29 Mar 2013

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KUWAIT: Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali (left) and the head of the National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah walk hand in hand in this March 12, 2013 file photo. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

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Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Conspiracy Theories

Kuwait’s my business

Help Kuwait reduce its payroll and create new businesses

By John P Hayes

America celebrates

local@kuwaittimes.net

D

o you know how many franchised businesses operate in Kuwait? I’m not asking because I know. I’m asking because I want to know. Most people probably don’t care to know if a business is franchised or not. That’s understandable because as consumers we’re mostly interested in buying what we want, when we want it, the way we want it, and we don’t care if the business is franchised.

Unfortunately, one of many quirky things about me is that I do care!

I care because as a marketer franchising has been my specialty for the past 30-plus years. I first learned about franchising in 1979 when I didn’t even know how to spell the word, let alone explain it. Shortly thereafter I wrote “Franchising: The Inside Story,” the first book about how to buy a franchise. Since then I’ve written several books and countless articles about franchising for media worldwide.

Kuwait cares about franchising As an academic, I also care about franchising. Last year I researched views and opinions about franchising in Kuwait.

My article will be published this June in an academic journal, so I can’t write too much about it now. However, it’s fair to say that people in Kuwait favorably view franchising, and many residents would like to own a franchise. Note to the Kuwait government: If you want to move people off your payroll and onto the private sector payroll, teach them how to buy franchises and make it easier for them to start a business. (That’s an entirely different topic, which I’ll address in the near future).

Even before I moved to Kuwait I searched for franchises in Kuwait. I had hoped to discover the Kuwait Franchise Association, or possibly the Middle East Franchise Association, but no such organizations exist. Once in Kuwait, I searched for a list of franchised businesses, but no such list exists. How can that be? You can get a list of the franchises that exist in America, the UK, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Canada, France, and 40 other countries. Why not Kuwait?

Who are the franchise experts?

You might ask, “Why do you need to know?” Good question. For one thing, I look for local experts who will speak to my students at GUST. A list would help me find them. I also am frequently asked by franchisors (the parent companies of franchisees) to help them learn more about the size of the

market for their products in Kuwait. It would help to know which similar franchises already exist here. I’m also interested in organizing a franchise conference, and again it would help if I could identify the local experts.

“Why don’t you contact Mr Alshaya?” Another really good question. I have tried! He owns some 60 to 70 licensed brands (not all franchises) and he’s probably the world’s largest franchisee. Imagine that, the world’s largest franchisee operates in Kuwait! With all the negative news we hear about Kuwait, this is one feather in Kuwait’s hat, and no one knows it. I have not been able to meet Mr.Alshaya, but I offer bonus points to any student who can get me an interview with him. So far, no luck. (On the chance that he’s reading this article: Mr Alshaya, the International Franchise Association asks that I write an article about you for their magazine. Can I get 30 minutes of your time, please?)

The family won’t talk People in the know in Kuwait tell me it’s next to impossible (a word that I don’t acknowledge) to get information about businesses in Kuwait. Businesses here are familyowned, and families don’t want to talk about their businesses. I understand that, but as a developing nation that needs citizens to build new businesses, Kuwait should create a supportive infrastructure for franchising. The simplest way to begin is with a list of existing franchises.

And I have one! I’m guessing it’s the only list of franchises in Kuwait. It’s definitely an unofficial list. And it’s also incomplete. That’s where you can help me, if you’d like. Look at my list at http://tinyurl.com/bvpj665. If you know of other franchises in Kuwait, please contact me with the information. I especially need names and email addresses.

By the way, lest you think that franchising really doesn’t matter, Americans spend a third of all retail dollars in franchised businesses; Canadians spend nearly one-half. You want to protect your thriving economy in Kuwait? Support franchising!

NOTE: Dr John P Hayes teaches marketing and directs the Kuwait Leadership Mastery program at GUST. He has helped dozens of franchised brands expand internationally. Contact him at questions@hayesworldwide.com, or via Twitter @drjohnhayes.

KUWAIT: The opulent interior of the Arab Fund building is seen. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

B

less the Americans. I think that their National Day parties are one of the most interesting in Kuwait. The day falls on July 4th but here in Kuwait the embassy hosts it in March when the weather is pleasant and not in the scorching heat of July. They also time it well when the people are in the country because they know that come the scorching heat and there will be an exodus out of the country.

They host their celebration in the gardens surrounding the embassy. They are lucky to have a large and spacious place to host such an event. I think they have the largest embassy in Kuwait. The security last night was so tight but yet well-organized. Once I approached the garden I felt like the whole of Kuwait was there.

Kuwaitis are loyal to the United States. I can see it through the number of guests who participated and celebrated the event. This feeling comes natural after the dark days following the invasion and the liberation that was led by the United States. It is still in the people’s memory. That built even more loyalty to the US. Guys, some friends I do not meet throughout the year I met at the embassy function.

Of course, I enjoyed seeing all the American restaurants and stalls in the beautiful garden. There were so many popular American franchises who volunteered to make the day even more special.

There was very delicious food ranging from chili and spicy chicken, to Japanese delicacies, ice cream of all flavours you can think of and desserts and steaks to die for. Let’s not forget the famous burgers and French fries.

Walking in, I promised Velina I was on a strict diet and I will not be touching the food. But I was seduced by the aroma of grilled delights which added to the ambience. The live music was beautiful. I could see most of the guests and some of the workers ready to jump off their feet and hop onstage.

At the end of the day we are all simple. I never relate nations to their governments and their policies towards nations. I always separate people from a country’s politics. I am sure that many have visited the US and have felt the individual freedom and the rules which apply there. They do not differentiate between anyone who is of Chinese, Indian, African or Latin American background. Once someone is given citizenship, they are considered American. They enjoy the same rules as those whose families have been there for hundreds of years. Happy National Day, US!

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

By Ben Garcia

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reating new cities and carving out new areas for development in the suburbs of Kuwait was a move completely unnecessary on the part of the government as many areas in the country, including some even in the capital, are still to be fully developed and utilized, says a young but also very promising Kuwaiti architect. “Before moving out of Kuwait City, we need to make sure that every single piece of land, every available space here, has been fully utilized and properly developed,” said Jassim Al-Saddah, owner and creative manager of Bab.nimnim company.

“Why create new cities when, in fact, many of our old cities/districts are not fully developed, not fully utilized and not properly planned and maintained?” asked Al-Saddah, reacting to plans about construction of new cities in Boubyan Island and other deserted areas of Kuwait. “We don’t know whether the new cities are really being constructed or not at this point in time. We are not informed. But under the new development plan, they are going to build and construct completely different and new cities outside the old economic zones. Why? Are we that overcrowded and congested in Kuwait City?” he asked.

“Our urban areas need proper planning and reconstructions. There have been so many holes in the Swiss cheese, and we need to first fill these holes.

We need to properly utilize and fill in the blanks in the old cities. If you notice Kuwait City, there are so many gaps and spaces available in the city which have not been properly utilized. The infrastructure is really poor, the streets need widening and a lot of improvement - then why construct a new cities?” he asked.

Al-Saddah is an architect whose ultimate dream is to redesign the old city and transform it into a more modern but also a vibrant town. “That is my ultimate dream; to help our country preserve the old but turn it into a much better but modern design. The idea of the city to me is that it be vibrant, that there is life even during the night. Instead, our cities here become dead at night. There is no movement of the people on the street, and streets resemble something pretty much like a ghost town. Kuwaitis go to their homes in the suburbs and very few walk the streets, least of them Kuwaitis. There have been questions about why this happens. This happens because our cities are not so inviting. They are not that beautiful as to be admired with a great passion,” he said.

Bab.nimnim’s approach to design is pragmatic and methodical, done through an analysis of the needs of the project at hand via multiple references. The name, Bab.nimnim, is a derivative of Arabic ‘bab’, meaning door, and ‘nimnim’, meaning small details. “It is an access point for humans. It is where interaction began. The door is the threshold between the interior space and the exterior space as the door was usually the only opening on the facade of any house or building, concealing its interior from outsiders. A continuation to the door is in its detail, fashioned in the region’s indigenous architecture with intricate cravings and ornate studs,” he said.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

A subsidiary of Al-Daleel Gen Trading & Contracting Company, Bab.nimnim is into creating innovative approaches to design through collaborative efforts with their subcontractors and different professionals in the field of design. “I am not claiming the glory and credit to myself as we are working as a team and I have many architects with me helping me out and creating the best designs ever,” he told Kuwait Times. “Our projects are well known to the local market for their high-standard finishes and quality of delivering a detailed architectural project. We aim to develop the local design status of the Gulf region through our culture and local knowhow with a strong basis on international design standards,” he added.

Al-Saddah graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London in 2008. He came back in 2009 to kick-start his architectural work, establishing BNN or Bab.nimnim. He began his work by conceptualizing the full renovation of a family mosque in Dahiat Abdullah Al-Salem. “I started with the renovation of our family mosque. The approach for my design is very innovative and modern and I incorporate some traditional approaches. The Al-Saddah Mosque is ready. I had no control of the architectural body since the original body was there. It was designed by the Awqaf Ministry, but I applied several new Arabic designs which made it modern, unique and beautiful. At the end of the day, we know that we are living in a

Al-Saddah Mosque in Dahiat Abdullah Al-Salem

new but modern age; we are not trying to recreate the past but reinvent it in order to create something new and modern,” he said.

Al-Saddah’s next project was modernizing the Kaifan Theater, a place which, once upon a time, was the most vibrant for many young Kuwaitis. “The theater was constructed sometime in the 1960s. It was once a beautiful place and very vibrant, especially for children and young people. Now, the place is almost empty and abandoned, and in order to return it to its former glory, we need to reinvent the place again. We already have a proposal for its complete re-invention,” he said.

Among his various activities are collaborating with LocalTees to produce hand-created T-shirts which recently spurred a lot of media hype in Kuwait. “It was outside my architectural designing passion, but I work with them. There are three of them, one guy and three girls. I agreed since they told me it will be fantastic and limited editions only. So I designed their T-shirts. In fact, I used three Kuwaiti hand-gestures in the designs. I made these seem satirical, sort of sugar-coated insults, funny but with a very intense meaning. The limited editions were sold out,” he said.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

By Nawara Fattahova

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ome kinds of jobs can only be done by women in Kuwait, and photographing women’s events is one of them. In Kuwait and some other countries of the region, gender separation in some events is common - so men are not allowed to enter such events. These events are mostly weddings, birthday parties, graduation parties and others that are held at rented public places.

So on such special occasions, the celebrator requires a female photographer to take professional images. Qamar Al-Ayoubi is a female photographer proficient in both camera and video shooting working in this field since about four years. “I love my work and I’m proud of it. As I work honestly and work from the heart, people trust me and like to work with me,” she said.

Qamar has been working in Kuwait only for past two years, as the rest of her previous work experience was in Syria, her home country. “In fact I didn’t find a big difference in the way of working between Kuwait and Syria. In both countries there are segregated weddings and occasions.

Yet, dealing with people is a bit different. I must admit that I have to be patient, especially when dealing with haughty or snooty customers who treat me as if I was their employee or they bought me. Fortunately I haven’t faced too many of these situations,” she said.

How do women make sure that no man watches their photos or videos? “It’s all about trust. My customers trust me as I do all the work myself - from shooting, printing the photos, or putting together the video. There is a male photographer working in our office who goes for the men’s events or mixed events, and he works on those photos.

Otherwise I do all my work alone,” noted Qamar.

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Female photog recounts her experiences of working at women-only events “These days people demand a modern stylish photographer who is moving about at the venue of the event, and not an old, traditional and veiled woman photographer who takes a few pictures and leaves. Most of such photographers just take the pictures and give the rest of the work to other workers at the office who then print the photos. The general look and appearance matters and people know they can depend on our confidential work, as I do it myself,” she added.

The process and experience of taking photographs at one wedding may differ from another. “Usually we take professional photographs of the whole celebration and of all guests, whether they be dancing, sitting or even eating. However, I also had clients who only demanded taking photos of the bride and groom alone. They demanded that the video be simple and not appear very professional,” Qamar said.

She has not faced serious problems or conflicts with customers so far, but there are always some obstacles. “Once I went to a Syrian wedding and I was in charge of the photography work and even the music. The groom’s and bride’s families had conflicts over the songs, as they are from two different backgrounds, and this also affected their behaviour while being photographed, as they didn’t like to take photos with each other. I have faced similar minor problems,” Qamar pointed out.

“I have never lost a memory card containing photos, so I don’t know what would happen in such a dramatic situation but I think it will be a disaster. But I’m very careful to keep this point in mind. I always go directly to the computer to copy the photos from the memory card immediately after the event, even if the time is after midnight. It happens sometimes that we need to format the card before copying all the photos. Therefore, we have a program that returns the photos from the card even after formatting it,” she stated.

Besides weddings, there are also graduation, birthday, and engagement parties and other occasions exclusively for females. “Usually between April and July, we have orders for graduation parties from both schools and universities, which are for females only. In October, there are carnival or Halloween parties, and during the whole year there are birthday parties,” concluded Qamar.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Arab abstract art exhibition opens Shuraiaan exhibits works

KUWAIT: US Ambassador to Kuwait Matthew Tueller and Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah are seen during US Independence Day celebrations at the US Embassy on Wednesday.

Ambassador’s remarks during US National Day

By Matthew Tueller

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our Excellency Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, honored guests. Thank you for joining us as we celebrate the 237th year of independence of the United States of America. A tradition at this Embassy, as at other posts in the region, is to celebrate America’s birthday at a time other than July 4, but the spirit of the occasion and our delight at seeing our guests is the same.

We are fortunate to have another tradition, shared by US Embassies around the world, of having friends whose generous donations make a large national day event possible. I thank them for their support. As the theme of our reception tonight is US higher education, I also would like to thank the Kuwaiti institutions, organizations, and individual alumni who have shared the pictures and archival material on display at tonight’s event.

The Kuwait-US partnership on higher education forms an enduring bond between our two peoples. Kuwaitis have studied at US colleges and universities for over six decades. Tonight, I am proud to

see so many Kuwaiti friends who have studied or have family members who have studied in the United States. Time does not permit me to recognize all by name, but I would like to recognize Hamid Al-Refai, a true pioneer in the great history of our educational ties.

Al-Refai departed Kuwait in 1946 and traveled to the United States to attend college in Arkansas. He learned to drive in the United States and eventually, like many Americans during this time, went west to California where he completed his studies. Al-Refai, we are honored to have you and your family with us here this evening.

Since your groundbreaking voyage, close to 100,000 Kuwaitis have made the education journey to the United States, as you did almost 70 years ago. May this tradition endure.

Education is but one of several bonds that make the US-Kuwaiti relationship an enduring partnership. At the US Embassy, we are committed to ensuring that our bilateral ties are sustained and grow stronger, but more importantly, we are intent on supporting all the people-to-people ties that give this relationship the deep emotional connection that we all enjoy so much.

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah AlSalem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah opened the “Tajreed Part I: A Selection of Arab Abstract Art” show late Wednesday. The exhibition is organized by the Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait (CAP-Kuwait) under the patronage of the minister at the Shuwaikh Industrial Area to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Arab abstraction movement.

It features a collection of the works of 88 Arab artists born between 1908 and 1960. The first chapter of the exhibition presents a panorama of selected artists and artworks chosen for their abstract nature.

The show sheds light on an artistic production that culminated over 50 years of Arab art, but needs to be revisited and further researched after 3 decades of oblivion and neglect. The exhibitors include Shafic Abboud, Hamed Abdallah, Mustafa Abdel-Moati, Mohamed Abla, Etel Adnan, Adonis, Yousef Ahmed, Mohammed Al Ameri, Dia Al Azzawi, Saleh Al Jumaie, Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa, Shakir Hassan Al Said, and Safwan Al-Ayoubi. The event is on until May 27, 2013.

Separately, Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Ali AlYouha inaugurated on Wednesday

a fine art exhibition of artist Manal Al-Shuraiaan, entitled “Experiments and Determination”, at Ahmad Al-Adwani Hall in the suburb of Abdullah Al-Salem.

Following the inauguration, Youha, in his speech, said that the fine art movement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) abounds of activities by accomplished female artists through much participation in single and collective fine arts exhibitions, forums, and festivals in GCC countries and the world.

He added that Shuraiaan is one of those GCC artists who belong to

their locality and environment surroundings, and they express what it is humanitarian through their daily activities and works, indicating that her thesis is centered around sympathizing with woman’s privacy and daily activities such as homework, fashion interest, beauty elements, and some about social aspects and their popular and heritage dimensions. Furthermore, Youha mentioned that Shuraiaan concentrates in her expo on women’s portraits as well as the headscarf and its environmental and civilized impacts. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah opens an Arab abstract art show on Wednesday. — KUNA

GCC electricity grid proves successful Grid highly feasible to all Gulf states KUWAIT: Since its operation in July 2009, the Gulf Cooperation Council electricity interconnection grid has proven to be successful and highly feasible to all GCC member states, Minister of Electricity and Water Abdulaziz Abdulatif Al-Ibrahim said yesterday. In press statements during his reception of a delegation from the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) and the visiting President of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and Belgium’s high-voltage transmission system operator (ELIA) Daniel Dobbeni, the Kuwaiti minister pointed out the six Gulf states have benefited from the grid in dealing with emergencies and the high demand at peak times in the past four years.

Ibrahim, also Minister of Public Works, noted that GCC grid has helped reduce the cost of GCC power system operation by downsizing the level of generation

KUWAIT: Minister of Electricity and Water Abdulaziz Abdulatif AlIbrahim meets delegation members yesterday. — KUNA reserves and providing assistance project. Meanwhile, the Chief during emergency situations. For Executive Officer of the GCCIA his part, Dobbeni lauded the GCC Adnan Abdulmohsen revealed interconnection grid as a pioneer- that the grid has provided suping project in the region. He under- port to local power grids of the scored the importance of the member states in over 650 emerGCCIA in operating as well as coor- gency situations. He disclosed dinating the optimal utilization of that the GCCIA envisions expandthe grid. Dobbeni expressed ing the grid to provide opportuniENTSO-E’s readiness to cooperate ties for power exchange and trade with the GCCIA to transfer the among GCC members and other European experience to the GCC neighboring countries. — KUNA

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Local FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Panel-Shamali strike deal on debt relief Interior Ministry sues Nafisi for ‘insult’ to Shiites

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee and Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali yesterday reached a “final” agreement on a scheme to purchase banks loans taken by Kuwaitis and waive all interest on them, head of the committee and Shamali said.

Following a marathon meeting yesterday, head of the committee MP Youssef AlZalzalah said it was agreed to exclude the debtors of Islamic banks and financial companies from the deal and those registered with the so-called defaulters fund.

Accordingly, the estimated cost of the scheme will be KD 720 million, down from the earlier KD 930 million, said Zalzalah, adding that “I believe that the cost may

not exceed KD 500 million because not all the debtors will join the scheme”.

Under the law, Kuwaiti debtors who have taken loans from conventional banks before March 30, 2008 are eligible to join the program that stipulates the government to purchase the loans, waive all interest and then reschedule repayment in easy installments over a period not exceeding 15 years provided that the value of an installment should not exceed 40 percent of the monthly income of any debtor. The law, which was passed in the first reading last week before the new amendments, stipulates the establishment of a “Family Fund” that will undertake the process. Joining the fund is operational for Kuwaiti debtors who can reschedule the repayment for any period

not exceeding 15 years. Shamali confirmed the agreement, saying the two sides reached a consensus which indicates that the approval of the law in the second reading next Tuesday is all but certain.

In another development, the interior ministry said yesterday it has filed a misdemeanour lawsuit against prominent Islamist activist and political science professor Abdullah Al-Nafisi on accusations of undermining national unity. Nafisi was strongly criticized by several Shiite MPs and activists over remarks he made at a gathering on Monday night in which he reportedly insulted and attacked Shiites in Kuwait and outside.

During the one-hour lecture, Nafisi strongly criticized Iranian policies against

Kuwait grants Jordan $65m for port project Grant within framework of GCC resolution AMMAN: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed an agreement yesterday with the Jordanian government to finance the construction of a liquefied nation-

al gas sea port project at the southern coastal city of Al-Aqaba. The agreement was signed by Kuwaiti Ambassador Hamad Al-Duaij and Secretary General of the Jordanian

AMMAN: Kuwaiti Ambassador Hamad Al-Duaij and Secretary General of the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Saleh Al-Kharbasha sign the deal yesterday. —KUNA

Nationality quota mulled for expats KUWAIT: The permanent committee to solve the expat labor problem at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is holding meetings to formulate strategies.

Ministry Undersecretary Abdelmohsen Al-Mutairi said there are three topics to be studied by the committee: 1. The possibility of issuing a decision that gives a quota for each nationality.

2. Marginal labor stay in Kuwait should not exceed five years, medium technical labor seven years and skilled labor 10 years.

3. Limit the influx of marginal laborers into Kuwait.

Mutairi asked ministries to present their views on these topics within two weeks.

Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Saleh Al-Kharbasha. The signing ceremony was also attended by a delegation from the KFAED led by its Economic Advisor Khalid AlKhalid.

In statements to KUNA, Duaij said that the grant comes within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council resolution in 2011 to support Jordan with $5 billion over a five-year period. Duaij added that the agreement also comes upon directives from HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to support development projects in Jordan. As per the GCC resolution, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar should pay $1.25 billion in yearly installments that total $250 million.

