee. “But Son Heung-Min was excellent in scoring that lastminute goal. I expect more from him for the national team in the future.” Uzbekistan beat Lebanon 1-0 in Tashkent to retain the Group A lead. The top two teams earn an automatic ticket to Brazil 2014, with the third-placed side going into a play-off series. South Korea struggled to capitalise on their huge advantage in possession for most of the match, while the visitors were apparently willing to sit back and walk away with a draw. South Korea had little to show

for their efforts around the Qatari area. In the 25th minute Ji Dong-Won took a nifty pass from Augsburg team-mate Koo Ja-Cheol but miscued his shot from the left edge of the box. About eight minutes later, Lee Chung-Yong fed striker Kim Shin-Wook deep in the area, but goalkeeper Qasem Burhan was quicker to the ball.

In the 36th, Lee Keun-Ho crossed for Lee Chung-Yong but the Bolton Wanderers midfielder fluffed his chance.

Shortly afterwards, Kim Shin-Wook’s shot deflected off Qatari defender Ibrahim Majed. It was much the same story in the second half. Lee Chung-Yong received a header from Ji Dong-Won in the 50th minute but his rolling shot from the top of the ‘D’ rolled just wide of the right post.

Substitute Lee Dong-Gook headed a Ki Sung-Yueng free kick in the 55th minute but it went right at Burhan in goal.

Lee Keun-Ho finally put the home team on board in the 59th by superbly glancing Park Won-Jae’s cross into the Qatari goal. But Qatar drew level just three minutes later as Khalfan Ibrahim buried a low shot past Korean ‘keeper Jung Sung-Ryong.

The game grew testy in the closing stages, with Son sparking a late melee when he appeared to kick out at Hamed Ismaeil following a heavy challenge.

But despite the fraying tempers, Son kept his wits about him and was on hand to nudge the late, late winner over the line. —AFP

Uzbeks guilty of wasting chances before the skipper came up with the key strike in the second half.

Uzbekistan are away to South Korea in their next qualifier in June before they finish their pool campaign against Qatar. —Reuters

Asian zone World Cup qualifying tables SINGAPORE: Group tables for the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after yesterday’s games (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Group A Uzbekistan South Korea Iran Qatar Lebanon

6 5 5 6 6

3 3 2 2 1

2 1 1 1 1

1 1 2 3 4

6 11 2 4 2

4 5 2 7 7

11 10 7 7 4

Group B Japan 6 4 1 1 14 4 13 Jordan 6 2 1 3 6 12 7 Australia 5 1 3 1 6 6 6 Oman 6 1 3 2 6 9 6 Iraq 5 1 2 2 4 5 5 The top two teams in each group qualify for the World Cup. The third-placed teams face each other over two legs in September for the right to contest an intercontinental play-off.

SEOUL: South Korea’s midfielder Lee Geun-Ho (center) celebrates his goal with teammates during their World Cup Asian qualifier football match against Qatar. —AFP

19

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

SPORTS

Portugal revive World Cup hopes BAKU: Under-pressure Portugal shrugged off the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo by securing a 2-0 victory over 10-man Azerbaijan in a World Cup Group F qualifier in Baku thanks to goals from Bruno Alves and Hugo Almeida yesterday.

The win meant Portugal, who have not missed a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France, moved onto 11 points from six matches.

The result also put an end to a five-game winless streak which Portugal had failed to break last Friday when they stumbled to 3-3 draw in Israel.

Ronaldo, watching in the stands because of a suspension picked up in Tel Aviv, saw Azerbaijan’s defensive heroics fall apart after forward Rauf Aliyev was sent off for a second yellow card early into the second half.

Portugal took advantage soon after when Bruno Alves, who scored the opener in Israel, sprinted towards a Joao Moutinho corner and towered above the Azeri defence to head in after 63 minutes.

Substitute Hugo Almeida then finished off Azerbaijan with an easy header in the box from a Fabio Coentrao cross with 10 minutes to go. Russia top the group in the automatic qualification spot with 12 points from four matches.

With Manchester United’s Nani also out due to injury, Portugal coach Paulo Bento opted for VfL Wolfsburg’s Vieirinha and Zenit St Petersburg’s Danny on the wings.

They did not disappoint and created several chances but striker Helder Postiga fluffed his lines in the first half.

“It is a shame that we were so wasteful upfront. We had enough chances to go into halftime winning,” Bento told Portuguese television RTP. The Portuguese kept pressing and centre back Alves, who deputised for Ronaldo as captain, smashed a free kick against the bar.

“I’m only 30-years-old so 100 does not have to be the final number,” he told the daily newspaper Sport before the match. “I am very proud to complete the century in an important game.

“When I was a little boy, my dream was to play at least once for the national team.

And to play 100 matches? That is of course a great success. Especially when I take my age into consideration.”

Udinese striker Vydra, who is on loan with England’s Watford this season, opened the scoring when he headed in a cross by Jaroslav Plasil two minutes into the second half.

The 20-year-old Vydra, named this week as the English second tier’s player of the season, made it 2-0 with a solo goal in the 81st minute before substitute Daniel Kolar added a late third following a centre from Tomas Hubschman. The Czechs have eight points from five games. Armenia are second from bottom on three points.

BAKU: Portugal’s forward Hugo Almeida (second right) is in action against Azerbaijan’s national football team during their 2014 World Cup qualifying football match. —AFP It was not all good news for Portugal as Vydra scored twice as Czech Republic coastHe finally broke the deadlock when Portugal already had a one-man advantage centre back Pepe picked up a yellow card ed to a 3-0 victory over Armenia in World over an Azerbaijan side without the sturdy and will miss the next qualifier at home to Cup Group B qualifying yesterday.

Chelsea goalkeeper Cech, his country’s defensive ability that coach Berti Vogts used Russia in June. second most-capped player behind former to display for Germany.

Manchester United midfielder Karel Czech Republic 3 Armenia 0 “We proved today we have the capacity In Yerevan, Petr Cech marked his 100th Poborsky (118), was delighted to reach the to qualify. It is in the bad moments that we cap by keeping a clean sheet and Matej milestone. show our character,” Alves said.

Germany sweep past Kazakhstan NUREMBERG: Germany, again playing without a recognised striker, hit three goals in eight minutes on the way to a 4-1 romp over Kazakhstan yesterday that kept them in control of World Cup Group C qualifying. Borussia Dortmund trio Marco Reus, Mario Goetze and Ilkay Guendogan scored in the first half and Reus added a fourth goal in stoppage time at the end of the game as group leaders Germany won for the fifth time in six qualifiers.

The Germans, who also hit the woodwork six times in a one-sided encounter that at times looked more like a friendly, played without a recognised striker just as they did in Friday’s 3-0 victory in Kazakhstan. The home team produced some lightning-quick passing to open up the Kazakh defence time and time again.

Italy 2 Malta 0 In Ta’Qali, Mario Balotelli extended his rich vein of scoring form as he hit a brace to inspire Italy to a 2-0 win over a spirited Malta team in a World Cup Group B qualifier yesterday.

Balotelli gave Italy an eighth-minute lead with a welltaken penalty after Malta defender Luke Dimech floored Stephan El Shaarawy in the penalty area.

Malta had a two excellent opportunities to level as captain Michael Mifsud had a penalty saved by Gianluigi Buffon and, minutes later, rattled the crossbar with a longrange drive.

The hosts paid dearly for the misses as Balotelli doubled Italy’s lead on the verge of half-time with a volley after a surging run by right-back Mattia De Sciglio.

Italy easily preserved their two-goal advantage in the second half to strengthen their grip on top spot in Group B with 13 points from five games.

Croatia 2 Wales 1 In Swansea, Eduardo guided Croatia to a hard-fought 21 victory over Wales in a World Cup qualifier yesterday to keep them alongside Belgium at the top of Group A. The Brazilian-born former Arsenal striker struck home the decisive goal with three minutes to play after Gareth Bale’s 21st minute penalty had put Wales ahead, before Dejan Lovren equalised in the 77th minute. The first half was played at a high-tempo, entertaining pace, and when Croatia centre-back Vederan Corluka hacked down a fastadvancing Bale in the seventh minute, the Spurs winger saw his effort from the free-kick go high and wide.

Croatian playmaker Luka Modric broke down the right and played the ball inside to Brazilian-born midfielder Sammir, who sliced his follow-up shot just wide.

Immediately after, Wales goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was on hand to fend off a free Eduardo head-down from point blank, the Welsh defence caught napping thinking the ball had gone out of play.

Wales held their nerve, and when Craig Bellamy played Joe Ledley into the penalty box, Lovren’s clumsy tackle brought the latter down in a heap, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. In-form Bale converted with aplomb to give Wales the perfect start after 21 minutes gone. Croatia stepped up a gear in their bid to find an equaliser, James Collins holding the home defence firm,

Djuricic double ends woeful Scotland’s World Cup hopes NOVI SAD: Filip Djuricic scored a second half double here yesterday as Serbia beat Scotland 2-0 and extinguished their extremely faint hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup finals.

Gordon Strachan’s side headed to Serbia firmly rooted to the bottom of Group A with no wins and just two points from five games but still with an extremely slim mathematical chance of World Cup qualification.

However, Djuricic struck twice in five second half minutes to kill off any hopes as Scotland slipped to their fourth straight defeat in Group A. Scotland have now gone seven competitive matches without a win for the first time in their history as the scale of the task facing Strachan, who took over in January, becomes apparent.

Strachan had reshuffled his pack for the match, making six changes from the 2-1 loss to Wales. Brighton’s Liam Bridcutt and Hull’s George Boyd were both handed their debuts while Jordan Rhodes was handed his first competitive start.

David Marshall replaced Allan McGregor in goal as he made his first international appearance for three-and-a-half years. And the keeper was called into action in the first minute as he raced out to block an early Serbian effort.

Netherlands 4 Romania 0 In Amsterdam, Manchester United star Robin van Persie bagged a brace as the Netherlands continued their march to Brazil with a 4-0 win over Romania yesterday at the Amsterdam ArenA. In so doing the 29-year-old reached 34 international goals, overtaking the legendary Johan Cruyff.

Rafael van der Vaart scored the opener and Jeremain Lens added gloss in the last minute as the Dutch stretched their perfect record to six matches, and their lead at the top of qualifying Group D to seven points.

The Netherlands need just two more wins from their final four matches to ensure their passge to the finals in Brazil next year.

Even without injured playmaker Wesley Sneijder, Louis van Gaal’s team were simply

too good for their visitors. Van Persie teed up Van der Vaart to score his 24th goal in 105 appearances for the Oranje after just 12 minutes.

With Adrian Mutu warming the bench for three-quarters of the game, Romania were starved of possession and failed to register a single shot on target in the opening period.

Van Persie headed home the second on 56 minutes after good work from Daley Blind and Arjen Robben before slotting home a penalty nine minutes later after Cristian Tanase fouled Lens, who rounded off the rout late on.

Ukraine 2 Moldova 1 In Moldova, Ukraine scored twice in the second half to labor to a 2-1 win in Moldova in snowy conditions yesterday and keep their World Cup qualifying hopes alive.

Ukraine earned their second win in Group H and share third place with Poland on eight points, behind leaders Montenegro and England.

Ukraine supporters pelted the Moldova penalty area with snowballs to impose extra psychological pressure on the hosts’ goalkeeper and they were warned by the stadium announcer.

Andriy Yarmolenko, who inspired Ukraine’s 3-1 win in Poland five days ago, broke the deadlock after 61 minute when he steered the ball past the keeper after a perfect headed pass from Roman Zozulia.

Centre back Evhen Khacheridi, unmarked at the near post, headed in a corner nine minutes later to increase the lead but Moldova pulled one back 10 minutes from time.

Denmark 1 Bulgaria 1 In Copenhagen, Denmark’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup suffered a fresh blow when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Group B rivals Bulgaria yesterday.

The home team, who have won just one of their five qualifiers, controlled possession in the first half and failed to make the most of their domination. On the Parken pitch where he plays his club football for FC Copenhagen, striker Andreas Cornelius almost opened the scoring after three minutes only to see his shot blocked. —AP

and it was again that man Bale who found himself in more space in the 34th minute.

The impressive Hal Robson-Kanu found the Spurs hitman on the edge of the Croatian goalkeeper’s area after a left-wing dart.

The first-time shot was excellently executed but lacked power and ‘keeper Stipe Pletikosa snaffled the ball without problem.

Bale was almost on hand to finish off a length-of-thefield attack, beautifully controlling a long cross-field ball from Robson-Kanu, only to see his shot blaze over the left corner of a stranded Pletikosa’s goalposts.

Poland 5 San Marino 0 In Warsaw, hosts Poland bagged an easy 5-0 victory over Group H whipping boys San Marino yesterday to rekindle their hopes of World Cup qualification after Friday’s home defeat by Ukraine.

Robert Lewandowski, the leading scorer in the German Bundesliga who had failed to find the net in 900 minutes for the national team, converted two penalties either side of the break after handballs by Alessandro Della Valle.

Fellow Borussia Dortmund player Lukasz Piszczek and second-half substitute Lukasz Teodorczyk also scored with Jakub Kosecki capping the display with a fifth seconds before the final whistle as Poland moved onto eight points.

San Marino, the world’s joint-lowest ranked national team including an accountant and a gym owner, tested Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc with only one shot on goal.—Agencies

Hazard sparkles for triumphant Belgium BRUSSELS: A moment of magic from Eden Hazard ended stiff resistance from Macedonia yesterday as Belgium won 1-0 to remain top of the World Cup Group A qualifying table.

The Chelsea winger, three minutes after hitting the bar, feigned a shot before cutting past two defenders to score in the 62nd minute and settle a match his team dominated while rarely threatening to break through.

Belgium, with Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany back after a two-month injury layoff, were on top from the start.

The hosts, however, struggled to penetrate Macedonia’s well-organised defence and lone striker Christian Benteke was a peripheral figure.

Belgium won corner after corner but did not force a single save from keeper Tome Pacovski in the first half although Thomas Vermaelen had the ball in the net in the 34th minute only to be adjudged offside.

Macedonia came more into it after Hazard’s goal without looking likely to score. Highlyfancied Belgium, packed with English Premier League talent, have 16 points from six matches, the same as Croatia but ahead on goal difference.

Austria 2 Ireland 2 In Dublin, a stoppage-time goal earned Austria a 2-2 draw with Ireland in a World Cup Group C qualifier yesterday, leaving both sides with hopes of qualifying at the halfway point on the road to next year’s tournament in Brazil.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s side almost built on the momentum of a positive draw in Sweden on Friday, but were denied a hardfought victory by a late strike from outside the box by Bayern Munich’s David Alaba. A young Irish side applied heavy pressure on their opponents and looked worthy winners until Alaba’s half-volley stunned the crowd in Dublin in the final minute of added time.

Austria came to Dublin full of confidence after thrashing the Faroe Island 6-0 and went ahead after 11 minutes when Martin

BRUSSELS: Belgium’s defender Toby Alderweireld (left) vies with Macedonia’s midfielder Nikola Gligorov during the 2014 World Cup Qualifying football match. — AFP Harnik capitalised on sloppy Irish defending to stab home.

But Ireland drew level through a Jon Walters penalty midway through the first half after West Bromwich Albion striker Shane Long was brought down going away from goal by the experienced Emanuel Pogatetz.

The hosts looked more menacing in the final third and just before halftime went 2-1 ahead when Stoke City’s Walters bagged his second from a quickly taken corner.

Austria, winners only once on the road in their last 18 internationals, were more compact and calm in possession but failed to match Ireland’s intensity and the second half suffered more frustration as Ireland defended deeply.

It looked like their efforts were wasted until Alaba smashed the ball past David Forde in the Irish goal. Both sides now have eight points in Group C, level with secondplaced Sweden who have played a game less. Germany are in control at the top of the group. — Agencies

Turkey 1 Hungary 1 In Istanbul, Daniel Bode equalized in the 71st minute yesterday as Hungary held Turkey to a 1-1 draw in World Cup qualifying.

Turkey dominated the first half with forwards Burak Yilmaz and Alper Potuk both missing several chances, before the hosts finally went ahead in the 63rd when Yilmaz headed in a cross from close range. But Hungary drew level after a throw-in straight into the penalty area was poorly defended

by Turkey, allowing Bode to shoot the ball into the top left corner.

Turkey piled on the pressure to try and get the win in the closing minutes but Hungary hung on for a point that boosts its chances of finishing second in Group D behind favorite the Netherlands. Hungary has 11 points from six games, with Turkey on seven. —Agencies

World Cup European qualifying zone tables PARIS: 2014 World Cup European qualifying zone tables after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): P Belgium Croatia Serbia Wales Macedonia Scotland

6 6 6 6 6 6

W D Group A 5 1 5 1 2 1 2 0 1 1 0 2

L

F

A Pts

Italy Bulgaria Czech Denmark Armenia Malta

5 6 5 5 4 5

Group B 4 1 2 4 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 0

0 12 0 11 1 6 1 6 3 2 5 1

4 4 4 5 7 14

13 10 8 6 3 0

Germany Austria Sweden Ireland Kazakhstan Faroe Islands

6 5 4 5 6 4

Group C 5 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 0 0

0 22 1 13 0 8 1 9 5 2 4 2

7 4 5 10 15 15

16 8 8 8 1 0

Netherlands Hungary Romania Turkey Estonia Andorra

6 6 6 6 6 6

Group D 6 0 3 2 3 1 2 1 2 0 0 0

0 20 1 13 2 10 3 7 4 3 6 0

2 8 10 7 9 17

18 11 10 7 6 0

Switzerland Albania Iceland Norway Cyprus Slovenia

4 5 5 5 4 5

Group E 3 1 3 0 3 0 2 1 1 0 1 0

0 2 2 2 3 4

7 6 6 6 4 4

1 5 5 6 8 8

10 9 9 7 3 3

Russia Israel Portugal N Ireland Azerbaijan Luxembourg

4 6 6 5 6 5

Group F 4 0 3 2 3 2 0 3 0 3 0 2

0 8 1 15 1 11 2 3 3 2 3 2

0 8 6 7 8 12

12 11 11 3 3 2

Bosnia Greece Slovakia Lithuania Latvia Liechtenstein

5 5 5 5 5 5

Group G 4 1 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 0 1

0 18 1 6 1 6 2 4 3 6 4 2

3 4 4 7 9 15

13 10 8 5 4 1

Montenegro England Poland Ukraine Moldova San Marino

6 6 5 5 6 6

Group H 4 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0

0 14 0 21 1 11 1 6 4 3 6 0

3 3 6 4 10 29

14 12 8 8 4 0

Spain France Georgia Belarus Finland

5 5 5 4 3

Group I 3 2 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 2

0 1 3 3 1

2 4 7 8 3

11 10 4 3 2

0 11 0 10 3 8 4 6 4 3 4 3

1 3 7 14 7 9

16 16 7 6 4 2

8 8 3 3 2

Note: Nine group winners qualify directly for 2014 finals, with eight best runners-up qualifying for play-offs. — AFP

Woods recaptures world No. 1 spot

16

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Jordan stun Japan in World Cup qualifier

18

Dark days for Aussies ahead of Ashes

Page 17

PODGORICA: Montenegro’s forward Stevan Jovetic (left) vies with England’s midfielder Steven Gerrard (right) during their World Cup 2014 qualification football match at Podgorica stadium. — AFP

Montenegro hit back to hold England PODGORICA: Montenegro produced a rousing second-half display to earn a 1-1 draw at home to England yesterday that enabled them to preserve a two-point lead in their World Cup qualifying group.

Wayne Rooney appeared to have atoned for his red card on his last visit to Podgorica by giving England a sixth-minute lead that looked set to send Roy Hodgson’s side to the top of Group H. However, the hosts rallied after the interval at a raucous Podgorica City Stadium and claimed a deserved equaliser in the 76th minute when substitute Dejan Damjanovic bundled home.

The result means that, if Montenegro win at home to Ukraine in June, England will be

five points off the pace by the time they play their next qualifier at home to Moldova in September.

England coach Hodgson made six changes to the team that outclassed San Marino 8-0, with captain Steven Gerrard returning alongside Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick, James Milner and Danny Welbeck.

England had been promised a caustic atmosphere, and fighting broke out between the home fans before the game had even begun, but if there had been any pre-match nerves in the visiting ranks, they did not show.

In the third minute, Rooney beat Mladen Bozovic with a delicately measured lob that came back off the post, and three minutes later, the hosts’ goalkeeper had to touch a rising

drive from Johnson over the bar.

From the corner that followed England went ahead, Rooney resisting the attentions of his marker to meet Gerrard’s delivery with a header that found the bottom-right corner for his 35th international goal.

Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic had put his faith in his “two Ferraris”, Stefan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic, but they were initially subdued; Jovetic dragging wide in the 15th minute.

Milner drilled a shot wide for England, while Rooney narrowly failed to find Welbeck with a cross before being unable to adjust himself quickly enough to convert a low centre from Milner.

The visitors might even have had a penalty shortly before half-time, when Stefan Savic

appeared to clip the escaping Welbeck inside the area, but instead the Manchester United forward was booked for diving. Brnovic introduced striker Damjanovic at half-time and the early stages of the second half saw the home side procure a glut of chances.

Jovetic hit the side-netting with a header, Marko Basa headed wide, Jovetic hooked a volley off-target, and Vucinic should have done better than place a half-volley over the bar when a half-cleared corner fell to him.

England goalkeeper Joe Hart also had a heart-in-mouth moment, patting down a shot from Vucinic and then leaping on the ball after it bounced off his leg towards the net.

Still Montenegro came, and in the 72nd minute Vucinic bent a shot inches wide of the

Spain back in control after beating France PARIS: World Cup holders Spain retook control of qualifying Group I yesterday with a 1-0 win against France in Paris, Pedro Rodriguez scoring the only goal of the game in the second half at the Stade de France. Pedro’s scrambled effort just before the hour mark was Spain’s reward for dominating possession and playing with assuredness despite coming into the game trailing France by two points at the top of the group.

The home team were always a threat going forward but could not find a way past Victor Valdes in the Spain goal and finished the game with 10 men after young midfielder Paul Pogba was sent off late on.

With just three matches left to play in Group I, Spain now lead France by a point, with only one team qualifying automatically for the finals in Brazil.

Coach Vicente Del Bosque welcomed Xavi Hernandez back into the Spain starting line-up after injury, and the Barcelona midfielder wore the captain’s armband in the continuing absence of regular skipper Iker Casillas.

Xabi Alonso, Pedro and left-back Nacho Monreal also came into a Spain team which showed a total of four changes from Friday’s surprise 1-1 draw at home to Finland.

Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps kept faith with youngsters Raphael Varane and Pogba after both impressed on their debuts in last Friday’s win against Georgia, while Laurent Koscielny, Patrice Evra and Yohan Cabaye also started as the hosts matched Spain’s 43-3 formation. Spain, playing all in red, should have taken the lead from their first attack, Monreal cutting the ball back for Xavi to blaze over from a glorious position inside the penalty box five minutes in.

Karim Benzema has come in for criticism for his recent poor form at international level, but he was not afraid to try his luck at the other end with a first-time attempt from Christophe Jallet’s cutback as France pressed.

Despite that opening, Spain soon settled into their rhythm, controlling possession and removing the sting from the game.

Chances followed, with Xavi firing rather tamely wide after being picked out by Xabi Alonso, before a Pedro shot was easily held

by Hugo Lloris.

Then came a moment of real controversy on the half-hour mark, as Pedro went to ground under a challenge from Lloris as both players went for a through ball.

Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai waved away the vociferous Spanish appeals for a spot-kick as television replays suggested the Barcelona player was already going to ground before contact was made. The visitors’ anger would have been even greater had they fallen behind seven minutes before the interval.

Mathieu Valbuena found Franck Ribery, whose first touch, with his head, took him clean through on goal, but Valdes won his duel with the Bayern Munich winger.

The game remained level at the interval, but Spain’s share of possession in the first-half was upwards of 75 percent, and the world champions did not have to wait too much longer to break through.

In the 58th minute, Monreal cut in from the left flank and drilled the ball across goal, with Pedro reacting quickest to divert it goalwards. A desperate Lloris got a touch, but just couldn’t stop the ball crossing the line and the little winger from Tenerife raced away to celebrate with the travelling fans. — AFP

right-hand post despite the unmarked Damjanovic screaming for the ball to his right.

Hart flew to his right to parry a crisp halfvolley from Jovetic and from the corner that followed, a scramble saw the ball squirt out and hit the post.

The compact stadium was rocking, and England’s resistance did not last long.

Damjanic claimed the equaliser, at the third attempt, bundling the ball home after Hart had saved his bullet header from a corner and his initial follow-up had been blocked.

Smoke from several flares drifted across the pitch as England struggled to respond, but Gerrard saw first a last-minute volley and then an injury-time free-kick repelled by Bozovic. — AFP

Argentina suffer scare in 1-1 draw with Bolivia

FRANCE: France’s midfielder Franck Ribery (left) vies with Spain’s midfielder Sergio Busquets during the World Cup 2014 qualifying football match. — AFP

LA PAZ: Argentina suffered a scare before coming from behind to secure a 1-1 draw with Bolivia in their 2014 World Cup qualifying match here yesterday. Argentina had been thrashed 6-1 by Bolivia when the sides last met in the thin air of La Paz in qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. Another upset looked on the cards yesterday when Bolivia striker Marcel Martins headed the home side into a 25th-minute lead.

But Argentina-who had impressed in a 3-0 win over Venezuela in Buenos Aires last Friday-grabbed a share of the points when Valencia’s Ever Banega headed in the equaliser shortly before half-time.

Argentina might even have taken all three points but captain Lionel Messi squandered a golden chance when oneon-one with Bolivia keeper Sergio Galarza six minutes from time.

The draw left Argentina five points clear of second placed Colombia at the top of the South American zone qualifiers. Bolivia remain second from bottom of the nine-nation standings.

Colombia, who will have one game in hand over the Argentinians following their match against Venezuela later yesterday, can close to within two points if they secure victory in Caracas.

Bolivia, thrashed 5-0 by Colombia in their last outing on Friday, looked far more comfortable in the rarefied air of the Bolivian capital.

Xavier Azkargorta’s side pressed Argentina relentlessly from the kick-off and were unlucky not to take the lead after only 10 minutes when only a superb

save from Sergio Romero denied the home team’s Diego Bejaranao.

Argentina’s best efforts came on the counter-attack, but Inter Milan’s Rodrigo Palacio wasted a clear chance on 19 minutes when played in by Angel Di Maria, starting in place of the suspended Gonzalo Higuain.

Bolivia continued to carve out openings and Carlos Saucedo should have doen better in the 20th minute when he steered a free header over the bar.

Edward Zenteno then tested Romero with a thumping long range effort that the Sampdoria keeper punched behind.

Moments later however Bolivia got the goal their energetic early play had been threatening. A superb cross from the right flank by Alejandro Chumacero picked out Martins and the 25-year-old wrong-footed Romero with a header back across goal to make it 1-0.

The goal stung Argentina into life but Di Maria squandered a good chance on 35 minutes when his header from a Palacio cross drifted aimlessly wide.

It looked as if Bolivia would preserve their lead at the break but moments before half-time Argentina grabbed an equaliser.Boca Juniors fullback Clemente Rodriguez found space down the left and chipped a cross into a crowded area for Banega to head home. Argentina steadied themselves in the second half and hung on for a share of the points.

Other South American qualifiers late yesterday see Ecuador face Paraguay in Quito while Chile take on Uruguay in Santiago. — AFP

Business

Cypriot property valuers suspend work amid crisis Page 22 US consumer confidence falls in March Page 23

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

S&P upgrades Gulf Bank’s credit rating to BBB+ Page 26 Page 25

BRICS reach deal on development bank

NICOSIA: Cypriot college students shout slogans during a protest in Nicosia against a bailout for the financially crippled island yesterday. Cyprus secured a deal with the troika for a 10-billion-euro ($13 billion) bailout that helped it avert bankruptcy but which will see large deposit-holders at its two biggest banks losing much of their savings. — AFP

Cypriot youth protest as banks stay shut Bank of Cyprus chairman resigns NICOSIA: Thousands of students and hundreds of bank workers protested in the Cypriot capital Nicosia yesterday as banks stayed shut to stop a run on deposits after the island agreed a painful bailout to avert bankruptcy. The chairman of Cyprus’s biggest commercial bank offered to resign after a special administrator was appointed over his head to run the lender, which is being restructured as part of the package to bail out the oversized financial sector.

Cyprus’s banks were ordered to remain closed until tomorrow, and even then will impose capital controls to prevent depositors from stripping out all their funds.

Cyprus had faced bankruptcy and potential ejection from the European single currency without a rescue deal with international lending bodies. Now that the deal has been struck, it faces job losses and economic contraction. Reuters journalists estimated up to 3,000 high school students protested outside parliament, the first major expression of popular anger after Cyprus agreed the 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout with the

European Union. “They’ve just gotten rid of all our dreams, everything we’ve worked for, everything we’ve achieved up until now, what our parents have achieved,” said a student who gave his name as Thomas. Outside the central bank, about 200 employees of the country’s biggest commercial bank, the Bank of Cyprus, demanded the resignation of the central bank governor, chanting “Hands off Cyprus” and “Disgrace”. “We are scared.

We were also so proud of the Bank of Cyprus. We worked with a lot of love, not just for the money,” said a Bank of Cyprus worker who gave her name as Anthoulla.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Bank of Cyprus tendered his resignation yesterday following the appointment of an administrator to oversee the downsizing of the island’s largest lender as a condition of a euro-zone bailout, reports said.

Andreas Artemis complained that the government had failed to inform the bank’s management of either the appointment of Dinos Christofides or of the sale of the bank’s branches in Greece, news website Stockwatch said. The bank’s board was to

Egypt falls to 15-week low MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Ongoing selling pressure from foreign investors on Egypt’s gloomy political and economic outlook dragged the bourse down to a 15-week low, while other regional markets were mixed. Non-Arab foreign investors have been reducing their exposure since deadly clashes at political protests in northern Egypt resulted in a curfew, enforced by the army. The curfew was reminiscent of the early days of the 2011 revolution, which toppled former autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Last week, Moody’s cut the country’s credit-rating citing unsettled political conditions and public finances, which it said raised the chance of a default within five years to nearly 40 percent.

Cairo’s index lost 2 percent to its lowest close since Dec. 11.

The market is down 6.1 percent in 2013, the worst regional performance. “The index could not clearly surpass 5,240 (on Monday), which is considered as the first minor resistance,” Pharos Holding says in a research note. “The failure to close above 5,240 may have bearish implications on the short-term as a breakout below 5,130 will be probable, which will increase the confusion amongst market participants.”

Non-Arab foreigners are net sellers, according to bourse date. Only two firms on the 30-stock index escaped selling pressure. Shares in National Societe Generale Bank (NSGB) tumbled 10 percent but trading was muted. Qatar National Bank’s mandatory tender offer to acquire 100 percent of NSGB at 38.65 ($5.68) Egyptian pounds per share expired on Monday. The government said it would levy a 10 percent tax on investors that made capital gains from the mandatory bid, which came after the Qatari bank bought a 77 percent stake in the Egyptian lender from its French parent Societe Generale.

Heavyweight Orascom Construction Industries fell 3.1 per-

cent. Its ongoing tax dispute with the government, on the alleged evasion of 14 billion pounds in taxes, is an overhang on the stock.

In Kuwait, the benchmark rose 1.3 percent, taking 2013 gains to 14.2 percent as bargain hunters helped it recover most of the losses from the previous session. The market fell 2.1 percent on Monday as investors took the opportunity to book gains from an early-year surge as companies approach the March 31 deadline to post fourth-quarter earnings. Firms that miss the deadline will be suspended from trading, a common occurrence on the Kuwaiti bourse. Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s bourse rose 0.2 percent to 10-month high in choppy trade.—Reuters

consider his offer to quit later in the day, state news agency CNA said. The Central Bank of Cyprus issued a statement later stressing that the administrator had been appointed not to wind up Bank of Cyprus, as is happening with second lender Laiki, but to recapitalize it. “The appointment of temporary special administrators at both banks aims to facilitate and complete the process of resolution and restructuring of Laiki Bank and Bank of Cyprus respectively,” the statement said.

“Regarding the Bank of Cyprus, the mission of the special administrator is primarily to process its recapitalisation procedure. In any case, the resolution process is not synonymous with the liquidation process,” it added. Central Bank Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades was to make a statement early yesterday, official media said.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides said the central bank and the finance ministry were “working intensively” to ensure tomorrow’s delayed reopening went ahead.

“The day after the tough decisions that we had to take is,

as expected, very difficult. We must manage the multiple problems that have arisen,” he said. The bailout agreed in Brussels in Monday hits investors with deposits of over 100,000 euros at both Bank of Cyprus and at Laiki, the island’s number two lender, and calls for the effective wrapping up of Laiki. Finance Minister Michael Sarris said big depositors could face loses of around 40 percent. The bailout protects state guaranteed deposits of up to 100,000 euros, reversing a previous deal that would have imposed a levy on small depositors as well as big ones, which had infuriated Cypriots and was vetoed by parliament.

Many Cypriots say they do not feel reassured by the new deal, however, and are expected to besiege banks as soon as they reopen after a shutdown that began over a week ago.

Reversing a previous decision to start reopening at least some banks yesterdaty, the central bank said late on Monday that all banks would now stay shut until tomorrow to ensure the “smooth functioning of the whole banking system”. — Agencies

China and Brazil ink trade, currency deal DURBAN: BRICS members China and Brazil agreed yesterday a swap line allowing them to trade the equivalent of up to $30 billion per year in their own currencies, moving to take almost half of their trade exchanges out of the US

dollar zone.

The agreement, due to last three years and signed hours before the start of a BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, marked a step by the two largest economies of the emerging powers

KGL Car Rental, KOC sign deal KUWAIT: KGL Car Rental reached an agreement with AlMulla and Behbehani, the official dealer of Chrysler in Kuwait, to supply nearly 6,000 Chrysler C300 Limited vehicles to the Kuwait Oil Company.

The agreement is based on a contract that KGL Car Rental recently won for the KOC to rent at least 1,000 vehicles. The new Chryslers were received recently at the KGL Car Rental head office in Al-Ahmadi featuring CEO Robert Bustani, as well as Wholesales Manager in AlMulla and Behbehani, Bassam Shehab.

DURBAN: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (left) walking in front of South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula (back) upon arrival at King Shaka Airport, in Durban yesterday. — AFP

group to make real changes to global trade flows long dominated by the United States and Europe.

“Our interest is not to establish new relations with China, but to expand relations to be used in the case of turbulence in financial markets,” Brazilian Central Bank Governor Alexandre Tombini told reporters after the signing.

Brazilian Economy Minister Guido Mantega described the deal, called a bilateral currency swap accord, as “a sort of umbrella agreement” but he did not spell out what specific areas or categories of bilateral trade would be affected.

Trade between the two countries totalled around $75 billion in 2012.

Brazilian officials have said they hope to have the trade and currency deal operating in the second half of 2013.

Nearly half of Brazil’s exports to China consist of iron ore and related products, while soy and soy products make up about a fifth of these exports.

China’s biggest exports to Brazil are electronics and machinery. Mantega said the trade and currency agreement would act as a buffer against turbulence in international financial markets dominated by the US dollar.—Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Target shortage feeds Mideast telecom M&A DUBAI: A scarcity of takeover targets is feeding a desperate scramble in Middle East telecoms M&A. Bahrain’s incumbent operator Batelco is eyeing a stake in the enterprise unit of India’s Reliance Communications. It comes just months after agreeing a deal worth $1 billion to buy assets spanning 12 markets, including Monaco and the Channel Islands, from Cable & Wireless . Batelco’s pick-and-mix takeovers are symptomatic of a market where too many big telecoms are chasing too few assets.

Batelco is in search of stable cash flows amid fierce competition in its home market. Bahrain

accounts for 60 percent of revenue but profit there fell by almost one-third in 2012. Cash flow is weakening and the cash dividend payout ratio has fallen from 75 to 60 percent in just two years.

The problem is that Batelco, with a market value of just $1.6 billion, is a minnow in the Middle East.

It lacks the financial firepower to compete for the few assets that do come up for grabs, like Vivendi’s 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom worth around $6 billion. Larger rivals are also consolidating and looking for growth opportunities. Saudi Telecom Co, Ooredoo (formerly Qatar Telecom) and UAE operator Etisalat already have a large regional foot-

in brief

Kerzner signs $145m loan refinancing DUBAI: Kerzner International Hotels Limited, which operates hotels including Dubai’s Atlantis resort, has signed a $145 million loan refinancing, the company said in a statement yesterday.

Kerzner, which completed a $2.6 billion debt restructuring in April last year, said the new loan refinancing was part of its strategy to reduce financial obligations. “The move will significantly reduce interest costs to the company, extending its debt maturity profile to five years and allowing it to reinvest in growth projects,” the statement said. Deutsche Bank underwrote the loan before selling portions of the debt to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Ahli United Bank, Emirates NBD and Doha Bank during a syndication phase.

Hyundai wins $2bn French energy order SEOUL: Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder, said yesterday it had won a $2.0 billion order to build two offshore platforms for French energy giant Total. Under the deal with Total’s Congo unit, the South Korean company will build and deliver by early 2016 a drilling platform and a floating oil and gas production platform, Hyundai said in a statement.

The two platforms will operate at the Moho Nord field 80 kilometres (50 miles) off the southwestern coast of Congo, Hyundai said, adding that the field is believed to have a crude oil reserve of about three billion barrels.The oil and gas production platform can produce 100,000 barrels of oil and 2.5 million cubic metres of natural gas a day, it said.

ing it into areas where it has limited experience, for example in managing the deep-sea cables that come with the Reliance unit. With sensible deals hard to do, small Middle Eastern telcos might just have to tough things out.

Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco) said on March 14 it is in talks with Reliance Communications to buy a stake in the Indian operator’s enterprise business unit.

Separately, Peter Kaliaropoulos, Batelco Group Chief Executive Officer for Strategic Assignments, told Reuters the talks were about buying a stake in Reliance Globalcom. — Reuters

Cypriot property valuers suspend work amid crisis

News

Dubai passenger numbers rise DUBAI: Passenger traffic at Dubai’s main airport surpassed 5 million people in February, rising 11.4 percent from a year earlier, airport authorities said yesterday. The airport, one of the world’s busiest, handled 5.1 million passengers in February. Year-to-date traffic was up 13.0 percent to 10.6 million passengers. “We continue to stay ahead of the curve in terms of our traffic forecast of 65.4 million passengers in 2013,” Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said in the statement. An increase in travelers from eastern Europe, Asia, Russia and the Gulf in February offset a 1.6 percent year-on-year drop in travelers from elsewhere in the Middle East because of turmoil in countries such as Syria.

Cargo volumes in February totaled 182,580 tons, an increase of 15.9 percent. Year-to-date cargo volumes were up 12.1 percent to 370,099 tons.

print and dominate with a combined market value of $47 billion.

It is hard for the smaller operators to be consolidators rather than targets. But many enjoy protection from government shareholdings. Oman did try to find a strategic partner for tiny Omantel in 2008 but the government aborted the deal. Any further reduction of state shareholdings now looks unlikely in the medium term given the strategic nature of telecoms and hyper-sensitivity of Gulf monarchies post-Arab spring. Batelco’s M&A strategy may yet prove an effective response to its operational and strategic challenges. But it is also tak-

Price falls loom after financial bailout LONDON: Property valuers in Cyprus have suspended work as they come to terms with a financial bailout that is likely to deepen price falls of recent years, the chairman of the country’s Property Valuers Association told Reuters.

The association, which represents about 90 percent of valuers in the country, advised its members last week not to carry out valuations for banks or individuals until the terms of a financial bailout become clear, Charalambos Petrides said.

A 10-billion euro ($13 billion) rescue deal was agreed between Cyprus and the European Union on Monday after the country’s outsized financial sector ran into trouble with soured investments in neighboring Greece.

Valuers are likely to resume work once the banks re-open tomorrow after a closure of almost two weeks designed to prevent a run on deposits. Prices have already fallen by half for residential property in some parts of Cyprus and 35 percent for some commercial real estate since the last peak at the start of 2009, Charalambos said.

Any further falls will magnify the pain felt by the Cypriot economy as a whole, which has relied heavily on the secondhome market among British and Russian buyers. “This is a very big shock for Cyprus

that could lead to double-digit price drops in some areas,” said Eri Mitsostergiou, a director of European research at property consultant Savills who has advised on development deals in Cyprus.

Charalambos said it was too early to predict how large falls would be.

In addition to Russian and British buyers who have dominated the Cyprus residential market, the island has seen emerging interest from the Chinese in the western coastal town of Paphos.

Many Britons sold their holiday homes in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009 and 2010 and Russians may head for the door after suffering losses on their bank deposits and as scrutiny on Cyprus as an offshore base grows, Mitsostergiou said.

“This is the end of an era for Cyprus. It is another real estate-driven economy that faces falling demand,” she said.

While some Cypriots may now choose to invest in London or Athens real estate over banks, bargain hunters are lining up for Cyprus property. “There will be some great deals,” said Kostas Kazolides, a Londonbased investor who has been buying property and advising on deals in Cyrpus since the 1970s, before the bailout deal. “People that are stuck may need to sell up their land very quickly.” — Reuters

Palestinians need $1.4bn aid to meet budget

Aramco committed to China refinery project BEIJING: Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, remains “committed” to plans to build a 200,000 barrelsper-day (bpd) refinery in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, the company’s chief executive, Khalid Al-Falih, said yesterday.

Aramco’s subsidiar y, Aramco Overseas, signed a pact in March 2011 with top Chinese oil firm PetroChina on building the refinery, saying it planned to supply up to 200,000 bpd to the project through a long-term contract. “We are committed to the Yunnan project and we will pursue it,” Al-Falih told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Beijing.

ATHENS: A man leaves a Piraeus Bank branch in central Athens yesterday. — AFP

revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, frozen last year in retaliation for the Palestinians winning upgraded UN status, the premier’s office announced on Monday.

Total 2013 expenditure, including on development, will amount to almost $3.9 billion, the Palestinian draft budget said. The government’s recurring deficit will be just over $1 billion, and its total deficit stands at $1.4 billion.

Of $350 million to be spent on “development,” $300 million will need to come from abroad, according to the draft. The draft will be discussed yesterday and today in parliament, and will have to be approved by president Mahmud Abbas by March 31. The Palestinian Authority’s gross debt stands at $3.8 billion. At an Arab League summit in Doha that began yesterday, Qatar called for the immediate establishment of a $1 billion fund to help Palestinians in Arab east Jerusalem, and offered to contribute $250 million towards it. — AFP

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority was yesterday debating a draft budget amounting to $3.9 billion (3 billion euros), of which it said $1.4 billion would have to come from foreign financing. Prime minister Salam Fayyad lamented a lack of payment of foreign aid as he presented the 2013 draft budget to politicians and economists in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, on Monday.

“Drawing up this budget came in difficult circumstances,” he said. “The principal reason for our financial crisis last year was the lack of payment of foreign financial aid that was counted on.”

The draft specified the need for $1.4 billion in “external financing.” On Friday, following a three-day visit by US President Barack Obama to Jerusalem and Ramallah, a top official in Washington said the US had unblocked almost $500 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority which had been frozen by Congress for months. And Israel is to immediately unblock

Asked if that meant supplying crude oil or investing in the construction of the refinery itself, Al-Falih said “both”. Aramco hopes to play a role in China’s efforts to solve its energy needs, as the country’s oil demand is set to double by 2030, he added.

“Whatever the Chinese need in terms of oil, we are happy not only to supply, and also to invest here and convert it into products. This is our strategy.” Saudi Arabia was China’s biggest crude oil supplier in 2012, delivering a total of 53.9 million tons, or 1.075 million bpd. Saudi crude shipments amounted to nearly a fifth of China’s total imports that year. — 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 .4290000 .3630000 .2970000 .2760000 .2950000 .0040000 .0020000 .0771240 .7513970 .3920000 .0720000 .7366120 .0370000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2841000 GB Pound/KD .4316570 Euro .4312780 Swiss francs .3655370 Canadian dollars .2785570 Danish Kroner .0490520 Swedish Kroner .0435810 Australian dlr .2972400 Hong Kong dlr .0366060 Singapore dlr .2289280 Japanese yen .0030160 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0773800 Bahraini dinars .7538810 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 Omani riyals .7382100 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 2.987 5.283 2.906 2.251 3.313 229.280 36.787 3.614

.2880000 .4410000 .3760000 .3160000 .2900000 .3010000 .0068000 .0035000 .0778990 .7589480 .4110000 .0770000 .7440150 .0440000

.2862000 .4344660 .3682390 .3016920 .2806160 .0494140 .0439030 .2994370 .0368770 .2306200 .0030380 .0052990 .0022600 .0029200 .0036700 .0779520 .7594530 .4048090 .0763400 .7436660 .0070350

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - transfer Irani Riyal - cash

7.009 9.730 0.271 0.273

Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

741.47 78.67 76.17

740.000 78.500 76.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd GCC COUNTRIES 76.150 78.463 741.720 758.470 77.758

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

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 41.450 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 41.410 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.332 Tunisian Dinar 182.160 Jordanian Dinar 403.260 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.916 Syrian Lier 3.102 Morocco Dirham 33.821 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 285.450 Euro 371.090 Sterling Pound 432.740 Canadian dollar 280.400 Swiss Franc 303.030 US Dollar Buying 284.250

Bahrain Exchange Company

GOLD 298.000 150.000 77.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

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 303.06 284.35 305.68 370.57 284.90 436.56 3.09 3.646 5.257 2.214 3.295 2.902 77.64 758.58 41.26 405.87

Selling Rate 285.250 283.210 434.320 368.185 301.150 755.205 77.640 78.300 76.030 402.105 41.284 2.246 5.261 2.897 3.628 6.955 699.735 4.025 9.825 4.030 3.380 91.150

SELL CASH 307.000 282.000 308.000 369.000 286.000 437.000 3.300 3.730 5.400 2.450 3.450 2.978 78.300 757.500 41.800 411.000

BUY Europe 0.4261808 0.0061692 0.0452734 0.3658242 0.0448508 0.4236240 0.0398154 0.2958981

0.4351808 0.0181692 0.0502734 0.3621072 0.0500508 0.4311240 0.0448154 0.3028981

Australasia 0.2881856 0.2300928 0.0001108

0.3001856 0.2400928 0.0001108

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars

America 0.2724897 0.0001486 0.2831500

0.2814897 0.0001666 0.2853000

Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo

Asia 0.0035903 0.0031651

0.0036453 0.0033951

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

0.0448246 0.0164867 0.0000443 0.0342365 0.0051995 0.0000243 0.0028506 0.0029338 0.0032718 0.0880719 0.0031413 0.0028761 0.0065133 0.0000729 0.2259556 0.0019478 0.0093268

0.0498246 0.0195867 0.0000503 0.0373365 0.0052695 0.0000294 0.0038506 0.0031138 0.0035018 0.0950719 0.0033413 0.0029161 0.0069833 0.0000759 0.2319556 0.0022528 0.0099268

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 0.7503375 0.0393203 0.0129902 0.1485113 0.0000793 0.0001736 0.3968289 1.0000000 0.0001750 0.0216019 0.0012130 0.7300286 0.0777095 0.0755467 0.0501071 0.0031836 0.1795641 0.0762494 0.0012871

0.7588375 0.0413503 0.0194902 0.1503013 0.0000798 0.0002336 0.4043289 1.0000000 0.0001950 0.0456019 0.0018480 0.7410286 0.0784925 0.0761867 0.0506571 0.0034036 0.1855641 0.0776994 0.0013871

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) 284.900 369.300 435.000 281.300 3.035 5.252 41.295 2.247 3.615 6.968 2.897 758.650 77.600 76.100

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

BUSINESS

US consumer confidence falls in March WASHINGTON: Americans are less confident in the economy than they were last month as massive government spending cuts have stoked economic uncertainty.

It’s just the latest swing in the way Americans feel about the economy.

They’re views have fluctuated between optimism and angst as they’ve weighed an advancing stock market and housing recovery against new economic challenges.

The Conference Board, a New Yorkbased private research group, said yesterday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell in March to 59.7 from a revised reading of 68 in February and the 68.7 that analysts polled by research firm FactSet expected. Confidence is still far off from the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy. The index is closely watched by economists because it makes a monthly gauge of how Americans are feeling about their jobs, incomes and other bread-and-butter issues. That’s important because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of US economic activity.

Anxiety about $85 billion in acrossthe-board government spending cuts that took effect March 1 caused the

decline, the group said. The spending reductions, which were triggered after Congress and the White House failed to resolve a budget impasse, have “created uncertainty regarding the economic outlook,” Lynn Franco, the Conference Board’s director of economic indicators, said in a statement Congress and the Obama administration reached a deal on Jan. 1 to prevent income taxes from rising on most Americans. But they allowed a temporary cut in Social Security taxes to expire. For a worker earning $50,000 a year, takehome pay will shrink by about $1,000.

The Conference Board’s survey was conducted from March 1 through March 14. The sharp decline in the March index was caused mainly by a drop in expectations for the economy, though consumers also were more pessimistic regarding current economic conditions, the group said. The number of people anticipating more jobs in the months ahead fell to 12.3 percent from 16.1 percent, while those expecting their incomes to increase slipped to 13.7 percent from 15.8 percent.

Consumers also are again pessimistic about the short-term outlook for the

Hutchison Whampoa 2012 profit falls 53% HONG KONG: Hong Kong tycoon Li Kashing’s Hutchison Whampoa said yesterday net profit plunged 53 percent in 2012 because of one-off gains the previous year, but income rose on growth in the property sector. The port-to-telecoms conglomerate said net profit was HK$26.13 billion ($3.37 billion) in the year to December 31, from HK$56.02 billion in 2011.

The 2011 figure was lifted by a huge one-off gain from the sale of port assets.