The Kuwaiti government has assigned the KFAED to sign agreements of the grants with the Jordanian government. Yesterday’s agreement takes the total value of Kuwaiti grants to the Hashemite Kingdom in 2013 up to $170 million. For his KFAED Advisor Al-Khalid told KUNA that the agreement aims to help the Jordanian economy overcome the daunting challenges it faces, particularly the cute shortage in energy resources. He added that the sea port project will help Jordan diversify its natural gas importation ways as well as enhance the logistic capabilities of Aqaba economic zone.

Meanwhile, Kharbasha expressed gratitude for Kuwaiti leadership and people for their non-stop support to the development projects in Jordan.

He also spoke high about the effective role of the KFAED in reaching an agreement on finance of this project whose operation capacity will amount to 715 million cu ft of natural gas per day. —KUNA

the Gulf Arab region including Kuwait and accused several Shiite MPs in the Kuwait Assembly of being linked to conspiracies.

He claimed that a Shiite MP was involved in a bomb car attack against late former Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in May 1985. Sheikh Jaber escaped with minor injuries but a number of his guards and some of the assailants were killed.

Nafisi said another member was involved in the hijacking of Kuwait’s AlJabriya plane in the mid-1980s which was blamed on Iran-linked Shiite militias over Kuwait’s support to Iraq at the height of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war. Nafisi is expected to be summoned for interrogation next week and if the investigators find substantial evidence, charges will be pressed against him in court.

Co-ops pull energy drinks off shelves

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Several cooperative societies have stopped the sale of energy drinks and removed them from the shelves after a 16-year-old boy died a few days ago after consuming such drinks. Consumer protection department have issued warnings about consuming energy drinks and referred to the health ministry’s recommendations in this regard. It asked outlets not to sell these drinks to children under the age of 16. It also asked the companies to stop ad campaigns in malls and supermarkets that involved such beverages. The 16-year-old boy died while exercising, prompting a lawyer to complain against the health ministry undersecretary and others and demanded that energy drinks should not be imported. He explained the inherent dangers about these beverages.

Surprise hospital checks The inspections department and municipality services’ follow up department in Hawally carried out a surprise check on hospitals and handed out six citations, besides testing 12 food samples. The exercise was part of the activities aimed at safeguarding the health of citizens and expats. Acting Director General Mohammad Al-Otaibi said a series of similar campaigns in various health zones were carried out with an aim of warning food business owners and improving supervision, especially since their activities directly impact people’s lives.

Hawally municipality’s head of department to check violations Ahmad Al-Hashan said the department routinely carries out such campaigns to ensure that the food materials being sold are fit for human consumption. He said the campaign resulted in issuing three citations for businesses working without a health certificate. He also said 12 food samples were taken for six different kinds of lab tests. The public relations department appealed to the citizens and the expats to only follow the declared rates and regulations and report any instance of violation at the hotline 139.

Drug peddler nabbed An Asian was arrested by drug enforcement officials for possession of heroin and 400 illicit tablets. The officials were tipped off that an Asian was trading in heroin from his home. First, a detective posed as a drug user and attempted to buy some heroin from him. Then, the suspect was traced and arrested while picking the money at an open area near his home. More than 250 gm of heroin in addition to the illicit tablets were found at his home.

The suspect confessed to trading in drugs on behalf of a person abroad.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

University attack kills 15 students in Syria

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Pope urges priests to help the poor, shun careerism

Afghan villagers flee their homes, blame US drones

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JAKARTA: An Indonesian family rides on a motorbike at a slum neighborhood along a railway track in Jakarta, Indonesia. — AP

‘We have nowhere to pray’ Indonesian Christians locked out of church JAKARTA: Local officials in Indonesia have left a Christian congregation with nowhere to pray this Easter, a priest said yesterday, the latest such incident in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation. Authorities in the Jatibening Baru sub-district on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta ordered the congregation to halt services at its church until it obtained a building permit, the Reverend Martua Risman Kurniadi said.

They sent a letter to the congregation Wednesday after around 300 Muslims staged a protest Sunday at the Indonesian Christian Church, demanding worshippers stop Sunday mass. “We are all disappointed and sad, especially since we have no place to pray to celebrate Easter,” Kurniadi said. He said the congregation had been praying in their semi-permanent building since 1994 with no problems, but the local community was reluctant to provide statements required to support the building permit.

“They said they were afraid others would call them infidels if they did so.” The church lies within the larger district of Bekasi, where Christians and several churches have

come under attack by Muslim hardliners in recent years.

On March 17 the Bekasi district administration, also citing a missing permit, demolished a church in front of its weeping congregation following pressure from Muslim protesters.

Another congregation in the same district has been forced to pray outside its church for years, with hardliners blocking their entry. At times rotten eggs and bags of urine have been thrown at them. Rights activists have said local governments are using the permit issue as an excuse to kowtow to hardliners, with churches and Islamic minorities bearing the brunt of attacks. They say mosque building permits are rarely challenged.

The Jatibening Baru sub-district’s chief could not be reached for comment. Ninety percent of Indonesia’s 240 million people identify themselves as Muslim but the constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The Setara Institute of Peace and Democracy, however, says cases of intolerance are on the rise, with 543 reported in 2011 compared to 491 in 2009. More than 300 incidents were recorded in the first half of 2012. — AFP

Half of Indonesians at risk of landslides JAKARTA: More than half of Indonesia’s population live in areas at risk of landslides, an official said yesterday, with traditional farming methods blamed for the widespread vulnerability. Some 124 million Indonesians out of a population of around 240 million live in “moderate- to high-risk landslide areas”, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) official Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, citing a study.

“Population growth and greater volume of rain as a result of climate change have increased the potential for landslides, but the most dominant factor is land degradation from farming activities,” Nugroho said. Twelve people were killed and five are still missing after torrential seasonal rain triggered a landslide in western Java on Monday. The 2012 study carried out by the BNPB, the Central Statistics Agency and the United Nations Population Fund found there was a high incidence of landslides on the steep slopes of the densely populated island of Java.—AFP

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International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

US flies stealth bombers over South Korea SEOUL: The United States said two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers flew “deterrence” missions over South Korea yesterday, defying apocalyptic threats of retribution from North Korea against ongoing war games. The deployment of the stealth bombers was clearly meant to deliver a potent message to Pyongyang about the US commitment to defending South Korea against any aggression as military tensions on the Korean peninsula soar.

It came shortly after the North severed its last-remaining military hotline with South Korea and put its rocket units on combat status with a threat to target US bases in the Pacific region. The two B2s, from Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri, flew the 13,000 mile round-trip in a “single continuous mission”, dropping dummy ordnance on a target range in the South, the US military said in a statement. “This ... demonstrates the United States’ ability to conduct longrange, precision strikes quickly and at will,” the statement said.

The bombers were participating in South Korean-US military exercises that have incensed North Korea, which has threatened to unleash a second Korean War and launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes on South Korea and the US mainland. “The B-2 bomber is an important element of America’s enduring and

robust extended deterrence capability,” the US statement said. Earlier yesterday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told his South Korean counterpart that Seoul could rely on all the military protection the United States has to offer-nuclear, conventional and missile defense.

US B-52 bombers in the joint exercises as a rehearsal for a nuclear strike. While most analysts have dismissed the bulk of the North Korean threats as rhetorical bluster, there are concerns that even a minor incident could swiftly escalate in such a volatile environment.

PYEONGTAEK: A US B-2 stealth bomber (right) flies over a US air base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul yesterday as part of South Korea-US joint military exercise. —AFP The US and South Korean militaries signed a new pact last week, providing for a joint military response to even lowlevel provocation by North Korea. The use of the stealth bombers is sure to prompt a fresh outcry from Pyongyang, which has already denounced the use of

In its latest protest at the military drills, North Korea announced Wednesday that it was severing its military hotline with the South, saying it was no longer needed given that “war may break out any moment”. The joint drills are held every year and are regularly con-

US Supreme Court indicates it may strike down marriage law DOMA denies federal benefits to married same-sex couples WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court seemed to be leaning on Wednesday toward striking down a law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples in a move that would reflect a shift in Americans’ attitudes about gay marriage. In a second day of oral arguments on same-sex marriage, a majority of the court raised serious concerns with the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, enacted in 1996 under President Bill Clinton.

Arguments over the last two days on the DOMA case and a separate one challenging California’s ban on gay marriage marked the high court’s first foray into a delicate and divisive political, religious and social issue in the United States as polls indicate growing public support for same-sex marriage. In theory, the cases have the potential for the court to take a significant step toward endorsing gay marriage as it gains support in some parts of the country. Based on the arguments, however, a partial victory for gay rights activists seems more likely than the sweeping declaration of same-sex marriage rights they had hoped for.

As demonstrators rallied outside the Supreme Court building for a second day, Justice Anthony Kennedy, a potential swing vote, showed a willingness to invalidate DOMA, which denies married same-sex couples access to federal benefits by defining marriage as between a man and a woman. He warned of a “real risk” that the law infringes on the traditional role of the states in defining marriage. A conservative, Kennedy is viewed as a key vote on this issue in part because he has twice authored decisions in the past that were viewed as favorable to gay rights.

In contrast to the ambivalent approach

they displayed on Tuesday in arguments about California’s Proposition 8 gay marriage ban, the nine justices seemed willing to address the substantive issue in the DOMA case, while also eyeing procedural questions.

The court is not expected to rule on the two cases until the end of June. If the justices were to strike down DOMA, legally married gay couples would be winners because they would have improved access to federal benefits, such as tax deductions.

Justices gave a strong indication they might resolve the Proposition 8 case on procedural grounds, but even that would be viewed as a win for gay rights activists as same-sex marriages in California would likely resume.

What appears highly unlikely is a sweeping declaration of a right for gay people to marry, a possible option only in the California case.

Overall, a majority of the justices made it clear that, while they might not impede the recent movement among some states toward gay marriage, they were not willing to pave the way either. Nine states now recognize gay marriage, while 30 states have constitutional amendments banning it and others are inbetween. On several occasions over the two days, the justices’ own remarks illustrated how quickly attitudes have changed in favor of gay marriage. During Tuesday’s arguments, Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, questioned whether there was sufficient data to show that children are not adversely affected if raised by same-sex couples.

Likewise, Justice Samuel Alito noted the concept of gay marriage is “newer than cellphones and the Internet.” Offering a liberal perspective, Justice Elena Kagan prompted

murmurs of surprise from onlookers on Wednesday when she quoted from a U.S. House of Representatives report written less than two decades ago, at the time DOMA was enacted, that referenced “moral disapproval” of gay marriage.

‘SKIM MILK MARRIAGE’ As attention turned to DOMA on Wednesday, Kennedy made it clear where he stood, referring to DOMA as “inconsistent” because it purports to give authority to the states to define marriage while limiting recognition of those determinations. His states’ rights concerns were echoed by two of the liberal members of the bench, Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “What gives the federal government the right to be concerned at all about what the definition of marriage is?” Sotomayor said. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer also raised concerns about the law. Ginsburg stressed how important federal recognition is to any person who is legally married. “It affects every area of life,” she said.

Comparing marriage status with types of milk, Ginsburg said that a gay marriage endorsed by a state, but not recognized by the federal government, creates two types of marriage, “full marriage, and then this sort of skim milk marriage.” If the court rules on the states’ rights issue, the justices could strike down the law without deciding the bigger question of whether DOMA violates the US Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

On that issue, Kagan spoke of a “red flag” that indicates Congress passed DOMA with the intent of targeting a group that is “not everyone’s favorite group in the world.” —Reuters

demned by Pyongyang as rehearsals for invasion. Their staging this year came as tensions were already riding high following the North’s long-range rocket launch in December and its nuclear test last month. The North has severed the military hotline before, most recently in March 2009, again in protest at the annual South Korean-US military exercises. In that case, the line was reconnected less than two weeks later. Several weeks ago North Korea severed a Red Cross hotline that had been used for government-togovernment communications. Among other things, the military hotline was used on a daily basis to organise movement in and out of the Kaesong industrial complex-a joint South-North Korean venture established in 2004.

The South Koreans used the line to give the North the names of those seeking entry to Kaesong, guaranteeing their safety as they crossed one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders.

The crossing was operating normally yesterday, officials said, adding that they had had used a civilian link to get the names to the North Korean guards.

North Korea has always been wary of allowing crises in inter-Korean relations to affect the zone, which lies 10 kilometers inside its side of the border and is a crucial hard-currency earner for the communist state. —AFP

Mexican vigilantes seize town, arrest policemen ACAPULCO: Hundreds of armed vigilantes have taken control of a town on a major highway in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, arresting local police officers and searching homes after a vigilante leader was killed. Several opened fire on a car of Mexican tourists headed to the beach for Easter week.

Members of the area’s self-described “community police” say more than 1,500 members of the force were stopping traffic Wednesday at improvised checkpoints in the town of Tierra Colorado, which sits on the highway connecting Mexico City to Acapulco. They arrested 12 police and the former director of public security in the town after a leader of the state’s vigilante movement was slain on Monday.

A tourist heading to the beach with relatives was slightly wounded Tuesday after they refused to stop at a roadblock and vigilantes fired shots at their car, officials said. The vigilantes accuse the ex-security director of participating in the killing of vigilante leader Guadalupe Quinones Carbajal, 28, on behalf of local organized crime groups and dumping his body in a nearby town on Monday.

They reported seizing several high-powered rifles from his car, and vigilantes were seen toting a number of sophisticated assault rifles on Wednesday, although it was not clear if all had been taken from the exsecurity director’s car. “We have besieged the municipality, because here criminals operate with impunity in broad daylight, in view of municipal authorities. We have detained the director of public security because he is involved with criminals and he knows who killed our commander,” said Bruno Placido Valerio, a spokesman for the vigilante group. Placido said vigilantes had searched a number of homes in the town and seized drugs from some. They turned over the ex-security director and police officers to state prosecutors, who agreed to investigate their alleged ties to organized crime. The growing movement of “self-defense” vigilante groups has seen masked townspeople throw up checkpoints in several parts of southern and western Mexico, stopping passing motorists to search for weapons or people whose names are on hand-written lists of “suspects” wanted for crimes like theft and extortion. The vigilantes have opened fire before on motorists who refused to stop, slightly wounding a pair of tourists from Mexico City visiting a local beach in early February. The groups say they are fighting violence, kidnappings and extortions carried out by drug cartels, but concerns have surfaced that the vigilantes may be violating the law, the human rights of people they detain, or even cooperating with criminals in some cases. Sensitive over their lack of ability to enforce public safety in rural areas, official have largely tolerated vigilante groups.—AP

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Arms shipments rise to Syrian rebels AMMAN: Mideast powers opposed to President Bashar Assad have dramatically stepped up weapons supplies to Syrian rebels in coordination with the US in preparation for a push on the capital of Damascus, officials and Western military experts said yesterday. A carefully prepared covert operation is arming rebels, involving Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, with the United States and other Western governments consulting, and all parties hold veto power over where the shipments are directed, according to a senior Arab official whose government is participating.

His account was corroborated by a diplomat and two military experts. The Arab official said the number of arms airlifts has doubled in the past four weeks. He did not provide exact figures on the flights or the size of the cargo. Jordan opened up as a new route for the weapons late last year, amid US worries that arms from Turkey were going to Islamic militants, all four said in separate interviews. Jordan denies helping funnel weapons to the rebels.

The two military experts, who closely follow the traffic, said the weapons include more powerful, Croatian-made anti-tank guns and rockets than the rebels have had before. The Arab official said there was a “master plan” for the rebels to seize Damascus. He and the diplomat spoke to the AP on condition that

Hungry Aleppo residents rely on charity for food ALEPPO: Umm Ahmed and Umm Ibrahim watch over simmering casseroles containing dozens of kilos of rice and noodle soup, as they help prepare meals for a growing number of poverty-stricken residents of Aleppo, once Syria’s commercial hub. The two young women work for the Multaqa Harair Suriya, or association of free Syrian women, which is tasked with preparing and distributing meals in several districts of the country’s largest city in the north. They cook from 8:00 am until noon each day in the rebel-held Bustan Al-Qasr district.

Today they are making some 60 kilograms of rice and just as much soup. “It’s a popular meal and it’s nutritious,” said Mohammad Ali al-Hussein, a defector who left the army to help in the charity. Mother of five Umm Ahmed, 30, says working at the charity gives her an opportunity to help others and to feed her family. “We have no work or resources of our own.

Working here allows us to help those in need and at the same time to provide for our own families,” said the woman, wearing a pink dress. “My husband is out of work, so I decided to work here in order to feed my four children,” said Umm Ibrahim.

At noon, four volunteers packed plastic containers with food and rice into a pick-up truck. The vehicle drove the meals to a small store, where distribution takes place daily. While for many months several Aleppo districts have been deprived of electricity and, on some days, water, whole families have been forced by the conflict to rely on charity for food. “My husband is unemployed, and there’s eight of us at home. I come here every day for food,” said Sanaa, holding a bucket of rice. “Of course it’s not enough, but it’s all we’ve got,” she added, her face hidden behind a black veil.

Around her, many other women queued up for food, joined by some men and several children. They all hold a document that shows the beneficiaries were registered with the association and how many people there are in each family. “Ever since the fighting broke out (nine months ago), I haven’t had a job and everything has become much more expensive,” said Abu Seif, 37, a father of four. “We don’t have anything. We haven’t had electricity in six months. Only God can provide for us,” he said.

Abdel Karim, father of five, comes to the distribution point in his wheelchair. “Sometimes people help us a little. One person gives us a little handout, another gives us something else. We manage,” he said. Every day, the charity feeds dozens of families of an average seven members. “Each meal costs us some 15,000 to 20,000 Syrian pounds ($150 to $200),” said Abdallah Ahmed AlKarmu, a lawyer who now heads this group. —AFP

their identities and their nationalities not be disclosed because the operation was covert.

“The idea is that the rebels now have the necessary means to advance from different fronts - north from Turkey and south from Jordan - to close in on Damascus to unseat Assad,” the Arab official said. He declined to provide details, but said the plan is being prepared in stages and will take “days or weeks” for results. Rebels have captured suburbs around Damascus but have been largely unable to break into the heavily guarded capital. Instead, they have hit central neighborhoods of the city with increasingly heavy mortar volleys from their positions to the northeast and south.

But rebels in the south are fighting to secure supply lines from the border with Jordan to the capital, and the new influx of weapons from Jordan has fueled the drive, a rebel commander in a southwestern suburb of the capital said. The consensus among the multiple rebel groups was that Damascus is the next objective, he added.

“There is an attempt to secure towns and villages along the international line linking Amman and Damascus. Significant progress is being made. The new weapons come in that context,” said the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear

of Syrian government reprisal. He said his own fighters on the capital’s outskirts had not received any arms from the influx but that he had heard about the new weapons from comrades in the south.

Syria’s rebels, who are divided into numerous independent brigades, have long complained that the international community is not providing them with the weaponry needed to oust Assad, drawing out a civil war that in the past two years has killed more than 70,000 people and displaced 3.5 million Syrians, nearly a third of them fleeing into neighboring countries.

But the United States in particular has been wary of arming the rebellion, fearing weapons will go to Islamic extremists who have taken a prominent role in the uprising. Washington says it is only providing nonlethal aid to the rebels. The US involvement in the arms channels opened up by its regional allies is aimed at ensuring the weapons are not going to militants.

The Arab official, the diplomat and the military experts said the material was destined for “secular” fighters not necessarily linked to the Free Syrian Army, the nominal umbrella group for the rebels. Jordan and other Arabs have been critical of the FSA, which they accuse of having failed as an effective or credible force because its elements lack the fighting skills and military prowess.—AP

University attack kills 15 students Turkey denies mass deportation of Syrian refugees DAMASCUS: Mortar fire killed at least 15 students at Damascus University yesterday, with state media blaming “terrorists,” its term for Syrian rebels, who are increasingly targeting President Bashar Al-Assad’s seat of power.

The attack came as battles between insurgents and loyalists troops raged in several districts on the edges of the city, and as warplanes targeted rebel enclaves in Irbin and other towns east of Damascus.

“A total of 15 students were killed in a mortar attack launched by terrorists targeting the architecture faculty,” university dean Amer Mardini was quoted by the official SANA news agency as saying. The agency added that six others were wounded by “mortars that targeted the faculty cafeteria.”

Al-Ikhbariya, a pro-regime television channel, ran footage showing a bloodied patio filled with broken glass and upturned chairs. One image showed an architect’s ruler abandoned on a cafeteria table.

The broadcaster also showed doctors treating seriously wounded young people, some of them unconscious. Syria’s national student union immediately denounced the attack. “The National Students Union condemns the cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the architecture faculty of Damascus University,” state television said. The attack comes as rebels fighting to oust Assad’s regime have escalated mortar attacks on central Damascus, including Umayyad Square in the middle of the capital, which houses state television’s headquarters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group that relies on sources on the ground for its information, also reported yesterday’s attack, although it put the toll at 13 people dead. Director Rami Abdel Rahman said the recent escalation of mortar attacks on Damascus has instilled terror in the capital. “Because of the regular

mortar attacks on Baramkeh and other areas in Damascus, residents no longer feel safe to walk in the streets or to go about their daily lives,” he said. “There are several security branches near the faculty, but it is impossible to stage a targeted mortar attack. The vast majority of victims of recent ones on Damascus have been civilians,” he added.