The group’s 2012 total revenue grew 4 percent to HK$398.39 billion, driven by a 16 percent increase in income at its property and hotels divisions. Li, nicknamed “Superman” for his business prowess, said the group’s businesses in over 50 countries achieved “solid performances” and showed “strong resilience” overall despite a weak global economy. “In 2012, continued economic and financial uncertainty affected markets and geographies in which the group operates to varying degrees,” he said in a statement, expressing confidence about prospects for this year. The ports division saw revenue grow 3.0 percent and there are plans to add new berths in mainland China, Malaysia and Mexico this year.

Li’s overseas interests include a 3G telecoms business in Europe and utilities like Britain’s Northumbrian Water Group.

“Our business in Europe will remain stable unless there is a major shock to the global economy,” he told a news conference. The 84-year-old tycoon, who is worth $30 billion according to Forbes,

has invested heavily abroad in recent years to broaden the group’s earnings base outside Hong Kong. Li said “jealous” reactions to his success back home were also a factor in his overseas investment, in a rare comment hinting at criticism of his dominance over the southern Chinese city. “Perhaps some people were jealous, or for some reasons they were not very happy,” he said. “So I decided that I will continue to invest in Hong Kong but if there are voices of unhappiness or opposition, then I will invest more overseas.”

One in every seven homes in Hong Kong, a city of seven million, was built by Li’s firms, which also handle 70 percent of its port traffic. Critics allege collusion between big developers and the government, which controls land sales. Home prices are among the world’s highest and have fuelled public anger. Li started out in business as a plastic flower-maker but now commands a vast empire through his flagship Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison’s parent company, with global assets in property, telecoms, utilities, ports and retail.

He added a whopping $8 billion to his wealth in 2012 and retained the spot as Hong Kong’s richest man, Forbes said in January. Cheung Kong meanwhile said its 2012 net profit fell 30 percent to HK$32.15 billion, dragged down partly by the subsidiary’s result. Revenue fell 27 percent to HK$31.11 billion, it said in a separate filing. — AFP

Britain eases rules for start-up banks LONDON: Start-up banks in Britain will not need as much capital as their established rivals starting from April, Britain’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) said, in a move to boost competition.

Under pressure from lawmakers to increase choice in a sector dominated by four banks, the FSA unveiled sweeping changes to authorize new entrants within six months, a process that currently takes a year or more. Capital requirements will be lighter for the first three to five years as long as a new bank can show deposits are insured and that it can be wound up easily without destabilising markets.

Additional requirements that were previously applied to cover uncertainties in start-up firms will be scrapped. A new bank will need a core capital buffer equivalent to only 4.5 percent of its risk-weighted assets, a level that will be increased as the bank expands.

This is well below the 7 to 9.5 percent that applies to Britain’s “big five” lenders with 83 percent of retail accounts - HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, RBS and Santander UK. There will also be reduced liquidity requirements, the FSA said yesterday. “This has been a comprehensive review and we have made some bold changes, ones that respond to the difficulties faced by applicant firms,” FSA Chairman Adair Turner said in a statement. “We believe the changes will make a significant difference to the ease with which new firms can enter the UK banking system and, as a result, enable an increased competitive challenge to existing banks,” Turner added.

Andrew Tyrie, who heads a committee of lawmakers examining standards within the industry, said the FSA’s plans appeared to be a step in the right direction. “The lack of competition in banking has been reinforced by a regulatory regime favouring large incumbents. Customers have lost out as a result,” he said. The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards will publish its own proposals for stimulating

competition in its final report due in May. New entrants have already begun to surface in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, looking to fill the gap as the big banks focus on shrinking their balance sheets and building up capital reserves to meet new regulations. Metro Bank became the first new high street lender to emerge for over 100 years when it was granted a banking licence in 2010. Other new challengers such as Aldermore and Shawbrook have also emerged but have opted not to open branches.

Philip Monks, chief executive of Aldermore, said the initiatives would make applying for a banking licence less onerous and would help new banks compete effectively. “I think it’s good to see more banking competition, and I think it’s good to give start-up banks more certainty in the process and to streamline the process,” Monks said in an interview.

“It’s all very well to have a number of new banks in the marketplace, but when they do get into the market, what you need to do is ensure that they have a level playing field,” he added.

Aldermore was founded in 2009 with backing from private equity firms AnaCap and Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners. Its loan book now totals over 2 billion pounds, and it is the sixth-largest lender in the Bank of England’s Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), which provides cheap funds for lending to small firms and households.

New entrants still face a big challenge in taking on existing lenders, which have branches across the country and whose payment systems the start-ups still have to use. The Bank of England’s director of financial stability, Andrew Haldane, has mooted a common payment systems platform that all banks could use to level the playing field for entrants. The changes are among the FSA’s last policy announcements before the regulator is scrapped on March 31. — Reuters

economy, the group said. The proportion of people expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months fell to 14.4 percent from 18 percent a month

earlier, while those expecting conditions to worsen rose to 18.3 percent from 16.6 percent.

The index comes as Americans are

LEBANON: Shoppers look at clothing on sale at the Footloose store in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The Conference Board, a New York-based private research group, said its reading of consumer confidence fell in March after rebounding last month. — AP

seeing some signs of an improving economy. Stock prices have roughly doubled since June 2009. And the job market, while still tough, is rebounding.

Employers 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.

Americans spent more at retailers in February despite the smaller paychecks, according to a Commerce Department report issued on March 13. Much of the increase in retail sales compared with January reflected higher gasoline prices.

But even excluding the volatile categories of gas, autos and building supply stores, so-called core retail sales rose strongly.

The healthier-than-expected numbers prompted some experts to revise their estimates of US economic growth for the January-March quarter. And the Conference Board’s measure of the US economy’s health over the next six months, reported on Thursday, increased in February from January. — AP

Indian aviation faces huge hurdles: IATA NEW DELHI: India’s fiercely competitive aviation sector must overcome “huge” infrastructure and other obstacles to achieve sound financial health, the industry’s global chief warned yesterday. India’s combined passenger numbers shrank by 2.1 percent last year compared with global growth of four percent, according to industry figures. The country of 1.2 billion people, of whom only a fraction fly, “is a great potential market”, said International Air Transport Association (IATA) director-general Tony Tyler. “But to realize that potential, some huge issues must be overcome,” he said, referring to a host of troubles afflicting the market.

The sector, once vaunted as a symbol of India’s economic vibrancy, has seen its fortunes fade in the face of aggressive fare rivalry, a slowing economy, over-expansion, rundown infrastructure, high airport charges and expensive fuel. “Globally, fuel averages a third of an airline’s cost. In India it accounts for 45 percent,” Tyler told industry executives in New Delhi, adding that, “operating in India presents bigger challenges than most other markets”.

But Tyler said some progress was being seen in the industry after airlines lost almost a combined $2 billion in the previous financial year.

Kingfisher Airlines, controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya and once the second-biggest carrier, remains grounded by a cash crunch.

Authorities yesterday deregistered 15 Kingfisher planes to allow leasing firms to reclaim them. But India’s biggest airline, nofrills IndiGo, is profitable.

Smaller rival SpiceJet and Jet Airways, India’s second-largest carrier, returned to the black in the most recent financial quarter and state-run Air India may post its first operating profit in years, Tyler noted. Importantly, the government “deserves congratulations” for opening up the airline sector to infuse vital foreign investment, allowing overseas carriers to buy up to 49 percent stakes in their Indian peers, Tyler added.

Reports have abounded about possible

NEW DELHI: An Indian customer service representative stands inside the closed window of a Kingfisher Airlines booking counter at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. India’s highly competitive aviation sector still has to overcome “huge” obstacles to get onto a sound financial footing, the industry’s global chief said yesterday. — AFP

alliances between local carriers and international airlines since India eased the investment rules last September. Jet has said it is in discussion with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, with media reports suggesting the Indian carrier could sell up to a 24 percent holding for $300 million.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has cleared a plan by no-frills Kuala Lumpurbased airline AirAsia to own a 49 percent stake in a joint venture airline with the Tata group and a private investor. The venture still needs aviation ministr y approval and Aviation

Minister Ajit Singh told reporters separately he had not received any application, adding there were still some unidentified “procedural issues”.

But AirAsia’s chief Tony Fernandes tweeted that the airline planned to start hiring for its India operation “soon”, declaring “India here we come”. If the sector can fly through the turbulence, industry studies suggest India could be the world’s third-largest aviation market by 2020, up from ninth currently, handling 336 million domestic and 75 million international passengers. — AFP

KUWAIT: Kamal Aboul Hosn and other officials during the seminar to introduce the latest Brother products in Kuwait. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Arabian Business Machine, Brother Int’l (Gulf) introduce latest Brother products KUWAIT: Arabian Business Machines Co, the authorized distributor for Brother faxes, MFCs and printers in Kuwait and Brother International (Gulf ) FZE held a seminar to introduce latest Brother models in Kuwait.

Kamal Aboul Hosn, General Manager and Partner of Arabian Business Machines Co, in his welcome address reviewed the strong and distinguished relations between ABM and Brother over the past 30 years which has been rewarded with success and excellence, Souhail Kidwai, Deputy General Manager of Brother International (Gulf ) followed with a summary of Brother achievements and successes over the past 100 years and Brother commitments to offer advance technological solutions in its products to improve the work productivity and economical solutions for its customers.

The Seminar introduced the new generation of Brother Laser faxes, MFCs and printers such as MFC 8910DW, MFC 9970 CDW, HL 5450 DN + HL 4150 CDN with networking and duplexing capabilities, high printing speed and superb color printing to meet all working environment and considerable cost saving to the users.

Brother Laser faxes, MFC’s and printers offer a unique 3 years warranty, backed with superior after sales service from Arabian Business

Machines Co. which gives the customer total satisfaction and reduces their operating cost.

It is worth noting that Brother International employs over 27000 employees and has 17 factories with a highly qualified network of distributors committed to offer the best after sales service and the latest Brother products which strengthen Brother position as a leader in offer-

ing printing solutions and the most advanced digital MFC’s and printers that meets all segments of users.

At the end of the seminar Kamal Aboul Hosn and Souhail Kidwai thanked the participants for their loyalty and support of Brother products and a raffle draw was made offering valuable gifts to the winners.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Oil pressured by Cyprus worries Euro-zone faces tough banking regime after deal - official LONDON: Brent oil fell slightly yesterday, remaining within its range of the past two weeks, as the effect of the Cyprus bailout faded and traders saw little direction for the market. Brent crude futures slipped 8 cents to $108.08 a barrel by 0932 GMT, in the middle of its recent $107 to $109 range. US crude gained 40 cents to $95.21.

“People are starting to turn away from their focus on Cyprus, and I think it will fade away as an issue quite quickly,” said Filip Petersson, an analyst at SEB in Stockholm.

“I expect there to be a search for a new driver, and until we get one, we will continue to trade sideways.” After reaching an 11th-hour deal with the European Union, the European Central Bank

and the International Monetary Fund to shut down the country’s second-largest bank in return for 10 billion euros ($13 billion) in rescue funds, the president of Cyprus assured citizens the deal was in their best interests. But banks will remain closed until tomorrow and even then subject to capital controls to prevent a run on deposits.

The European Central bank, meanwhile, sought to allay anxiety that the bailout of Cyprus would have negative implications for other euro-zone states. The banking crisis in Cyprus was a unique case, and the rescue plan used should not be seen as a model for other European countries that fall into trouble, ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said yesterday. This followed comments

from Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of a group of euro zone finance ministers, who said the Cyprus bailout represented a new template for resolving regional banking problems and that other nations might have to restructure banking sectors to adapt. Oil prices were also limited by comments on Monday from Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, Ali AlNaimi, that a price of around $100 a barrel was reasonable for consumers and producers, highlighting the top crude exporter’s preferred range. Brent prices in mid-February pushed above $119 a barrel to their highest level this year, before pulling back on economic concerns and improving North Sea supply. Brent’s premium to US crude was trading at $13.65 a barrel yesterday after narrowing to

$12.85 in the previous session, the narrowest since early July.

“From a fundamental perspective, a further narrowing will be tricky to achieve in the short term as certain volumes of light-sweet crudes require a (WTI-Brent) spread of around -$15 to be viable for rail transport in the long run,” JBC Energy analysts wrote in a note. “However, as markets tend to overshoot, it is possible that the spread will attempt to test last year’s highs, which were around -$11.” US commercial crude oil stockpiles are forecast to have increased by 1.1 million barrels last week on an expected rise in imports, ahead of weekly industry data later in the day, a preliminary Reuters survey of analysts showed on Monday. — Reuters

Bubbles in food prices: Analyst LONDON: A thoughtful new paper from researchers at the University of Illinois marks a significant step forward in research on how commodity futures prices are formed. Until recently, the academic and policy debate about futures price formation has been locked in an acrimonious and polarized standoff between market fundamentalists, who insist all price moves reflect supply and demand fundamentals, and those writers who blame speculators for every rise in food and fuel prices.

Both views tend to be colored by the policy outcomes researchers favor. Anti-poverty campaigners focus on the role of speculation because they want governments to impose more controls on the cost of food and fuel.

Free-market economists stress the role of fundamentals to deny governments any ammunition to meddle. Both positions are extreme and unconvincing. Now Xiaoli Etienne, Scott Irwin and Philip Garcia have published an innovative paper examining the evidence for temporary price bubbles in markets where prices are other wise driven by fundamental factors.

According to the authors, futures prices for grains, livestock and soft commodities like sugar have all exhibited multiple bubbles over the last four decades, with bubbles more common in the 1970s and again in the 2000s than during the 1980s and 1990s.

Bubbles pre-date the rising popularity of indexing strategies and the “financialization” of commodity markets. There is no evidence bubbles have become more frequent or larger following the entry of more financial investors into commodity futures markets since 2005.

“Bubbles existed long before commodity index traders arrived and the process of commodity market financialisation started,” according to a paper on “Bubbles in Food Commodity Markets: Four Decades of Evidence” presented at an IMF seminar in Washington on March 21. In fact most of the biggest and long-lasting bubbles occurred in 1971-76. Financialisation may have ensured bubble-like price movements are now smaller and reverse more quickly.

“Compared to the post-2000 years, speculators and irrational traders (may have) played a greater role influencing prices in the 1970s because markets were less actively traded. The arrival of new traders in recent years, coupled with a dramatic increase in trading volumes, has increased market liquidity, apparently reducing the frequency of bubbles,” the authors write.

The persistence of bubbles remains perplexing.

The authors speculate bubbles may be driven by herding behavior, momentum trading or other “noise traders”. “One possible explanation may be that markets are sometimes driven by herd behavior unrelated to economic realities ... As markets overreact to new information, commodity prices may thus show excess volatility and become explosive.” “It may also be that there are many positive feedback traders in the market who buy more when the price shows an upward trend and sell in the opposite situation.

When there are too many feedback traders for the markets to absorb, speculative bubbles can occur in which expectations of higher future prices support high current prices.”

“It may be fads, herding behavior, feedback trading, or other noise traders that have long plagued futures markets were highly influential in recent price behavior. Recent empirical evidence does suggest that herding behavior exists in futures markets among hedge funds and floor participants.”

The paper concludes with an appeal for more research to identify the source of bubblelike price behavior.

In most other asset classes, it is now accept-

ed market prices are basically driven by fundamentals, especially in the medium and long run, but in the short term can department from them, sometimes significantly, as a result of speculative factors. As billionaire investor Warren Buffett noted in 1988 about the hardline believers in efficient market theor y : “Observing correctly that the market was frequently efficient, they went on to conclude incorrectly that it was always efficient. The difference between these propositions is night and day.”

Now a new generation of researchers are developing theories which allow for a combination of both fundamental and speculative factors to affect commodity futures prices.

Etienne, Irwin and Garcia’s paper is a big step forward because it carefully distinguishes between the influence of the commodity index traders and the short-term bubbles evident in commodity futures prices. It also shows how behavioral factors could be integrated into a fundamental theory of commodity futures pricing, as has been accepted in every other major asset class.

Crucially, it shows how herding, momentumbased trading strategies and other noise trading may cause futures prices temporarily to depart from fundamentally determined levels, but suggests such deviations have been relatively brief and reversed within weeks or months.

Bubbles may always have been part of the operation of futures markets. For a sample of around 40 annual contracts in 12 different commodities, the authors found bubble-like behavior in about a third of the contract months studied. Bubbles occurred most frequently in sugar (55 percent of contracts studied) and least frequently in feeder cattle (25 percent) and wheat (24 percent).

The University of Illinois’ Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics is one of the most respected institutions in the field of commodities and derivatives, so the findings cannot be readily dismissed.

In some ways, commodity research is catching up with developments elsewhere. The formation and subsequent collapse of bubbles in other markets has been extensively studied by George Soros (“The Alchemy of Finance” 1987), Didier Sornette (“Why Stock Markets Crash” 2003) and Rober t Shiller (“Irrational Exuberance” 2009) for 25 years. Etienne, Irwin and Garcia have shown how the same approach could help improve understanding of commodity futures markets.

The authors observe “speculative bubbles are not isolated phenomena in agricultural markets, but appear in other futures markets including energy and metals markets as well” citing work by Phillips and Yu (“Dating the timeline of financial bubbles” 2011) and Gilbert (“Speculative Influences on Commodity Futures Prices” 2010).The paper does not investigate energy futures markets. But the approach could be usefully applied to see if energy and metals markets exhibit similar bubble phenomena.

A theory of commodity price formation that embraces both fundamental and behavioural factors would provide a much richer and more realistic understanding of how futures prices are set. Accepting that bubbles occur in food (and possibly fuel) prices does not mean they should be regulated out of existence. Bubbles may be an integral part of the normal process of price formation in any financial market, including commodities, as investors grope towards an equilibrium in the face of incomplete information and limited liquidity. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

BUSINESS

BRICS reach deal on development bank New bank to rival Western-backed institutions DURBAN: The BRICS grouping of emerging powers yesterday reached a deal to establish a development bank that would rival Western-backed institutions, South Africa’s finance minister told AFP. “It’s done,” minister Pravin Gordhan said after meeting with his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India and China. “We made ver y good progress, the leaders will announce the details,” he added, just hours before a summit in the South African port city of Durban. The bank is likely to focus on infrastructure financing, a direct challenge to seven decades of dominance by the World Bank.

It is the first time since the inaugural BRICS summit four years ago that the group matches rhetorical demands for a more equitable global order with concrete steps.

Together the BRICS account for 25 percent of global GDP and 40 percent of the world’s population.

But members say institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Security Council are not changing fast enough reflect their new-found clout.

In the face of competing polic y demands, BRICS negotiators had been under pressure to come up with an agreement that proves the grouping is relevant.

And to reach a deal that would send a strong message to the United States and Europe that the current balance of power is untenable.

But an Indian diplomat involved in the

talks told AFP many of the details are likely to be left for another day, allowing leaders to announce a deal, however tentative.

The bank is not likely to be up and running for years. Brazil’s central bank chief also told AFP there was also good progress made on a deal to establish currency swap lines, which is likely to be worth in the region of $100 billion.

“We are working on it,” said Alexandre Tombini. The fund would be used to draw on in times of liquidity or other crises and to encourage trade. Securing both deals is a thumb in the eye to those who argue the BRICS is little more than a talking shop for disgruntled nations. It is also a boon for BRICS leaders many who have tethered their reputations to a deal. Xi Jinping has underscored the growing importance of the group by making Durban his first summit as China’s president.

In a keynote speech in Tanzania on Monday Xi vowed Beijing’s “sincere friendship” with the continent, and a relationship that respects Africa’s “dignity and independence.” Meanwhile host President Jacob Zuma has lauded the summit as a means of addressing his country’s chronic economic problems including high unemployment.

“BRICS provides an opportunity for South Africa to promote its competitiveness” Zuma said in a speech on the eve of the summit. “It is an opportunity to move further in our drive to promote economic growth and confront the challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment

that afflicts our country.” But the BRICS nay-sayers are unlikely to be dissuaded.

“Ironically it may be the cleavages within the BRICS grouping that more accurately hint at the future of the global order: tensions between China and Brazil on trade, India on security, and Russia on status highlight the difficulty Beijing will have in staking its claim to global leadership,” said Daniel Twining of the German Marshall Fund.

Leaders will try to counter that view when the summit begins at 17:30 GMT, when more details of the BRICS development bank are likely to be k nown.

Diplomats say it could start with $10 billion seed money from each country, but the exact role of the bank is up for debate.

Indian officials have pressed for a BRICS-led South-South development bank, recycling budget surpluses into investment in developing countries.

Many developing nations inside and outside BRICS will hope that is a way of tapping China’s vast financial resources.

Meanwhile China would no doubt like the bank to invest in trade-multiplying projects. The currency swaps would open the door for BRICS countries to tap some of China’s massive $3.31 trillion foreign reserves, the world’s largest. Brazil also signed a bilateral accord with China to promote trade in their national currencies.

BRICS leaders will also establish business and think tank councils and launch an investigation into how trade can be more balanced, with other BRICS countries

exporting more to China.

With Syria’s two-year long civil war escalating through the suspected use of chemical weapons, BRICS leaders will also have to weigh a call from President Bashar al-Assad to intervene.

In a message to the summit leaders

Assad asked “for intervention by the BRICS to stop the violence in his country and encourage the opening of a dialogue, which he wishes to start,” said his senior adviser Bouthaina Shaaban after he delivered the message to South African President Jacob Zuma.—Agencies

DURBAN: South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan (center) poses with his counterparts (left to right) Minister Chidambaram Palaniappan of India, Minister Xiaochuan Zhou of China, Minister Guido Mantega of Brazil and Minister Anto Siluanov of Russia on the margins of the 5th BRICS summit held at the Inkosi Luthuli International Conference Centre in Durban yesterday.—AFP

Abu Dhabi index performed best in Gulf in February KAMCO RESEARCH

SEOUL: South Korea, Japan and China’s negotiators attend their first round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks in Seoul yesterday. — AP

S Korea, China, Japan begin free trade talks SEOUL: South Korea, China and Japan launched the first round of negotiations yesterday for a free trade block that would be the world’s third-largest after North America and the European Union.

South Korea said in a statement that officials will discuss mostly administrative issues during the three days of talks in Seoul that will end tomorrow. The meeting will determine the areas from agriculture to intellectual property rights that will be included in future negotiations.

The official launch of the negotiations among the Asian rivals comes as efforts to lower tariffs and other trade barriers among major economies gain momentum. On Monday, Japan agreed to start negotiations for a free trade pact with the European Union and earlier this month Tokyo said it will join talks on a Pacific trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is led by the United States. The US and EU announced free-

trade talks earlier this year. Separate trade talks are also underway between China and South Korea. Negotiations for a Japan-South Korea free trade pact are yet to resume after being halted in 2004.

South Korea’s government says that lowering trade barriers with China and Japan would help reduce its vulnerability to economic conditions in the United States and Europe.

A trade agreement in East Asia would deepen ties among Asian rivals that are often at odds over political issues including territorial disputes. “The rivalry and the tension between South Korea, China and Japan rose to one of the highest levels in 2012,” said Park Ihn-hwi, a professor at Ewha University. “If the free trade deal is closed in a near future, it could provide means to indirectly address security, political or other sensitive issues in East Asia.”

The three countries are all major markets for each other. — AP

ATHENS: Employee of the Stock Exchange walk under a display board showing losses for Greek shares in Athens yesterday.— AP

Greek stocks drop by 4.58% on Cyprus fears ATHENS: The Greek stock market lost 4.58 percent in midday trading yesterday while investors waited for finalised details on how to absorb local units of Cypriot banks that were expected later in the day according to Piraeus Bank.

The Athex index fell to 886.57 points after already losing 2.44 percent at the open. A sub-index of banking stocks was off by 4.11 percent meanwhile, as subsidiaries of two Cypriot banks, the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) and Laiki said in a statement that they would maintain a suspension of trading in their shares that began last week. Greek press reports said that Piraeus Bank, the third largest Greek bank, was set

to move up to number two once it absorbed the local units of the two Cypriot banks, which would add 21 billion euros ($27 billion) in credits, and 13 billion euros in deposits spread across 330 branches staffed by 5,500 employees. Piraeus was thus set to exceed 100 billion euros in assets, with outstanding loans of 70 billion euros and 52 billion euros in deposits, according to the semi-official press agency Ana. In Cyprus meanwhile, banks remained closed for an 11th day amid a crisis that erupted within the framework of an international bailout deal, and which led on Tuesday to the tendered resignation of BoC chairman Andreas Artemis.— AFP

ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, as measured by ADX General Index, rose 5.66 percent in February to end as the best performing market in the GCC region, on speculation of higher dividends in the banking sector. The buying spree witnessed by investors helped push the ADX General Index to a three year high, crossing the 3,000 mark, as confidence was replenished that a recovery was underway. Accordingly, market breadth was heavily skewed towards the gainers with advancers-to-decliners ratio of 40-to-12 while 11 companies remained unchanged from last month. Liquidity indicators increased during the month as volume was up by 38 percent to 4.5 billion shares while value rose 12 percent to AED 5 billion from AED 4.5 billion in January-13. Total market capitalization added 5.39 percent to AED 329 billion ($ 89.6 billion) in February supported by the 5.46 percent increase in heavyweight banking sector to reach AED 155.1 billion and the telecommunication sector adding 5.18 percent to its value to stand at AED 118 billion in February-13.

Regarding corporate earnings, 55 out of 63 companies released FY-12 financials with aggregate earnings increasing 16 percent to AED 33 billion from AED 28.4 billion in 2011 on the back of the 9.2 percent rise in banks net profit from AED 17.7 billion in 2011 to AED 16.2 billion in 2012 and the real estate sector posting a whopping 104.4 percent increase in FY-12 earnings to AED 2.2 billion. In the banking sector, heavyweight National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) reported a 16.8 percent increase in earnings to AED 4.3 billion in 2012 up from AED 3.7 billion in 2011. NBAD’s net profits for Q4-12 were AED 1.1 billion, up 54.8 percent from AED 724 million in Q4-11. First Gulf Bank, the UAE’s second-largest lender by market value, reported a 12.1 percent rise in FY-12 net profit to AED 4.1 billion from AED 3.7 billion in 2012 boosted by higher interest income and Islamic financing; while Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank reported a 32 percent jump in quarterly net profit as the bank made fewer provisions and non-interest income grew.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), the UAE’s third largest lender by market value posted a 10 percent drop in earnings to AED 2.7 billion in 2012 from AED 3 billion in 2011. ADCB’s 2011 profit was boosted by a one-off gain of AED 1.3 billion after the sale of a stake in Malaysia’s RHB Capital. Impairment allowances for Q4-12 totalled AED 402 million, with total 2012 provisioning amounting to AED 1.71 billion, down 29 percent from 2011.

In the real estate sector, Aldar Properties reported a 109 percent increase in net profit to reach AED 1.3 billion in FY-12 from AED 642 million in FY-11. A strong final quarter drove revenue for the year to AED 11.4 billion compared to AED 6.7 billion in 2011. The increase was driven by the continued success of our ongoing program of unit and land plot deliveries to our customers including the Government of Abu Dhabi. For the year, Aldar recognised significant revenues from its development business of AED 10 billion (2011: AED 5.4 billion) from the sale of units, land plots and project management fees. Recurring revenues

increased by 10 percent to AED 1.4 billion (2011: AED 1.3 billion). Rental income from investment properties, which include Aldar’s office, residential and retail portfolio, increased to AED 634.2 million (2011: AED 541 million) and operational businesses such as operative villages, schools and hotels generated AED 803.8 million (2011: AED 766.4 million).

Dubai Financial Market Review Further speculations of a strong economic recovery in Dubai, specifically in the banking and property sectors, coupled with strong FY12 earnings and hopes for strong dividends have helped shore investor confidence benefiting the local stock market. The DFM General Index soared to a three year high, nearing the psychological level of 2,000; driven by the surge in Emaar properties share price after announcing its plan to build two luxury hotels and ser viced apar tment towers in central Dubai. Emaar said it would accept offers in Dubai and Riyadh for The Address Residence Sky View project. As a result, the DFM General Index ended the month of February in the green, following its GCC peers, and remains the best performing market in the GCC region in 2013. In line with the positive performance during the month, the bourse’s market cap added 2.7 percent to its value to reach AED 200.9 billion ($ 54.7 billion) supported by the banking and real estate & construction sectors gaining 2.7 percent and 4.2 percent to AED 55.7 billion ($ 15.2 billion) and AED 42.2 billion ($ 11.5 billion), respectively. Liquidity fell during the month of February, with volume and value down by 37 percent and 19 percent to 4.8 billion shares and AED 7 billion, respectively, over 66,529 transactions.

Regarding corporate earnings, 32 out of 57 companies announced FY-12 earnings with aggregate earnings increasing 63 percent to AED 12.4 billion in 2012 from AED 7.6 billion in 2011 on the back of a 27 percent rise in banking earnings to AED 6.2 billion in 2012 from AED 4.9 billion in 2011 and a whopping 274 percent increase in the real estate & construction sector to AED 2.6 billion from AED 701 million in 2011.

In the banking sector, heavyweight Emirates NBD reported a 3 percent growth in earnings to reach AED 2.55 billion as compared to AED 2.48 billion in 2011 due to lower impairment allowances and the absence of impairments on the Bank’s investments.

On the other hand, Mashreq Bank reported a 60 percent growth in net profit to AED 1.3 billion in FY-12 from AED 820 million in FY-11 while Dubai Islamic Bank witnessed its earnings increase 13.3 percent to AED 1.2 billion from AED 1.05 billion during the same period. In the real estate & construction sector, Emaar Properties reported an 18.1 percent increase in net profit to AED 2.1 billion from AED 1.8 billion in 2011. However, the developer posted a 28 percent drop in Q4-12 earnings to AED 512 million from AED 716.7 million in Q4-11. Revenues during 2012 were little changed, recording AED 8.2 billion versus AED 8.1 billion. Emaar said that the company’s shopping malls & retail and hospitality & leisure businesses contributed AED 4.1

billion, representing 50 percent of total revenues; while Emaar’s international operations’ revenue amounted to AED 1.3 billion, and representing 15 percent of total revenue. In the telecom sector, DU’s earnings were up by 80.4 percent to AED 1.98 billion in FY-12 from AED 1.1 billion in FY-11. DU net profit growth of 55.8 percent to AED 2.82 billion in 2012 before royalty as its revenues rose 14.7 percent to AED 10.16 billion. DU said it had more than doubled its Q4-12 profits as it wrote back royalty provisions while recording an increase in subscriber base.

Meanwhile on the economic front, the UAE’s economic growth in 2013 is likely to surpass the estimates given by the International Monetary Fund, or the IMF, an official of the UAE Central Bank said. The IMF predicted that the UAE’s GDP would accelerate by 3.7 percent in 2013 and sustain a growth of 3.4 percent in 2014.In 2012, the UAE economy is estimated to have grown by around 4 percent, at a pace higher than the rate forecast by the IMF that put real GDP growth at 3.4 percent. At that rate, the size of the UAE economy, driven by fast-growing oil and non-oil sectors, would have surpassed the predicted AED 1.4 trillion mark in 2012.

In addition, the Ministry of Economy expects that the UAE is likely to sustain the momentum being witnessed in its non-oil sectors during the last two years and prop up the overall economic growth rate to almost 4 percent in 2013.

However, the Economy Minister said economic growth will also depend on the rest of the region, particularly on how countries in the Middle East fare through the crisis and how much of that impacts the UAE. The rising confidence in the economy is evident from the waning reliance on the oil sector and increased activity in trade, investment, tourism and logistics. The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade registered a positive growth during the first eight months of 2012. According to data from the Federal Customs Authority, non-oil foreign trade was up 11.5 percent during the January-August period at AED 678 billion, compared with AED 608 billion during the same period in 2011. Exports grew 49 percent, marking an increase from ADE 37.3 billion to AED 112.8 billion compared with AED 75.5 billion in the same period of previous year. Imports climbed by 11 percent driving UAE non-oil imports up from AED 388.4 billion to AED 431.7 billion in the comparative period.

Regarding the economy of Dubai, Dubai’s overall business sentiment is on a steady upswing as its economy looks set to sustain its growth momentum on the back of increasing activity across core sectors such as trade, tourism, manufacturing and real estate, a survey reveals. The composite Business Confidence Index for Dubai reached 135.9 points in Q4-12, a 10.8 percent increase compared to the previous quarter and a 2 percent growth from Q4-11, the Department of Economic Development (DED) said. The Dubai government’s dual-tranche landmark transaction, which has raised $1.25 billion, generated an aggregate order book that was 12 times oversubscribed, signalling that the investor community strongly supports Dubai’s resilient growth model.

Kingfisher profit falls on forex and recession LONDON: Kingfisher, Europe’s largest home improvements retailer, met forecasts with an 11.4 percent fall in annual profit that reflected unfavorable foreign exchange movements, weak economies and unhelpful weather. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain and trades as Castorama and Brico Depot in France, said yesterday that it expects market conditions to remain challenging but it is confident about its own prospects.

Kingfisher made an underlying pretax profit of 715 million

pounds ($1.09 billion) in the year to Feb 2.

That was in line with analysts’ consensus forecast but down from 807 million pounds in 201112. Retailers across Europe are battling a prolonged squeeze in consumer incomes and sellers of “big ticket” items such as kitchens and bathrooms are particularly vulnerable. Kingfisher, which trades from more than 1,000 stores in eight countries in Europe and Asia, is also being squeezed by a continuing low level of housing transactions, since moving

house is often associated with spending on home improve ments. Group sales fell 2.4 percent to 10.57 billion pounds, with weak consumer confidence resulting in like-for-like sales declines in its three key markets of Britain, France and Poland.

It said that adverse foreign exchange movements when translating euro and Polish zloty overseas profits into sterling knocked 39 million pounds off profit, while record wet weather in Britain cost it 25 million pounds as less customers visited its stores.

Kingfisher, the world’s No 3 home improvements retailer behind US groups Lowe’s and Home Depot is offsetting weak demand with a drive to improve profitability by buying more goods centrally from cheaper manufacturing centres such as China. The company, which ended the year with net cash of 38 million pounds, raised its dividend 7 percent to 9.46 pence. Shares in the group, down 9 percent over the past year, closed at 283 pence on Monday, valuing the business at 6.72 billion pounds. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

BUSINESS

S&P upgrades Gulf Bank’s credit rating to BBB+ with a positive outlook KUWAIT: Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the world’s leading international credit rating agency, yesterday upgraded Gulf Bank’s long-term credit rating from BBB to BBB+ with a positive outlook. The positive outlook is a strong sign that the Bank’s financial profile is likely to improve over the next two years, especially in asset quality and capitalization. This is the second occasion during the last fifteen months that Gulf Bank has been upgraded by S&P; in December 2011 it was the first bank in the region to receive an upgrade following the economic crisis in 2009.

Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Gulf Bank’s Chairman, said: “S&P’s decision is an endorsement of our excellent management team, our strong leadership and our dedicated work force, as well as our risk management systems and controls. Over the past few years we have been consistent in seeking to strengthen our balance sheet and have addressed the challenges of the market both realistically and confidently, focusing on our core skills of consumer and corporate banking. This has helped to create a strong platform, which has allowed the Bank to expand its customer base and position itself for

future growth. “Our challenge now is to maintain our focus as we accelerate our growth and become one of the region’s most highly-regarded financial institutions.”

Gulf Bank won a number of awards in 2012, including ‘Bank of the Year’ by The Banker - a Financial Times publication. The Bank achieved a net profit of KD30.9 million in 2012. Earnings per share amounted to 12fils. As of the end of 2012, the Bank’s total assets increased to KD4,847 million, whilst total shareholders’ equity increased to KD449 million.

Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Gulf Bank’s Chairman

Crescent group investments in Iraq exceed $1.5bn UAE-headquartered group active in oil & gas, power and logistics

Joyalukkas inaugurates India’s largest exclusive bridal diamond boutique at Lulu Mall, Kochi KOCHI: The world’s favorite jeweler Joyalukkas presented its first exclusive bridal diamond boutique for Kerala. This stunningly designed world-class exclusive diamond boutique located within Lulu Mall, Kochi, features scintillating wedding jewelry, exquisite occasion wear and also day to day wear all crafted in exotic Belgium Cut diamonds. Malayalam Superstar and Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador Suresh Gopi and many other local dignitaries and VIP’s were present at the opening ceremony.

Using its designers and resources from across the world, Joyalukkas has created exclusive designs and collections specifically for the Diamond Boutique in Kochi. The designs featured are from Hong Kong, Europe, Singapore, New York, Tokyo and Dubai all crafted in exquisite Belgium Cut diamonds. The Joyalukkas Diamond Boutique features over half a million designs of diamond jewelry certified with the trust of International Gemmological Institute (IGI) and Gemmological Institute of America (GIA). An IGI or GIA certificate clearly discloses the details of the diamonds to give solid confidence to the buyer.

The Joyalukkas Diamond Boutique will also offer specialized consultancy services for purchase of Diamond Jewelry. The customer care team will include ‘wedding jewelry purchase consultants, general diamond quality consultants and design consultants who will be there to assist customers to manage all their needs and requirement in Diamond jewelry. The Joyalukkas Diamond Boutique will house unlimited choices of Bridal Jewelry, Special Diamond Solitaire rings for men and women, Exquisite Diamond jewelry for special occasions, classic collections and latest international trends in Diamond jewelry. The showroom has been specially designed in boutique style to ensure exclusivity and high standard of service for Diamond shoppers.

The world renowned multi-billion dollar conglomerate, Joyalukkas Group operates one of the largest jewelry retail chains, with 85 showrooms across 9 countries around the world. The jewelry chain is planning rapid expansion all across India and in the coming financial year they have planned 15 new showrooms in various parts of India.

The Group’s other business interests include Money Exchange, Fashion & Silks, Luxury Air

Charter, Malls and Realty. The retail chain is currently present in Singapore, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and India. The jewelry retailer currently has a customer base of over 10 million customers worldwide and offers over 1 million choices in all types of jewelry at each of its showroom.

The international jewelry retail chain is one of few retail chains to be recognized with many awards and accolades for its exceptional standards in jewelry retailing.

Its popular Chennai showroom has been recognized by the Limca Book of records for being the largest jewelry showroom in the world. Joyalukkas has also been awarded the prestigious ‘Superbrand’ status 4 years in a row in the UAE. “The demand for Diamond jewellery is growing and it is a becoming a big trend within the up market and high net-worth women. Also there is a big demand for Diamond jewelry within the new Brides to be. So we thought it is time to introduce a retail concept that is exclusively dedicated to diamond jewellery where diamond lovers could come and buy it in an exclusively designed boutique ambience. Kochi is a city full of high net-worth families who usually make such purchases on their trips abroad. With our Diamond Boutique we are just making this purchase more convenient with 100% assurance for them,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group.

“To be the world’s favourite jeweler we have to cater to every type of jewelry lover and our Diamond Boutique is dedicated to women who love to adorn and flaunt the sparkle of beautifully crafted diamond jewelry. We will bring in all options possible in diamond jewelry and house it at the diamond boutique for the discerning jewelry lovers of Kochi,” added Joy Alukkas.

Malayalam Superstar and Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador Suresh Gopi said, “This is the first time I am endorsing a brand and when Joy Alukkas approached me my heart instantly said, yes, I would like to be a part of the world renowned and trusted brand ‘Joyalukkas’. Joyalukkas is a brand that I have immense faith in and I feel they offer the best choices, best prices and best service in jewellery. I look forward to be a part of the Joyalukkas family.”

ABU DHABI: The Crescent Group, holding company to Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East’s oldest private oil and gas company, and Crescent Enterprises, with diversified operations and interests in a multitude of industries including port management and logistics, healthcare and private equity, has announced that its total investments in Iraq have exceeded $1.5 billion in the past five years, with further expansion planned in various sectors.

The UAE-headquartered group of companies has established a strong and active presence in the oil & gas, power, contracting, and logistics sectors in Iraq, with close to 2,000 currently employed by group companies in the country.

Solid achievements by subsidiaries and affiliates of the group include: production of 350 million cubic feet of gas per day which enables 1,750 MW of new power supply; production of 15,000 barrels per day condensate, establishment of 1,000 tons of LPG capacity, and construction over 1,000 MW additional power generation capacity in three locations, as well as boosting transport infrastructure and logistics services.

The group’s investments cover the northern Kurdistan Region, as well as Baghdad, central Iraq, and as far down as the very south of the country.

Speaking at the “Iraq Energy Projects” conference in Dubai on 25th-26th March, organized by Middle East Economic Digest and sponsored by Crescent Petroleum, Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum and Vice-Chairman of the Crescent Group, highlighted the huge growth potential in Iraq and the ability of UAE companies to play an active role in the country in many key sectors.

He also described some of the challenges of operating there and how regional companies

are better able to manage these - given their cultural understanding and experience in the regional economy.

“More than $36bn worth of contracts have been awarded in the oil, gas, power, water and petrochemical sectors in Iraq since 2008, making

it one of the largest and fastest-growing opportunities in the region”, said Jafar.

“With potentially the world’s highest oil reserves and tens of billions of infrastructure investments required in every sector, the scale of the potential opportunities for investments in Iraq is tremendous, and UAE companies are already playing an active and important role.”

UAE and Iraq are natural trading and investment partners. Trade between the countries continues to grow and exceeded $4.5 billion in 2011 despite the global economic crisis. And while record trade between the UAE and Iraq’s non-oil sectors in the first eight months of 2012 crossed the 10bn dirham level, much of the UAEIraq trade is related to upstream oil and gas services, equipment and skills flowing into Iraq’s active oil developments.

Iraq is widely expected to invest around $200 billion in its upstream sector in the coming six years, on top of $20 billion earmarked for its downstream industries, principally on the refining front.

And numerous companies, traders and investors in the UAE have thought of doing business in Iraq but previously inadequate knowledge of the Iraqi market and its dynamics had posed challenges. For companies with the relationships and knowledge, this is no longer true.

“With 40% of the world’s growth in oil exports for the coming 20 years expected to come from Iraq, and the country itself requiring massive investments in infrastructure in these vital basic sectors, the focus must be on attracting the management and capital of the regional and international private sector to achieve longterm mutual benefit for both the country and investors,” Jafar added.

IGIH announces net profits of $25.2 million for 2012 KUWAIT: International General Insurance Holdings Limited (IGIH) yesterday reported earnings for the 2012 financial year. The Group announced net earnings of $25.25 million for the year, an increase of 8.7% compared to $23.22 million for the 2011 fiscal year.

Commenting on the results, Wasef Jabsheh, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IGIH, said, “Again, I am very pleased to announce record earnings for 2012. Although our investment income came in below budget due to the prevailing investment environment, we still managed to exceed our net income forecasts due to our stellar underwriting results.”

Jabsheh further went on to say, “We announced in February the introduction of our new business line, political violence, as part of our growth plans. As in previous years, we continue to look for new market opportunities whilst continuing our expansion goals in our MENA, UK, and Asian offices. Achieved results confirms the success of the overall group strategy.”

Highlights for the year 2012 include the following: Gross written premium in 2012 was $225.5 million, an increase of 11.2% compared to $202.8 million for 2011.

• Investment income for the year stood at $7.4 million, an increase of 2.4% compared to $7.2 million for 2011.

• The combined ratio for 2012 was 88%, compared to 87% for 2011.

• Total assets were $608.8 million at the end of 2012, an increase of 8% compared to $563.9 million as of 31st December, 2011.

• Shareholders’ equity rose to $232.1 million at the end of 2012, an increase of 13% compared to $205.4 million as of 31st December, 2011.

Financial overview The Group has declared at its Annual General

Meeting of 24th March 2013 final dividends of $7.17 million, thus making total dividends declared for the year to stand at $10.03 million as compared to 5.73 for fiscal year 2011.

International General Insurance Holdings Limited (IGIH) is registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) with operations in Bermuda, Jordan, Malaysia and a wholly owned subsidiary in the UK. IGI Bermuda is a class 3B (re)insurer regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). This subsidiary is the principal underwriting entity for the Group. The Group also has a branch in Labuan, Malaysia, registered as a first-tier offshore reinsurer.

• Net underwriting profit grew to $36.8 million for 2012, an increase of 9.4% from $33.6 million in 2011. This represents 24.8% of the gross premium earned for the year against 28.2% for 2011.

Burgan Bank’s X-Change card offers fastest, most convenient way for remittance KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday that its multi-currency X-Change card provides expats with an easy, convenient and cost-effective method for transferring money abroad. Users can capitalize on the varied benefits associated with the bank ’s XChange Card remittance ser vice, where money can be transferred straight to the card. Users don’t need to visit the bank’s branches or any other location to collect the transferred funds.

Moreover, customers using the X-Change Card can take control of a fluctuating currency market by buying their desired currency at any time. This method is a convenient and cost effective way to transfer money abroad, and for families abroad to withdraw funds instantly.

The multi-currency X-change card is accepted across 23 million locations around the world. Customers are given a selection of the top currencies when using the card, and these include US dollars, Euro, British Pound, Saudi Riyal, UAE Dirhams, Egyptian Pound as well as the Filipino Peso. The card retains the value of the exchange rate at which it was bought to enable customers to capitalize on their preferred currency rates. Customers can

apply online through the banks website to get the card. Cardholders wishing to reload their X-Change cards could do so online or at any of the bank’s branches and ATMs. To find out more about Burgan Bank’s latest X-Change card, or any of its products and services, customers are urged to visit any of the bank’s branches, or contact the call center on 1804080. For more information, customers can also log onto the bank’s website on www.burgan.com Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the youngest commercial Bank and third largest by assets in Kuwait, with a significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sectors, as well as having a growing retail and private bank customer base.

Burgan Bank has five majority owned subsidiaries, which include Gulf Bank Algeria AGB (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad - BOB (Iraq & Lebanon), Jordan Kuwait Bank - JKB (Jordan) Tunis International Bank - TIB (Tunisia), and fully owned Burgan Bank - Turkey, (collectively known as the “Burgan Bank Group”).

The Bank has continuously improved its per formance over the years through an expanded revenue structure, diversified funding sources, and a strong capital base. The

adoption of state-of-the-art services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region.

Burgan Bank’s brand has been created on a foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, excellence and progression, to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire.

‘People come first’ is the foundation on which its products and services are developed.

Earlier this year, ‘Brand Finance’ - the international brand valuation company- rated Burgan Bank brand as AA with positive outlook. The rating places Burgan Bank Brand at 2nd amongst the most valuable banking brands in Kuwait.

Excellence is one of the Bank’s four key values and Burgan Bank continually strives to maintain the highest standards in the industry. The Bank was re-certified in 2010 with the ISO 9001:2008 certification in all its banking businesses, making it the first bank in the GCC, and the only bank in Kuwait to receive such accreditation. The Bank also has to its credit the distinction of being the only Bank in Kuwait to have won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Recognition Award for twelve consecutive years.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

technology

Open software group files charges against Microsoft MADRID: A Spanish association representing open-source software users has filed a complaint against Microsoft Corp to the European Commission, in a new challenge to the Windows developer following a hefty fine earlier this month.

The 8,000 member-strong Hispalinux, which represents users and developers of the Linux operating system in Spain, said Microsoft had made it difficult for users of computers sold with its

Windows 8 platform to switch to Linux and other operating systems.

Lawyer and Hispalinux head Jose Maria Lancho said he delivered the complaint to the Madrid office of the European Commission at 0900 GMT yesterday. Microsoft declined to comment and officials at the European Commission were not available for comment. In its 14-page complaint, Hispalinux said Windows 8 contained an

“obstruction mechanism” called UEFI Secure Boot that controls the start-up of the computer and means users must seek keys from Microsoft to install another operating system.

The group said it was “a de facto technological jail for computer booting systems ... making Microsoft’s Windows platform less neutral than ever”. “This is absolutely anti-competitive,” Lancho told Reuters. “It’s really bad for the user and

for the European software industry.” The European Commission has fined Microsoft, the global leader in PC operating systems, 2.2 billion euros ($2.83 billion)over the past decade, making it the world’s biggest offender of European Union business rules.

The Commission found in 2004 that Microsoft had abused its market leader position by tying Windows Media Player to the Windows software package and

relations have remained tense. The company took a more conciliatory approach in recent years, settling another antitrust investigation in 2009 related to the choice of a browser in its Windows operating system. It also lodged its own complaints to the Commission about the business activities of rival Google. But on March 6, the Commission fined Microsoft 561 million euros for failing to offer users a choice of web browser. — Reuters

Yahoo buys startup run by 17-year-old entrepreneur Just do it, says Yahoo’s teen app millionaire

This image provided by NASA-TV shows the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft as it is backed away from the International Space Station early yesterday by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.

SpaceX Dragon capsule leaves International Space Station CAPE CANAVERAL: A Space Exploration Technologies’ Dragon cargo capsule flew away from the International Space Station yesterday, loaded with experiment samples and gear for return to Earth. Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico’s Baja California is slated for 12:34 pm EDT (1634 GMT).

Using the station’s 58-foot long (18-meter) robotic arm, astronauts aboard the station plucked Dragon from its berthing port and released it into orbit at 6:56 am EDT (1056 GMT) as the ships sailed 252 miles (406 km) above the planet south of Australia. Flight controllers with privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX as the company is known, then stepped in and remotely commanded Dragon to fire its steering thrusters to leave the station’s orbit.

“It looks beautiful from here,” station flight engineer Thomas Marshburn radioed to Mission Control in Houston as the capsule flew away.

“Sad to see the Dragon go. Performed her job beautifully, heading back to her lair. Wish her all the best for the splashdown today,” Marshburn said. The Dragon cargo ship reached the station on March 3 with more than 2,300 pounds (1,043 kg) of science equipment, spare parts, food and supplies. It was the second of 12 planned cargo runs for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract. A second freighter, built and operated by Orbital Sciences Corp (NYSE:ORB) is expected to debut this year.

The US space agency hired both firms to fill the gap left by the retirement of its space shuttle fleet in 2011. Dragon’s arrival was delayed a day while SpaceX engineers grappled with a thruster pod problem that had threatened to derail the mission. “I don’t want to go through that again. That was hard-core,” SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said during a keynote speech at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, earlier this month.