In another development, Turkey denied yesterday it had rounded up and deported hundreds of Syrian refugees following unrest at a border camp, highlighting the strain the exodus from Syria’s civil war is placing on neighboring states. Witnesses said hundreds of Syrians were bussed to the border after Wednesday’s clashes in which refugees in the Suleymansah camp, near the Turkish town of Akcakale, threw rocks at military police, who fired teargas and water cannon.

The Turkish foreign ministry denied any Syrians had been forcibly expelled, saying around 50-60 people had returned to Syria overnight and that some of them may have been involved in the unrest, but that they left voluntarily.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR voiced deep concern at reports of deportations and said it had taken up the issue with Turkey. Such deportations would be against UN conventions governing the treatment of refugees. “There has been a big deportation operation here, they got rid of lots of people. They kicked out two of my boys and three of my brother’s sons. They came for my boys last night and told them to get their bags,” one refugee at the camp told Reuters by telephone, giving her name as Saher.—Agencies

DAMASCUS: A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a man being treated after he was injured in a mortar attack that hit the architecture faculty of Damascus University yesterday. — AFP

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International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Bullet in the arm reminds Bulgaria Muslims of repression KORNITSA: “Here, feel the bullet, it was never taken out,” says Ibrahim Byalk, presenting his arm where a bullet is still lodged 40 years after he was shot at for refusing to change his name to a nonMuslim one. Sixty-five years old with a weather-beaten face and a small moustache, Byalk belongs to Bulgaria’s 200,000strong Pomak minority, whose Christian Orthodox ancestors were converted to Islam during the Ottoman domination between the 14th and 19th centuries.

Under a forceful assimilation policy in the early 1970s however, these people who had lived for generations in Bulgaria and spoke Bulgarian were made to change their Muslim names to Christian ones by the Communist regime. On Friday, they will mark the 40th anniversary of the brutal repression in the tiny southern village of Kornitsa that silenced the local resistance movement against the policy.

Non-Muslim names were first required for newborns. Adults followed later.

“Women used to hide their pregnancies and give birth at home, which resulted in a number of fatal incidents,” Simeon Stoynov, who worked as a doctor in Kornitsa in the early 1970s said. “I took it as an insult: wasn’t I always a loyal citizen?” said Husein Sarnaliev, who was a state farming cooperative official at the time. The Pomaks’ assimilation was just the beginning. Eleven years later, the Communist regime also moved to rename

the 800,000-strong Muslim minority of ethnic Turks, seen as foreign agents of NATO member Turkey.

A ban on headscarves, circumcision and speaking Turkish in public was imposed and in the summer of 1989 some 320,000 ethnic Turks were forced to emigrate to Turkey. In Kornitsa, protests started in January 1973. But on the night of March 28, police stormed the village, opening fire at men holding vigil in the square. “There were mounted police, a police dog jumped on my back,” Byalk recalls of the night he was shot in the arm.

“Our people threw stones to defend themselves. The police opened fire but what I remember most is the fire engines’ water cannons to disperse us.”

Stoynov, the doctor, remembers: “They were shooting directly at the people, I saw several people killed.” News about the incident spread quickly and Pomaks from two neighboring villages, Lazhnitsa and Breznitsa, rushed to help, armed just with sticks. They too were dispersed by police.

The authorities managed to keep the crackdown secret however, revealing the truth only after the fall of communism in

KORNITSA: Byalk shows his arm where a bullet is still lodged 40 years after he was shot at for refusing to change his name to a non-Muslim one. — AFP

News

in brief

Bahrain clears 21 medics MANAMA: A defense lawyer in Bahrain says 21 medical personnel have been cleared of charges linked to anti-government protests but cases remain open against two others who failed to appear in court. Arrests of dozens of doctors and nurses were part of the crackdown by the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers after an uprising began in 2011 by majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice. International medical groups denounced the arrests. The medics - nearly all Shiites - were charged with taking part in illegal protests and other acts linked to the demonstrations. Lawyer Abdulla AlShamlawi says a court yesterday issued the acquittals, but left charges against two who did not appear in court. In October, five doctors lost their appeals on protest-related charges.

Others have been freed or tried in absentia.

Iran summons Saudi envoy TEHRAN: Iran has summoned a Saudi envoy to protest the kingdom’s allegation that members of a spy ring arrested in the Arab country last week worked for Iranian intelligence.

The semi-official Mehr news agency said in a report late Wednesday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry “strongly rejected” the claim during a meeting with the Saudi charge d’affaires in Tehran. The report says Iran is seeking an explanation from the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has said that material evidence and detainee confessions prove the members of the arrested group had received money from Iran for information on vital locations in the kingdom. Iran has denied such payments.

The mainly Sunni kingdom and the predominantly Shiite Iran are regional rivals. They have a hostile relationship and frequently trade accusations.

‘Putting poison in shoes’ TOKYO: A Japanese man who allegedly tried to kill a woman he was stalking by putting poison in her shoes was arrested yesterday, police and reports said. The woman, a colleague, did not die, but developed gangrene in part of her left foot, they said. It was not known to what extent she was injured or if she had to have any amputations. Tatsujiro Fukasawa, 40, allegedly put hydrofluoric acid, a highly caustic chemical, in her shoes in December last year, a police spokeswoman and reports said.

1989. Byalk says he remembers being taken to hospital: “The room’s windows were nailed shut, civilians beat us and hurled insults at us.” And this is why he still has a souvenir of the incident: “The doctor bandaged my wound but refused to take the bullet out.”

He finally bought his freedom by accepting a new name, Ivaylo Belkov-the authorities customarily kept the person’s initials-and was deported to the other side of the country, where he stayed for 10 years. His wife and two children were sent elsewhere, unaware of his fate. Sarnaliev, the state farming cooperative official, was wounded in the leg and jailed for eight years, accused of “organizing a group that sought to undermine the economy and oust the regime.”

His wife thought him dead, their house in Kornitsa was confiscated and she was deported to the northwestern town of Vratsa. Sarnaliev and Byalk were later reunited with their wives. But six people were killed on March 28, 1973 and a small plaque commemorates them at the square in Kornitsa, with memorial services held every year.

Both Bulgaria’s Pomaks and ethnic Turks regained their Muslim names after the toppling of the Communist regime.

The painful memories and the bullet in Byalk’s arm however remain to haunt the minority, who still say they often feel discriminated against and fear history may again repeat itself. — AFP

Britain opens inquest into Berezovsky death Death surrounded by conspiracy theories WINDSOR: British police believe foul play cannot be completely ruled out in the death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, whose body was found at the weekend with a piece of material around his neck, an inquest heard yesterday. Berezovsky, a sworn enemy of President Vladimir Putin, was found dead on Saturday in a luxury mansion in Ascot, an affluent English town near Queen Elizabeth’s Windsor Castle, west of London.

He survived years of intrigue, power struggles and assassination attempts in Russia, but had to flee to London in 2000 after a bitter row with the Kremlin leader.

Police have said there was no sign of a struggle and that the 67-year-old’s death was “consistent with hanging”, suggesting that he probably killed himself.

Asked however whether any thirdparty involvement was possible, Detective Inspector Mark Bissell told the inquest: “That cannot be completely eliminated.” But he added that at this stage there was nothing to support that suspicion. The inquest was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed and toxicology tests on the body, which was formally identified by Berezovsky’s daughter Elizaveta, are still under way. Test results are likely to take several weeks.

Bissell said Berezovsky had been found with a “ligature” around his neck and a piece of similar material on the shower rail above him. He did not say what kind

of material it was.

Berezovsky, who was last seen alive at around 2230 GMT on Friday, was the king-maker behind Putin’s ascent to power in Russia, but later became his number-one enemy. Britain gave him political asylum in 2003 on the grounds that his life would be in danger if he went back home. His associates have hinted he was depressed after losing a $6 billion court case last year against another Russian tycoon, Roman Abramovich, when a judge humiliated him publicly by saying he was an unimpressive and unreliable witness.

“He was depressed. He said so himself,” said Alex Goldfarb, a friend of Berezovsky. “But it was under control. I was not worried about him in that respect.” Other people close to Berezovsky have said they are not convinced by the official account. “In this past year of course he was depressed, but having known him for a long time, I can say he always had ups and downs and he was always capable of recovering, standing up and carrying on,” said Andrei Sidelnikov, an opposition figure.

“He was such an optimistic man and none of his friends and associates can possibly believe that he committed suicide.” The coroner in charge of the inquest said he would allow a funeral to take place once he had enough information. In Russia, state media quoted Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander

Zvyagintsev as saying the government would continue efforts to “bring back assets that Berezovsky and his accomplices acquired criminally and legalized abroad”.

MANIPULATOR A master of political manipulation, Berezovsky had been known as the “godfather of the Kremlin” and wielded immense influence for a decade after Soviet Union’s collapse. Once a mathematician with Nobel Prize aspirations, he built a vast business empire under former President Boris Yeltsin and was the first of Russia’s so-called oligarchs. He then became one of the first victims of a ruthless political crackdown of the early Putin era after falling out with his protege.

Once in exile, Berezovsky often said he feared for his life, particularly after the fatal poisoning of his friend and former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko with a dose of the radioactive isotope polonium-210 in London in 2006.

Another friend and business partner, Badri Patarkatsishvili, also died in unclear circumstances in Britain two years later. For many, Berezovsky personified the decade of wild capitalism, chaos and violence that followed the Soviet fall. He left a trail of enemies in Russia and beyond. Berezovsky survived an assassination attempt in 1994 when a bomb exploded in his car, decapitating his driver. —Reuters

16

International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Mandela readmitted

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis leads a Chrism mass on Holy Thursday at the St Peter’s basilica at the Vatican. —AFP

Pope urges priests to help the poor, shun careerism Holy Thursday is start of hectic four days for new pope VATICAN CITY: Beginning a busy program of Easter events, Pope Francis yesterday urged Catholic priests to devote themselves to helping the poor and suffering instead of worrying about careers as Church “managers”. Francis’ homily at his first Holy Thursday service as Roman Catholic leader was the latest sign since his surprise election two weeks ago of his determination that the 1.2 billionmember Church should be closer to the poor.

“We need to go out, then, in order to experience our own anointing (as priests) ... to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters,” he said during a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. The 76-yearold former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has inherited a Vatican rocked by a scandal in which documents leaked to the media spoke of alleged corruption in its administration and depicted prelates as fighting among themselves to advance their careers.

At the Mass, the start of four days of hectic activities leading up to Easter this Sunday, Francis said priests should not

get bogged down in “introspection” but step outside of themselves and concentrate on those who need their help.

“Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers.

We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager ... doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks,” he said.

In the next few weeks, Francis is expected to start making changes in the Curia, the central bureaucracy that was at the heart of the so-called “Vatileaks” scandal. The new pope delivered his appeal for priests to live simply and closest to the needy on the day when the Catholic Church commemorates when Jesus founded the priesthood at the Last Supper on the night before he died.

Speaking to about 1,600 priests from Rome who attended the Mass, he said those who did not live in humility close to the people risked becoming “collectors of antiques or novelties -instead of being shepherds living with ‘the smell of the sheep’” The pope took the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, who is

associated with austerity and helping the poor. The new pontiff has already set a clear tone for a humbler papacy and Church.

Later yesterday, he will wash and kiss the feet of 12 young inmates at a youth prison on the outskirts of Rome, at a Holy Thursday ceremony commemorating Jesus’s gesture of humility towards his apostles on the night before he died.

All popes in living memory have held the service either in St. Peter’s or the Basilica of St John in Lateran, which is the pope’s cathedral church in his capacity as bishop of Rome.

The four days leading up to Easter are the most hectic in the Church’s liturgical calendar. On Friday Francis will preside at two Good Friday services including the traditional “Via Crucis” (Way of the Cross) procession around the ancient Colosseum in Rome. He celebrates an Easter eve service on Saturday night and on Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Church’s liturgical calendar, he will deliver his first “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message to a large crowd in St Peter’s Square. —Reuters

Google reveals views of Japan nuke ghost town TOKYO: Visitors to Google Maps can now roam virtually through the overgrown streets of an abandoned town where time has stood still since a tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant two years ago. The Internet giant’s mapping site is offering views of the deserted streets of Namie, half of which sits within the 20-kilometre no-go zone around the nuclear plant, wrecked when the 2011 tsunami crashed into Japan.

With cooling systems knocked out by the wall of water, three reactors melted down, spewing radioactive particles into the air, soil and sea and forcing Namie’s entire population of 21,000 to flee. The entrance ban will be lifted for a small part of the town from Monday next week, allowing residents to visit for a short time, but the vast majority remains highly contaminated and is expected to be uninhabitable for years.

“The world is moving on to the future after the disaster... but time has stopped in the town of Namie,” said mayor Tamotsu Baba, writing on a blog for Google Japan yesterday.

“I hope these street views will show the people of future

generations what the great earthquake and nuclear disaster brought,” he said. “We need many years and many people’s cooperation to rise again from the nuclear crisis. We will never give up on getting back our hometown,” he said. The natural disasters killed nearly 19,000 people, including those whose bodies are yet to be recovered. Some parts of the town were swamped by the waves of March 11. Houses and other buildings damaged by the water can be clearly seen as site visitors click through the panoramic displays.

Along the coastline, the occasional boat lies in an untended field, dumped there by the waves that spread heavy oils and silt over rice paddies, where they also left the now rotted bodies of marine life. But many of the buildings in the town are intact, tinged only by the invisible menace of radiation and abandoned when the sudden order to evacuate came two years ago. Plant pots, their contents long dead or run wild, stand neatly outside some houses. Barber shops and hairdressers still display their welcome signs, offering haircuts to customers who may never return. —AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been readmitted to hospital with a recurrent lung infection, the presidency said yesterday, urging people to pray for the frail anti-apartheid hero.

The 94-year-old, who has had several recent health scares, was hospitalized “due to the recurrence of his lung infection” just before midnight on Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma’s office said in a statement.

“He was conscious” when he was admitted, presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said. It marks the second time this month that the Nobel peace laureate has spent the night in hospital and follows a nearly three-week stay in December for the lung infection and for gallstones surgery, after which he was released for homebased care. The hospital stay earlier this month was for a scheduled medical checkup. “Doctors are attending to him, ensuring that he has the best possible expert medical treatment and comfort,” said the presidency.

Zuma wished “Madiba”, as South Africa’s first black president is affectionately known, a quick recovery and asked for people around the world to prayer for him.

“We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts,” he said. “We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery.” Mandela is adored in South Africa where he is seen as the symbol of the country’s peaceful shift into democracy after apartheid. He has not appeared in public since South Africa’s Football World Cup final in 2010, six years after retiring.

The ruling African National Congress, the oncebanned liberation movement that Mandela led into power, also called for prayers for the much-loved former leader. “During these trying times we wish President Mandela well and for his family to be strong,” the party said in a statement. “We are confident that the treatment will be successful as he is in professional and competent hands,” it added. The name and location of the hospital were not disclosed, which Maharaj said was for privacy reasons to allow “the medical team to focus on their work, and for the privacy of Madiba and his family”.

“We know they are going through a difficult time and we want to ensure that their privacy is maintained.”

Any updates will be based on reports from Mandela’s medical team, he said. “I will be guided by the doctors.”

Revered at home and abroad, ailing Mandela has grown increasingly frail away from the public eye and suffered several recent health scares. Mandela’s December hospitalization was his longest hospital stay since he walked free from 27 years of apartheid jail in 1990. Early last year, he was admitted for a minor exploratory procedure to investigate persistent abdominal pain.

Diagnosed with early stage tuberculosis in 1988 while imprisoned during the apartheid era, Mandela has long had problems with his lungs. In 2011, he was hospitalized for two nights for an unnamed acute respiratory infection. In February, Zuma said he found Mandela “comfortable and relaxed” and watching television after paying him a visit at his Johannesburg home. “He had the brightest smile,” said Zuma. Earlier this month, his friend and renowned human rights lawyer George Bizos, who defended Mandela during his 1960s treason trial, said the ex-president was aware of currents political events but was having some trouble with his memory.

“Unfortunately he sometimes forgets that one or two of them had passed on and has a blank face when you tell him that Walter Sisulu and some others are no longer with us,” Bizos said. Sisulu, a former ANC leader who was Mandela’s political mentor, died nearly a decade ago.

Last month, two of his granddaughters released a picture of a smiling Mandela sitting with his youngest greatgrandson in an armchair. Mandela stepped down after one term as president. Rumors of his failing health or even death flare up periodically, forcing the government to issue assurances that all is well. —AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Venezuela’s Capriles sees ‘epic crusade’ for presidency CABIMAS: Venezuelan opposition candidate Henrique Capriles calls his campaign against acting President Nicolas Maduro a spiritual struggle and “heroic and epic crusade” against abuses of power. Despite his underdog status, Capriles said in an interview on his campaign bus that he has a shot at winning the April 14 election to replace late leader Hugo Chavez, who lost his battle to cancer on March 5.

The election has taken religious overtones, with the opposition candidate often invoking God, while Maduro peppers his own speeches with Christian references and adulatory homage to Chavez. “I think that we have to appeal to the faith of Venezuelans,” the 40-year-old Miranda state governor said as his campaign bus headed to Maracaibo, in the northwestern state of Zulia.

“We are facing abuses of power, which have turned into attacks, blackmail, fearmongering, using the entire state media machinery to try to intimidate,” Capriles said. “It has turned this (election) into a spiritual struggle.” The opposition leader, who has painted his presidential bid as a struggle between good and evil, ended a day of campaigning Tuesday by praying in front of an image of the Virgin Mary at the Basilica of Maracaibo. It is the second presidential election in six months for the youthful lawyer, who was picked again by a coalition of opposition parties to run as a unity candidate.

In October, Capriles lost to Chavez by 11 points in a bitterly fought campaign, but his 44 percent score was the opposition’s best showing in 14 years against the firebrand leftist leader. Polls show Capriles trailing Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor, by double digits. Capriles said he

was fighting a “heroic and epic crusade” against the “power of the state,” accusing Maduro of flooding the airwaves with mandatory broadcasts of official appearances, which the opposition leader said amount to campaign events.

He is still fuming over an “outrageous” Supreme Court ruling allowing Maduro,

But the government pointed to a different clause stating that the vice president takes charge pending elections if the president is incapacitated within his first four years in office. A survey by Hinterlaces gives Maduro an 18-point edge over Capriles, who dismisses the polling firm as “part of the campaign team” of his rival.

CARACAS: Supporters of Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez and supporters of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski clash outside a church after Capriles’ arrival in Caracas. — AFP the former vice president, to be sworn in as acting president days after Chavez’s death.

The opposition says the constitution called for the National Assembly speaker to take over as acting leader if the president dies before being sworn in, which is what happened to Chavez, who missed his January 10 swearing-in ceremony.

Chile president announces re-election bid SANTIAGO: Popular former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet said late Wednesday she would seek a second term in November 17 elections, vowing to fight inequality if she won. Bachelet, who from 2006 to 2010 was the first woman to lead the South American country, made the announcement to applause at a public event in a southern Santiago neighborhood where she grew up.

“I am ready for this challenge, I have made the decision to be a candidate,” said the 61-year-old before joining the crowd in singing the national anthem. Polls show that Bachelet is the runaway favorite in the race, even though she first has to win a June 30 primary poll against three largely unknown candidates. Bachelet arrived in the Chilean capital hours earlier. She has spent the past several years living in New York, where she became the first head of UN Women, a United Nations agency created in 2010 tasked with improving gender equality. “We knew there were things still to be done” when her leftist coalition left office, Bachelet said, “especially to improve the levels of income disparity.” “We must overcome inequality in Chile,” she added. “That must be our biggest priority.”

Noting she was overjoyed to be home again, Bachelet said her candidacy was aimed at assembling a “new political and social majority” to tackle a growing malaise among citizens.

Her government program would “not be built between four walls” but through “mutual engagement,” she added.

Bachelet had indicated during a visit to Chile in January that she would announce in March whether she would pursue a new mandate, leaving her country on tenterhooks. A socialist, agnostic and divorced mother of three, Bachelet was a strange choice to lead staunchly Roman Catholic Chile, but her informal political style and personal touch led her to being dubbed “the mother of Chileans.” —AFP

Another pollster, Datanalisis, found that the acting president has a 14-point advantage. Capriles accused Maduro of manipulating the wave of sympathy over Chavez’s death for his campaign and claimed that there were divisions within the government since the president died.

The governor said some Chavez loyal-

ists “don’t like” Maduro because he lacks leadership experience and deep knowledge of Venezuela, a country with the largest proven oil reserves in the world.

Maduro “must be lighting a candle every day for me to decide” to withdraw from the election, Capriles said, denying government claims that he may pull out. “I am sure this would delight them. This is what they want, for me to leave them an open path. “The country realizes more and more every day that Nicolas has no chance to lead this nation or face the problems of this nation.”

Capriles accused Maduro once more of “shamelessly” lying about Chavez’s health.

The government has never disclosed the exact nature of Chavez’s cancer and his health was the source of speculation during the two months that he remained out of the public eye before he died. The governor, in office since 2008 and re-elected in December, has faced a barrage of criticism from Chavistas about his own leadership skills due to the high level of crime in the northern state of Miranda.