Precision rendevous Engineers believe the glitch was caused by a

blockage in a pressurization line or a stuck valve. It was cleared and the capsule made a precision rendezvous with the station with no problems. An investigation remains under way, said company spokeswoman Christina Ra. Dragon will return to Earth with 2,668 (1,210 kg) of cargo, including a freezer filled with biological samples from the crew for medical research.

While Russian, European and Japanese freighters also service the station, only the SpaceX vessel is designed to return cargo to Earth, a critical transportation link that had been lost with the retirement of the shuttles. SpaceX is working to upgrade the Dragon capsule to fly people as well. A test flight with company astronauts is targeted for 2016. In addition to enhancing the Dragon capsules, SpaceX is working on an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket. Last week, the rocket’s new Merlin engines completed a 28th and final test run, certifying it for flight, Ra said.

The company plans to debut its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on a science satellite-delivery mission for the Canadian Space Agency in June.

That rocket also will be the first flight from SpaceX’s new launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Five previous Falcon 9 flights have launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Dragon’s return initially was scheduled for Monday, but it was docked an extra day because of high seas in the Pacific. Splashdown is expected about 214 miles (344 km) west of Baja California. A recovery ship will retrieve the capsule and ferry it back to the Port of Los Angeles, a journey expected to take about 30 hours.

Meanwhile, Orbital Sciences Corp, which holds an eight-flight, $1.9 billion NASA contract for station resupply flights, plans to test launch its new Antares rocket as early as April 16 from the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Orbital’s Cygnus cargo capsule is targeted to make a demonstration run to the space station later in the year. — Reuters

CLEVELAND: This photo received shows Marcel Viel (left) from the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) consulting about the next test run with Mark Plant (second left), a student at Ohio State University, as Colin Creager (right) from NASA tests soil readiness using a tool called a cone penetrometer, which measures the density of the packed soil bed, at NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) facility in Cleveland, Ohio. — AFP

Space likely for rare earths search: Experts SYDNEY: The quest for rare earths vital to some of modern life’s most indispensable technologies may see mining robots jet to the stars within decades, a world-first conference in Australia was told today. Yttrium, Lanthanum and the other 15 minerals which make up the group of elements known as rare earths are crucial to everything from wind turbines and hybrid cars to cruise missiles and the ubiquitous smartphone.

As technology advances so too does demand for the elements which, although relatively abundant, require laborious and waste-intensive processing to be freed from surrounding rock.

They are a precious commodity-so precious scientists are now looking beyond Earth’s reaches for new supplies, with moon and asteroid mining becoming a lucrative prospect, according to researchers and tech firms gathered in Sydney for the world’s first formal “Off-Earth Mining Forum”. “It’s about joining the dots,” explained conference convenor Andrew Dempster from the Australian Centre for Space Engineering. “I think we’ve got to the point where people are saying ‘yeah, I think we can do this’.” A cross-section of the space and mining

industry’s top minds have gathered to swap ideas about the latest advances in space and mining technology, from Rio Tinto and Sandvik to NASA and Japan’s space agency JAXA. Rene Fradet, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory-the organisation behind the current Mars Curiosity Rover mission-believes space mining will be possible and economical within 20-30 years.

But Dempster thinks it could be quicker than that. “Most of the technology already exists, but there needs to be a business case. It depends on making that business case.” Like the challenges, the costs are substantial: to transport one kilogram to the moon is $100,000, and none of the cutting-edge completely automated technology comes cheap. One delegate, NASA affiliate Berok Khoshnevis from the University of Southern California, has developed technology to make waterless sulphur-based cement from the loose rubble on Mars and Earth’s moon. Matthew Dunbabin, from the Australia’s government’s science agency CSIRO, has done a large-scale simulation of using mining machinery in space and told delegates the main issue was electrical power. —AFP

LONDON: Got a tech idea and want to make a fortune before you’re out of your teens? Just do it, is the advice of the London schoolboy who’s just sold his smartphone news app to Yahoo for a reported $30 million. The money is there, just waiting for clever new moves, said 17-year-old Nick D’Aloisio, who can point to a roster of early backers for his Summly app that includes Yoko Ono and Rupert Murdoch. “If you have a good idea, or you think there’s a gap in the market, just go out and launch it because there are investors across the world right now looking for companies to invest in,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview late on Monday.

The terms of the sale, four months after Summly was launched for the iPhone, have not been disclosed and D’Aloisio, who is still studying for school exams while joining Yahoo as its youngest employee, was not saying. But technology blog AllThingsD said Yahoo paid roughly $30 million. D’Aloisio said he was the majority owner of Summly and would now invest the money from the sale, though his age imposes legal limits for now on his access to it.

“I’m happy with that and working with my parents to go through that whole process,” he said. D’Aloisio, who lives in the prosperous London suburb of Wimbledon, highlights the support of family and school, which gave him time off, but also, critically, the ideas that came with enthusiastic financial backers.

He had first dreamt up the mobile software while revising for a history exam two years ago, going on to create a prototype of the app that distils news stories into chunks of text readable on small smartphone screens. He was inspired, he said, by the frustrating experience of trawling through Google searches and separate websites to find information when revising for the test.

Trimit was an early version of the app, which is powered by an algorithm that automatically boils down articles to about 400 characters. It caught the eye of Horizons Ventures, a venture capital firm owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, which put in $250,000. That investment attracted other celebrity backers, among

SUNNYVALE: In this file photo, the company logo is displayed at Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif. — AP them Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher, British broadcaster Stephen Fry, artist Ono, the widow of Beatle John Lennon, and News Corp media mogul Murdoch.

That all added up to maximum publicity when Summly launched in November 2012, but the backers brought more than just cash for an app that has been downloaded close to a million times. “It’s been super-exciting, (the investors) found out about it in 2012 once the original investment from Li Ka-shing had gone public,” said D’Aloisio. “They all believed in the idea, but they all offered different experiences to help us out.”

His business has worked with around 250 content publishers, he said, such as News Corp’s Wall Street Journal. People reading the summaries can easily click through to the full article, driving traffic to newspaper websites. “The great

deal about joining Yahoo is that they have a lot of publishers, they have deals with who we can work with now,” D’Aloisio said.

He taught himself to code at age 12 after Apple’s App Store was launched, creating several apps including Facemood, a service which analysed sentiment to determine the moods of Facebook users, and music discovery service SongStumblr.

He has started A-levels - English final school exams - in maths, physics and philosophy, and plans to continue his studies while also working at Yahoo’s offices in London. He aims to go to university to study humanities. Although he has created an app worth millions, D’Aloisio says he is not a stereotyped computer geek. “I like playing sport,” he said. “I’m a bit of a design enthusiast, and like spending time with my girlfriend and mates.” — Reuters

Streaming videos’ rise draws marketers’ eye

Y

ouTube, the upstart repository of cover songs, makeup tips and cat videos, is starting to give television a run for its money. Buoyed by breakout successes such as Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” a kitschy Korean music video that racked up nearly 1.4 billion views globally to date, YouTube has turned streaming into mainstreaming, and major marketers are clamoring to leverage the medium to promote their brands. That means everything from rolling big-budget TV commercials before the latest “Harlem Shake” video to creating their own content in a calculated bid to go viral.

Some 200 marketers attended a YouTube event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago last week showcasing success stories, self-made video stars and strategies for reaching 800 million monthly viewers, one video at a time. “If you’re after an 18to-34 demo, this is how they’re spending their time, and there are great opportunities to work together to build brands against that audience,” said Jim Lecinski, the Chicago-based manager of national advertising sales for Google Inc., who hosted last week’s YouTube event. “This is where it’s at, so advertisers need to be there.”

Founded in 2005 as an egalitarian platform to share videos, YouTube was acquired the following year by Google Inc for $1.65 billion in stock. More than 4 billion hours of video are consumed each month and much like traditional television, peak viewing is during prime time, according to YouTube.

Popular content includes an endless parade of unusual cinema verite captured by citizen videographers on ubiquitous smart phones. But comedians, musicians and aspiring filmmakers have also found the medium a launching pad to broader success, which in turn has helped elevate YouTube into the same conversation as TV for many marketers.

Digital is the fastest-growing advertising medium, trailing only television in annual spending. This year, digital revenues are projected to reach $42.5 billion in the US, a 14 percent increase over 2012, according to eMarketer. That represents one-quarter of total ad spending, which is growing at about a 3 percent annual rate. Paid search and banner ads still dominate, accounting for about 71 percent of digital spending in 2012. Video ads generated about 8 percent of digital revenues, but are expected to grow to nearly 15 percent by 2016, according to eMarketer.

A recent study by Nielsen shows that while TV viewing is flat, streaming continues to grow, particularly among 18- to 34-year-olds. Digital video ads produced higher recall in viewers than TV ads, and also improved the impact of later TV viewing of the same ads, according to the study. Pre-roll ads, the commercials that appear before selected videos play, average 79 percent completion rates.

YouTube offers marketers two ways to promote their brands. The first is to place commercials in front of videos through a program called TrueView.

Viewers can skip the ads after five seconds, and marketers only pay if the full ad is aired. Completion rates range from 15 to 45 percent, according to a YouTube spokeswoman. The other way brands can

CHICAGO: Shira Lazar, host of YouTube show “What’s Trending,” speaks during YouTube Brandfest at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois. — MCT leverage YouTube is through a deeper integration _ own YouTube channel several years ago with “Stand developing their own content. That ranges from Up For Family,” drawing some 4 million views to sponsorships, such as a concert series by American date. They sponsored a live comedy show in Atlanta Express called “Unstaged,” to brand channels with three years ago, chopped it up into small, digestible how-to videos, quirky user-generated content and bits, and packaged it as a video series. There’s a excursions into the tricky space of short-form online stage and screen logo throughout and then a call to entertainment. While harder to quantify returns on action at the end, instructing viewers to go to investment, the possibility of going viral makes it a American Family’s website for their insurance gamble worth taking for a growing number of mar- needs. American Family repositioned itself with keters. “Harlem Shake” is the meme of the moment, new creative in 2011, but at a budget of $94 million, a seemingly spontaneous 30-second free-form spent a fraction of what Geico, State Farm, Allstate group dance, often in costume, to the jarring and Progressive did on measured media, according menagerie of rhythmic electronic sounds in a song to Kantar Media. Creative use of YouTube is an inteby the same name. Venues have ranged from dorm gral part of the company’s marketing strategy rooms to airplane cabins, with marketers jumping according to Telisa Yancy, director of advertising at on board in an attempt to cash in on the craze. To American Family Insurance. “I think the trick from a date, 145 brands have uploaded a video that men- marketing standpoint is to do what is organic and tions Harlem Shake, according to Unmetric, a New natural and authentic for you as a company, and for York-based company that measures daily brand your consumer,” Yancy said. “You may not be in the market for insurance today, but you might be interactivity on social media.

Topping the list is Fox Broadcasting’s “The ested in some good family-centric comedy material, Simpsons,” with more than 22 million views since it and perhaps that can help to build my brand preswas posted March 1. Other major players include a ence and perception to you as a consumer.”

Braun has also carved out a niche on YouTube Pepsi version featuring race car driver Jeff Gordon, which has 5.5 million views, and Red Bull, whose with a channel featuring everything from polished video of skydivers doing the Harlem Shake is up to commercials to demonstration videos on how to 4.7 million views. Other brands haven’t been as suc- create edgy beard styles, drawing nearly 4.5 million cessful. Chicago-based Tootsie Roll Industries, for views. But it was a well-executed viral video that example, has less than 300 views for its version, put the channel on the map. “We had someone which features Dots candies doing the Harlem make a viral video for us through a project,” said Shake atop their familiar yellow boxes. A Tootsie Michael Leger, director of communications planRoll spokesperson did not return a call for comment ning at Starcom MediaVest Group in Chicago, for this report. Lecinski cautioned against chasing whose clients include Procter & Gamble’s Braun “lightning in a bottle” by creating viral content in shavers. “We never know if it’s going to go viral. We favor of strategic planning, but marketers at the just knew we really liked this video.” In October, YouTube event in Chicago are pursuing both. In Braun partnered with Tongal, a crowd-sourcing creaddition to running pre-roll advertising, Madison, ative site, offering $20,500 in prize money for the Wis.-based American Family Insurance created its best video. —MCT

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Toenail clippings set to measure toxic exposure Nails to be tested for traces of chromium

PITTSBURGH: In this file photo, Moka, an endangered western lowland Gorilla, carries her unnamed 3-month-old baby on her back at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium in Pittsburgh. — AP

Chimps, gorillas, other apes being lost to trade BANGKOK: The multibillion-dollar trade in illegal wildlife - clandestine trafficking that has driven iconic creatures like the tiger to near-extinction - is also threatening the survival of great apes, a new UN report says. Endangered chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos are disappearing from the wild in frightening numbers, as private owners pay top dollar for exotic pets, while disreputable zoos, amusement parks and traveling circuses clamor for smuggled primates to entertain audiences. More than 22,000 great apes are estimated to have been traded illegally over a seven-year period ending in 2011.

That’s about 3,000 a year; more than half are chimpanzees, the UN report said.

“These great apes make up an important part of our natural heritage. But as with all things of value, great apes are used by man for commercial profit and the illegal trafficking of the species constitutes a serious threat to their existence,” Henri Djombo, a government minister from the Republic of Congo, was quoted as saying. The UN report paints a dire picture of the fight to protect vulnerable and dwindling flora and fauna from organized criminal networks that often have the upper hand.

Apes are hunted in their own habitats, which are concentrated in central and western Africa, by sophisticated smugglers who transport them on private cargo planes using small airstrips in the African bush. Their destination is usually the Middle East and Asia. In countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, great apes are purchased to display as show pieces in private gardens and menageries.

In Asia, the animals are typically destined for public zoos and amusement parks. China is a main destination for gorillas and chimpanzees. Thailand and Cambodia have recorded cases of orangutans being used for entertainment in “clumsy boxing matches,” the report said.

Lax enforcement and corruption make it easy to smuggle the animals through African cities like Nairobi, Kenya, and Khartoum, Sudan, which are trafficking hubs. Bangkok, the Thai capital, is a major hub for the orangutan trade.

Conditions are usually brutal. In February 2005, customs officials at the

Nairobi airport seized a large crate that had arrived from Egypt. The crate held six chimpanzees and four monkeys, stuffed into tiny compartments. The crate had been refused at the airport in Cairo, a wellknown trafficking hub for shipment to the Middle East, and returned to Kenya. One chimp died of hunger and thirst. The proliferation of logging and mining camps throughout Africa has also increased the demand for primate meat. Adults and juveniles are killed for consumption, and their orphans are captured to sell into the live trade. Villagers also pluck primates out of rural areas to sell in the cities.

Humans also have been encroaching upon and destroying the primates’ natural habitats, destroying their forest homes to build infrastructure and for other purposes. That forces the animals to move into greater proximity and conflict with people. Sometimes animals are even the victims of war. Arrests are rare largely because authorities in Africa, where most great apes originate, do not have the policing resources to cope with the criminal poaching networks. Corruption is rampant and those in authority sometimes are among those dealing in the illegal trade.

Between 2005 and 2011, only 27 arrests were made in Africa and Asia. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the trade of animals and plants to ensure their survival.

Under the agreement, trade in great apes caught in the wild is illegal. But traffickers often get around that by falsely declaring animals as bred in captivity. The orangutan is the only great ape found in Asia.

One species, the Sumatran orangutan, is critically endangered, with its population having dropped by 80 percent over the last 75 years. Their numbers are in great peril due to the pace of land clearance and forest destruction for industrial or agricultural use. The report estimates that nearly all of the orangutan’s natural habitat will be disturbed or destroyed by the year 2030. “There are no wild spaces left for them,” said Douglas Cress, a co-author of the report and head of a UN sponsored program that works for the survival of great apes. “There’ll be nothing left at this rate. It’s down to the bone. If it disappears, they go, too.” — AP

Latest cookbook upends notion of Irish cooking NEW YORK: David Bowers grew up in Dublin, but he had never tasted corned beef and cabbage until he moved to New York. The dish that many Americans believe epitomizes Irish cooking was a mystery to him. “Generally we have cabbage in Ireland,” he said. “And the cabbage is different and the meat is different, so it’s a completely different dish.”

Salty beef and soggy cabbage is replaced with and cabbage that is dark and full of flavor and texture, and it doesn’t become waterlogged, he said.

In his new book, “Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country,” Bowers, 50, upends long-held notions of Irish cooking. Real Irish food is more in the style of French country food slowcooked stews, apple tarts, and artisanal black puddings - all based on fresh, seasonal ingredients, he said. Bowers, who divides his time New York and Dublin, talked to Reuters about Irish food, how to reproduce the recipes of his youth.

Q: Why is Irish food so misunderstood?

A: I think it’s got a bad reputation because Irish food wasgenerally homecooked food, and restaurants and fine dining haven’t been a part of Irish cuisine... So when people go and visit Ireland, up until fairly recently, there weren’t a lot of good restaurants for them to go to. ... Also Irish food hasn’t translated well to the United States, or around the world, because it’s very ingredient-dependent.

Q: What are some of the most surprising recipes in the book?

A: There’s a lot of French influence in Irish food. If you go to Paris a lot of the seafood that you would be served originates in Ireland because we have a great diversity of seafood off the coast. So we have very good seafood stews. I have a recipe for a monkfish stew, which I grew up with although it would be seen as

being very French.

Q: Are there any Irish dishes that you can’t duplicate?

A: Irish flour is very different from flour that you have here in America. We have a very, very soft flour, whereas American flour is very high gluten. So it’s very difficult to get the bread right...

Soda bread tends to be very dry and doesn’t taste right over here, whereas in Ireland it’s much moister and more full of flavor.

GARFIELD: The neighborhood looks exceedingly normal: single-family homes and apartment buildings packed together, dogs barking from postagestamp-size lawns, parents hustling down narrow sidewalks to fetch their children from school. But something with very dangerous potential lies below the surface, officials say. The residents’ toenails will provide confirmation. A plume of hexavalent chromium, a metal used in industrial production that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls a “well-established carcinogen,” has spread under Garfield, putting about one-tenth of the city’s homes - about 600 structures and 3,600 residents - at risk.

The Environmental Protection Agency is about to start drilling on the spill site to determine how much chromium is pooled beneath and remove tainted soil. The agency is also testing the broader area to determine how it will be cleaned up. Now a group of scientists from New York University is working to assess how much chromium residents may have been exposed to. Researchers will collect toenail clippings from city residents. The nails will be tested for traces of chromium. Because toenails grow slowly, it is possible to see how much chromium has accumulated in the body over the past 18 months or so, said Judith Zelikoff, a professor of environmental medicine at New York University.

“Our major goal is to try to relieve their fears,” Zelikoff said. “With the economy, they can’t sell their homes. They don’t know if they got exposed.” The contamination started 30 years ago, when thousands of pounds of hexavalent chromium - the same stuff that sickened Californians whose story was told in “Erin Brockovich” - leaked from a tank at the EC Electroplating Co., a factory surrounded on all sides by houses and apartments. The state started clean-

ing up the spill but stopped two years later. In 1993, chromium was found at a now-shuttered firehouse and later in homes.

The EPA designated the area as a Superfund site marking it as of the nation’s most toxic uncontrolled hazardous waste sites - in 2011, and officials cautioned residents to stay out of their basements to prevent potential chromium exposure. EPA officials removed chromium from the building and demolished it last year, and found that some tanks had holes in them, potentially releasing even more chromium into the groundwater.

Officials say the contamination has not affected the city’s drinking water, which is drawn from an outside source. Instead, they worry that people could inhale chromium dust that has been found in basements where groundwater has leached in. The chromium plume is about three-quarters of a mile wide and slightly more than an eighth mile long, EPA officials said. The substance has traveled from the site underneath the Passaic River and into the city of Passaic.

The agency has installed about 40 monitoring wells to monitor how far the metal has spread. “We’re trying to find out the extent of the plume,” said Rich Puvogel, a project manager with the EPA. High quantities of the metal have been found in 14 homes that have since been cleaned up. Trace amounts were found in 30 to 40 homes. Testing continues, and a nearby school did not show elevated chromium levels. Cathy Garrone, who bought a house in the neighborhood in 1985, walked her small dog recently across the street from the site where the plant once stood, a lot now fenced off and peppered with mounds of rocks and dirt.

She said she wouldn’t have bought there if she

French health estimates look into Pill risk PARIS: A French drug watchdog yesterday released estimates for blood clots linked to birth control pills in the wake of fears that so-called thirdand fourth-generation oral contraceptives boost a small risk of dangerous thrombosis. Between 2000 and 2011, contraceptive pills were linked on average to 2,529 annual cases of blood clots, the National Agency for the Safety of Drugs and Health Products (ANSM) said. Of the tally, 1,751 were attributable to third- and fourth generation pills, it said.

On average, 20 fatalities annually could be linked to contraceptive use, six of which could be attributed to first- and second-generation pills and

14 to the later-generation pills, the agency said. “ The risk of venous thromboembolism applies to the population as a whole, but the risk is low,” the ANSM said in a press release.

“It increases with age for all women, regardless of whether they use oral contraceptives or not. It is higher for users of third- and fourthgeneration contraceptives than for users of first- and second-generation contraceptives,” it said, reiterating an earlier judgement.

Clots that lodge in the veins can be highly dangerous, potentially causing strokes or heart attacks. The ANSM estimates are based on a statistical model, not on an analysis of

individual cases. Smoking and obesity are also associated with higher risk of clots. More than four million women annually took oral contraceptives during the 2001-2011 period, roughly half of whom took first- and second-generation pills and the remainder third- and fourth-generation. The third-generation Pill, introduced in the 1990s, and the fourth generation, approved in the last decade, are formulated to have synthetic versions of the female hormone progestogen, the idea being to skirt side-effects associated with older contraceptives. In January, the health ministry called on doctors to prescribe third- and fourth-genera-

tion pills only “in very specific circumstances” and never as a first option.

It also urged the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to alter its guidelines accordingly. The EMA said on January 28 that it would study the request. The health ministry also dropped the two later generations of the Pill from the list of medications that are reimbursed under France’s national health-insurance programme. The ANSM said that figures for February showed a slump in sales of 34 percent for third- and fourthgeneration pills, and a rise of 27 percent for first- and second-generation alternatives, as women made the switch. —AFP

Phytopharm gives up after Parkinson’s drug failure LONDON: British biotech Phytopharm gave up its search for a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease using a drug derived from subtropical plants yesterday and said it was looking to sell the business. A month after the medicine, Cogane, failed in a clinical trial, Phytopharm said it would not commit any more money to further research and development and would cut staff.

The company said it had held exploratory merger talks with a number of parties. Cogane’s failure - the latest in a line that include Renovo, Minster and Antisoma - highlighted the allor-nothing bet that small biotechs need to make to develop and launch drugs on their own.

Phytopharm suffered earlier setbacks. It abandoned research aiming to commercialise a drug for the management of obesity derived from a southern African cactus called Hoodia gordonii three years ago, to focus its efforts on Cogane instead. It raised 24 million pounds ($36 million)from investors to fund research into Cogane. The British company had hoped its compounds had the potential to be a new class of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease.

Early trials indicated that Cogane could ease the symptoms and slow the progression of Parkinson’s, a condition where part of the brain becomes more damaged over time. However, the drug, derived from a member of the sapogenin class of compounds, last month failed to show any benefit over a placebo in a trial of 400 patients with early-stage Parkinson’s.

The company said on Tuesday that a full analysis of the data confirmed the disappointing findings. Shares in the group, which fell more than 80 percent when the trial results were published, were trading up 3 percent at 1.56 pence by 1016 GMT, valuing the company at about 5.4 million pounds ($8.2 million). — Reuters

Q: Have Irish tastes changed?

A: Oh yes, particularly in the last 10 years I would say. Ireland used to be a pretty homogenous kind of country.

There were only Irish people living there, but in the last few years, we’ve a lot of immigrants coming in from all over the world ... It’s even possible to get a good burrito in Dublin these days, which would be very difficult in the past. I think people’s tastes have become more international and people are dining out a lot more. The restaurants have gotten a lot better.

Q: Are any of those changes reflected in your recipes?

A: I actually tried to stay close to the more traditional Irish dishes in my recipes. That’s another book maybe, because a lot of the traditions are changing now and it’s getting harder to find some of the more traditional recipes.

Q: How would you describe Irish food overall?

A: Ireland is a very small country so things don’t have to travel very far... It’s very fresh food. Seafood that you buy in markets was generally caught that morning. Bread was baked that day. All the vegetables in the region are local.

That’s the more traditional way of eating in Ireland. — Reuters

had known about the chromium spill, and thinks much more testing needs to be conducted, both of the environment and people. “I’d like them to do more testing to assure my safety,” she said. The research study is being done in conjunction with the city of Garfield. Officials are hoping the testing can bring some answers to residents. “It’s just been left,” Zelikoff said. “A lot of people made mistakes.” Zelikoff and her team hope to test as many as 250 residents; some must live close to the plume and others about 3 miles away as a control group. When residents sign up, they will be given a kit that contains stainless steel toenail clippers (cheap ones contain chrome), instructions on how to clip the nails (samples from all 10 are needed) and an envelope for the clippings. It will take weeks to know the results, and people will be advised by public health nurses and others once the results return.

Test subjects must be between 18 and 65, have lived in Garfield for at least two years, not take chromium supplements, and not smoke. Many residents are immigrants and relative newcomers, and some don’t know about the contamination, Zelikoff said. City officials are working to educate residents, disseminating information about the cleanup to local churches and in four languages: English, Spanish, Polish and Macedonian, said city manager Tom Duch.

Duch said an initial health consultation indicates that there’s no higher incidence of cancer in the neighborhood than anywhere else in the city, but he thinks the issue needs additional scientific testing. “I have some concerns,” Duch said. “There are residents who have come to meetings and said, ‘This one died, that one died,’ and I think it warrants further investigation.” — AP

PHILIPSBURG: This photo shows seven-year-old Emily Whitehead at her home in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Emily Whitehead is kind of a big deal. At age seven, she is the only child to have beaten back leukemia with the help of a new treatment that turned her own immune cells into targeted cancer killers. —AFP

LAS VEGAS: This file photo shows then California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger (right) raising the arm of Joe Weider, the creator of Mr Olympia Bodybuilding competition, during the 39th annual Mr. Olympia event in Las Vegas. — AP

Joe Weider, fitness guru to Schwarzenegger, dies LOS ANGELES: Joe Weider, a legendary figure in bodybuilding who helped popularize the sport worldwide and played a key role in introducing a charismatic young weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, died Saturday. He was 93. Weider’s publicist, Charlotte Parker, told The Associated Press that the bodybuilder, publisher and promoter died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. “I knew about Joe Weider long before I met him,” Schwarzenegger, who tweeted the news of his old friend’s death, said in a lengthy statement posted on his website. “He was the godfather of fitness who told all of us to be somebody with a body. He taught us that through hard work and training we could all be champions.” A bodybuilder with an impressive physique himself, Weider became better known in later years as a behind-the-scenes guru to the sport.

He popularized bodybuilding and spread the message of health and fitness worldwide with such publications as Muscle & Fitness, Flex and Shape. Schwarzenegger himself is the executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex. He created one of bodybuilding’s preeminent events, the Mr. Olympia competition, in 1965, adding to it the Ms Olympia contest in 1980, the Fitness Olympia in 1995 and the Figure Olympia in 2003. He also relentlessly promoted Schwarzenegger, who won the Mr. Olympia title a then-record seven times, including in 1980 and every year from 1970 through 1975.

“Every sport needs a hero, and I knew that Arnold was the right man,” he said. Weider brought Schwarzenegger to the United States early in his career, where he helped train the future governor of California as well as aided him in getting into business. Schwarzenegger also said Weider helped land him his first movie role, in the forgettable film “Hercules in

New York,” by passing off the Austrian-born weightlifter to the producers as a German Shakespearean actor.

“Joe didn’t just inspire my earliest dreams; he made them come true the day he invited me to move to America to pursue my bodybuilding career,” the actor said in his statement. “I will never forget his generosity. One of Joe’s greatest qualities is that he wasn’t just generous with his money; he freely gave of his time and expertise and became a father figure for me.” Weider also mentored numerous other bodybuilders. Born in Canada in 1919, Weider recalled growing up in a tough section of Montreal.

Just like the apocryphal tale of the skinny kid who starts working out after a bully kicks sand in his face, Weider said he was indeed a small, skinny teenager picked on by bullies when he came across the magazine Strength.

He had tried to join a local wrestling team, he said, but was turned down by the coach who feared he was so small he’d be hurt.

Inspired by the magazine, he built his own weights from scrap parts found in a railroad yard and pumped them relentlessly. Word of his efforts got around and he was invited to join a weightlifting club. “When I saw the gym, saw the guys working out, supporting one another, I was mesmerized,” he recalled. He won his first bodybuilding ranking at age 17, and soon after began to publish his first magazine, Your Physique. Later he started a mailorder barbell business, and in 1946 he and his younger brother staged the first Mr Canada contest in at Montreal’s Monument National Theater. At the same time, they formed the International Federation of Bodybuilders. In recent years, Weider donated much of his bodybuilding memorabilia to the University of Texas at Austin, which opened the Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture in 2011. He is survived by his wife. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Cameras to track tigers in Bangladesh DHAKA: Bangladesh is to launch a census of tigers next month living in the world’s largest mangrove forest in a bid to determine the full extent of the threat to their survival, scientists said yesterday. Yunus Ali, head of the forestry department, said conservationists would fan out across the Bangladeshi side of the Sundarbans to install cameras on trees to obtain a more accurate estimate of tiger numbers since the last census in 2004.

That survey estimated that 440 Royal Bengal Tigers were on the Bangladeshi side. The forest, which includes parts of India’s West Bengal state, spans a total of 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles). But some experts have criticised the methodology used last time around, which relied on the tracking of footprints and, together with a real decline blamed on poachers, believe

the current figure could be less than half that amount.

The Bangladeshi scientists will be assisted by wildlife experts from the US-based Smithsonian Conservation and Biology Institute, Ali told AFP yesterday. Scientists hope the cameras will help them compile a more accurate figure over the next two years. “The pugmark (tracking) system created controversies. It’s not reliable,” Ali said, adding that the new survey should “end all the debate”. Monirul Khan, a zoology professor at Bangladesh’s Jahangirnagar University and the nation’s foremost tiger expert, expected the survey to confirm his fears that there were no more than 200 tigers on the Bangladeshi side.

“Camera trapping is a far better and more widely accepted technique. If it is done scientifically, it can give an accurate result,” he said. Khan

said that around five tigers were killed every year either by villagers trying to protect themselves or by poachers who then sell on their skins or even body parts which are prized in Asia as an aphrodisiac.

There are around 1,850 Bengal tigers living in the wild, according to the WWF conservation group, including around 1,300 tigers in India. A census on the Indian side of the Sundarbans, conducted between 2003-04 put the numbers at around 270, although some experts say the real figure is actually less than 100.

A similar survey is currently under way in the Tarai Arc Landscape, a forest region which straddles Nepal and India. The WWF says tigers worldwide are in serious danger of becoming extinct in the wild. Their numbers have fallen from 100,000 in 1900 to around 3,200 now. — AFP

BUENOS AIRES: Cleo, a female Bengal white tiger, protects two of her four cubs — born in captivity — during their presentation at the Buenos Aires zoo. Cleo and Rhiano —the two being white Bengal tigers — are a young couple which lives at this zoo. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Thousands walk for a cause in NBK’s 2013 Walkathon SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Announcements 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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housands of participants hiked the Gulf Road in National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) 19th Annual Walkathon on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Under the patronage of Minister of Health Dr Mohammed Barrak Al-Haifi, NBK organized its annual Walkathon for the 19th consecutive year. NBK-Kuwait CEO Shaikha AlBahar, NBK Consumer Banking Group General Manager Mazin Al-Nahedh, NBK Capital CEO Salah Al Fulaij and

many senior NBK officials joined thousands of participants in the Walkathon.

Supporters and spectators lined the route on the Arabian Gulf Road to cheer on the participants.

Thousands of men, women and children of all ages and nationalities participated in the annual event. The Walkathon culminated with a prize giving ceremony at the Green Island where NBK awarded the top 120 par-

ticipants, and gave away two brand new cars, as grand prizes alongside the grand quarterly KD 250,000 prize for Al-Jawhara that was announced live during the Walkathon. Mohammed Bader Al Herz and Laveena Aguiar won two MG5 2013 brand new cars. NBK’s social media team broadcast the Walkathon live on NBK’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Pages, posting regular updates throughout the day.

Basketball Academy

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he new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. Located in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee Shirts for all participants, with certificates and special awards on completion of each 6 week course. Qualified and experienced British and American Coaches, Everyone Welcome.

Al-Mulla Exchange opens new branch in Mahboula

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l-Mulla Exchange, the premier exchange company in Kuwait, opened their 44th branch in the country in Mahboula on Friday, March 22, 2013.

The new branch was inaugurated in front of a large gathering of customers, well-wishers and Al-Mulla Exchange officials.

The opening of a second branch within the span of a month attests to the company’s assertive new expansion plans and is a reflection of the increasing demand for the safe, secure and fast remittance services of AlMulla Exchange. Since its inception in 2001, Al-Mulla Exchange has revolutionized the exchange industry in Kuwait through ongoing investments in technology and by offering innovative, customer-centric remittance solutions. As with other branches of Al-Mulla Exchange, the new branch in Mahboula offers free insurance and loyalty points on every transaction, as well as SMS confirmation on delivery of remittances. Server to server transactions also ensures that the account of the beneficiary is credited within seconds in the most secure manner.

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.

The Regency Hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi in limousines

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s part of its continuous efforts to take the Regency Hotel experience to a whole new dimension; the hotel is now introducing a complimentary Wi-Fi in service in all limousines to take the executive experience to a new level.

The creation of this service emerged in order to enable executives and business travelers to best profit from being connected all the time; whether briefing the team before a big meeting, making last minute changes to a presentation or squeezing in some business on the way to a client dinner, this service gives the business travelers the advantage of being always connected regardless their location.

“Extending free Wi-Fi service to the limousines was a natural step to take after offering it at all our public areas including lobby, rooms and restaurant. Connectivity is a vital part of the Regency experience, and complimentary Internet access has become one of our signature standards”, said Aurelio Giraudo - the Regency’s General Manager, Kuwait.

The Regency will continue to be at the forefront of customizing technology to keep guests connected; it is taking the service approach beyond the hotel itself into the Limousine cars; now guests can access the Internet using their mobile devices and laptops which helps them maximize their productivity from the moment they leave the airport and even while they move around town.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

KSNA forms Kuwait chapter

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erala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi (KSNA) has formed a 10-member AdHoc Committee in Kuwait to promote and encourage ‘pravasi’ artists from Kerala in Kuwait. In a meeting held at the American International School (AIS), Maidan Hawally and presided over by Akademi Chairman Soorya Krishnamoorthy, Pancily Varkey was elected as the Chairman of the Kuwait committee and Sajeev K Peter as its Coordinator.

Other members of the Ad-Hoc committee are: Vijayan Karayil, B S Pillai, Thomas Mathew Kadavil, Babuji Bathery, Nixon George, Advocate John Kunnil, K K Shemejkumar and Sunil P Antony. An 11th member will be nominated to the committee by the CEO of Non-resident Keralites’ Affairs (NORKA).

The committee will come into force on April 1, 2013 and function until March 31, 2014. It will be a non-political and non-religious body with a definite objective to support and promote Kerala’s traditional arts and recognize and honor ‘pravasi’ artists. KSNA was established in 1958 to foster and develop Kerala dance, drama and music and to promote the cultural unity in Kerala.

Addressing the meeting, Krishnamoorthy

said Akademi is in the process of establishing ad-hoc committees in all the GCC countries as part of its initiative to support and recognize ‘Pravasi Malayali artists’ in the region.

“There are several genuine and highly respectable artists in different parts of the Gulf region, engaged in promoting various art forms such as theatre, dance and other traditional cultural forms. Many of the art forms are now on the verge of an extinction.

Unfortunately, these artists don’t get proper

recognition or support from anywhere. I honestly believe that the these committees in the GCC could do many things to help the pravasi artists and recognize their contribution,” he said. Krishnamoorthy said, “Today, recognitions and awards go only to film and television stars in Kerala. The government, official institutions and people acknowledge and encourage artists in the world of glamour,” he said. He said the Ad-Hoc committees, as a first step, will organize a theatre festival to

identify the best ‘pravasi’ drama artists in the region who will be honored at a function organized by the Akademi in Kerala.

Krishnamoorthy informed that after taking over as the Akademi chairman last year, the academy instituted awards to honor Keralites living in other parts of India. It launched medical insurance schemes and financial aid programs to help sick and old artists who dedicated their lives in their young age to their art.

W H AT ’ S O N

Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a introduces slimming machine ‘Eximia’

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ovenpick Hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a Kuwait Field a press conference on March 25, 2013 in Al-Bida’a Ballroom to introduce the latest slimming technologies offered at The Spa. The press conference was attended by the spa manager at the hotel Abdel Rahman Hourani and the Assistant General Manager of “Spa & More”, the company that represents the new slimming machine ‘Eximia’ in Kuwait.

‘Eximia’ is a unique combination of two patented technologies that have stormed the world. The alliance of Endolift and Ultraporation have proven to be the best solution available for fighting dreaded cellulite. This cutting edge advanced treatment by Eximia has no competition. The machine massages, tones and follows it up with draining the cellulite. reducing and sculpting the body and giving it the perfect shape. No other machine combines within it such an all-comprehensive method.

“We at Movenpick Hotel & Resort AlBida’a are always keen on implementing and adding brand new treatments and cutting-edge spa equipments to exceed our

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 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.

guests’ needs and expectations,” said Hourani, the Spa Manager at the hotel.

Movenpick hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a Kuwait believes in constantly innovating and improving its offerings especially in its spa and wellness segment. With the Italian made ‘Eximia’ machine in its spa, Movenpick Al-Bida’a can promise their guests real results with no side effects. Weight loss through ‘Eximia’ is not only comfortable, but pleasurable due to its four phases that include vacuum suction, release, velum suction and vibration. The sophisticated ‘My Touch’ software allows ‘Eximia’ to evaluate imperfections and contour the body giving it the desired shape. Everyone deserves to indulge oneself now and then, and everyone deserves to feel good about oneself. The Spa at Movenpick Hotel and Resort Al-Bida’a is the perfect place to do it.

Facing the Arabian Gulf, this is a real haven of relaxation and wellness. And coupled with its new weight loss programme - it offers a complete experience for the mind, body and soul.

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Jaber Al-Ali qualifies for Kuwait Oral Fluency Competition

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. nnnnnnn

Student Mohammed Al-Tarrah at Kuwait Times editorial desk.

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ollowing on its previous participation in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area Oral Fluency Competition organized by the area’s ELT supervision, Jaber Al-Ali Secondary School for Boys won the first place amongst male high schools. Represented by 11 grader, Mohammed Ibrahim AlTarrah, the school thus qualified for phase two of the competition amongst various educational areas all over Kuwait.

The second phase was supervised and judged by a panel comprising of Kuwait’s six educational areas ELT senior supervisors. On his first presentation, Al-Tarrak discussed the skyrocketing use of social media networks nowadays and both its negative and positive impacts on various aspects of life. The second presentation was dedicated to discuss a hypothetical question about how our lives would be without the Internet.

Student Mohammed Al-Tarrah is seen during the presentation.

ELT supervisors

Pre-Primary Graduation Day celebrated at ICSK Amman

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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n March 14, 2013, the Indian Community School, Kuwait, Amman Branch, celebrated Pre-Primary Graduation Day in the School auditorium. It was a special day for the excited tiny tots. They were geared up for the occasion dressed up in colorful costumes, convocation gowns and caps. The programme began with a melodious welcome song. The recital of the verses from the Holy Quran was followed by ceremonial lighting of the lamp of knowledge. KNS Das, the General Manager of Lulu Exchange Company, was the Chief Guest for the ceremony and Ashok Kalra, the Honorary Chairman to the Board of Trustees was the Guest of Honour. AV Shamsuddin, Honorary Member of the ICSK Board of Trustees; Mogal Akbar Chakravarthi, Parent Advisory Council representative to the ICSK Board of Trustees;

Nixon George, Hakim Siyali and Kevin Robert, the Parent Advisory Council members of the Amman Branch and the proud parents of the young graduates were present for the occasion. Principal of ICSK Amman, Rajesh Nair C, in his inimitable style, welcomed the esteemed guests.

The welcome song rendered by the students of LKG and the Malayalam solo song ‘Mangalangalneerumbol’ sung by Alvin Jerry of LKG student enthralled the audience. LKG students also performed beautifully to the song ‘LakdikiKathi’. A group dance by the LKG students added charm to the delightful occasion as the tiny tots danced in colourful costumes. The ICSK auditorium reverberated with the excitement of the ICSK Pre-Primary graduates.

The Graduation Day at the ICSK, Amman, was cele-

brated with lot of enthusiasm. This day is the celebration of an important milestone as the child embarks on his journey to achieve his goal in life. The ICSK provides an encouraging environment for the little ones to develop into sensitized, responsible, disciplined and balanced human beings. The children are provided the necessary skills that prepare them for life.

The principal with his encouraging words made the day a very special one for the children as well as their parents. Sherly Dennis, Vice Principal of ICSK, Amman Branch, thanked the audience and expressed her appreciation to all the teachers, staff and the parents for their role in the success of the event. The students of LKG, full of confidence and zeal, thanked the class teachers for their encouragement and support.

McDonald’s serves more than 200,000 free Egg McMuffins across ME

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cDonald’s yesterday announced that more than 200,000 free Egg McMuffins were served to customers across 11 Middle East Markets on National Breakfast Day, which took place on March 18, 2013. Dubbed the world’s biggest breakfast ever, National Breakfast Day saw more than 9,500 crew members in 325 McDonald’s restaurants across the Middle Eastserve hundreds of thousands of customers in just one morning.

National Breakfast Day marks the first time McDonald’s has initiated an international celebration of this scale; more than 20 other markets across Asia and Africa also participated in what is considered the brand’s most successful international breakfast event.

Yousif Abdulghani, Managing Director of McDonald’s in the Middle East and Africa commented: “We are absolutely thrilledby the positive response to National Breakfast

Day across the Middle East. The goal of the celebration was to demonstrate to our busy consumers that McDonald’s is an affordable and tasty way to start the morning; we believe we were incredibly successful in doing just that on March 18th, 2013.

“National Breakfast Day is one step in a journey towards promoting and communicating our breakfast offerings across the entire Middle East. We want our customers to know that a busy schedule shouldn’t compromise a satisfying start to the day, and we believe that a McDonald’s breakfast is the perfect solution.” Egg McMuffins are an iconic handheld breakfast consisting of a fresh Grade A egg, chicken roll and a slice of melted cheese, held together by a freshly toasted English muffin. First introduced in the US in 1971, the McMuffin range is now the brand’s signature breakfast offering, with more than 1.2billion sold per annum worldwide.

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). nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA On the occasion of Easter Sunday and Family Day, the South African Embassy will be closed from Sunday, March 31 to Monday, April 1, 2013. The Embassy will resume it’s normal working hours on Tuesday, 2 April 2013, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the working hours will be from 8:00 to 16:00 & the Consular Section operation hours will from 8:30 to 12:30. 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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:35 02:25 03:15 03:40 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:35 10:05 10:30 11:00 11:25 12:20 12:50 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:30 17:25 17:50 18:20 19:15 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 22:25 22:55 23:50

06:00 Bananas In Pyjamas 06:25 Gerald McBoing Boing 06:45 Jelly Jamm 07:00 Ha Ha Hairies 07:25 Bananas In Pyjamas 07:50 Lazytown 08:15 Krypto: The Super Dog 08:40 Jelly Jamm 09:05 Gerald McBoing Boing 09:30 Cartoonito Tales 09:55 Bananas In Pyjamas 10:20 Ha Ha Hairies 10:45 Lazytown 11:10 Krypto: The Super Dog 11:35 Baby Looney Tunes 12:00 Jelly Jamm 12:25 Gerald McBoing Boing 12:50 Cartoonito Tales 13:15 Krypto: The Super Dog 13:40 Lazytown 14:00 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 14:25 Tom And Jerry Tales 14:50 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 15:20 Johnny Bravo 15:45 Tiny Toons 16:10 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo 16:35 The Garfield Show 17:00 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 17:25 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 17:50 Tom And Jerry Tales 18:15 The Looney Tunes Show 18:40 Tiny Toons 19:05 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo 19:30 Scooby Doo And The Reluctant...

21:10 Dexters Laboratory 21:20 Johnny Bravo 21:35 Puppy In My Pocket 22:00 The Garfield Show 22:25 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 22:50 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 23:15 Tom & Jerry Tales 23:40 The Looney Tunes Show

Up Close And Dangerous Untamed & Uncut Wildest Latin America Baboons With Bill Bailey Baboons With Bill Bailey My Cat From Hell Shamwari: A Wild Life Dark Days In Monkey City Animal Precinct The Really Wild Show Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Crocodile Hunter America’s Cutest...

Monkey Life Bondi Vet Shamwari: A Wild Life Dark Days In Monkey City Wildest Latin America Baboons With Bill Bailey Baboons With Bill Bailey My Cat From Hell Animal Cops Philadelphia Animal Precinct The Really Wild Show Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Jeff Corwin Unleashed Jeff Corwin Unleashed My Cat From Hell Monkey Life Bondi Vet Shamwari: A Wild Life Dark Days In Monkey City Wildest Latin America Shamwari: A Wild Life Shamwari: A Wild Life World Wild Vet Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:00 Homes Under The Hammer 00:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 01:35 Come Dine With Me 02:25 Gok’s Fashion Fix 03:15 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 04:00 Bargain Hunt 04:45 Bargain Hunt 05:35 House Swap 06:25 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 06:50 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 07:20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 08:05 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 08:50 Homes Under The Hammer 09:40 Bargain Hunt 10:25 Antiques Roadshow 11:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12:00 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:30 Masterchef: The Professionals 13:00 Come Dine With Me 13:50 Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking 14:20 New Scandinavian Cooking 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 Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking 19:20 Rick Stein’s Spain 20:10 French Food At Home 20:35 Come Dine With Me 21:30 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 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 05:20 05:45

Taz-Mania Pink Panther And Pals Moomins Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Puppy In My Pocket Wacky Races Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show

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 African Voices 08:00 World Report 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Talk Asia 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 World One 12:30 News Special 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 News Special 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 09:10 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55

Gold Rush World’s Toughest Tribes Around The World In 80 Ways Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made Auction Kings Auction Hunters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Sons Of Guns Mythbusters Moonshiners Crash Course Crash Course Border Security Auction Kings Auction Hunters How Do They Do It?

11:25 11:50 12:45 13:40 14:35 15:05 15:30 16:00 16:55 17:20 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

How It’s Made Gold Rush Around The World In 80 Ways Around The World In 80 Ways Border Security Auction Kings Auction Hunters Ultimate Survival Crash Course Crash Course Mythbusters Sons Of Guns How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Auction Kings Auction Hunters Outback Truckers Driven To Extremes Finding Bigfoot

00:15 Oddities 00:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 01:05 How Tech Works 01:35 Scrapheap Challenge 02:25 Oddities 02:50 Oddities 03:15 Bang Goes The Theory 03:45 Things That Move 04:10 Things That Move 04:35 Weird Or What?

05:25 Building The Future 06:15 Science Of The Movies 07:05 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 08:00 Things That Move 08:25 Things That Move 08:50 Man-Made Marvels Asia 09:40 Scrapheap Challenge 10:30 Science Of The Movies 11:25 Gadget Show - World Tour 11:50 How Tech Works 12:15 NASA’s Greatest Missions 13:10 Man-Made Marvels Asia 14:00 Scrapheap Challenge 14:50 Bang Goes The Theory 15:20 Things That Move 15:45 Things That Move 16:10 Oddities 16:35 Oddities 17:00 Gadget Show - World Tour 17:25 How Tech Works 17:55 Science Of The Movies 18:45 The Kustomizer 19:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 20:30 Da Vinci’s Machines 21:20 The X-Testers 21:45 The X-Testers 22:10 Gadget Show - World Tour 22:35 How Tech Works 23:00 Da Vinci’s Machines 23:50 The X-Testers

00:10 Hannah Montana 00:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 01:00 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 01:25 Replacements 01:50 Replacements 02:15 Emperor’s New School 02:40 Emperor’s New School 03:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 03:30 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 03:55 Replacements 04:20 Replacements 04:45 Emperor’s New School 05:10 Emperor’s New School 05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 06:25 Doc McStuffins 06:40 Suite Life On Deck 07:05 A.N.T. Farm 07:30 A.N.T. Farm 07:55 Jessie 08:20 Jessie 08:45 Good Luck Charlie 09:10 Good Luck Charlie 09:35 Austin And Ally 10:00 Austin And Ally 10:25 Shake It Up 10:50 Shake It Up 11:15 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 11:40 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 12:05 My Babysitter’s A Vampire

GOAL! ON OSN ACTION HD

12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 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

My Babysitter’s A Vampire Jessie Jessie A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up Austin And Ally Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck 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 Zou 09:35 Zou 09:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 10:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 10:20 Doc McStuffins 10:35 Doc McStuffins 10:50 Handy Manny 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 Zou 18:40 Zou 18:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 19:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 19:25 Doc McStuffins 19:40 Doc McStuffins 19:55 Handy Manny 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 00:55 01:25 03:15 03:40 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 12:35 13:05 13:35 14:05 York 14:30 York 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

Opening Act Style Star THS Style Star Extreme Close-Up THS E!es THS Style Star Opening Act Opening Act THS Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar Married To Jonas Married To Jonas Kourtney & Kim Take New Kourtney & Kim Take New Style Star THS Extreme Close-Up Giuliana & Bill E! News Fashion Police E!es Kourtney And Kim Take Miami

22:00 Chasing The Saturdays 22:30 E! News 23:30 Chelsea Lately

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 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa 18:25 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

00:15 00:40 01:30 02:20 03:05 03:55 04:20 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 23:50

Who On Earth Did I Marry?

I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Deadly Sins Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Who On Earth Did I Marry?