More than 2,500 murders were committed in the state last year, according to official figures. Capriles countered that the most violent areas are in municipalities led by mayors from the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). While the government says Capriles represents the right wing, the opposition leader has vowed to follow a moderate leftist policy inspired by the Brazilian model, promoting a market economy along with poverty-reducing social programs. “Social issues are my priority,” he said, promising to continue the popular health, education and housing programs that Chavez implemented across the country. — AFP

US sparring directly with Qaeda supporters online Washington aims to shoot down extremist messages WASHINGTON: The United States is deliberately sparring with Al-Qaeda supporters and militants online aiming to shoot down extremist messages and win over hearts and minds, a US official said yesterday. Seeking out the virtual spaces where “Al-Qaeda and its supporters lurk” is part of America’s strategy to combat violent extremism, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine told students at the University of Maryland. “We robustly engage with them in chat forums in Arabic, Somali, Punjabi and Urdu,” she explained.

“By targeting the hardliners, we are really trying to reach the middle grounders, the fence sitters, the sympathizers and passive supporters.” Last year, staff at the new Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, which reports directly to Sonenshine, wrote some 7,000 posts on different online forums. “When we counter unfounded rumors, propaganda and conspiracy theories with facts, truth and reasonable argument, we can better define what we stand for. And we have a greater chance of changing more minds,” Sonenshine said.

“We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines and let cynical voices distort and misreport our policies, values, and interests,” she added. “We have to enter that communications space-where so many young people are getting their information-and contest

extremist and other negative rhetoric with facts and counter-assertions.”She admitted it was hard to assess whether such virtual online battles were helping to win the war against extremists, quipping that “terrorists are not exactly willing to participate in surveys.” But she said it was considered “a gain” when Al-Qaeda complained about the center’s activities in their online forums or when

a Saudi citizen called on his government to set up such a center. Pressing the case for such continued public diplomacy, Sonenshine argued: “What is the cost of not confronting negative messaging?” “Are we really going to leave it to our adversaries to define America, and recruit the disenfranchised and the impressionable to their cause?” she asked. — AFP

Malaysia to buy 18 jet fighters LANGKAWI: Malaysia has shortlisted five manufacturers as it seeks to buy 18 combat aircraft by 2015 to replace its ageing fleet of Russian-made MIG-29s, the defense minister said yesterday. The choice was between the Britain-backed Eurofighter Typhoon, Sweden’s SAAB JAS-39 Gripen, France’s Dassault Aviation Rafale, Boeing’s F/A 18E/F Super Hornet and Russia’s Sukhoi Su-30, Zahid Hamidi told Reuters.

‘We’ve made the shortlist,’ Zahid said on the sidelines of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition. ‘We don’t know the cost yet.’

Industry sources said the purchase could run into billions of dollars. The

deal will help modernize the air power of the Southeast Asian nation, which is in dispute with China over parts of the South China Sea and with militants from the southern Philippines over its far eastern state of Sabah. A decision on the fighters is only expected after the country holds elections, which Prime Minister Najib Razak has to call by the end of April. His Barisan Nasional coalition is predicted to win narrowly in a tight contest. All five manufacturers were represented at the Langkawi airshow. Four manufacturers told Reuters they would be able to deliver aircraft to meet Malaysia’s requirements, while officials from Sukhoi were not immediately available for comment. —Reuters

International FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Afghan villagers flee, blame US drones Afghan government complains bitterly about civilian casualties KHALIS FAMILY VILLAGE: Barely able to walk even with a cane, Ghulam Rasool says he padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and fled his mountain home in the middle of the night to escape relentless airstrikes from US drones targeting militants in this remote corner of Afghanistan. Rasool and other Afghan villagers have their own name for Predator drones. They call them benghai, which in the Pashto language means the “buzzing of flies.”

When they explain the noise, they scrunch their faces and try to make a sound that resembles an army of flies. “They are evil things that fly so high you don’t see them but all the time you hear them,” said Rasool, whose body is stooped and shrunken with age and his voice barely louder than a whisper. “Night and day we hear this sound and then the bombardment starts.”

The US military is increasingly relying on drone strikes inside Afghanistan, where the number of weapons fired from unmanned aerial aircraft soared from 294 in 2011 to 506 last year.

With international combat forces set to withdraw by the end of next year, such attacks are now used more for targeted killings and less for supporting ground troops. It’s unclear whether Predator drone strikes will continue after 2014 in Afghanistan, where the government has complained bitterly about civilian casualties. The strikes sometimes accidentally kill civilians while forcing others to abandon their hometowns in fear, feeding widespread anti-American sentiment.

The Associated Press - in a rare on-theground look unaccompanied by military or security - visited two Afghan villages in Nangarhar province near the border with Pakistan to talk to residents who reported that they had been affected by drone strikes. In one village, Afghans disputed NATO’s contention that five men killed in a particular drone strike were militants. In the other, a school that was leveled in a nighttime airstrike targeting Taleban fighters hiding inside has yet to be rebuilt.

“These foreigners started the problem,” Rasool said of international troops. “They have their own country. They should leave.”

From the US perspective, the overall drone program has been a success. While the Pentagon operates the drones in Afghanistan, the CIA for nearly a decade has used drones to target militants, including Afghans, in Pakistan’s border regions.

CIA drones have killed Al-Qaeda No 2 Abu Yahya Al-Libi and other leading extremists.

Still, criticism of the use of drones for targeted killings around the world has been mounting in recent months. The UN Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights has launched an investigation into their effect on civilians. Rasool said his decision to leave his home in Hisarak district came nearly a month ago after a particularly blistering air assault killed five people in the neighboring village of Meya Saheeb. The US-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, confirmed an airstrike on Feb 24 at Meya Saheeb, but as a matter of policy would neither confirm nor deny that drones were used.

Rasool said that he, his son, half a dozen grandchildren, and two other families crammed into the back of a cart pulled by a tractor. They drove throughout the day until they found a house in Khalis Family Village, named after anti-communist rebel leader Maulvi Yunus Khalis, who had close ties to Al-Qaeda. The village is not far from the Tora Bora mountain range where in 2001 the US-led coalition mounted its

his friends told him there were bodies in the nearby village. A little afraid, but more curious, he walked the short distance to Meya Saheed. “I wanted to see the dead bodies,” he said. And he did - three bodies, all middle-aged men.

ISAF reported five militants were killed, but Rasool claimed they were businessmen.

One of the dead had a carpet shop in the village, he said.

NANGARHAR: The grandchildren of Afghan villager Ghulam Rasool play in the yard of the house where he and his family found refuge in the village of Khalis Family Village, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. — AP

NANGARHAR: Afghan villager Ghulam Rasool sits in the yard of his house where he and his family found refuge in the village of Khalis Family Village. —AP largest operation of the war to flush out AlQaeda and Taleban warriors.

“Nobody ever comes here. It’s a little dangerous sometimes because of the Taleban,” said Zarullah Khan, a neighbor of Rasool’s. But the historic significance of his newfound refuge was lost on Rasool.

“Who’s Khalis? We stopped when we found a house for rent,” he said, grumbling at the monthly $200 bill shared among the three families packed into the high-walled compound where he spoke with the AP. Standing nearby, Rasool’s 12-year-old grandson, Ahmed Shah, recalled the attack in Meya Saheeb. The earth shook for what seemed like hours and the next morning

Disputes over the identities of those killed have been a hallmark of the 12-year war. In Pakistan, an AP investigation last year found that drone strikes were killing fewer civilians than many in that country were led to believe, and that many of the dead were combatants. In Afghanistan, the UN has reported that five drone strikes in 2012 resulted in civilian casualties, with 16 civilians killed and three wounded. It reported just one incident in which civilians were killed the previous year.

At the other end of the province from Meya Saheeb and Khalis Family Village lies the village of Budyali. To get there, one must drive along a long, two-lane highway

often booby-trapped by militants, before turning off onto a narrow, dusty track and finally cross a rock-strewn riverbed. A Budyali resident, Hayat Gul, says the sound of “benghai” is commonplace in the village.

He says he was wounded nearly two years ago in a Taleban firefight with Afghan security forces at a nearby school that led to an airstrike.

Tucked in the shadow of a hulking mountain crisscrossed with dozens of footpaths, the school now is in ruins. The early morning strike on the school took place on July 17, 2011, hours after the Taleban attacked the district headquarters and the Afghan National Army appealed to their coalition partners for help. Gul said he and a second guard, 63-year-old Ghulam Ahad, were asleep in the small cement guard house at one end of the school. They awoke to the sound of gunfire as more than a dozen Taleban militants scaled the school walls around midnight, chased by Afghan soldiers.

A bullet struck Gul in the shoulder.

Frightened and unsure of what to do, Ahad stepped outside the guard house and was killed. Bullet holes still riddle the badly damaged building. Village elders and the school’s principal, Sayed Habib, said coalition forces responded to the army’s request for help with drones, fighter jets and rockets. The air assault, which residents say began about 3 a.m. and likely included drone strikes, flattened everything across a vast compound that includes the school.

Habib said 13 insurgents were killed.

ISAF confirmed that airstrikes killed insurgents in the Budyali area on that day but would not say what type of airstrikes or provide any other details. Habib and a local malik or elder, Shah Mohammed Khan, said that in the days leading up to the airstrikes the sound of drones could be heard overhead. “Everyone knows the sound of the unpiloted planes. Even our children know,” Habib said. The elders were critical of the US attack. They said they would have preferred that the Afghan soldiers try to negotiate with the Taleban to leave the school and surrender.

Habib and the village elders recalled the attack while sitting in the middle of the devastated school, where debris was still scattered across a vast yard. They pointed toward a blackboard, pockmarked with gaping holes. “Shamefully they destroyed our school, our books, our library,” said Malik Gul Nawaz, an elder with a gray beard and a pot belly. Habib said that in an attempt to rebuild the school, a contractor constructed a boundary wall before another Taleban attack. He fled with nearly $400,000 in foreign funds.

The roughly 1,300 students now take classes at a makeshift school made up of tents provided by UNICEF. Gul, who was taken to a US military hospital at Bagram Air Base after the attack and treated for the bullet wound to his left shoulder, is now a watchman at the new school. He held a small photograph of his dead colleague, Ahad, in his trembling left hand.

“We want to end this war,” Gul said.

“Enough people have been killed now. We have to find unity.” — AP

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Small businesses spell big problems for Italy and Spain

Qataris pay $605 million for luxury London hotel PAGE 20

PAGE 22

NICOSIA: People queue up outside a Laiki bank branch in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia yesterday as they wait for the bank to open after an unprecedented 12-day lockdown. — AFP

Draconian controls as Cyprus banks reopen Fears of bank run after bailout NICOSIA: Cypriots queued calmly at banks as they reopened yesterday under tight controls imposed on transactions to prevent a run on deposits after the government was forced to accept a stringent EU rescue package to avert bankruptcy. Banks were shut almost two weeks ago as the government negotiated a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) international bailout, the first in Europe’s single currency zone to impose losses on bank depositors.

Bank staff turned up for work early in Nicosia as cash was delivered by armored trucks, and queues of at least a dozen people formed at some branches in the capital. Doors opened at noon (1000 GMT). Authorities say the emergency rules imposed to limit withdrawals and prevent a bank run will be temporary, initially for seven days, but economists say they will be difficult to lift as long as the economy is in crisis.

The capital controls decree was taped to the windows of bank branches and staff handed out copies to customers. In Nicosia, there was relief, but some apprehension about what might happen. “You’ve no idea how much I’ve been waiting for this,” said 64-year-old pensioner Froso Kokikou, waiting in line at a branch of Cyprus Popular Bank, also known as Laiki. “I feel a sense of fear and disappointment having to queue up like this; it feels like a Third World country, but what can you do?” Kokikou said. “This is what they imposed on us and we have to live with it.”

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old pensioner, said the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been “like a slow death”. He added: “How can they tell

you that you can’t access your own money in the bank? It’s our money, we are entitled to it.” The Cyprus stock exchange said it would remain closed yesterday. Container trucks loaded with cash pulled up inside the compound of the central bank in the capital Nicosia on Wednesday night to prepare for the reopening, a central bank source said. A helicopter hovered overhead, and police with rifles were stationed around the compound. As in all countries that use the euro,

Cyprus’s central bank supplies cash for its banks from the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

Officials have promised that enough funds will be on hand to meet demand. The ECB did not comment on reports it had sent extra cash to the island. A Finance Ministry decree limited cash withdrawals to no more than 300 euros per day and banned the cashing of cheques. The island’s central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinise transactions

High food prices linked to obesity WASHINGTON: Food prices have dropped since peaking six months ago but remain near record levels, pushing the world’s poorest people toward “undernutrition” and obesity, the World Bank said Thursday. “Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries,” said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group’s vice president for poverty reduction and economic management. “When poor people with some disposable income in developing countries try to cope with high and increasingly volatile food prices, they also tend to choose cheap food that is high in calories but without much nutritious value.”

Between October and February, world food prices dropped by four percent overall, driven in part by wheat and sugar, due to weaker demand for wheat feed and reduced maize consumption for ethanol as well as improved harvest conditions, according to the World Bank. But they remain at very high levels and are just nine per-

cent less than historic levels in August. In February alone, prices increased one percent overall for a year-long period. The increases were especially notable for rice and corn (five percent each), two staple foods in many developing countries. The World Bank also worried about “uncertainties” that remain in the world food supply.

Last year, global stocks of cereals dropped by three percent, mostly driven by a decline in the supply of wheat and coarse grains. Persistently dry conditions in Argentina, Australia and South Africa could also further hamper supplies in the months ahead. Meanwhile, oil prices have been rising for three consecutive months, reaching their highest levels in February since April. “In the ‘new normal’ of high and volatile food prices, millions will continue to suffer from poor nutrition, whether it is hunger, under-nutrition or obesity which can cause premature death,” the bank stressed. In 2008, there were 1.46 billion overweight adults, including 508 million who were obese. —AFP

over 200,000 euros on an individual basis. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them. With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners, especially Russians, as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour. The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.

‘CYPRUS EURO’ Cyprus’s financial difficulties have sent tremors through the already fragile single European currency. The imposition of capital controls has led economists to warn that a secondclass “Cyprus euro” could emerge, with funds trapped on the island less valuable than euros that can be freely spent abroad.

Reflecting fears of a spillover from the Cypriot crisis, ratings agency Moody’s said it kept euro zone strugglers Ireland and Portugal on negative outlook, citing the Cyprus bailout as an extra risk.

The European Commission said the capital controls were legal and justified under EU law provided they were strictly temporary and proportionate. The EU executive said it would monitor “the need to extend the validity of or revise the measures”. Many experts are sceptical. In a Reuters poll of economists this week 30 out of 46 said the controls would last months, while 13 expected they would endure a matter of weeks. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Qataris pay $605 million for luxury London hotel LONDON: Qatari-backed investor Constellation Hotels has bought the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel in a deal worth about 400 million pounds ($605 million), a source close to the transaction said. Constellation paid 301.5 million pounds for InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) 57-year lease on the 447-bedroom property close to Hyde Park, IHG said yesterday.

In a separate deal, Constellation paid about 100 million pounds for the freehold, which was owned by the Crown Estate, the property company that controls the assets of Queen Elizabeth II, the source said. The 301.5 million pound price tag is 62 percent above the hotel’s book value, showing the strength of demand for trophy London real estate and five-star hotels in particular.

The disposal fits with IHG’s policy of selling real estate to free up cash, and the company’s shares were up more than 3 percent at 2,012 pence at 1043 GMT, making it one of the top risers on the FTSE 100 index. Under the terms of the deal, it will manage the hotel for up to 60 years for an annual fee of about 4 million pounds. There were about six bidders for the IHG property, said George Nicholas at selling agent Jones Lang LaSalle. “They included sovereign wealth funds and private investors from Asia and the Middle East. Five-star London hotels rarely come to market,” he said.

Overseas investors have parked billions of pounds in London real estate during the global financial crisis, drawn to the relative safety of investing in the city’s best properties. Qatar has been particularly active, investing in the Shard skyscraper, Harrods department store and athlete’s village in the Olympic Park in east London. The 3.5 billion euros ($4.5 billion) it spent on European real estate in the 12 months to mid-August 2012 was the equivalent of six weeks’ revenue from the country’s liquefied natural gas exports, according to Reuters calculations. — Reuters

Gulf’s Islamic banks pressed to diversify money market deals Tradeable sukuk to become more of an option DUBAI: Regulators, scholars and simple economics are pressing Islamic banks in the Gulf to diversify their money market transactions, a trend which could spur growth of the region’s financial markets.

Islamic money market assets have expanded rapidly in the last few years along with the rise of sharia-compliant banking. In the United Arab Emirates, for instance, Islamic certificates of deposit issued by the central bank and held by commercial banks have more than tripled in the past two years, to 15.1 billion dirhams ($4.1 billion) last December from 4.6 billion in 2010, central bank data shows. The main tool which Gulf banks use to manage such short-term liquidity is commodity murabaha, a common cost-plus-profit arrangement in Islamic finance. Under the arrangement, a bank agrees to purchase merchandise for another bank, which promises to buy it at an agreed mark-up.

Traditionally, the merchandise has been commodities traded through the London Metal Exchange (LME). But an increasing number of banks are looking at alternatives to this. “There is still an over-reliance on commodity murabaha, but this can only be addressed when you get alternatives in the market,” said Ijlal Ahmed Alvi, chief executive of Bahrain-based International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM), an industry body

which develops specifications for financial contracts.

OPPOSITION TO MURABAHA Although commodity murabaha is widely used, it faces opposition from some Islamic scholars on the boards which oversee banks’ activities. The practice is criticized as not sufficiently based on real economic activity, a key principle in Islamic finance. “Sharia boards are driving this - in the UAE, most banks are shying away from commodity murabaha,” said Husam Saif, head of treasury and capital markets at Manama-based Khaleeji Commercial Bank.

Opposition to commodity murabaha crystallized when Oman issued regulations last December covering its fledgling Islamic finance industry. It essentially banned commodity murabaha, also known as organized tawarruq. One possible solution for banks is to improve the way they conduct commodity murabaha to make it “stronger” or more closely aligned with sharia principles. This month, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) offered a way to do this by launching an Islamic trading platform.

The DMCC argues that its platform permits stronger murabaha by tracking the ownership of commodities in a way which gives assurance that an actual exchange of commodities is occurring,

rather than just a paper transaction.

Another potential advantage for Gulf banks is that the DMCC is close to home; this allows same-day settlement and means legal recourse to assets can be secured, said Kazim Ali, head of corporate banking at Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank. “It’s a very positive development - from an interbank perspective it allows banks to make regional transactions, which makes it more efficient.” Ali said his bank planned to extend its use of the DMCC platform from interbank deals to include transactions with individual clients. “What we plan to do is customer murabahas in this platform.

Besides interbank and direct customer transactions, the bank will also consider commodity financing. This has great value for the industry.”

ALTERNATIVES At the same time, some banks are exploring alternatives to commodity murabaha. Islamic contracts such as wakala (agency) agreements are gaining popularity, and appear to be garnering a larger share of interbank markets, although official data are not available.

Saif at Khaleeji estimates commodity murabaha volumes in the Gulf vary daily between $8 billion and $11 billion, while wakala contracts could be edging close to a third of that volume. — Reuters

Austerity threatens EU competitive edge BERLIN: Europe’s carefully maintained autobahns, high-speed TGV trains and vast network of modern airports have long been the envy of the world. But thanks to austerity budgets that are slashing infrastructure spending just as other parts of the world are ramping it up, that may not be true for much longer. European infrastructure spending rose just 1.5 percent last year to $741 billion, compared to global growth of 4.5 percent and a 7.1 percent rise in the Asia-Pacific, according to data compiled by Marketline, a business information provider.

Spending in Europe will increase slightly over the next four years, to 4.3 percent growth by 2016, Marketline told Reuters, but will continue to significantly underperform the world average. Only the United States will do worse, with growth of just 1.8 percent seen in 2016.

Company executives, trade groups and even European Union officials themselves say the region is in danger of falling behind competitors, with possibly irreversible consequences.

“We are out of pace with other parts of the world. We are not rejoicing,” said Harold Ruijters, who leads the Transport Commission’s Trans European Network unit, which aims to connect Europe’s fragmented railways, roads and airports. Brussels’ main infrastructure funding budget, the Connecting Europe Facility, was cut in the latest EU budget announced in February from an originally allocated 50 billion euros to 29.3 billion euros over the next seven years.

Broadband and digital infrastructure took the biggest hit, cut from 9.2 billion to just 1 billion euros. The budget for spending on major transportation through 2020 was cut by 38 percent from 21 billion to 13 billion euros, forcing the Transport Commission to drop air

European transport continues to develop and invest to maintain its competitive position,” Thumann said.

Currently 12 of the top 20 nations in a ranking by the World Economic Forum for 20122013 are in Europe. But this year China will for the first time spend more on infrastructure than Europe, though per capita it is still a small fraction of what is spent in the United States and in Japan, Marketline said. Pedro Rodrigues de Almeida, director of infrastructure studies at the World Economic Forum, concurred that even after the European economy recovers, which economists expect could happen as early as the second half of this year, essential spending will lag requirements for years to come. “We will not recover the levels of construction expenditure that we had in 20072008, or just before the crisis, until around 2016. This is something that is going to take several years,” he said.

ATHENS: Metal workers march to protest the government’s austerity measures and high unemployment in their sector, in front of the Greek parliament in central Athens yesterday.— AFP and road projects, which will instead need to seek uncertain sources of commercial funding.

“We are dealing with a severely reduced budget. At the same time, during a time of crisis we are acknowledging that this was perhaps the best deal we could get,” Ruijters said. Several years of earlier austerity cuts in infrastructure have already started hurting Europe’s competitive position, he said, citing railways and aviation as problem sectors. Reduced budgets and the prospect of long-term weak economic growth in the bloc will make it virtually impossible to meet spending needs in the coming two decades, he said. The financial reality is out of sync with the EU’s long-term strategic

goal of creating jobs, and increasing competitiveness and growth in a single European market, which the EU Commission had estimated would require 1.5 trillion euros of spending on transportation infrastructure by 2030.

“At the moment we have one of the best infrastructures in the world, but it is ageing and we have to invest billions just to keep it up. We are far away from completing the internal market, in all transportation modes,” said Jurgen Thumann, head of Business Europe, a Brussels-based industrial lobby group. “As other world regions are launching ambitious transport modernization and infrastructure investment programs, it is crucial that

WHERE’S THE MONEY A decades-long trend of falling global public expenditure on infrastructure, from around 9.5 percent of gross domestic product in 1990 to 7 percent in 2005, has been driven by rising costs for pensions and health care, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Until the global financial crisis hit, the private sector had increasingly filled that gap. Now, while there are plenty of investors such as pension funds or insurance companies who have money available, they are restricted in how that money can be invested to avoid too much risk and meet targets, meaning only a small percentage of their total funds may be allocated for infrastructure projects which often require billions over many years, if not decades. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Europe shares creep up Worries over Cyprus bail-out seen capping gains LONDON: European shares rose yesterday, buoyed by investors who covered bets against the market after Cyriot banks reopened as scheduled and by a surge in coffee and tea group D E. Master Blenders on bid talks. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.5 percent to 1,189.51 points by midday, recovering from a three-week low in the previous session, while the euro zone’s blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index rose 0.6 percent to 2,627.30 points. Anxiety over Cyprus, whose 10 billion euro ($12.8 billion)bailout package has forced it to tax wealthy bank depositors, has put a brake on a rally on equity markets since the start of 2013.

Some uncertainty over the Cypriot situation was removed yesterday when the country’s banks re-opened for business without being besieged, although concerns remain about a possible run on deposits. Richard Edwards, who heads trading and research firm HED Capital, said investors were unwinding “short” positions that had been betting on a stock market fall. “There’s an element of ‘sell on the rumor, buy on the news’. When a disaster is expected and then it finally occurs, you cover your short positions,” he said.

The problems in Cyprus have reignited concerns about how unified the euro currency bloc can remain, with southern states such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy hit hardest by the region’s sovereign debt crisis, while northern European countries such as France and Germany fare better.

Edwards favored Germany’s DAX index over Spanish and Italian equities. The DAX has risen some 3 percent since the start of 2013, while Spain’s IBEX has fallen 3 percent and Italy’s FTSE MIB has declined by 5 percent. “I would sell any rallies on Spain and Italy and buy any dip in Germany,” he said.

FTSEurofirst 300 after it received a 7.6 billion euro bid approach from its biggest shareholder, Joh A Benckiser.

“We would envisage a very high chance of a transaction here,” Olive Tree Financial Group analysts wrote in a note. Despite the weak economic backdrop caused by the euro zone’s debt crisis, equity markets have been supported by expectations of more merger activity, and by pledges of liquidity support from the European Central Bank. A Reuters poll this month showed the Euro STOXX 50 seen rising to 2,935 points by the end of 2013, while the broader STOXX Europe 600

D E MASTER BLENDERS SURGES D E Master Blenders leapt 27.5 percent to add the most points to the

TOKYO: Passersby look at an electronic stock indicator of a securities firm in Tokyo yesterday. Renewed jitters about the debt crisis in Europe sent Asian stock markets lower yesterday. — AP

index, which was up 0.4 percent at 293.74 points, was seen ending the year at 317 points.

However, many expect the market to drop back in the second quarter as investors use worries over Cyprus and political stalemate in Italy to sell shares in order to book profits on the first quarter’s equity rally. “The Cyprus situation is an enormous howler by the European Union. I think the market will be sideways to down in the second quarter. We could see a five to 10 percent pullback,” said Toby CampbellGray, head of trading at Tavira Securities.— Reuters

Qatar’s QInvest plans range of Islamic funds DUBAI: Doha-based investment bank QInvest, majority owned by Qatar Islamic Bank, says it plans to launch at least 30 Islamic funds over the next three years on a managed account platform which it introduced this week. If they go ahead, the launches could play a significant role in reviving the Islamic funds industry, which has been hit by the global financial crisis.

Launches of Islamic funds globally fell to 54 last year from 60 in 2011, according to Lipper, a unit of Thomson Reuters; 88 funds have been liquidated around the world in the last two years.

QInvest, which also has offices in Riyadh and Istanbul, hopes to attract an investor base beyond the Gulf through its Cayman-domiciled funds.

Four Islamic funds already exist on

QInvest’s platform; they focus on international equities and include some advised by US-based Eagle Capital Management and Edgewood Management. “All of the funds are actively managed and the focus is on delivering strong returns over the mid- to long term, without focusing on a specific benchmark,” said Ataf Ahmed, head of investment solutions at QInvest Wealth Management.

In the near term QInvest aims to launch fixed income and regional equity funds, with commodity funds to follow in the second half of this year, he said. “This platform will have a focused approach towards adding additional funds. Over the next 12 months we aim to add at least seven to 10 more funds.” Managed accounts allow products to be customized; one

of the funds that has already been established is a fund of funds which will invest in a mix of asset classes. It will serve as a seeding vehicle for the other products, Ahmed said.

Another of the funds already established is an Islamic hedge fund. “Some funds will have a long-only approach and will be able to take a more defensive stance through movement into cash, whilst others will incorporate a hedging process,” Ahmed said. The hedging process was developed with Nomura International, which serves as prime broker.

The long-short strategy is advised

by GAM, which is part of GAM Holding, the former asset management arm of bank Julius Baer and Switzerland’s largest listed asset manager. — Reuters

Oil edges higher LONDON: Oil rose yesterday underpinned by expectations of a revival in demand growth in the United States, the world’s biggest oil consumer, while Europe’s debt worries capped gains.

Commodities staged one of their broadest rallies of the year so far on Wednesday as oil, metals and agricultural futures rose despite a stronger dollar, which tends to weigh on prices.

But oil may struggle to gain much further because of a weak demand outlook in Europe and ample supplies. Investors were also keeping an eye on Cyprus, where banks reopened on Thursday after two weeks as the country was negotiating a bailout with international banks. “It’s the last day of the quarter ahead of a long (Easter) weekend,” Olivier Jakob at Petromatrix consultancy in Switzerland said.

“There is a lot of uncertainty over Europe and Cyprus but people will not readjust their books ahead of the break.” Brent crude rose by 17 cents to $109.86 a barrel by 1030 GMT. US oil, also known as WTI, rose 16 cents to $96.74, after ending higher for four straight days. US gasoline and distillates stocks fell more than expected last week even as refinery runs increased, data from the Energy Information Administration showed, indicating a rise in domestic energy demand.

The strength has helped narrow the WTI-Brent spread, which has come into its tightest level since early July 2012, hovering at around $13.00 a barrel.

“There is catch-up potential since Brent is lagging behind WTI,” Carsten Fritsch, oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt said.

Furthermore, better-than-expected output from the North Sea Buzzard field has put downward pressure on Brent futures, which is based on North Sea production. The rise has mitigated the South Korean deferral to close a tax loophole on crude imports from the UK until July, but tankers are still heading east.

European shares edged up yesterday, recovering from a three-week low in the previous session as bargain hunters picked up beaten down stocks on the last day of the quarter.

However, the euro languished near 4-month lows after a rise in Italy’s funding costs delivered an extra blow to the currency already suffering from ramifications of the Cyprus rescue deal.

Cyprus imposed restrictions on cash withdrawals and may curb the use of credit cards abroad to keep a rein on money flows after the country agreed to a bailout deal that will wipe out some senior bank bondholders and impose losses on large depositors.

The Italian government’s cost of borrowing over five years rose to its highest since October at an auction on Wednesday, reflecting investor wariness over a lack of progress in forming a new government and worries about Cyprus’s bailout. Italy’s interest cost on new 10-year debt fell, however.

Investors are now awaiting employment data from the United States to see if the numbers will add to the recent string of positive indicators from the world’s top economy. — Reuters

Kuwait’s Wataniya appoints new CEO KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom announced that Deputy CEO Eng Abdulaziz Fakhroo has been appointed as CEO for Wataniya Telecom, replacing Dr Bassam Hannoun who has resigned for personal reasons. Wataniya Chairman HE Sh. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani said “We sincerely thank Dr Hannoun for his contribution during his tenure. We look forward to having Mr.Abdul-Azizlead Wataniya Kuwait as it enters an exciting new phase in its development including the launch of 4G services this year.”

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Small businesses spell big problems for Italy, Spain Bad debts driven by small businesses expected to rise MILAN: Small companies struggling to repay loans in Italy and Spain signal bigger problems on the horizon for the euro zone after the dust has settled on Cyprus’s last-ditch bailout this week. Defaults by small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs), easily the biggest employers in Spain and Italy, are rising at a worrying clip, spelling trouble for the banks and two countries at the heart of Europe’s debt crisis. “You can be sure that if these companies’ bad debts rise, you’re going to see more bad loans to families, and credit card bills that won’t be paid,” said Javier Santoma, finance professor at Spain’s IESE business school. The ability of Italy and Spain, which account for 28 percent of the euro zone economy compared with Cyprus’s 0.2 percent, to pull themselves out of crisis and avoid fullblown bailouts depends on the health of their banks; weak banks conserve capital rather than lend to get the economy moving.

Profits at Spain’s top three lenders Santander, BBVA and Caixabank fell an average 60 percent in 2012 due to steep government-enforced provisions for property losses. Writedowns

of nearly 24 billion euros at stateowned Bankia led to a record 19.2 billion euro loss. In Italy, the two biggest banks, Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit, set aside a combined 14 billion euros in 2012 to cover bad loans.

Smaller lenders also had to increase provisions after the central

bank conducted simultaneous audits of around 20 institutions. Banco Popolare, Italy’s fourth biggest, issued a profit warning after the audit prompted 684 million euros of loan loss provisions in the fourth quarter, more than the total it set aside in the first nine months of the year.

MADRID: Two men rummage through old clothes mixed with garbage on a street in Madrid, Spain. — AP

Gold holds above $1,600; Cyprus fallout supports SINGAPORE: Gold held steady above $1,600 an ounce yesterday on worries the Cyprus rescue deal could become a blueprint for solving banking crises in the euro-zone, supporting the precious metal’s safe-haven appeal. Gold is on track for a 1.6 percent gain in March, its first monthly rise in six, amid concerns about the financial stability of the euro-zone stoked by the crisis in Cyprus, where hundreds of anxious depositors are expected to besiege banks when they finally reopen later in the day.

“We continue to maintain the short-term outlook out of Europe remains uncertain enough to give the gold market a degree of support for the balance of the week and heading into early next week,” said Edward Meir, metals analyst at futures brokerage INTL FCStone. “Although the Cypriot situation will likely fade from the headlines over the course of the next month, the unusual circumstances behind the country’s rescue will likely linger for some time longer.”

Gold was little changed at $1,604.20 an ounce by 0722 GMT, still below a 1-month high around $1,616 hit last week. It rallied to an all-time high around $1,920 in September 2011, when a worsening debt crisis in Europe sparked a buying rush.

US gold dropped $2.30 to $1,603.90 an ounce. The physical market was mostly subdued as jewelers and speculators stayed on the sidelines ahead of the Easter holiday, keeping premiums in Hong Kong and Singapore unchanged at between $1.20 and $1.50 an ounce to the spot London prices. “We are trading within those premiums,” said a dealer in Singapore, who offered gold bars at $1.20 above the spot price. “It’s quiet out here.”

The Cyprus bailout is the first in Europe’s single currency zone to impose losses on bank depositors and raises the prospect of savers pulling money out of some other euro-zone countries perceived to be weak-a worry that supports gold. But German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Cyprus was a very special case and the European Union had found the right solution for it with its deal for a 10 billion euro bailout tied to the imposition of losses on bank depositors. — Reuters

The Italian banking association has said the pace of growth in bad loans, which has been climbing at an annual rate of 16-17 percent in recent months, should ease later in the year, based on economic recovery in the second half. That looks remote after the government this month said GDP would shrink 1.3 percent this year, adjusting a previous forecast for a 0.2 percent fall.

“Consumption levels, retail sales, industrial activity have gone back to pre-euro levels, and the banks still have not fully taken into account the fall in the property market. I doubt that if they foreclose today ... they would get much of their money back,” said Ronny Rehn, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

“So I think we will see a lot more provisioning for many years. Also, there is a lot of non-competitive companies that will end up exiting the market and defaulting, entailing more losses for the banks.”

Spanish banks are better protected against SME losses after Madrid used 41 billion euros of a total 100 billion euros of European aid to prop up its weakest lenders. — Reuters

US jobless claims jump to 357,000 World economy picking up but Europe lagging WASHINGTON: The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by 16,000 last week, the second straight weekly increase.

But the longer-term trend in layoffs remained consistent with an improved job market. The Labor Department says applications increased to a seasonally adjusted 357,000 for the week ending March 23.

That’s up from 341,000 the previous week, which was revised slightly higher. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose 2,250 to 343,000. That’s only slightly higher than the previous week’s five-year low of 340,750. Economists pay closer attention to the four-week average.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs.

They have been declining steadily since November, coinciding with solid job growth.

The global economy is beginning to rebound, but Europe is lagging behind and unemployment rates, even in countries starting to see growth, are still too high, a leading international economic body said yesterday. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development expects growth to accelerate in Japan and the United States in the first half of 2013. And though Germany will bounce back strongly, it says other

countries that use the euro will contract or only grow slowly. In an interim assessment that focused on the Group of 7 leading industrial economies, the OECD said that the European Central Bank needs to do more to encourage banks to lend and economies to grow.

For instance, Pier Carlo Padoan, the OECD’s chief economist, said the central bank has more room to lower interest rates, even though they are already very low. He also said the ECB should follow the US Federal Reserve’s method of explaining its thinking and giving more information about what it plans to do in the future. The report, which serves as an update to the OECD’s November economic forecast, notes that countries that use the euro are making progress in reducing their debts, but that some should be allowed to meet their targets more slowly to temper the impact on their economies.

Padoan was careful to note that the OECD was not calling for European countries to abandon the deep budget cuts and tax increases many are making to reduce their debts. He said that euro-zone countries must continue to reduce their structural deficits - that is, deficits that persist over a long period because of sustained overspending. Such structural deficits have contributed to massive debts in

European countries that led to the current crisis.

But he said the euro-zone should show flexibility since reducing deficits too quickly can hammer growth.

“Nominal deficit targets are likely to be missed,” he told reporters. “This is not a tragedy, as long as we are very clear about pursuing and achieving structural targets.” He also urged countries that are cutting their deficits to be careful to choose measures that wouldn’t aggravate high unemployment rates. Even in countries that have begun to grow, like the United States, unemployment is still above pre-crisis levels.

Padoan added that he thought turmoil in Cyprus, which recently sought a bailout, would have a limited effect on the rest of the euro-zone. Some have worried that very public indecision over how Cyprus would raise its share of a bank bailout - including an initial plan to tax insured deposits could raise questions about the safety of all banks in the euro-zone. “ The fact that the overall systemic risks of the region have been going down is not going to be changed by what is happening in Cyprus,” he said. “The point has been made very firmly that deposits, true deposits, meaning under 100,000 (euros) are protected.” — Agencies

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE FASCINATING STORY OF THE 99 Baqi believes his father tricked THE 99 in moving his work ahead of schedule and refuses to speak to him. Samda has a plan that may reunite them…

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2013, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.the99.org

26

Opinion FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Don’t fall in love in Yemen Looking for your beloved is courting disaster in ultra-conservative society

By Aburrahman Shamlan

L

ove hurts, especially in Yemen, where the majority of Yemeni people see relationships between single men and women as shameful and disgraceful. For them, real and honorable love comes after marriage, not before. However, love may eventually conquer all, as witnessed by this year’s booming sales of red roses and other gifts this past Valentine’s Day. Many of these gifts were exchanged secretly, and seen as a revolt against social restrictions on love. Unlike in many neighboring countries where restrictions on relationships between young men and women have been eased, Yemen and Saudi Arabia are still highly conservative. Tribal, traditional and religious restraints still prevent many young Yemenis from expressing or revealing their love. In

of shame attached to love has built a solid wall between the youths of both sexes.”

Rajeh himself has experienced this. He fell in love with a young woman and is convinced that one day they will marry. It has gone on for years, he says, although the relationship is conducted primarily on phone and Facebook. Her family has decided that Rajeh is not a suitable match and does not allow the lovers to get together. “When I went to her dad to propose, he rejected me and asked how I knew his daughter. After finding out about our completely ‘pure’ relationship, he confiscated her mobile phone and banned her from Internet access,” he confided.

The young woman has been grounded and when she goes somewhere, her father insists somebody accompany her to ensure she does not meet him, Rajeh said.

father and brothers beat me up and have gone so far as to prevent me from walking in front of their house.” When the girl’s father heard about their meetings and phone conversations, he confiscated her phone and grounded her, Saleh said. “Two years ago she married one of her rich relatives. Our relationship has completely ended, but her image still sometimes haunts my mind.” he told The Media Line.

With that relationship dashed, he heeded his parents’ advice and married a girl from his village “without even getting to see my wife’s face before the marriage”, he said. He relied on his mother’s and sisters’ belief that the girl was “beautiful and respectable” and says he now believes his wife is “the best woman in the entire world”.

Women suffer more than men from the social constraints on love. Parents guard their daughters,

A Yemeni vendor waits for customers at a market in the old city of Sanaa on March 10, 2013. —AP Yemen’s ultra-conservative society, girls are not even allowed to talk with male strangers except when buying from a male shopkeeper or asking for directions or other information. Girls study in segregated schools in Yemen and have segregated sections in restaurants. Many private universities have separate campuses for girls, although public universities have gender-mixed campuses.

The ultra-conservative view towards love makes affairs of the heart difficult for single men seeking a wife. “Love [outside marriage] in Yemen is socially associated with shame. Generally speaking, Yemeni people disapprove of love even though it’s pure and true, and consider it to be out of the norm,” journalist Adnan Rajeh, 27, told The Media Line. “The culture

Telecommunication company worker Abdusalam Shaker, 26, fell in love with a college classmate but said he couldn’t reveal his feelings due to social constraints. He said he was sure his feelings were reciprocated. Shaker brought his older sister to college to speak with his beloved and tell her that he planned to seek her hand and his intentions were completely honorable. The girl denied any knowledge of him, saying she didn’t even recognize his name. “But even if she was really in love with me it’s understandable for a Yemeni girl to deny it because of restrictions and for fear her reputation may be hurt,” he said.

Accountant Abdulrahman Saleh, 28, didn’t fare much better. “I was once in a real love relationship with my neighbor but her family got in the way. Her

fearing they will bring shame on their families.

During courting, men ask about previous relationships, not wanting to marry girls who’ve had any prior boyfriends. All men refuse to marry a girl who’s lost her virginity. Some youths say these conservative traditions help maintain society’s norms. “Falling in love is uncontrollable, therefore it must be guarded by Islamic teachings,” Iscander Al-Mameri, 27, told The Media Line. “We should not imitate the Westerners who have no rules governing their relationships.” Mohammed Ali, 24, agreed with AlMameri that the conservative Yemeni culture helps avoid adultery. Wearing traditional Yemeni clothes, including a janbia (a dagger with a short curved lade worn on a belt), the bearded Ali said, “There is noth-

ing called love before marriage. This concept - love was brought to our society by the Western movies and series with the aim of damaging our culture and erasing our identity...We should maintain our traditions in the face of such Western campaigns targeting our culture.” Speaking to Yemeni girls about love proved difficult, and most refused to comment on the subject. University student Yasmin Mohammed told The Media Line, “We were raised to respect our traditions and never to think about silly things like love.” Her friend Mona Ali, however, dressed completely in black and with her face veiled, said; “I’m in love with a guy and most of the girls are but they are too shy to discuss that. But although I’m in love, I draw a line at certain things. For example, I will refuse to meet the person I’m in love with or exchange gifts with him because I can’t let my family down.” One result of these ultraconservative views on love and marriage is parents marrying off their daughters as early as age 10 or 12. “The conservative culture of Yemeni society and the fear of the girls falling in love and besmirching the family’s reputation is one reason that pushes some parents to marry their daughters off at a young age,” Abdulbaki Shamson, professor of political sociology at Sana’a University, told The Media Line, an opinion Rajeh, AlMameri, Shaker and Saleh shared.