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 Couples Who Kill Deadly Women

00:15 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 00:45 Perilous Journeys 01:40 Bondi Rescue 02:05 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 02:35 Chasing Time 03:00 Destination Extreme 03:30 A World Apart 04:25 Maverick Chef 04:50 Travel Madness 05:20 Around The World For Free 06:15 Kimchi Chronicles 06:40 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 07:10 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 08:05 Perilous Journeys 09:00 Bondi Rescue 09:25 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 09:55 Chasing Time 10:20 Destination Extreme 10:50 A World Apart 11:45 Maverick Chef 12:10 Travel Madness 12:40 Endurance Traveller 13:35 Street Food Around The World 14:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 14:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 15:25 Perilous Journeys 16:20 Bondi Rescue 16:45 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 17:15 Chasing Time 17:40 Destination Extreme 18:10 A World Apart 19:05 Maverick Chef 19:35 Travel Madness 20:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 20:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:00 Street Food Around The World 21:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 22:00 Around The World For Free 22:55 Kimchi Chronicles 23:20 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 23:50 Exploring The Vine

01:15 The Killing Room-18 03:00 The Godfather III-18 06:00 True Justice: One Shot, One

THE TOURIST ON OSN CINEMA Life-PG15 08:00 Goal!-PG15 10:00 Burden Of Evil-PG15 12:00 Killer Mountain-PG15 14:00 Goal!-PG15 16:00 True Justice: Urban WarfarePG15 18:00 Killer Mountain-PG15 20:00 Street Kings 2: Motor City-18 22:00 The Veteran-PG15

06:00 Life 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Goal!

Burden Of Evil Killer Mountain Goal!

True Justice: Urban Warfare Killer Mountain Street Kings 2: Motor City The Veteran

01:00 The Tourist-PG15 03:00 Ceremony-PG15 05:00 Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown-PG 06:30 We Bought A Zoo-PG 09:00 The Tourist-PG15 11:00 Golden Christmas 3-PG15 13:00 Blank Slate-PG15 15:00 Hidden Crimes-PG15 16:45 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close-PG 19:00 The Lincoln Lawyer-PG15 21:00 Leaves Of Grass-PG15 23:00 Awaydays-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Waterboy-PG15 Grabbers-PG15 The Winning Season-PG15 House Arrest-FAM Best In Show-PG15 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 The Winning Season-PG15 The Tooth Fairy 2-PG Beware The Gonzo-PG15 The Search For Santa Paws-PG The Romantics-PG15 The Waterboy-PG15

01:15 05:00 07:00 09:15 11:00 13:00 PG15 15:00 17:00 PG15 19:00 21:00 23:15

Woodstock-18 The Fighter-PG15 The Alamo-PG15 Lord Of The Dance-PG 13-PG15 An Invisible Sign Of My Own-

00:00 The Cleveland Show 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Girls 02:00 Unsupervised 02:30 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 03:00 Louie 03:30 Malibu Country 04:00 Til Death 05:30 Hope & Faith 06:30 Less Than Perfect 08:00 Til Death 08:30 Modern Family 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 10:30 Less Than Perfect 12:30 Til Death 13:00 Hope & Faith 13:30 Less Than Perfect 14:00 Malibu Country 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 18:00 Hot In Cleveland 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The New Normal 22:30 Weeds 23:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 02:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 20:00 21:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 06:00 08:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 23:00

Once Upon A Time Banshee Good Morning America The Practice The Ellen DeGeneres Show Castle Live Good Morning America Castle The Ellen DeGeneres Show In Plain Sight Homeland

C.S.I. New York Banshee Once Upon A Time C.S.I. New York Covert Affairs The Ellen DeGeneres Show Covert Affairs C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show Covert Affairs Grey’s Anatomy In Plain Sight Homeland Damages

01:15 The Killing Room 03:00 The Godfather III

True Justice: One Shot, One

Lord Of The Dance-PG TT3D: Closer To The EdgeSwing Kids-PG15 Oscar And Lucinda-PG15 Middle Men-18

01:00 Never Let Me Go-PG15 02:45 Moneyball-PG15 05:00 Stealing Paradise-PG15 07:00 Dolphin Tale-PG 09:00 Mr. Popper’s Penguins-PG 11:00 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 12:45 The Dragon Chronicles: Fire & Ice-PG15 14:30 Real Steel-PG15 16:45 Mr. Popper’s Penguins-PG 18:30 War Horse-PG15 21:00 The Hot Potato-PG15 23:00 The Change Up-18

01:00 The Adventures Of Tintin 02:45 The Ugly Duckling In The Enchanted Forest 04:30 Ploddy Police Car 06:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World 08:00 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter 10:00 Wheelers 11:30 The Adventures Of Tintin 13:15 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs.

Evil 14:45 Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas 16:15 Rainbow Valley Heroes 18:00 Wheelers 20:00 The Tooth Fairy 2 22:00 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs.

Evil 23:30 Rainbow Valley Heroes

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 PG15 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 17:30 20:00 22:00

For Richer Or Poorer-PG Big Miracle-PG Hitch-PG15 Glee: The Concert MovieDr. Seuss’ The Lorax-PG A Mother’s Choice-PG15 Big Miracle-PG Treasure Buddies-PG Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax-PG The Avengers-PG15 Another Earth-PG15 21 Jump Street-18

00:00 03:30 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:30

Premier League Darts Super League Top 14 Super Rugby Highlights Trans World Sport NRL Premiership ICC Cricket 360

11:00 Super Rugby 13:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 14:00 Super Rugby Highlights 15:00 Premier League Darts 18:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 19:30 NRL Premiership 21:00 ICC Cricket 360 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 PGA Tour Highlights 23:00 Super Rugby

00:00 NHL 02:00 ICC Cricket 360 02:30 PGA Tour Highlights 03:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 04:30 NRL Premiership 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 ICC Cricket 360 07:30 Inside The PGA Tour 08:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 09:00 Super Rugby 10:00 Top 14 12:00 Trans World Sport 13:00 Futbol Mundial 13:30 ICC Cricket 360 14:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 17:00 PGA Tour Highlights 18:00 Super Rugby 21:00 WWE Bottom Line 22:00 WWE SmackDown

00:30 01:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 22:30 23:30

AFL Highlights NRL Premiership Total Rugby Futbol Mundial World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Golfing World Golfing World ICC Cricket 360 Top 14 Highlights World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool NRL Premiership Spirit of Yachting Adventure Challenge Golfing World World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool AFL Highlights ICC Cricket 360 Top 14 Highlights Trans World Sport NRL Full Time Super Rugby Adventure Challenge ICC Cricket 360

01:00 NHL 03:00 Ping Pong World Championships 04:00 US Bass Fishing 05:00 NHL 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 WWE Bottom Line 09:00 Ping Pong World Championships 10:00 US Bass Fishing 11:00 NHL 13:00 WWE Experience 14:00 Prizefighter 17:00 Ping Pong World Championships 18:00 WWE This Week 18:30 NHL 20:30 Mobil 1 the Grid 21:00 UAE National Race Day Series 22:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 23:00 Trans World Sport

01:00 The Year Of Living Dangerously-PG 02:55 The Brothers Karamazov-PG 05:25 Logan’s Run-PG 08:00 The Philadelphia Story-FAM 09:55 Destination Tokyo-FAM 12:00 Brigadoon-FAM 13:45 Les Girls-PG 15:35 North By Northwest-PG 17:50 Conagher-PG 19:50 Giant-PG 23:00 Mccabe And Mrs. Miller

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1 LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG)

12:45 PM 4:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

MUHALAB-2 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3 THE CROODS (DIG-3D)

1:45 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (21/03/2013 TO 27/03/2013) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D)

3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-1 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-2 LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-3 SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) SNITCH (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-1 LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

MARINA-2 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM

AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-3 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-1 TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

AVENUES-2 LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

360ยบ- 1 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM

360ยบ- 2 AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation, small room for bachelor for Filipino only, Far waniya near Gulfmart, available from April 25. Contact: 94418396.

26-3-2013

FOR SALE Bedroom set (double bed) almost new, KD 120, cupboard KD 30, table KD 20, window A/C KD 30, please contact Mob: 66047733.

(C 4352) 25-3-2013

SITUATION WANTED Systems Engineer with 11 years experience in Kuwait in maintaining High End / Secure networks, presently drawing 4 figure salar y, seeks new opportunities in reputed organization.

Contact: 66019422.

(C 4353) M.Com qualified, 14 years experience in accounts in Kuwait, capable independently handing accounts up to finalization, seeks suitable position. Contact: 66019422. (C 4354)

CHANGE OF NAME I, Apolinario Antonio Esteves, Passport No: E5346712, issued in Kuwait on 03-06-2003, embraced Islam. Change my name to Khalid Antonio Esteves.

Address India: H.No: 995, Zuari - Fursa Vaddo, Velha Goa, Ilhas - Goa - 403108.

(C 4355) I, Dmello Fiolina Lourdina, Passport No: H4917403, issued in Panaji on 29-102009, converted to Islam.

Change name to Mariyam Khalid Esteves. Address India: H.No: 1077, Tollecanto, Velim Salcete, Goa. (C 4356) 27-3-21013

SITUATION VACANT Kuwaiti family wishes to hire a housemaid for 3 months. Contact: 99304076.

(C 4351) 24-3-2013 A lady maid is needed to work in a part-time capacity for a single Arab/American male in an apartment located in Salmiya. Salary is 60 KD/month. Working hours 12 PM to 6 PM, twice a week. Contact: 66417504.

(C 4349)

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:25

Shorook

05:44

Duhr:

11:54

Asr:

15:23

Maghrib:

18:03

Isha:

19:21

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JAI THY JZR JZR QTR ETH GFA UAE ETD OMA FDB MSR QTR DHX THY JZR JZR BAW KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC ETD KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA IRA IAW JZR MEA KNE KNE MSR UAE KAC CLX FDB KAC IRC SVA QTR JZR

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 27/3/2013 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 555 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 933 ABU DHABI 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 603 SHIRAZ 157 BAGHDAD 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 482 TAIF 470 JEDDAH 610 CAIRO 871 DUBAI 284 DHAKA 792 LUXEMBOURG 57 DUBAI 672 DUBAI 6692 MASHAD 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 561 SOHAG

Time 00:05 00:35 00:45 00:50 01:00 01:45 01:50 02:35 02:45 02:50 03:05 03:10 03:45 05:15 05:30 06:00 06:35 06:40 06:45 07:40 07:45 07:45 07:55 08:05 08:30 08:40 08:40 09:05 09:10 09:15 09:20 09:55 10:40 11:00 11:20 11:55 12:00 12:15 12:45 12:50 12:55 13:15 13:50 14:10 14:10 14:30 14:35 14:50

KAC QTR KAC JZR IYE UAE JZR ETD RJA UAL GFA SVA JZR KNE QTR ABY KAC JZR KAC FDB DHX KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB KAC JAI AXB MSR ABY QTR ALK MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR FDB DHX KLM UAL AIC JZR JZR QTR DLH

788 134 538 787 824 857 357 303 640 982 215 510 777 462 144 127 542 177 786 63 823 166 618 102 674 774 647 61 614 572 389 606 129 146 229 402 136 221 307 859 135 59 372 417 981 975 239 185 6138 636

JEDDAH DOHA SHARM EL SHEIKH RIYADH SANAA DUBAI MASHAD ABU DHABI AMMAN WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH MEDINAH DOHA SHARJAH CAIRO DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI AMMAN PARIS DOHA NEW YORK DUBAI RIYADH MUSCAT DUBAI BAHRAIN MUMBAI MANGALORE LUXOR SHARJAH DOHA COLOMBO BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM BAHRAIN CHENNAI AMMAN DUBAI DOHA FRANKFURT

14:55 15:30 16:05 16:10 16:30 16:40 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:45 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:30 18:45 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:20 20:25 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:45 23:05 23:50 23:55

Airlines AIC UAL KAC JAI DLH ETH THY FDB UAE OMA ETD MSR QTR QTR DHX JZR GFA THY KAC JZR FDB BAW KAC KAC ABY UAE FDB KAC ETD QTR ETD GFA KAC JZR KAC IRA IAW JZR KAC JZR MEA KAC KNE KNE MSR JZR UAE FDB

Departure Flights on Wednesday 27/3/2013 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 283 DHAKA 573 MUMBAI 637 FRANKFURT 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 820 BAHRAIN 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 560 SOHAG 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 787 JEDDAH 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 934 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 175 FRANKFURT 356 MASHHAD 541 CAIRO 602 SHIRAZ 158 AL NAJAF 776 JEDDAH 103 LONDON 786 RIYADH 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 461 MADINAH 483 TAIF 611 CAIRO 176 DUBAI 872 DUBAI 58 DUBAI

Time 00:05 00:10 00:10 01:05 01:20 02:45 02:55 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:00 04:10 04:50 06:05 06:10 06:55 07:00 07:35 08:10 08:15 08:25 08:45 09:25 09:35 09:45 09:55 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:45 11:30 11:40 12:00 12:15 12:20 12:55 12:55 13:00 13:10 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:15 14:30

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

CLX KAC IRC SVA KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR IYE ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA UAL JZR SVA KNE ABY JZR QTR JZR FDB FDB KAC KAC OMA JAI ABY MSR DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR GFA KAC KAC FDB UAE DHX KAC KLM QTR JZR JZR KAC

792 673 6693 503 617 141 773 613 238 824 304 538 135 858 641 216 982 184 511 471 128 266 145 134 64 62 353 331 648 571 120 619 171 230 403 308 137 222 301 381 60 860 373 205 417 147 502 528 415

GIALAM DUBAI MASHHAD MADINAH DOHA DOHA RIYADH BAHRAIN AMMAN SANAA ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH JEDDAH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI DUBAI KOCHI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT MUMBAI SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DELHI DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA LUXOR ASSIUT KUALA LUMPUR

14:45 15:05 15:10 15:45 15:45 16:15 16:25 17:05 17:15 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:15 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:05 19:25 20:40 20:45 20:55 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:25 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:40 22:50 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:35 23:50 23:55

34

stars CROSSWORD 141

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Try to make room for a lot of spontaneity and flexibility in your schedule at this time. You experience sudden insights, make discoveries, come up with fresh solutions to old problems, and seek alternatives to the usual routine way of doing things.

Your mental processes are speeded up and you move more quickly now. Your feelings run hot now, and you are more likely to act on instinct, emotion, and impulse rather than reason. Your responses to life are passionate, and also more natural, childlike, and direct.

High spirited physical play, lovemaking, or any activity that really involves you emotionally is where you will be most passionate.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You are very ambitious for recognition and advancement, with vocational interests being of prime concern during this cycle. Bear in mind that your concentrative ability and hard work will be respected by others, and the end result will bring long-range benefits. An influential person will be of assistance to your success in life. Stability, maturity, and cooperation are the key issues during this time. You feel in tune with your romantic partner on important issues. You could find that others share common concerns about important aspects of your life.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. Minor or subordinate.

4. An industrial town in north central Alabama.

11. City in southwestern Colombia in a rich agricultural area.

15. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

16. In an ideal manner.

17. Affording unobstructed entrance and exit.

18. Thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord.

19. Any of 12 kings of ancient Egypt between 1315 and 1090 BC. 21. Type genus of the Lutjanidae.

23. Possessing life.

24. (old-fashioned) At or from or to a great distance.

27. Personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task.

32. Manufactured in standard sizes to be shipped and assembled elsewhere.

34. A ship with a reinforced bow to break up ice and keep channels open for navigation.

38. A genus of Mustelidae.

39. A port city in southwestern Iran.

42. 100 pyas equal 1 kyat.

43. A negative.

44. Long green edible beaked pods of the okra plant.

46. A doctor's degree in religion.

49. An ache localized in the back.

52. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

53. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

54. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

55. A unit of luminous flux equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle of 1 steradian by a point source of 1 candela intensity radiating uniformly in all directions.

57. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

59. The atomic weight of an element that has the same combining capacity as a given weight of another element.

61. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

65. God of the Underworld.

67. A province in north-central China.

69. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

70. An ancient musical horn made from the horn of a ram.

73. Being one more than one hundred.

74. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly for security reasons) was made the capital in 1998.

76. Experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness.

77. Of or relating to Gabon or its inhabitants.

80. In or of the month preceding the present one.

81. Used of a single unit or thing.

82. Lack of strength or vigor esp from illness.

83. Towards the side away from the wind.

DOWN 1. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

2. River in eastern Asia.

3. At a previous time.

4. Type genus of the Giraffidae.

5. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

6. (law) A formal objection to an opponent's pleadings.

7. An impudent or insolent rejoinder.

8. A chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40.

9. Other than what is under consideration or implied.

10. A Mid-Atlantic state.

11. A unit of electrical charge equal to the amount of charge transferred by a current of 1 ampere in 1 second.

12. The month following March and preceding May. 13. The period of time during which you are absent from work or duty.

14. An arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands).

20. The amount a salary is increased.

22. A port in western Israel on the Mediterranean.

25. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

26. A day devoted to an outdoor social gathering.

28. The cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one.

29. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality.

30. A deep prolonged loud noise.

31. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

33. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

35. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

36. An Indian nursemaid who looks after children.

37. An account describing incidents or events.

40. A radioactive transuranic element.

41. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

45. A deep bow.

47. Coffee with the caffeine removed.

48. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

50. (Greek mythology) Greek god of war.

51. Unknown god.

56. United States naval officer and historian (1840-1914).

58. A city in central Georgia southeast of Atlanta.

60. Having some resemblance.

62. Someone who takes bodies from graves and sells them for anatomical dissection.

63. A city in the Saxony region of Germany on the Saale River.

64. Make less active or intense.

66. A manner of performance.

68. (Babylonian) A goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea. 71. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

72. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

75. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

78. Minor or subordinate.

79. The square of a body of any size of type.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

You’re entering a phase of emotional directness and impulsiveness now, one marked by forceful and powerful feelings. Emotional beginnings, a fresh start, perhaps the establishment of new habit patterns - make sure they’re good ones, because they’ll set the tone for you for quite some time to come! Fondness and appreciation for the your past takes on greater importance for you now. Making your relationship situation more pleasant and productive plays a part in this. You may feel the need for more harmony in your most intimate emotional relationships.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Getting what you really want and moving toward achieving the things which are important to you may involve surrendering something or eliminating something from your life at this time. Major, long-term changes can be successfully begun now - a lifestyle change or a regimen of self-improvement. Mixed emotions may be the theme of the day, and trying to sort them out verbally can be far more effort than it’s really worth and ultimately an unsatisfying process. If you find yourself on the wrong end of an argument with your partner then try to patch things up as best you can and let circumstances take care of the rest.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Oh it feels like a lazy day doesn’t it? You might like to ignore responsibilities and do some socializing, but realities may demand that you tend to business and forget your friends for the moment. As much as you’d like to go out and play it’s best to get the things done that you’re committed to. You may be in a rare mood of self enjoyment and can appreciate your own better qualities. Support from close friends, family, and the women in your life gives you confidence now. This is a good time to mend fences and smooth over any problems in your home life. Try to find the positive aspects of situations before looking for the negative.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) If you feel the need to express yourself then go for it. You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to communicate how you really feel about a situation.

Taking the risk and letting it out may be worth it. You are optimistic, hopeful, and forward looking at this time. You can see connections and possibilities you may have overlooked before. Now is a time for communicating your enthusiasm, sharing your plans and dreams and also being more receptive to the thoughts and points of view of that special person in your life.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Now is the time to unwind, relax, and enjoy yourself. This is a good time to travel or vacation. Even if you do not vacation at this time, you are likely to find that you enjoy life more. Life is less stressful, and you are much less annoyed by inconveniences or difficult personalities than you usually are. You are likely to be swept by a need for introspection during this period. You have a strong need to explore your spiritual self, assess past decisions, and make plans for your future. It would be unwise for you to make any permanent decisions regarding your personal relationships until this period of self discovery has passed.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Some changes in your everyday environment are in order. Possibly your daily routine is turning into a daily rut. If so, break it up with a new activity or adventure. Add something new to your home that will spark your imagination. Today’s accomplishments with those close to you have a confident feel where what you do corresponds with how you feel and results down the line will move well accordingly. New friends and acquaintances made now will serve you well, and you won’t have to look back with suspicion or regret. If it feels right, it probably is, so put your best foot forward and follow through.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Spontaneity is the keyword right now, and it’s time to kick back and have some fun. If you’re at a party and go just a little bit over the top, you will likely be in good company, as this is a general time of celebration for all. Passion and intensity, on any topic you choose, can run rampant and your enthusiasm can overflow onto anything you get involved with. You may experience significant discord in your personal relationships at this time. Connecting with others on an emotional level is likely to be challenging. Fortunately this period will pass quickly, so don’t get too upset about the distance that seems to exist between you and those you are close to. Ride this aspect out without forcing any issues and all will return to normal soon.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Resurrecting a friendship or taking it to new heights has everything to do with a common karmic link you experience with that person at this time. Some shared past experience or current circumstance will bring you together and cause you to help each other. Draw your strength from a partner where you can, as relationships will give you a great deal of energy you as long as you don’t allow yourself to be drawn into an argument. In return, be protective and watch the backs of the ones you care for, as they may need it.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your physical self may need a good workout today. If you’ve been hugging the couch a bit too much or just not getting out in the fresh air, it’s definitely time for you to get up and out in the world. A brisk walk and possibly a little quiet time in the park may be just what you need to shake off any ruts you’ve turned into a home. Aspects of your relationships that have perplexed you are likely to be easier to understand at this time. You’ll begin to see why your mate’s behavior doesn’t always take the path you expected, and realize that it’s not you that is the driving force behind their more baffling moments. The more patient and non-judgmental you are the more light your mate will shed on their more enigmatic actions.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) There is still some unsettlement in your home environment, but nothing you won’t be able to sort out today. In fact, there could be some unexpected assistance from a friend that brings some interesting advice into the equation. A social invitation calls for a new outfit and a revised attitude. You are powerfully attracted, emotionally and sexually, to someone you encounter at this time, and any romantic involvements you currently have are intensified.

Expect fireworks! Also, your relationships can become tempestuous, especially if your partner is not as responsive or as loving as you would like.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 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

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

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

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

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

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

lifest yle G o s s i p

rammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick has filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey, citing tax liabilities she has attributed to financial mismanagement, her publicist said on Monday.

Warwick, 72, known for “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and other popular songs, filed the petition on March 21 in the US Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, the state where she was born and currently lives. She listed total assets of $25,500 and total liabilities of more than $10.7 million, nearly all tax claims by the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California, according to the filing. The personal bankruptcy fil-

G

ing was due to “negligent and gross financial mismanagement” in the late 1980s through mid-1990s, Warwick’s publicist, Kevin Sasaki, said in a statement.

The IRS and California tax claims total more than $10.2 million, mostly from the 1990s, according to the petition, which listed Warwick’s average monthly income as $20,950 and expenses at $20,940. Sasaki said the actual back taxes owed had already been paid, but the penalties and interest has continued to accrue. “In light of the magnitude of her tax liabilities, Warwick has repeatedly attempted to offer re-payment plans and proposals to the IRS and the

California Franchise Tax Board for taxes owed,” Sasaki said. “These plans were not accepted, resulting in escalating interest and penalties.” A five-time Grammy winner, Warwick took her first in 1968 for “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and her second two years later for the album “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”

he ‘Made In Chelsea’ star broke the news the 29-yearold rapper had proposed tonight on her Twitter and Instagram accounts. Along with a photo of her ring, she wrote: “If I could scream loud enough for the whole world to hear I would.” And her new fiance - whose real name is Stephen Manderson - also commented on the news with a tweet to his followers, joking people need to tell other celebrities he is off the market. He said: “Happy days. Someone’s gonna have to break the news to Jessica Alba and Eva Mendez.” The couple began dating in December 2011, and one of Millie’s reality TV co-stars recently speculated their relationship has been helped by not broadcasting it on the show. Binky Felstead said: “It’s easier not working together if you’re not in a relationship.

It’s probably made it easier. I don’t know much about them to be honest. I’ve met him, he’s a really nice guy. “I’m not really one to speak about other people’s relationships. They seem very happy together.”

T

icole Scherzinger developed bulimia because she had no body confidence until she was in her 30s. The 34-year-old singer battled against the eating disorder for years because she hated the way she looked, but she managed to hide her feelings from everyone including her mother.

When asked by the new UK issue of OK! magazine if there was ever a time she wasn’t confident in her body, she replied: “My whole life until I hit my 30s. I was very conscious of my body. I started working out like a crazy person. I would run and run and run until I couldn’t run anymore.” When then quizzed about revealing her battle with bulimia, she added: “I was really so embarrassed, I’d never talked about it. My mum didn’t even know about it until they had to interview her. I was too ashamed to tell anybody. [My

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shley Greene is said to be “heartbroken” after her dog died in an apartment blaze on Friday. The ‘Twilight Saga’ star’s Los Angeles condo went up in flames because of an unattended candle and she is reportedly devastated after the fire claimed the lives of Marlo, one of her fox terriers. A source told E! News: “She is absolutely heartbroken. This is a terrible, terrible time and it’s been a very hard situation to swallow. “Her family came into town this weekend to look after her. The worst thing about all of this is losing her dog. She misses her so much and wants her back.” The blaze erupted in her home on the third-floor of West Hollywood’s Granville Towers and although her other terrier Theo was able to be saved Ashley, 26, is said to be in a “fragile” mental state. The insider added: “[She is] trying to be strong but it’s very hard and she is fragile right now. It’s a tragic situation.” It was previously reported the actress her brother and unidentified boyfriend were asleep in the condo and quickly fled the apartment before realizing the dogs were still inside.