A 2007 study by the International Center for Research showed with 48 percent of Yemeni women married before 18. “Early marriage has a detrimental effect on the child, the family and society at large,” Shamson said. “The girls are affected physically and psychologically. The developing body of the young girl is not ready yet to get married and deliver babies. Many young wives die while giving birth.”

They are also too young to be able to raise children and take care of her family and household, he added.

The early marriages hurt Yemen’s economy by depriving the girls, half the population, from getting an education or working, “making half of society unproductive and a burden, and increasing the population growth,” Shamson said. The social belief that marriage, rather than education, secures the girls’ future also leads to the early marriages, along with lack of awareness of the dangers of such marriages and the high illiteracy rate.

Such marriages continue to pose a challenge to the government, with some religious and political forces fiercely opposed to setting a minimum age for marriage. Under pressure from international and local human rights groups, the former regime sent a draft law in 2009 to parliament for approval setting that age at 17. However it failed to pass through parliament, with religious and tribal figures arguing that setting a minimum age for marriage goes against Islamic teachings.

Shamson blamed the weakness of human rights and civil society organizations, adding their lack of a comprehensive strategy to get it approved was the main reason for the law not passing. “A comprehensive civil campaign should mainly target the masses by raising awareness among them about the dangers of early marriage and if we succeed in having the people on our side, we can easily force MPs and the government to determine a minimum age for marriage,” he concluded. However, analyst Hassan Al-Haifi, 63, told The Media Line, “Misguided religious teachings by religious mentors who have unfortunately adopted an almost heretical understanding of Islam were the biggest obstacle to passing the draft law.” —Media Line

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 www.kuwaittimes.net

This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Adrianne Palicki in a scene from "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." — AP

FOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Stock up:

Make-your-own soup provides a hearty, healthy and often fast meal for your family

By Lee Svitak Dean

A

fter picking meat off the bones from two roasted chickens, my daughter was about to toss the carcasses into the garbage when I reminded her, “That’s the best part.” Indeed it is. Whether it’s the ready-roasted supermarket hen that you picked up on the way home from work, the leftover beef bones left on the serving platter, the remains of the meal are not scraps to discard, but treasured ingredients to form the basis of stock, the foundation of soup. It’s so automatic for me that before I clean up the kitchen post-dinner, I have filled the soup pot with water and added leftover bones and bits of meat, a few coarsely chopped vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, the latter with leafy tops if I’ve planned ahead) and aromatics (bay leaf, peppercorns). It’s what I call my free meal - waste not, want not - simmered with the bits and pieces of produce found in my refrigerator crisper. No need for the vegetables

to be at their best as their last remaining flavors will be extracted in the broth. The bones from the roasted meat result in a dark stock with plenty of flavor.

It’s perfectly fine to use uncooked meat with bones (chicken breasts or thighs, turkey neck bones, for example) to make the stock. But the richness of roasted meat bumps up the flavor in a way that suits me. (A lighter-colored, more delicate chicken stock will be the result of preparing it with raw meat.) No leftover bones? You can always brown or roast the bones before you start making the stock.

16 cups store-bought chicken stock 2 pounds chicken parts (necks, backs, breast bones, wings, etc.)

2 onions, sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 carrot, sliced 1 rib celery, sliced 6 whole black peppercorns 3 parsley stems 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried thyme

TO MAKE YOUR OWN STOCK Start with cold water and cover the bones and vegetables with water, so there’s at least 2 inches of liquid above the ingredients. A tall soup pot is best (less water evaporates), but you can certainly use a smaller pot if that’s what you have. Keep in mind that it doesn’t take any longer to make a lot of stock than it does to make a little.

You’ll want to bring the mixture to a boil, then drop it to a low simmer and keep it going, with the pot semi-covered, for as long as the meat and vegetables have something to offer. That’s definitely for at least an hour, maybe two or more, adding additional water as the liquid reduces. The fragrance of the broth will waft through your kitchen like an aromatic humidifier.

Directions: In large stockpot, combine stock, chicken parts, onions, garlic, carrot, celery, peppercorns, parsley stems, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Cook at a very low simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and degrease stock.

LAST STEPS FOR STOCK MAKING Once the stock is done, strain it (discarding the bones, meat and vegetables, all of which are tasteless by now) and cool the liquid in the refrigerator, where the fat will rise to the top and harden, making it easy to discard. Then you’re ready to make soup.

WILD MUSHROOM AND ORZO SOUP WITH ITALIAN MEATBALLS Serves 6 to 8.

Note: If you decide to substitute store-bought meatballs for homemade, you may want to resize them (packaged ones tend to be large). Cut the large meatballs in half and reroll them into a ball that is better suited for a soup bowl. From “300 Sensational Soups,” by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds.

A QUICK VERSION Not enough time? You can make a quick version by doctoring store-bought chicken stock with your own vegetables for added depth of flavor. And now the real cooking begins, with either a favorite soup recipe or something new. Here are some options to warm you up on a cold day.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BROTH AND STOCK? Stock is the foundation of many types of dishes, including soup. Broth is what it’s called when you’re serving it on its own or with other ingredients, such as noodles or vegetables. The biggest difference between the two is that broth is more highly seasoned than stock (stick with low-sodium broths when you’re buying commercially made).

QUICK CHICKEN STOCK Makes about 14 cups.

Note: From “300 Sensational Soups,” by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds.

Nutrition information per 1 cup: Calories: 50; Fat: 2 grams; Sodium: 150 milligrams Carbohydrates: 4 grams; Saturated fat: 0 grams; Calcium: 10 milligrams Protein: 6 grams; Cholesterol: 3 milligrams Dietary fiber: 0 grams Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 lean meat

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, minced 1pound wild mushrooms, sliced 1 rib celery, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 6 cups beef or chicken stock Uncooked Italian Meatballs 1 cup uncooked orzo 1\2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1\2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish Freshly ground black pepper Directions: In large pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high

FOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

heat. Add onion and saute until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, salt, basil and oregano; saute until vegetables begin to soften and mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.

Add stock and bring to boil. Carefully add meatballs and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil. Stir in orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley, lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into heated bowls and pass additional cheese at the table.

Nutrition information per each of 8 servings: Calories: 400; Fat: 21 grams; Sodium: 1,170 mg

ligrams Carbohydrates: 5 grams; Saturated fat: 4 grams; Calcium: 76 milligrams Protein: 18 grams; Cholesterol: 82 milligrams; Dietary fiber: 1 gram WHITE BEAN, CHICKEN AND PESTO SOUP Serves 8.

Note: Think of this as a “from the pantry” soup. Substitute any kind of canned bean or leftover meat, such as beef. The vinegar at the end of cooking heightens the flavor. From “300 Sensational Soups,” by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds.

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 rib celery, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1\2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 6 cups chicken stock 1 teaspoon salt 1\2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cans (each 14 to 19 oz.) cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 3 cups shredded cooked chicken 1\2 cup pesto (store-bought or your own), divided 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar Extra-virgin olive oil

Carbohydrates: 25 g; Saturated fat 7 g; Calcium: 180 mg Protein: 27 g; Cholesterol: 92 mg; Dietary fiber: 4 g Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 1 bread/starch, 3 lean meat.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS Makes about 32 meatballs (enough for 8 servings of soup).

Note: From “300 Sensational Soups,” by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 8 ounces lean ground beef 8 ounces lean ground veal 1 egg 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1\2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1\2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 2 tsp salt 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1\2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Directions In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

Add onion and saute until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Let cool

for 5 minutes.

In large bowl, using your hands, combine onion mixture, beef, veal, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, basil, oregano and pepper. To taste for seasoning, heat a small skillet over medium heat and fry a spoon-sized patty until no longer pink. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper, if necessary.

Roll into small meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.

Nutrition information per 4 meatballs: Calories: 210; Fat: 13 grams; Sodium: 720 mil-

Directions: In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Add onion and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, celery, carrot, oregano and cayenne; saute for 2 minutes.

Stir in stock, salt and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes. Add beans, chicken, 2 tablespoons pesto, vinegar; heat until steaming, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper, if necessary.

Ladle into heated bowls and garnish each with a small dollop of remaining pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 280; Fat: 11 grams; Sodium: 690 milligrams Carbohydrates: 21 grams; Saturated fat: 3

grams; Calcium: 77 milligrams Protein: 25 grams; Cholesterol: 46 milligrams; Dietary fiber: 5 grams BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP Serves 6.

Note: If preferred, substitute 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli instead of frozen.

From “Soup’s On,” by Valerie Phillips.

3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 2 (14.5-ounce) cans (3{ cups) chicken or vegetable stock 2 cups milk or half-and-half 1 large chopped onion 2 (12-ounce) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, or broccoli cuts, thawed 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Pinch ground nutmeg 1 cup Parmesan cheese or sour cream, for garnish Directions: Melt butter over medium heat in a 4- to 6quart stockpot.

Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, to make a roux.

Add stock, milk, onion and broccoli and stir well. Turn up the heat and allow mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let mixture cook until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes. Puree until smooth in 2 batches in a stand blender, or with a hand-held blender.

Return to pot and add the Cheddar, stirring until cheese is melted. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan or sour cream, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 350; Fat: 22 grams; Sodium: 560 milligrams Carbohydrates: 17 grams; Saturated fat: 14 grams; Calcium: 460 milligrams Protein: 22 grams; Cholesterol: 65 milligrams; Dietary fiber: 4 grams. — MCT

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Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Top 10 places to

see animals in the wild

W

ith the thawing of winter in many parts of the world, animals and humans alike are starting to wake up and get outside. As avid wildlife watchers, members of VirtualTourist.com, a leading travel website, compiled a list of the “Top 10 Places to See Animals in the Wild.”

1. Serengeti National Park - Tanzania Northern Tanzania provides more opportunities to see large numbers of animals in the wild than possibly any other spot in the world. VirtualTourist members mentioned both Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area as prime spots to see animals in the wild. Both of these areas are famous for spotting the “big five,” a phrase coined by hunters in Africa referring to lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards and rhinoceros. Apparently, this phrase was coined because these five animals are the most difficult in Africa to hunt on foot, but now they refer to the animals visitors most want to witness on a safari.

The Serengeti area also provides a unique opportunity to watch animal migration in action.

The wildebeest and zebras spend the rainy season from December to June in the volcanic open plains below the Ngorongoro Crater, where the grass growth is most productive and nutrient contents high. Once the rains stop in June, the animals move west towards Lake Victoria, and then migrate north into the Masai Mara, only to return to the Serengeti with the rain in December. It is one of the last great migratory systems intact and there are few opportunities to see over a million of any species, let alone just two, roam together.

Although there is animal activity on Kangaroo Island year round, two times of year provide special sights. In the Australian summer (December to February), kangaroos and wallabies can be seen at dawn and dusk. It’s also the time when the Australian sea lion breeding season begins, so Seal Bay will be populated with cute pups. In Australian winter (June to August), kangaroo and wallaby joeys (babies) start to emerge from the mother’s pouch and feed alongside them, and southern right whales pass along the island’s shores during their migration from Antarctic waters.

4. Katmai National Park and Preserve - Southwestern Alaska, United States One of the greatest locations in the Northern hemisphere to observe animals is in the Alaskan wilderness. While there are a great variety of animals to be found in the Southwest area of Alaska, visitors to Katmai National Park and Preserve

2. Bandhavgarh National Park - Madhya Pradesh, India Tigers are an animal many travelers would love to see, but unfortunately, the endangered species is increasingly rare. According to the WWF, there are only approximately 3,200 wild tigers with the largest population, the Bengal tiger, found primarily in India. A VirtualTourist member suggested Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India, as a great destination for spotting these in the wild. Since 1993, the park has been considZebras in the Serengeti. —MCT photos ered a tiger reserve so it has the highest density of tigers in India, making it likely you’ll spot one during your visit. In addition to the Bengal tiger, the park is also home to more than 22 species of mammals including leopards, jungle cats, striped hyenas, jackals and Bengal foxes. A safari at the park can be experienced one of two ways: via jeep or on the back of an elephant. It should also be noted that the best time to visit is from midNovember to June.

3. Kangaroo Island - South Australia Only 15 kilometers (miles) off the South Australian mainland, Kangaroo Island is a great site for seeing all kinds of animals, but two species in particular have drawn VirtualTourist members there: kangaroos and seals. One spot not to miss is Seal Bay Conservation Park, located on the island’s southern shore, where visitors can observe Australian sea lions via the self-guided boardwalk or opt for beach access through a guided tour. Another recommended location is Flinders Chase National Park, which is home to hundreds of kangaroos and New Zealand fur seals. While they are not an animal attraction, many members enjoyed photographing the Remarkable Rocks, a unique collection of rock formations also located in Flinders Chase National Park.

Bandhavgarh National Park.

are usually on the lookout for brown bears. According to the park’s website, the brown bear population at Katmai National Park was recently estimated at more than 2,100 bears. Brown bears are particularly attracted to the salmon runs that occur at Brooks Falls during the summer, so a great time to spot them is from late June thru mid-July and September, although they can be present anytime between May thru December. Since there is no road access to the King Salmon (the park headquarters), visitors must fly into the park. In addition to hiking, kayaking, and observing the wildlife, Katmai National Park is a very popular spot for sport fishing.

5. Parc Omega - Montebello, Quebec, Canada Canada’s landscape provides ample wildlife viewing, but VirtualTourist members reported seeing great numbers of different animals at Parc Omega in the Province of Quebec. The park is located in Montebello, about 132 km (82 miles) from Montreal and only 81 km (50 miles) from Ottawa, making it a great stop for visitors to either region who’d like to see some Canadian wildlife. A 10 km (6.2 mile) driving path is open year round and a great idea for families. By tuning your radio to 88.1 FM, you can learn more about the animals and the habitat during that time of year. From the safety of a vehicle, visitors will see bison, elk, black bears, red deer, and both timber and arctic wolves. The park also provides walking and hiking trails that are protected and only contain non-aggressive animals.

6. Volcans National Park - Rwanda With only 850 mountain gorillas presently inhabiting the world, it’s amazing that 300 of them live in a country as small as the state of Maryland. High in the mountains of Volcans National Park in Rwanda, 18 mountain gorilla groups reside, 10 of which can be visited by tourists. Since permits are required to visit the groups, VirtualTourist members suggest applying well in advance, especially if you plan on visiting during a peak time. Another thing to take into consideration: since groups range in their location, visiting one group might only take a short walk through a forest, but another group might be saddled with an hour and a half trek through dense growth. However, members guarantee that visiting the gorillas is an experience of a lifetime. It’s also worth noting that it is a significantly shorter trek to their location in Rwanda than in the two other countries where they can be found, Uganda and the DNC. 7. Kruger National Park - South Africa Encompassing 2-million hectares and straddling two different regions of South Africa, Kruger National Park is one of the most famous places in the world to see wildlife in action.

Along with the Serengeti (listed above), it is also one of the best locales for spotting the “Big Five:” lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and rhinoceros. One unique aspect of Kruger National Park is that it’s a self-drive game park, meaning visitors can pick up clearly illustrated maps at every entrance to the park and navigate for themselves, taking their time and stopping whenever they want. However, if you want a guided tour, there are game walks and drives, hikes, and even mountain bike routes for exploring the park. One VirtualTourist member recommends driving the S56 from Babalala towards Shingwedzi. Although it parallels main road H1-7, S56 follows the river and provides

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Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Breakfast with the Roos.

Penguins at Punta Tombo.

greater diversity of animals and birds to see. The South African winter months, from May to September, are best for game viewing since the grass is low making it easier to spot game. VirtualTourist members also said it can be good to plan at least one night drive or safari since some of the most desired animals to see (like leopards) are nocturnal.

8. Osa Peninsula & Tortuguero National Park - Costa Rica Few places are both accessible and filled with tropical wildlife, so Costa Rica is an easy bet for some great wildlife sightings, especially if you are traveling from North or South America. VirtualTourist members suggested two spots within Costa Rica for great animal viewing: the Osa Peninsula and Tortuguero National Park. The Osa Peninsula, located on the Pacific side of the country, is one of the few places to spot the Scarlet Macaw in the wild. The forest canopies of Corcovado National Park supposedly have the largest concentration of macaws in Central America so visitors should keep a look out for these majestic birds.

Bordering the Caribbean Sea, Tortuguero National Park is located near Costa Rica’s northeast border with Nicaragua. Members described exploring the canals into the park by boat, from which they were able to spot toucans, monkeys, sloths and other animals. Another recommendation is to take a guided walking tour at night.

Tortuguero NP is also a sanctuary for nesting sea turtles.

Although the green turtle is the primary focus, hawksbill and leatherback turtles are also tagged and counted by the conservation corporation. The green turtle nesting season occurs from July through October with tours occurring late

at night to see turtles lay eggs. Since the beach is closely monitored during this season, you must have a guide and members recommend signing up early if you’ll be visiting during this time.

9. Punta Tombo - Chubut Province, Argentina Along with the majestic nature that visitors can experience

African Elephant in Kruger National Park.

while visiting Patagonia, there are some unique opportunities to see animals. Punta Tombo, located on the Argentine Sea in Chubut Province, is the best place to see Magellan Penguins within continental Patagonia. With more than a million and a half Magellan Penguins arriving to Punta Tombo every year to breed, you are bound to see quite a few! Though the first penguins arrive in September and stay at Punta Tombo until mid-March, the recommended time to visit for optimal viewing is after November once the babies are born. In addition to the sheer volume of penguins another unique factor about Punta Tombo is that despite being a conservation reservation, visitors are allowed to get very close to the penguins, as long as they don’t disturb or touch them.

10. Hol Chan Marine Reserve - Near Ambergris Caye, Belize Only a short 20-minute boat ride from Ambergris Caye, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve is one of the best places to snorkel in all of the Caribbean. Numerous snorkel and scuba aficionados remark that it is incredibly rare to see such a variety of wild fish in such shallow water, since most of the reserve is only 6 to 10 feet deep.

Groupers, angelfish, and even eagle rays can be spotted regularly in this area. Within Hol Chan Marine Reserve there is an area called Shark Ray Alley famous for its number of nurse sharks in the shallow 8-foot water. For years, local fisherman cleaned their catch just inside the reef and the daily routine caused a large number of nurse sharks and sting rays to start frequenting the area. —MCT

Health FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Drink up for good health C

Why milk is actually a super food

onsumption of milk and dairy products is associated with numerous health benefits. Milk and dairy products are providers of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and protein which are all essential for healthy bone growth and development. Adequate consumption of milk and dairy from early childhood and throughout life can help to make the bones strong and protect them against diseases like osteoporosis (a debilitating, brittle bone disorder) in later life.

Teeth The amounts of calcium and phosphorous in milk and dairy products are also beneficial for the development and maintenance of healthy teeth. The most abundant protein in milk is casein and is protective as it forms a thin film on the enamel surface which prevents loss of calcium and phosphate from the enamel when the teeth are exposed to acids in the mouth. Studies have suggested that milk also reduces the effects of cariogenic foods on teeth when consumed together with them in the diet. In fact, dentists recommend that milk is the only safe drink to have between meals (except for water) as it has been shown not to cause tooth decay even in conditions perfect for damaging teeth!

Milk and blood pressure An increasing number of studies suggest that consuming 3 portions of dairy each day, along with five portions of fruit and vegetables as part of a low salt diet can reduce high blood pressure in both adults and children. Although the exact mechanisms involved are not clear, it is thought that the calcium, potassium, magnesium and proteins within milk are all likely to be involved.

Milk and cardiovascular disease Several studies have linked milk and dairy consumption with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. A recent study in Welsh men found that those who drank the most milk had fewer heart attacks than those who had little or no milk in their diets. This connection could be due to many factors in milk, but epidemiological studies have shown that higher intakes of calcium in particular are linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

More specifically, studies have shown that high calcium intakes may reduce high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, and increase low levels of good cholesterol both of which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In addition, it is also thought that calcium may bind harmful fats together in the gut and prevent their absorption, which in turn prevents levels in the blood increasing.

Obesity Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that people who consume milk and dairy foods are likely to be slimmer than those who do not. Studies have also shown that consumption of milk and dairy foods as part of a calorie controlled diet is associated with increased weight loss, particularly from the abdomen. This is particularly beneficial since excess fat around the trunk region of the body is associated with greater risks to health. The precise mechanisms involved are unclear but are likely to involve calcium which is found in milk and dairy foods.

Type 2 diabetes Studies suggest that regular consumption of low fat dairy products can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, which has been a longstanding problem in adults, and is becoming increasingly common in children and adolescents. A recent study of more than 37,000 middle aged women found that those with the highest intakes of dairy had a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. The strongest association was found with low fat dairy products. Similarly a study of men in 2005 found a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes with increased consumption of low fat dairy, inter-

estingly, every extra portion of dairy consumed was associated with increasingly lower risk. It is thought that this effect may be due to the combined effects of many beneficial nutrients found within dairy foods including calcium and magnesium, or the fact that dairy foods have a low glycemic index, which helps to control blood sugar levels.

Cancer There is considerable evidence to suggest that milk has a protective effect on risk of both colorectal and breast cancer with increased intakes. A recent study of 45,000 Swedish men reported that men who drank 1.5 glasses of milk per day or more, had 35 percent lower risk of the disease than those who had a low milk intake of less than 2 glasses per week.

Additionally a study of over 40,000 Norwegian women found that those who drank milk as children and continued to do so as adults, had a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Calcium and a naturally occurring fat in dairy products known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) have been suggested as protective components in colon cancer.

Hydration In order to remain adequately hydrated, it is recommended that we consume 6-8 cups of fluid each day. If we become dehydrated, it can result in poor concentration and memory function and leave you feeling irritable and unwell. Milk is an excellent choice of fluid as it not only rehydrates the body, but provides a host of beneficial nutrients and protects the teeth at the same time! Re-hydration after exercise is particularly important to replace lost fluids, and a recent study in the USA found that chocolate milk helped the body to recover after exhausting exercise!

Why is it important to make fat-free or low-fat choices from the Dairy Group?

Choosing foods from the Dairy Group that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol can have health implications. Diets high in saturated fats raise “bad” cholesterol

levels in the blood. The “bad” cholesterol is called LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol, in turn, increases the risk for coronary heart disease. Many cheeses, whole milk, and products made from them are high in saturated fat. To help keep blood cholesterol levels healthy, limit the amount of these foods you eat. In addition, a high intake of fats makes it difficult to avoid consuming more calories than are needed. www.milk.co.uk

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Photo shows actors Jibreel Mawry, left, and Raymond Luke Jr. posing outside the LuntFontanne Theatre in New York, where their show ‘Motown: The Musical,’ is playing.

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Photo shows Berry Gordy posing for a portrait in front of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York. —AP photos

2 guys have a ball as Michael Jackson on Broadway

f making your Broadway debut at age 12 doesn’t sound scary enough, imagine doing it in an iconic role. Now triple it.

That’s what Raymond Luke Jr and Jibreel Mawry are facing. They’re taking turns portraying a preteen Michael Jackson, a young Motown founder Berry Gordy and an adolescent Stevie Wonder in “Motown: The Musical.”

“It’s a big step,” acknowledges a soft-spoken Jibreel backstage at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. “We went from local performances around town to Broadway.” The musical portrays Motown’s first 25 years through the eyes of Gordy and is punctuated with a stunning collection of vintage hits and energetic dance numbers.

Jibreel, from Detroit, and Raymond, from Los Angeles, beat hundreds of hopefuls in a national search and now find themselves sharing a tiny dressing room in New York, juggling schoolwork and keeping up with lastminute changes to the show. “I don’t think either one of them had ever seen a Broadway show prior to this,” says director Charles Randolph-Wright. “So to all of a sudden be starring in this show where you can’t get a

ticket, in a theater with 1,500 seats, it’s quite a different thing from being in your high-school auditorium or the mall.” A recent visit backstage revealed two happy, polite and remarkably talented youngsters. The door of Room 14 has both an official sign with their names in typeset letters and a homemade one just below with the word “Motown” in bright colored-in letters and their signatures.

Just as a visitor knocked, the sound of the boys singing was heard. They weren’t belting out Katy Perry or Kanye West. It was a pretty great version of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from “Hairspray.” “We have a lot of fun in here,” says Raymond. Of the three roles they play, Michael Jackson is the toughest, requiring the most singing and dancing, including several classic Jackson Five hits like “I Want You Back” and “The Love You Save.” They’ve studied footage of Jackson as well as his influences, including Jackie Wilson and James Brown. “Michael is someone who felt the music. He WAS the music,” says Raymond.

Adds Jibreel: “He was always so smooth onstage. He held back when he was offstage, but then when that spotlight hit him onstage,

he was a whole different person.” Jibreel was introduced to Jackson’s music at age 5 by his mother and has made several appearances mimicking the King of Pop. He helped teach Raymond the finer points, including to keep smiling and to keep moving. “I wasn’t comfortable with smiling. I was the kind of singer that just stands still,” says Raymond. Of his costar, he adds admiringly: “When he’s Michael, he’s like a whole other Michael. He’s like Michael Jr” Jibreel, whose YouTube handle is JuniorMJ1000, auditioned by sending in a video but, just to be sure, his family drove him to New York to audition in person as well. He was called back to join a workshop and then finally this winter got word he had landed the Broadway gig.

“I didn’t believe it when my mom told me,” he says. Raymond, who led his church choir at 8, auditioned on camera in Los Angeles, singing “I Want You Back,” “Loving You” and “I’ll Be There.” He was invited to New York to show off his stuff and was then offered the job just before Christmas break. His mom got the call. “I just remember her crying, ‘You made it! You made it!’” he recalls. “I’ve been

singing since I was 3, so it’s kind of amazing for me to actually be here. C’mon? New York?

Broadway? That’s amazing.”

Randolph-Wright helped cast the show and sifted through audition videos as well as visiting Detroit, Atlanta and Los Angeles to see candidates up close. He says he knew he had found gold as soon as Jibreel and Raymond walked in. “It’s daunting to have to play any one of those three characters. To have to do all three of them is, of course, insane,” he says. “It’s thrilling to see them grow and change and discover what it means to be on Broadway.”

Both hope a show-biz career awaits them.

Raymond is a veteran of Toys R Us and Volkswagen commercials, and Jibreel plans on finishing his debut album of pop and R&B songs. Each boy has a parent in the city watching over him, as well as Lisa Swift, their teacher, who tries to squeeze in as many online lessons as possible in between choreography tuneups. Jibreel, in sixth grade, and Raymond, in seventh, are required to get three hours of schooling for every day of classes they miss. —AP

Pop art, rock or Nintendo: ‘Clouds’ gather at Vienna museum

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uper Mario video games, the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Pink Floyd’s music and Belgian artist Rene Magritte: who would have thought these had anything in common? But Vienna’s Leopold Museum demonstrates there is a link in its new exhibit “Clouds. Fleeting Worlds,” which draws from the most unexpected sources-not just 18th-century paintings but Nintendo games, album covers and floating silver pillows-to pay tribute to this airy phenomenon. “We don’t stop and think about the phenomenon of clouds ordinarily, we take them for granted... but they are always different, never the same, constantly in movement,” says the exhibit’s curator Tobias Natter.

Images of clouds-depicted realistically or stylized; painted, photographed or filmed-succeed each other on the walls of the museum. But the highlight is the eclectic mix of art and media on display, with dozens of album covers-including

Dire Straits, The Who, Velvet Underground, John Lennon, Depeche Mode and The Kinks, all of them featur-

ing clouds in some way-dotted among 19th-century masterpieces by William Turner, Claude Monet and Vincent van

A woman walks next to an artwork by Australian artist Dietrich Wegner, titled “Playhouse” and dated 2008-2012, as part of the “Clouds” (Wolken) exhibition at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, on March 21, 2013. —AFP

Gogh. In a ventilated room, large pillow-shaped balloons-Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds”-float about within the reach of visitors, and especially children, who delight in catching them and bouncing them off the walls.

Big kids will also recognize the pixilated white clouds drifting across a bright blue sky projected on a wall: the very background used in the 1980s Super Mario video games, but without the cheerful mustachioed plumber and his prized mushrooms. Artists first became obsessed with capturing clouds on canvas in the late 18th and early 19th century, and scientists started studying them around the same time, drawing up the first cloud atlases, some of which are on show. This provides the starting point for an exhibition that moves deftly through time, genres and media, from painting to photography and documentary film, from 1800 to the present day, from the great masters to the digital age. —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

B

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt says to go to jail without a fight

ollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said yesterday that he will return to jail for his conviction linked to the 1993 Mumbai bombings, giving up a longrunning legal battle for his freedom. The high-earning actor has been on bail since 2007 when he appealed against an original sentence of six years for the illegal possession of weapons in a case linked to the attacks that killed 257 people. Last week India’s Supreme Court rejected his final appeal against his conviction but reduced his sentence to five years and ordered him to return to custody within four weeks.

Dutt, 53, said he would no longer fight and would not try to seek a pardon. “Right now I am a shattered man, my family is shattered,” an emotional Dutt told reporters in Mumbai, breaking down and hugging his sister, Priya, who sat beside him. “I am not going for pardon, there is no debate about it . The honorable Supreme Court has given me time to surrender and I will surrender at that time.” Dutt had already spent 18 months in prison before being released on bail so he is expected to serve another 3.5 years.

Dutt was the most high-profile of 100 people involved in the Mumbai bombings trial which ended with 12 people receiving the death penalty and 20 others given life sentences. In 2007, he was cleared of conspiracy charges in the attacks but found guilty of illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and a pistol which he claimed were to protect him and his family during a period of rioting in Mumbai.

The court’s five-year sentence handed down last week prompted a debate on whether the actor was judged too harshly, with many in the Bollywood film industry and Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju calling for him to be pardoned. Projects worth more than 2.5 billion rupees ($46 million) and the fate of various Bollywood movies hang in the balance with Dutt heading back to jail.

The actor has four films in the pipeline, including

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, center, gestures to the media after he broke down during a press conference.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, right, breaks down as his sister Priya Dutt tries to console him during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, yesterday. —AP “Peekay”, “Policegiri”, “Unglee” and a remake of “Zanjeer”. Dutt, popular for his role as a do-good gangster in the “Munnabhai” films, requested the media and well-wishers to leave him “in peace” in his final days before returning to prison. “I have a lot of work, I have to finish all that work. I have to spend all this time with my family, so I, with folded hands, tell you all that just let me be in peace till the time I go in,” he said. — AP

China ‘bans’ Kraftwerk from festival over Tibet show

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Louie Anderson

Comedian Anderson still hurting from diving mishap

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omedian Louie Anderson says he’s been in pain all week from a recent diving mishap during a taping of the celebrity diving show “Splash.” The comedian, who weighs more than 400 pounds (181 kilograms), was trying to do a flip from the board when he slammed into the water, landing on his face and chest. “If I were lying down right now, you would have to help me up,” said Anderson, 60. “It’s been almost a week, and it still hurts almost as much.”

The American version of “Splash,” a surprise hit that originated in Europe, has Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis coaching a diverse cast of celebrities that includes basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and former Baywatch star Nicole Eggert. Anderson says he figured he was either going to be inspirational or a laughingstock. He says he’s lucky that some people think he’s doing a good job. —AP

hina has forbidden German electronic band Kraftwerk from performing at a music festival, more than a decade after they appeared on the bill of a Free Tibet concert, an industry source said yesterday. Modern Sky records, a Chinese music company, applied to the Ministry of Culture for permission for the band to play at the annual Strawberry Festival in Beijing next month.

But a source at the firm, asking for anonymity for fear of reprisals, said: “Kraftwerk were not allowed to play... because they participated in a Free Tibet concert. “We had already arranged the show, it’s a pity they can’t come, it’s a great shame.”

Kraftwerk achieved fame in the 1970s as pioneers of electronic pop music and were scheduled to appear at a high-profile “Free Tibet” concert in Washington DC in 1998.

The band pulled out after the show was afflicted by bad weather. China’s culture ministry has a long-standing policy of refusing permission to acts who

have voiced support for Tibetan independence, several sources with knowledge of the matter told AFP. No-one from the ministry was available for comment yesterday. British indie-rock band Travis will headline the festival, the state-run Global Times said Thursday, reporting that Kraftwerk had been chosen to top the bill but the

arrangement collapsed because of “political reasons” it did not specify.

News of the ban on the German band comes ahead of the first Chinese performance by UK punk rocker John Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, who is set to play in Beijing on Saturday with his band Public Image Ltd. — AFP

Bachchan asks fans to save water during Holi fest B ollywood’s biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, wants his fans to enjoy a dry Holi and save water during the Hindu festival of colors because of a drought in western India. Bachchan said on his Facebook page Tuesday that “I have expressed that we play a dry Holi without water.” The 70-year-old actor

known as “Big B” posted similar notes on his other social media accounts, which are followed by millions.

The Holi festival yesterday is celebrated by playing with dry colors as well as colored water. Several districts in the western Indian state of Maharashtra face severe drought after receiving far less

than their usual share of rain during last year’s monsoon. Local residents say they are finding it difficult to get enough drinking water, and hundreds of cattle farmers have taken their animals to government-run camps for water and fodder. Bachchan has done more than 180 films since rising to stardom following

his leading role in the 1973 film “Zanjeer,” or “The Chain.” He’s also the patriarch of what’s known as Bollywood’s first family. Wife Jaya Bachchan is an actress-turnedlawmaker, while their son, Abhishek, is also an actor and married to Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. —AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Rolling Stones to play Britain’s Glastonbury festival for first time

T

he Rolling Stones will play Britain’s Glastonbury music festival for the first time, organizers announced on Wednesday, joining Arctic Monkeys and folk band Mumford & Sons as headliners at the three-day June event.

The appearance by the veteran British rock group follows weeks of rumors that the Stones, who in 2012 celebrated 50 years in the music business with a handful of concerts, finally would play at Glastonbury, one of Europe’s biggest music festivals.

According to a line-up on the Glastonbury website for the June 28-30 festival in western England, the Rolling Stones will play the main Pyramid Stage. The exact date of their appearance was not listed. “Can’t wait to play Glastonbury. I have my wellies and my yurt!”

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, referring to rain boots

and an elaborate tent. The line-up also includes British rapper Dizzee Rascal, rock band Primal Scream, Australian rocker Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, singer Elvis Costello, veteran American country singer Kenny Rogers and British folkrocker Billy Bragg among others.

Members of the Stones have been saying for weeks that they would like to play Glastonbury for the first time in their long careers. The band played a series of mini-concerts in London and the United States in November and December that sold out quickly, as well as marking 50 years of hits like “Honky Tonk Women” and “Angie” with a documentary, photograph book and greatest hits album. Speculation has also been rife that the Stones will launch a full world tour in 2013, which would be the band’s first since their 2005-2007 “A Bigger Bang” tour. — Reuters

Rolling Stones

Star: ‘Lost in Thailand’ clicked with modern focus T

he director of China’s biggest box-office hit says “Lost in Thailand” succeeded by showing a rarely seen subject: modern Chinese life. The historical epic, fantasy, action and thriller genres have long filled China’s domestic movie screens. But “Lost in Thailand” was a low-budget and light-hearted road-trip tale about an ambitious executive who goes to Thailand to get his boss’s approval for a business deal. Along the way he’s pursued by a rival co-worker and encounters a wacky tourist who helps him rethink his priorities.

“There is hunger from the audience for movies that talk about the real-life situation in China. That’s why the movie rocked,” said Xu Zheng, the film’s director, writer and star. “There is a lack of films that talk about things that are related to the life of ordinary people” in China, he added. Unusually for a Chinese release, the movie was a moral comedy whose characters reflect stressedout, overworked, wealth-obsessed China. Xu said his character, businessman Xu Lang, “represented the majority of the people, who are chasing after fame and

In this publicity image released by Pegasus Motion Pictures, ‘Lost in Thailand’ stars, from left, Bo Huang, Xu Zheng, and Wang Baoqiang, pose together. — AP

desire, then becoming successful. That’s what most of us do.” The movie starts with the executive hardened by cutthroat business competition and worn out by family troubles. He and a wacky tourist, co-star Wang Baoqiang, experience a series of capers and mishaps in scenes heavy with slapstick humor. In the end, Xu Lang realizes he’s had his priorities all wrong.

“Lost in Thailand” smashed domestic box-office records, raking in 1.26 billion yuan ($200 million) last year, an especially surprising tally since it was not released until December. It edged out “Avatar” to become the biggest-grossing Chinese movie ever as China became the world’s second-biggest movie market last year. Most other Chinese-made hits last year were in traditional categories, such as Jackie Chan’s action flick “CZ12,” which was the second-highest-grossing Chinese movie in 2012. The blockbuster success of “Lost in Thailand” may spur a wave of copycats. Xu has no plan yet for a sequel, but the state-run Xinhua News Agency has reported studios are lining up to “chase the craze” and a burst of such films could hit Chinese screens this year.

With such a huge return from its $2.2 million budget, “some filmmakers have begun pondering how to replicate the film’s box office miracle,” Xinhua said. It did not mention any specific projects, but other Chinese news sites have been buzzing about Raymond Yip’s upcoming film about two brothers on a road trip. Yip directed 2010’s “Lost on Journey,” a sort of prequel to “Lost in Thailand” also starring Xu and Wang. The plot of his new film, “Along Crazy All The Way,” which has a different cast, is being kept under wraps. But a hint can be found in the title, which is the same as one of two Chinese names given to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” the 1987 Hollywood comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy about a man trying to get home for Thanksgiving accompanied by an obnoxious salesman.

Xu has acted in more than a dozen movies, but “Lost in Thailand” is his directorial debut. He said the film was greatly influenced by a few of his favorite Hollywood movies. “I did a lot of research before making the film and I used some films as reference, such as ‘Rain Man,’ (the Belgian film) ‘The Eighth Day’ and ‘Midnight Run,’” Xu said. “These are movies about two people becoming friends along the way on a journey.” Xu cited “Midnight Run” in particular as one of his favorites, and the parallels between the two are evident. —AP

This undated publicity photo released by Disney/Bruckheimer Films shows, from left, Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as The Lone Ranger, in a scene from the movie, ‘The Lone Ranger,’ directed by Gore Verbinski. —AP

Depp to do live ‘Lone Ranger’ online Q&A

J

ohnny Depp will answer fans’ questions about “The Lone Ranger” in a live online session. Disney announced yesterday that Depp and co-star Armie Hammer will discuss the anticipated adventure film on April 17 after showing 20 minutes of exclusive footage to about 400 fans at a Las Vegas theater. Director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer also will participate in the session, which is to stream live on Yahoo Movies and Livestream.

Fans outside of Las Vegas can submit questions for “The Lone Ranger” team through Twitter and watch the film’s trailer online. The extended footage, though, is just for those in Las Vegas. The promotion coincides with the annual CinemaCon convention, where Disney is expected to offer a similar presentation for theater owners. “The Lone Ranger” releases July 3.— AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

W

rists bent and fingers curled, the immaculately dressed dancers perform a series of gestures that, according to ancient custom, carry the wishes of the Khmer kings to the heavens.

Sporting golden head-dresses, the dancers slowly stretch back their wrists and-standing on one leg-perform a set of moves with their hands representing offerings of leaves, flowers and fruit to the gods.

Apsara dance, a classical style of the Angkorian era, nearly vanished in the 1970s under Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge communist regime, which exterminated much of the country’s heritage along with up to two million people.

But the dance is making a comeback after its unique moves were painstakingly recorded by experts who studied sculptures and wall carvings from Angkor Wat’s temples, which are roughly 1,000 years old.

Now it is a common sight at public ceremonies as well as in hotel lobbies in Cambodia’s tourist hot-spots such as Siem

Reap, home to the Angkor Wat complex, with the dance celebrated once more as part of the kingdom’s unique culture. It is also on a United Nations list preserving the world’s “Intangible Heritage”, giving global recognition to the once-threatened art form.

The dancers are picked when they are as young as seven for their aptitude and beauty, but also the flexibility and elegance of their hands. A fine-arts school in Phnom Penh is training a new generation of dancers and while the exact number is unknown, officials and teachers believe there are now hundreds of young Apsara performers driving its revival. — AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Children play the violin during the opening concert of the 16th Suzuki Method World Convention in Matsumoto, about 240 km northwest of Tokyo yesterday. Some 2,000 Japanese and foreign children coming from 35 countries displayed their skills during the opening concert. Top instructors from around the world will gather in Matsumoto, the birthplace of the Suzuki Method during five-days of lessons and concerts. — AFP

A

Posters of actors who have played James Bond are seen outside an exhibition on the fictional British spy in Shanghai. — AFP photos

Models of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 and other props from the movie ‘Skyfall’.

n exhibition on fictional British spy James Bond opened in Shanghai yesterday, just weeks after the Communist government’s censors cut parts of the latest film in the franchise, “Skyfall”. But Neil McConnon, lead curator of “Designing 007 — Fifty Years of Bond Style” said there had been no censorship of the show, organized by London’s Barbican. We certainly didn’t edit at all for a Chinese audience,” he told AFP. “We have encountered censorship before in some exhibitions, but not in this exhibition.”Parts of “Skyfall”-partly shot in China’s commercial hubproved too sensitive for the authorities ahead of its release in January.

A scene showing prostitution in Macau, a special administrative region of China, was removed, as was a line in which Bond’s nemesis mentions being tortured by Chinese security agents. A section in which a hitman takes out a Chinese security guard in a skyscraper in Shanghai itself was also cut. The Shanghai exhibition, backed by a commercial company, is being mounted at the privately-owned Minsheng Art Museum.

It is an expanded offering from previous shows in London and the Canadian city of Toronto,

incorporating more material from “Skyfall” including the boat used by Daniel Craig as Bond to enter a Macau casino.

In a room dedicated to villains, the display also includes an outfit worn by Michelle Yeoh playing Chinese spy Wai Lin in “Tomorrow Never Dies”-who as a cover story claimed to be a reporter for China’s official news agency, Xinhua.