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mum] cried for a long time, but I think in some weird way, she battled with similar things as well, when she was young with her insecurities. I think she could relate so she wasn’t so hard on me.” When she first talked about her struggle with the eating disorder, Nicole admitted she “hated herself,” was “disgusted and embarrassed” about her problem and “felt so alone” even though she was part of girl group the Pussycat Dolls. However, she has long overcome her problems and is now very happy with herself. Nicole - who is dating Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton - said: “I’m really happy because it’s in my past now, but initially I was like, ‘I’m so stupid, no one is going to understand, why am I coming out with this, I’m truly naked and exposed and they’ll see me for all my flaws. And it wasn’t until I saw my tweets when I was in London that I cried and cried and cried. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, people are actually getting to see me.’ But when they see you for all your flaws they think, ‘She’s just like me.’ You feel a connection. You don’t feel so alone.”

he former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ actress is reportedly keen for her six-year-old daughter - from her relationship with ex-husband Tom Cruise - to remain grounded despite early calls for her to star in commercials. An insider told RadarOnline.com: “Suri may be one of the most photographed children on the planet but she won’t be doing her own photo shoots for fashion houses just yet. “Katie wants her to concentrate on school before anything else ... She just wants Suri to have as normal a childhood as possible. “[She] is trying to keep her grounded and forget the celebrity lifestyle that she’s become accustomed to.” They suggested education was something “drilled into” the 34-year-old mother growing up and she would like her child to avoid the world of show business. The source added: “[School was] something her parents drilled into her when she was young.

“They pushed Katie through Notre Dame Academy and Katie will be equally as hands-on with Suri ... In an ideal world, Katie doesn’t want Suri to follow in her footsteps into showbiz. “She would prefer her daughter worked in law, like her father. Whatever she chooses to do when she’s older, Katie will support her. If she wants to model then, that’s fine. But first, school is the priority.”

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indy Crawford says she was “too young” to be married to Richard Gere. The couple split in 1994 after a four-year marriage and the 47-year-old model has admitted she was too immature for the relationship with the actor, who is 16 years older than her. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, she said: “At 22, as a young woman, I was kind of still figuring out who I was and what I wanted to be... and he was already 37. “In some ways he knew I was still growing and changing; I didn’t wanna hear it from him, because, at 22, you think you know everything and you think you’re already formed.” Although Cindy can now realize how the age gap and her growth meant their partnership wouldn’t last, she admitted it would’ve been difficult to change to make it work with the ‘Arbitrage’ star. She added: “It’s hard to change in a relationship because what one person might have signed up for... all of a sudden you’re not that anymore.” Since 1998, she has been happily married to Rande Gerber, and the couple share son Presley, 13, and 11-yearold daughter Kaia.

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ihanna has reportedly been told to make lifestyle changes. The singer recently fell ill with laryngitis and had to cancel two dates on her ‘Diamonds’ world tour which she has “promised” to reorganize for a later date. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Rihanna’s illness was so severe that doctors warned it could take months for her to fully recover - there were worries that she’d have to cancel her entire tour. “She was forced to cancel two of her ‘Diamonds’ dates in Baltimore and Boston after coming down with laryngitis. “She has since resumed the tour and promised to reschedule the cancelled shows.” The publication also reported how doctors have advised the ‘Stay’ hitmaker to take care of herself to make sure she doesn’t keep getting ill. The insider added: “They’ve told her that she needs to make some serious lifestyle changes, or risk this happening again. “This has given her a scare. But Rihanna knows it’s partly self-inflicted. “She loves to smoke, drink and stay up late. Her body was bound to need a break at some point. She’s now on a mission to start looking after herself.”

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ngelina Jolie joined British Foreign Secretary William Hague on a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday in a bid to encourage world powers to do more to tackle rape and sexual assault in war zones. Their trip to central Africa, which began in Rwanda, is aimed at forcing the Group of Eight world powers to address the issue more seriously.

Hague said he would be making the issue his priority when he hosts the annual meeting of G8 foreign ministers next month in London. “This visit is about hearing first hand from people who have endured rape and sexual violence during the conflict in the eastern DRC,” Jolie said.

“We want to learn the lessons that their experience holds for how the world can protect thousands of women, men and children at risk of rape in many other conflict zones. “And we want to persuade governments around the world to give this issue the attention it deserves. “Unless the world acts, we will always be reacting to atrocities, treating survivors rather than preventing rape in the first place.” Jolie

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A handout photo released yesterdayby the British Foreign Office shows Foreign Secretary William Hague and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visiting on March 25 the Lac Vert refugee camp in Democratic Republic of Congo.—AFP photos

he Strokes spent the past six years burning through all the leeway earned with once being declared saviors of rock ‘n’ roll. The synth-heavy “Comedown Machine” is hardly a letdown of last-straw proportions. It also wasn’t made to woo anyone back. But maybe what The Strokes want is a clean break. No tour supporting this fifth studio record is on the table. And lyrics like “Decide my past/Define my life” over the New Wave bleeps in “ Tap Out” feel freighted with a band sick of being forever graded against their 2001 breakout “Is This It.” That might be a fair grievance. But also in bounds is the fact that “One Way Trigger” is a ringer for A-ha. By the time frontman Julian Casablancas is finally ripping through an angry and satisfying chorus in the rocker “50/50,” interest in which way this decent but disjointed album lands has already faded. — AP

and Hague are calling on the G8 to agree that rape and sexual violence constitute breaches of the Geneva Conventions governing warfare.

They also want a new international protocol on the documentation and investigation of the issue. “More often than not the international community looks away, the perpetrators of these brutal crimes walk free and the cycle of injustice and conflict is repeated. We have to shatter this culture of impunity,” Hague said. “It is time for real, meaningful action by the governments of the world to say that the use of rape as a weapon of war is unacceptable, to bring perpetrators to justice and to lift the stigma from survivors. “This is my personal priority for the meeting of G8 foreign ministers.” The campaign will also be taken to the UN Security Council in June and the UN General Assembly in September.—AFP

Foreign Secretary William Hague and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie listening to refugees.

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talian actress Gina Lollobrigida, one of the leading sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s, is selling some of her diamond jewelry to raise money for stem cell research, saying now is the time to give back for the fortunate life she has had.

After a humble, rural upbringing, Lollobrigida played opposite Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra. As her career took off in France, Italy and Hollywood, Lollobrigida said she started to collect jewels from Bulgari, always buying them herself and enjoying the purchasing power of her hard work.

Now 85 and having largely left acting in the 1980s for photojournalism, humanitarian work and sculpting, Lollobrigida said it was time to put the jewelry to good use. Some 22 jewels from her collection will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Geneva on May 14 after going on display in London, New York and Rome.

Lollobrigida said she will donate the proceeds to a fund to set up a hospital for stem cell research. “This will not be the end of the jewelry but it will be something that does good, helping a cause that is very important to me,” she told Reuters in a phone interview from Rome. “I want to leave a souvenir of my life.” The pieces include a pair of pearl and diamond pendant earrings made in 1964 that are expected to sell for up to $1 million, a 19.03 carat diamond ring of around the same price mark and a 1954 diamond necklace/bracelet combination worth up to $500,000.

She is also selling a pair of emerald and diamond ear clips that she was photographed wearing one evening in 1965 with artist Salvador Dali that are expected to reach up to $250,000. Lollobrigida, who was a student at Rome’s Academy of Fine Art before being spotted in a beauty contest by Italian film director Vittorio de Sica, said she now focuses her time on sculpture so has little need for jewelry.

In the past 10 years she has exhibited her work in Moscow, Paris and Venice. She said art was always her dream career but she ended up in acting by chance, appearing in movies such as “The World’s Most Beautiful Woman,” “Solomon and Sheba” and “Come September.” —Reuters

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Plac Teatralny (Theater square) in Warsaw. azi bombs left Warsaw as little more than a smouldering heap of rubble at the end of World War II. Now, nearly seventy years later, the charm of the pre-war Polish capital dubbed the “Paris of the north” has been brought back to life for the first time thanks to a new film, using cutting-edge three-dimensional computer imaging. Whether from the eye of an eagle soaring over the skyline, a pigeon flying down city streets, or passengers on a tram, “Warszawa 1935” invites viewers into the lush squares and parks of the city centre, a vanished world that very few still recall.

For Stefan Zoltowski, now 84, seeing “Warszawa 1935” rekindled memories he thought were long lost. “It’s impressive. I saw part of the street on which I spent my childhood,” the retired physician who grew up on Zlota (gold) street in the heart of Warsaw told AFP. The Nazis razed the apartment building belonging to his family to the ground during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Over 80 percent of Warsaw was destroyed by the Nazis, and more than 700,000 of its 1.3 million pre-war residents perished under German occupation between 1939-45.

Today, a shopping mall and the landmark Stalinist-era Palace of Culture built by the Soviet Union in socialist-realist style just after the war stand on the streets where

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ilm fans can already mark their calendars for the Academy Awards in 2014 and 2015. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday that next year’s Oscar ceremony will be held March 2. The 2015 trophies will be handed out Feb 22.

Awards shows, including the Oscars, are juggling their calendars to avoid overlap with the 2014 Winter Olympics, which will be held Feb 7-23 in Sochi, Russia.

The Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America each pushed up their 2014 awards ceremonies to the weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, on Jan 18 and 19, respectively. The Directors Guild will present its annual awards on Jan 25, 2014. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has yet to announce when its Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held.

Nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan 16, 2014, more than six weeks before the ceremony. The Academy Awards in both 2014 and 2015 will be presented at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and broadcast live on ABC. — AP

A modern building in Warsaw. — AFP photos Zoltowski once played with childhood friends. The 237 meters (299 yards) high Palace of Culture is now flanked by parking lots, parks and capitalist-era sky-scrapers, which have transformed the city centre almost beyond recognition over the last two decades. The new 3D film which shows the city as it was before its destruction and subsequent communist and capitalist-era revamps, fills a deep yearning for “the Warsaw we miss” says Ryszard Maczewski, head of the Warszawa1939.pl foundation working to document the capital’s pre-war design.

“No one has done this before. It’s been quite a challenge,” film producer, Ernest Rogalski, told AFP at the film premiere. The production team scoured the Internet and the national archives in search of photos and city plans that could serve as the basis for its virtual reconstruction.

As luck would have it, the national archives held detailed late 19th century plans made by celebrated British civil engineer William Lindley for the city’s waterworks, which proved to be a treasure trove of information. His waterworks are still in use today. “It’s a map-making masterpiece,” says Pawel Weszpinski, a cartographer with Poland’s National Archives.

Only three European cities of the era-Warsaw, Frankfurt and Hamburg-were mapped at a scale of 1:200 with such

intricate precision. Even trees in Warsaw were drawn to scale. Meanwhile, pre-war commercial registries gave clues about the location of shops and other businesses, allowing the movie makers to put up advertising logos and company signs in just the right spots. But getting all this information on the silver screen took a whopping 12 terabytes of digital imaging in what can only be described as a programming project of mammoth proportions.

“It took enormous computing capacity to render our three-dimensional images. We used servers at the Polish Institute for Nuclear Research and at a data centre in China.

In Europe, nobody wanted to help us, for fear of overloading their servers,” film director Tomasz Gomol told AFP. Their digital city-tour is quick, just 20 minutes, and does not allow the viewer to linger and admire its richness of detail. “That inconvenience will change soon when the film comes out on DVD and Blu-ray,” says Gomol as he reveals plans are afoot for a sequel digital journey into Warsaw’s forgotten past.—AFP

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This montage of photos unveiled today via the @MTV Instagram account shows the VMA Moonman as it leaves Los Angeles and tours the Big Apple. — AP

he Video Music Awards are taking a road trip to Brooklyn. MTV’s showcase awards show is traditionally held in Los Angeles or Manhattan. This year the show will be held Aug 25 at the new Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets and the site of recent Rolling Stones and Jay-Z multi-night concerts.

MTV will celebrate 30 years of the VMAs this year. From Kanye West and Taylor Swift to the Madonna-Britney Spears-Christina Aguilera kiss, the show has become known more for its pop culture moments than the winners of its signature Moonman trophies.

The VMAs were last held in New York in 2009 and have been in Los Angeles since. — AP

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File photo shows Daniel Day Lewis and Meryl Streep in the press room at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. — AP

File photo shows video of the year winner Rihanna arriving at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. — AP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

lifestyle F A S H I O N

‘Horse Racing Collection’

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he Kuwaiti fashion designer Shurouq Salmeen launched her new collection tittles ‘Horse Racing Collection’. She was inspired by the outfits that women wear when attending horse races. “I think this collection is wide and will satisfy all tastes. I included outfits for various occasions, from

sports, practical for office, to evening and wedding dresses. I also used different colors and fabrics in my collection and I added the picture of the horse in many of them,” stressed Salmeen. The model and fashion designer wearing the designs of this collection is Mahitab Jamali from the UK.

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Victoria Beckham to unveil e-commerce site

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ictoria Beckham is launching her debut e-commerce site. The designer had a “hands on” approach in creating her revamped website victoriabeckham.com, which will stock her ready-to-wear collection, contemporary Victoria by Victoria Beckham line, accessories, eyewear and denim for the first time.

The site will also sell an exclusive array of reissued dresses from previous seasons, The Victoria Beckham Icon collection, with a new selection becoming available every few months. Victoria explained to WWD: “They don’t seem to date, and the customer feels good in them. Once it’s sold out, that’s it.

There will be no more. I limit my production.

Models parade on the catwalk during the DDU Collection fashion show at the China Fashion Week in Beijing yesterday. China Fashion Week entered its second day with local and Asian designers now playing a major role in an event previously dominated by European fashion houses. — AFP Fashion designer Stella McCartney, right, receives her Officer of the British Empire (OBE) medal from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in central London yesterday. —AP

Victoria Beckham

“It’s not about making and selling as many dresses as I can. I’ve never done that. I want to limit it so the customer feels special.

It won’t go to any other retailer. It’s really exclusively for me.” Since 20 percent of her fashion empire’s revenue currently comes via other retailers’ websites, the former Spice Girl felt it was important to create a “modern, clean and easy” site of her own. The stylish mother-of-four - who shot some of the online images and helped design the sales packaging - added: “There’s a cool, edgy rawness to it - and that’s very much how I wanted it to look. With regards to the imagery, I haven’t done anything too complicated. I’ve kept it real. It’s very relatable. “I didn’t want the images to be super glossy and retouched - I find that quite an old-fashioned approach. It’s very honest. That’s why people respond to the brand in the way that they do.” — Bang Showbiz

British fashion designer Stella McCartney poses with her medal.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Tilda Swinton takes an artful nap at US museum

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t’s not the kind of performance that will win her another Academy Award, but British actress Tilda Swinton certainly has people buzzing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. But keep quiet, please. She’s trying to sleep. The “Moonrise Kingdom” star has been engaging in a different kind of performance art. She’s presenting a one-person piece called “The Maybe,” in which she lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The first performance was over the weekend, and the museum won’t say when it will come back for six more performances.

On Monday, the display drew a line of spectators.

Erwin Aschenbrenner, a bemused German tourist, said it was “just what you’d expect to see at MoMA.” The actress “is so pale and not moving in there that she looks like she’s dead,” said Robbie von Kampen, 20. After about seven hours a day on a white mattress in the glass box - with only a carafe of water

and a glass to get her through - Swinton can stretch and walk away. But only when spectators leave.

So what’s the point?

“This makes me think about myself, looking at her,” said Quinn Moreland, 20. “You don’t usually get to stare at somebody like this; it makes me self-conscious.” “Yeah, it’s socially unacceptable - it’s kinda creepy,” von Kampen said. No one, not even museum curators, could say whether the mostly immobile Swinton is actually getting some sleep while people stare. She wore a pair of grubby sneakers, dark sporty slacks and a checkered shirt. Her glasses lay on the mattress. Swinton also starred in a glass box in 1995 at London’s Serpentine Gallery - seven days, eight hours a day - in an exhibition seen by 22,000 people. The next year, she repeated the spectacle at the Museo Barracco in Rome. — AP

Indian Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan, left, his son Arhaan Khan and wife Malaika Arora Khan, right, along with young environmental activist Diksha Pawar.

Fashion Week

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Indian Bollywood actor Jeetendra, left, and his daughter Ekta Kapoor, right, along with social activist Mangal D Kesakar display creations by Vikram Phadnis.

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called ‘The Maybe,’ in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Monday. —AP

Indian Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, left, along with social activist Sneha Lokhande.

Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan, left, and his son Arhaan Khan display creations by Vikram Phadnis.

In this Monday, March 25, 2013 photo, Indian Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana, left, along with health worker and activist Sunita Sutar display creations

by Vikram Phadnis during the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India. — AP photos

Bollywood actors Jeetendra and Juhi Chawla.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan and his wife Zarine Khan.

Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia, left, along with village council head Vidya Vinayak Kule.

Indian designer Rohit Bal, left, and Bollywood Director Farah Khan, right, along with social activist Sanjana Sanjay Khedeka.

Bollywood actors Dino Morea, left, and Kunal Kapoor along with social activist Laxmi Hobde.

Tilda Swinton takes an artful nap at US museum

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013

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Indian people apply colored powder and dance during Holi celebrations in Hyderabad yesterday. Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month. — AFP

Indian stars call for dry Holi festival amid drought B

ollywood stars have joined calls for Mumbai to temper celebrations and reduce water wastage during a riotous Hindu festival this week, as millions of Indians face their worst drought in decades. The Holi festival takes place on Wednesday at a time when central parts of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, are reeling under a severe water shortage with no rain due until the monsoon in June. Revelers enjoying the “festival of colors” have been urged to cut down

on water usage during the festival, which is normally celebrated with wild “rain dances” and the throwing of buckets of water, water-filled balloons and paint.

“Water shortage in Maharashtra... and it’s only March. What will happen in Summer? Save water! Play a dry Holi!!” wrote cinema veteran Amitabh Bachchan to his hordes of followers on Twitter. Holi, a public holiday, marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring. It is especially popular in northern India and other parts of the

world with large Hindu communities.

Bollywood is known to throw lavish Holi parties, but celebrations are expected to be toned down this year. Television show producers say they have cut back their depictions of the festival to avoid water wastage. Actor Riteish Deshmukh stressed on Twitter that the “need of the hour is to save water”, while popular TV host Mini Mathur wrote: “The mere thought of rain dances in the wake of the water crisis is creepy and tasteless.” Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

also appealed to the people of Maharashtra “to play dry Holi with chandan (sandalwood) and flowers”. University students in Mumbai have taken to the streets to spread calls for a dry festival.

Municipal authorities are not planning to cut water supplies on the day of Holi despite calls for them to do so, but they are urging moderation and reportedly not allowing tankers to supply extra water. “People realise that many districts in the state are facing acute water

shortage so I hope they will not waste water,” Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu told the Mid Day newspaper. A similar problem was faced during 2010’s Holi festival when a weak monsoon the previous year left Mumbai with a chronic water shortage, and officials vowed to crack down on anyone misusing supplies. Authorities attribute this year’s crisis to two successive poor monsoons, although critics blame official ineptitude and corruption for exacerbating the natural water shortage. — AFP

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onka Hristova lets her mother pull her skintight mini-dress a half-inch down her leg. Checking her makeup one last time, she joins her two younger sisters in a provocative dance. The Gypsy girl knows she has to look her best. She is, after all, on an important life mission: catching the eye of one of the hundreds of young Gypsy guys prowling around what locals have dubbed the “bridal market” to initiate a complex ritual of haggling that could lead to marriage. Love’s not exactly for sale here. But in the litterstrewn parking lot that hosts the fair, amid blaring Gypsy pop and saucy flirtation, negotiations are churning quietly behind the scenes as families weigh their financial compatibility along with the merits of the prospective bride.

Often, the future of entire families is in the balance as these Roma, among the most poverty-stricken people in a deeply impoverished region, seek to forge mutually beneficial unions that will help them weather Bulgaria’s brutal economic downturn. Globalization adds to the economic pressures. The families gathered here are part of a community of about 18,000 Roma known as Kalaidzhi, who traditionally make a living as coppersmiths.

That trade is dying out, in part because traditional copper pots and pans are being replaced by less expensive goods from China.

Still, a festive atmosphere reigns at the bridal fair. Most of the girls, even those too young to be considered for marriage, wear gobs of mascara, flashy jewelry and towering high-heels.

The colors of the mini-dresses are flashy: electric pinks, blood reds, canary yellows. The boys wear tight black jeans and muscle shirts, often topped with a black leather jacket. The bleak surroundings don’t dampen spirits: Some 2,000 people have shown up, many in cars rigged with speakers on the hoods to pump out Gypsy pop at full blast. Boys and girls dance side-by-side on the cars, shaking their hips in frenzy.

The exuberance stems largely from the fact that, due to the community’s conservative values, the youths are so rarely allowed to mingle with the opposite sex. Kalaidzhi, who are almost all devout Orthodox Christians, are known to remove girls from school at 15 or even earlier to keep them from mixing with boys. “I hope to meet new people and to see the parents of the boys, so our parents can meet him,” says Hristova, who, at 19, is prime marrying age. “It’s a good tradition. It’s easier for us if our parents approve.”It starts, like a high school dance, with groups of boys and girls in separate clumps, occasionally shaking hands and checking each other out - while mom and dad stay discreetly in the background.

Apart from these twice-a-year bridal fairs, boys and girls only have contact in Internet chats. So Hristova is happy to leave the realm of Facebook and meet real young men. And at the fair, there is no shortage of youths held in thrall by the way she dances with her sisters, who also wear their showiest clothes. “I want

Photo shows elderly Roma women from the Kalaidzhi community having a chat during so called “Roma bridal market”.

follow Orthodox teachings. The Kalaidzhi, unlike other Roma communities, do not allow girls to marry at an extremely young age - most are 18 or older. And they have started to modernize: It is widely recognized that the young people need to have feelings for each other.

“That is the first and most important step now,” said Krastev, a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. “In the past, parents didn’t ask the young people whether they liked each other. But the second step is that when they have decided they like each other and the parents agree, they start negotiating what the price will be for the bride.” Talk of brides being sold causes bristling among the Kalaidzhi, who represent a small proportion of Bulgaria’s 700,000 Roma. They say the marriage fair is a tradition that actually works, keeping communities and extended families intact for generations. Indeed, it is easy to find men and women in their late 30s and early 40s who met at a bridal fair two decades ago

Photo shows Roma girl and boy from the Kalaidzhi community dancing on the trunk of a car, holding money in their hands during so called “Roma bridal market”. — AP photos to find someone who is easy to get along with,” she says, taking a pause from dancing in high-heeled sandals - “someone whose parents won’t interfere after we are together, and someone who’s not too rich and not too poor and has a job.” The event’s reputation as a “bridal market” goes back generations. It used to take place in a muddy open field next to a horse-trading market in a small village, until police moved it into the city this year to avoid tension between the two pursuits. A generation ago, brides-to-be stood on stage with suitors competing for their hand. Those days are over.

Still, the flirtations can lead to negotiations and a possible union a few months down the road. If the youths warm to each other, the fair can trigger complex financial negotiations about the price a young man’s family must pay to a woman’s parents if they are to wed. The cost of a bride -between 5,000 and 10,000 lev Roma brides-to-be from the Kalaidzhi community dance during so called “Roma bridal ($3,000 to $6,600) - has dropped in recent years market’. as jobs have dried up. And wedding festivities are much more modest with cash so tight. But the money back.” He said Bulgaria’s crushing and today are hoping now to make matches prices still rise for a “very beautiful” young financial slowdown, and the near total collapse for their children. Many who found a mate woman with many suitors, said Velcho Krastev, of the coppersmith industry, has made it virtu- here five or six years ago come back to help who has written extensively about the ally impossible for his family to raise the money their younger siblings or cousins get hitched.

Kalaidzhi. Some contend this is an innocent needed to find wives for his three grandsons, Pepa Georgieva married her husband payment for the cost of a wedding dress and aged 18, 20 and 22. “They have no jobs and Kolyo in 2008 after a courtship sparked at the the elaborate wedding feasts Roma favor. their parents can’t pay money to the bride’s bridal fair. She came to this year’s event to Others call it is the price families are willing to family,” he said. “It’s a crisis now.” help her 20-year-old cousin navigate the sea pay for their sons to win a woman believed to The idea that a young woman must be a vir- of suitors. “She is nervous and there are severbe a virgin. “We are maintaining the morals of gin when she marries has generally faded in al grooms possible,” Georgieva said. “She has the children by marrying them off at a young many segments of Bulgarian society during the not decided, and she can’t decide by herself. age,” said Kosta Kostov, a spectator at the fair. “If last 50 years. But it remains strong among the We are asking her opinion but she also has to she’s not a virgin, the bride’s family has to give tradition minded Roma, particularly those who recognize our opinion.” —AP