Visitors can see a model of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, the bowler hat used as an airborne weapon by the character Oddjob in “Goldfinger”, and the orange bikini worn by actress Halle Berry in “Die Another Day”. But Chinese audiences are more familiar with recent Bond films, through both theatrical release and pirated DVDs, than the classics of the franchise.”It will be perhaps a different experience for a Chinese audience who won’t have the same shared experience and the same resonance as audiences in the US or Europe,” McConnon said. — AFP

A waxwork of Sean Connery as James Bond stands next to a replica scale model of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

ACCOMMODATION

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Kuwait

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (28/03/2013 TO 03/04/2013)

SHARQIA-1 KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-1 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) IN THEIR SKIN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) IN THEIR SKIN (DIG) IN THEIR SKIN (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-2 KON-TIKI (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

MUHALAB-1 TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

MARINA-1 KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG)

MUHALAB-2 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-2 AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG)

12:30 AM

AVENUES-1 THE TALL MAN (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG) THE TALL MAN (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-2 HIMMATWALA (DIG) (HINDI) HIMMATWALA (DIG) (HINDI) HIMMATWALA (DIG) (HINDI) HIMMATWALA (DIG) (HINDI) LOVE AND HONOR (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

360º- 1 G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

1:30 PM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM

360º- 2 AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM

Pets FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Polly wants a cracker?

For potential parrots parents, bird’s word is deciding factor

A

t one time or other, you might consider buying a parrot. The birds remind us of warm breezes and sandy shores, tempting us to shelve responsibilities and Midwest winters and head south. But the impulse, in the immortal words of Jimmy Buffett, may be “a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling” - sort of like getting a tattoo while inebriated. Depending on the breed, a parrot can live 50, 60, or 100 years or more. Some, such as brilliantly colored large macaws, are gauged to have the intelligence of a 6-year-old. Can you imagine handling a petulant child that has a bite force of 500-700 pounds per square inch and is not afraid to use it?

As much fun as that sounds like, it is only one of the reasons so many birds, from conures to cockatoos, end up being abused, neglected, abandoned or surrendered to a group such as the Bird Nerds Rescue and Sanctuary in Canton, Ohio. “I probably get bit five times a week,” said volunteer facility manager Connie Phillips of Canton, at the center last week. A bite, in the rescue’s vernacular, is

Bird Nerd Rescue Sanctuary Volunteer and Adoption Coordinator Connie Phillips with Mac, a Shamrock Macaw. (Inset) Amadeus, a Blue Gold Macaw, is on display at the Bird Nerd Rescue Sanctuary in Canton, Ohio. — MCT photos one that draws blood and doesn’t include painful little warning nips.

Many of the birds living at the center will be lifelong residents, so damaged in previous lives they need the protection of the sanctuary. But most of the 18 birds at the center were available for adoption. But fair warning before you run out to adopt: You might not live up to the bird’s expectations. That’s right. The bird always has the final word. An adopter won’t get the bird of their choosing unless the bird agrees. If it doesn’t like you, it may turn you down, no matter how stellar your reputation or pure your motives.

Plus, each bird that enters the center already has four or five people waiting to adopt its particular breed. “We have a waiting list,” said rescue founder Jen Yost of Springfield, Ohio, who started the agency eight years ago from her home. “It’s not first come, first served here. Once we assess the bird’s personality, then we choose the adopter,” said Yost, but only if the bird agrees, she said.

The adoption process can take several weeks and include up to 10 hours of in-house visits and one or more home visits. Even with the requirements, more than 960 birds have been re-homed at the rescue in the past eight years. It isn’t that the birds are standoffish. Just like one of Little Orphan Annie’s friends, the birds vie for a visitor’s attention. “Pick me,” they implore with a raucous noise.

Mack, a relatively new resident, is a gorgeous shamrock macaw that greets visitors with a cheery “Hello bird.” “We’re trying to teach him to say ‘Hello, Bird Nerds,’” Phillips said with a laugh. It’s Mack’s first chance to get attention. He then ups his game by flirtingbowing and claiming to be a “love bird.” “No, you are a macaw, Mack,” Phillips corrects.

It’s difficult not to fall for their ploys, from tail-feather fanning to their constant barrage of whistles, words and shrieks when they are happy. Still, a human-bird relationship can’t be forced, said Yost. You will know it when you see it. “They are engaged, talking, displaying, their feathers are up. There is light in their

eye,” she said. The rescue, at 4518 Lincoln St East in Canton Township, is open by appointment. Yost encourages anyone interested in adopting a bird to read about the agency, its birds and the process at www.thebirdnerdsrescue.com. Fees, listed on the site, range from $5 for a finch or parakeet to $550 for a large macaw. The fees pay for medical expenses which can reach thousands of dollars to repair human-caused damage, illness, feather plucking that can accelerate to self-mutilation, food and building expenses. And while the agency is not a nonprofit, the adoption fees and donations almost paid for the agency’s mission for the first time last year.

“There is never, ever, a time when money goes into our pockets,” Yost said. While she would love to see every bird in the agency’s care go to a loving home, the reality is, not everyone is cut out for ownership of a strongwilled bird. The birds, which mate for life, generally bond with only one or two people in a home. “If you want a pet for your family, get a dog,” Yost candidly remarked. —MCT

Stars

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Aries (March 21-April 19)

It’s a great time for planning or rearranging the way you look at things. Avoid hasty commitments, as you may not want to be held accountable for something ill-considered or not fully thought out later. Try to be thoughtful, deliberate, and measured in your efforts and you’ll really notice the rewards of this as time passes. A little brashness can go a long way in getting you what you want today, but too much can do more damage than good. Let your romantic interests know what you want in subtle ways. Don’t demand. Instead use lighthearted banter and a good dose of flirting to get what you want.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Sharing memories and reminiscences, or discussing a very personal topic with someone you feel you can trust is likely now.

You may have a significant communication (email, phone call, or personal discussion) with someone who was once very important to you or with whom you have a long history. You are at cross purposes with the people in your environment who are most able to benefit you, this includes a current lover or partner. You tend to come on too strong, to be oblivious to others’ needs and intentions, or to act inappropriately now. You feel an urgency to take positive steps to achieve your goals, but be certain that you are not overstepping yourself, as this can cause considerable bad feelings at this time.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Your education may take the forefront at present, because you want to grow and take some aspects of your life in new directions. This means that fun could shift to the backburner as you attempt to work out the ‘where’ ‘what’ ‘how’ and ‘when’ of mentally “tuning” yourself for a busier and brighter future. The need for more freedom, independence, or novelty on your part, or on the part of someone close to you, may disrupt the status quo in an important relationship. Or you may come into contact with someone who is very different from yourself and who challenges, surprises, or upsets you. Expect the unexpected in your relationships!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

When you’re asked to explain it for the third or fourth time, it may be time to give up. Brain drainers who want to tap your ideas right down to the bottom of the keg should be put off, hit that cutoff valve and save some for later. You needn’t be rude, just say enough is enough and tell them to come back for more later. Differences in personal style, tastes, and ways of expressing affection may emerge between you and a partner. You may also feel amorous and loving, and if your personal life is going well, this is a time to really enjoy and appreciate it.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Both friendship and material benefits may well come to you at this time. You feel very sociable and gregarious, and seek conviviality, especially with people who really know how to have a good time. Charitable and philanthropic impulses are stronger now, also, and should be followed with positive action on your part.

Understanding your feelings and the feelings of others comes to you easily at the moment. Working through unresolved emotional issues, effectively expressing your emotional needs, and drawing the real emotional needs from others should be far simpler than usual. Your ability to communicate with both men and women is very good at this time. This is an especially ideal time to settle any differences you may have with less communicative people in your circle.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

It’s a get up and go day, you’re anxious to discuss your thoughts and plans with others at this time and you may have a very rewarding brainstorming session, debate, or a very active meeting with others in which things really get accomplished. You are verbally assertive and can present your own plan or idea quite convincingly. Putting your feelings into words only enhances them, so don’t be afraid to say what you mean from the heart. Your words will not fail you, and backing them with your emotions makes them seem all the more reliable.

Honesty pays off now so take a risk and vocalize how you really feel.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Some days are just too full of potential to not turn out good, and today should be just that kind of day for you. The trick for you will be to avoid being influenced by the negativity of others. Keep an optimistic attitude towards everything and you will make great progress in all your endeavors. Merge your mental and emotional processes today and have them come together. Bring out your own glow to the world by letting yourself shine out for others to see. Someone close to you may notice this, so think of it as a beacon in the dark towards what you are manifesting.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) All work and no play makes for a very dull star sign today. But there may be no other alternative unfortunately. Your personal energy and effort may be focused on your work just now. You might labor intensely on projects and assignments that are important to you. Since your attention is mostly aimed at fulfilling your own needs and ideas, you may inadvertently ignore those in your personal life for a little while. You’re always doing favors for other people. How about letting someone do a favor for you, just this once? Be gracious and accept this boon. You’re not earning any points by turning it down, you know.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) The mood to break away from the normal path and do something radical may have to be resisted but it shouldn’t be ignored. Perhaps it’s just what’s needed, but only if you do it with decisiveness and clarity, as you probably won’t be able to take it back. A peek into the unusual can be both entertaining and edifying.

Intimacy may be a bit difficult to maintain at the moment due to outside influences beyond your control. Your time is likely to be taken up solving problems that have little or nothing to do with your personal relationships, but are so pressing that they siphon off much of your emotional energy. The key to getting through this period as quickly as possible is to address these external challenges directly until they are resolved.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You’ll be excited about a new beginning occurring in your working world or in connection with your family life. Don’t deprive yourself of the special things that really keep you happy because, in the scheme of things, you will ultimately be depriving everyone else of you-in-agood-mood. You can easily discuss your personal needs and desires in your relationships at this time. Your thoughts turn to love and this is a favorable time to bring out any concerns you have in your personal relationships. Agreements and cooperation can be achieved easily now if you make the effort.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

This is an excellent time to eliminate whatever is unnecessary and outworn in your life, from clutter and disorder in your environment, to an unhealthy relationship or even a long-held attitude or belief which keeps you from going after what you really want in life. Finding a preferred direction in your intimate relationships may prove difficult at the moment. You want, you want, you want; but you’re not all that sure what it is you want! Although this may be a frustrating time for you, things will become clearer soon. In the meantime, avoid venting your frustrations on those close to you or you may find yourself sitting in a corner moping alone.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Trying to stay on top of things this time of year may have you a little stressed because of extra ego drain. When in doubt, however, just drop out and give it a rest. Too-hot pursuit won’t bring you any closer than sitting back, taking a breather, and diving back into the fray refreshed with a new vision. Scheduling time for recreation or to take care of a personal relationship is a good idea now. Just be aware that the desire to socialize and be friendly, or even to be loved may interfere with getting commitments done.

COUNTRY CODES 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 Republic 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 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

Stars

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Word Search

Yesterdayʼs Solution

C R O S S W O R D 1 4 3

ACROSS 1. Separated into parts or laid open or penetrated with a sharp edge or instrument.

4. Not friendly.

12. The compass point that is one point south of due east.

15. A transuranic element.

16. Any of various long-legged carrion-eating hawks of South and Central America.

17. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

18. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

20. Big-eyed scad.

21. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

22. 100 aurar equal 1 krona.

24. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence.

26. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

27. A sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure.

31. A longitudinal beam connected to the keel of ship to strengthen it.

34. Graceful deciduous shrub or small tree having attractive foliage and small red berries that turn black at maturity and are used for making wine.

37. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

39. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

40. Small shrubby African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant green flowers.

46. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

47. A broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle.

48. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

49. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

52. Chief port of Yemen.

53. A solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides).

55. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

56. A desert in central Asia.

59. Pertaining to one of the small sacs (as in a compound gland).

61. An ancient Iranian language.

64. Freetail bats.

67. Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence.

70. The first event in a series.

71. The dialect of Portuguese (sometimes regarded as a dialect of Spanish) spoken in Galicia northwestern Spain.

74. An edilbe seaweed with a mild flavor.

75. Used of a single unit or thing.

76. Roman general who commanded the fleet that defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium (63-12 BC).

79. Extremely robust.

80. Charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government.

81. Tall marsh plant with cylindrical seed heads that explode when mature shedding large quantities of down.

82. A small cake leavened with yeast.

Daily SuDoku

DOWN 1. A communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba.

2. Relatively small fast-moving sloth.

3. (Norse mythology) God of thunder and rain and farming.

4. (Greek mythology) Son of Daedalus.

5. Tag the base runner to get him out.

6. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.

7. An independent group of closely related Chadic languages spoken in the area between the Biu-Mandara and East Chadic languages.

8. Water frozen in the solid state.

9. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

10. A member of a widespread group of Amerindians living in northeastern South America.

11. A city in southern Texas on the Rio Grande.

12. Any of various trees of the genus Ulmus.

13. Common Indian weaverbird.

14. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

19. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

23. Airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc..

25. Fallow deer.

28. Take something away by force or without the consent of the owner.

29. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

30. A coenzyme derived from the B vitamin nicotinic acid.

32. (of pain or sorrow) Made easier to bear.

33. Remove from memory or existence.

35. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

36. The ending of a series or sequence.

38. Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games.

41. A Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Songhai people in Mali and Niger.

42. Before noon.

43. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

44. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

45. A Japanese martial art employing principles similar to judo.

50. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.

51. Sauce for pasta.

54. Profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger.

57. A can with a long nozzle to apply oil to machinery.

58. Date used in reckoning dates before the supposed year Christ was born.

60. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

62. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

63. A character printer connected to a telegraph that operates like a typewriter.

65. Relieve from military service.

66. A particular environment or walk of life.

68. An Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan.

69. A blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically.

72. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

73. A corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public.

77. A soft yellowish-white trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

78. A public promotion of some product or service.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Prayad takes early lead at Chiangmai Classic BANGKOK: Thai veteran star Prayad Marksaeng struck a seven-under-par 65 at the inaugural Chiangmai Golf Classic yesterday, crediting his form to a change in his putting grip partway through his round.

The 47-year-old local hope, chasing his sixth Asian Tour victory, left fourtime major winner Ernie Els in the shade as the South African battled to a 69 with a short putter in his bag for the first time since the end of 2011. China’s Hu Mu put in a solid 66 to tie for second place with Thai Prom Meesawat and American Jonathan Moore in the $750,000 Asian Tour event. Prayad switched to the cross-handed putting

grip after shooting pars over four holes and then went on to make five straight birdies to turn in 31. He carded three more birdies against a lone bogey to top the leaderboard.

“For the first few holes, I couldn’t putt. I didn’t have a good feel,” he said in a statement released by organisers.

“After I finished the fourth hole, I changed my grip to the cross-handed grip and then I kept making birdies,” added Prayad, whose last Asian Tour victory was in 2007.

“The greens here are very quick. I talked to my caddie and we checked the lines together on every hole.

Normally, I read my own lines. This

course is good. I feel comfortable here as it’s very tree-lined, very similar to Japan.”

British Open champion Els, meanwhile, shot a bogey-free three-underpar 69 to sit four off the lead. Els used a conventional putter for the first time since the end of 2011, instead of his favoured belly device which golf authorities are considering banning.

“I thought it was good,” the South African said of the short putter. “I missed some greens so I had to up and down a few times and there were some good putts which I had to make.”

Scores after round 1 of the Chiangmai Golf Classic being played at the par-72

Mahan sees Tiger Woods intimidation returning HUMBLE: Hunter Mahan doesn’t believe Tiger Woods has to win a major to validate his return to No. 1 in the world. Woods fell to as low as No. 58 toward the end of 2011. But after winning at Bay Hill for his sixth PGA Tour title in the last 53 weeks, Woods returned to the top of the ranking for the first time since October 2010. Woods hasn’t won a major, however, since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

“I think he’s the man once again, and he proved that last week,” Mahan said Wednesday at the Houston Open.

“Everyone is waiting for the first major. I don’t know why they’re waiting for that. I think he’s done enough this year to realize that he’s still really good, and he’s better than everybody else. He set the bar so high. I don’t know what is going to make everyone go, ‘He’s back to that time.’ I don’t know if he has to win by 10 shots or whatever.”

Mahan doesn’t buy into the notion of Woods or anyone else being able to intimidate players, though he’s willing to make one exception. “He’s the closest thing to it,” Mahan said.

Mahan then recalled a scene he witnessed at the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, which Woods won by two shots despite hitting only one driver all week. It was the third round at Royal Liverpool. Mahan, who went into the weekend 11 shots out of the lead, played early and shot 68 when he saw Woods going to the range for his afternoon start.

“He came out and walked on the range, and it was the most intimidating thing I’ve ever seen,” Mahan said. “He just walked out of the car, and we were hitting balls and everyone on the range ... everybody stopped and watched him. He just had this look like, “This is what I need to do.’ You can tell he was just in this zone. That was intimidating.

“He was just in a different place then,” Mahan said. “He had this focus and it was like, ‘I’m going to destroy everyone out here. I’m going to hit this shot and I’m going to hit this shot and execute.’ It was incredible to see that kind of focus.” Mark O’Meara moved to Houston with his new wife four years ago and has become involved through friends with The First Tee in Houston, one of the most successful chapters in the country.

That’s what led him to ask for a sponsor’s exemption to the Houston Open, which he is playing for the first time in nearly 10 years.

“To come out and play with the young kids is always fun,” O’Meara said. “To see some new players on tour, see some of the older guys I played with a long time ago ... hopefully, I can get out there and play well. I understand that I’m not a young guy anymore, but I still think at 56 ... when I played in Dubai, I played well, made the cut. I beat about 12 or 13 other guys.”One of the guys he played with was Oliver Fisher, and it was a sharp reminder of how long O’Meara has been around.

He realized he first joined the PGA Tour before Fisher was even born. “Reality starts to set in,” O’Meara said. “As time goes on, I realize how fortunate I’ve been to play an amazing game. I’m really excited about the opportunity to come and play at the Shell Houston Open. Like I said, I plan on trying to play well. No matter what happens, I’ll give it my best out there.” It has been

DORAL: In this March 6, 2013, file photo, Tiger Woods, foreground, putts as Steve Stricker watches on the practice putting green at the Cadillac Golf Championship in Doral. — AP 15 years since O’Meara set a record at age 41 as the oldest player to win two majors (Masters, British Open) in the same season. I owe a lot to him, and we’ve become a little closer over the years. And he’s a good guy and they run a good tournament here, and I’ve always enjoyed coming here. As long as I’m eligible to come here, I probably will.”

Now that he has special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, this is no time for 19-year-old Jordan Spieth to stop now. Spieth earned his temporary membership by tying for second in the Puerto Rico Open and tying for seventh in the Tampa Bay Championship a week later. That means the teenager can get unlimited sponsor exemptions this year. He earned a spot in the Houston Open, and already has the Texas Open, Hilton Head, New Orleans and the Byron Nelson Championship on his schedule.

“I never would have thought that I’d be building a PGA Tour schedule this year,” Spieth said. “I thought I would be playing the Web.com Tour the whole year. It’s a dream come true right now. I was a little shocked.” Spieth now wants to make sure he finishes the equivalent of No. 125 on the FedEx Cup or the money list to earn a full card for the 2013-14 season that starts in October. — AP

Alpine Golf Resort course: 65 - Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 66 - Prom Meesawat (THA), Hu Mu (CHN), Jonathan Moore (USA), 67 - Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA), Jason Knutzon (USA), Digvijay Singh (IND) 68 - Carlos Pigem (ESP), Bryce Easton (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Matthew Stieger (AUS), Panuwat Muenlek (THA), Scott Hend (AUS), Thitiphun Chuayprakong (THA), Adam Groom (AUS) 69 - Ernie Els (RSA), Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Lin Wen-hong (TPE), Siddikur (BAN), Shiv Kapur (IND), Pariya Junhasavasdikul (THA), Lin Wentang (TPE), Yang Y. E. (KOR), David Lipsky (USA), Baek Seuk-hyun (KOR), Antonio Lascuna (PHI). — AFP

McIlroy tries to find form HUMBLE: Once the frost thawed, Rory McIlroy was back at work trying to find a swing he could trust and repeat.

McIlroy hasn’t looked anything like the No. 1 player in golf this year, and now he’s not. That spot belongs to Tiger Woods again after winning for the third time in two months to establish himself as the favorite going into the Masters.

None of this bothers McIlroy. He is more concerned with the path of his swing than the mathematical average of his ranking. He wants to win whenever he plays, though there is pragmatic side to the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland. He still hasn’t made the cut against a full field this year.

That makes the Houston Open more than just a final tuneup for the first major of the year. It’s a place to measure progress. “I want to get back to getting into contention in tournaments and trying to win,” McIlroy said. “I think this is a good week to try and get into contention, have a chance with the Masters coming up. I’m just really focused on this week in Houston and trying to play well here.”

McIlroy is part of a strong field at the Houston Open, where the tournament tries to give players a taste of what they might see in two weeks. The greens are fast and pure, with several closely mown collection areas that allow for a variety of shots around the green.

The Houston Open thought it was getting the No. 1 player in the world when McIlroy signed up to play Redstone Golf Club in January. It still has five of the top 10 players, including Steve Stricker, Brandt Snedeker, Louis Oosthuizen and Steve Stricker.

And it has Phil Mickelson, who likes Houston so much that he would rather be here than his usual schedule of playing the week before the Masters. Because the Masters is a week later than usual based on the calendar - it always ends on the second Sunday of April - the Texas Open was given the spot a week before Augusta.

That change worked out well for McIlroy, who wants to be in Augusta the weekend before the Masters. “I thought it fit in really nicely,” McIlroy said. Far more important is what follows over the next few days. Under more scrutiny than he had ever faced - a new place in the game, a new equipment deal with Nike - McIlroy tripped badly coming out of the blocks. He missed the cut in Abu Dhabi. He lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship. Frustration boiled over to the point that he walked out in the second round of the Honda Classic.

Optimism came from Doral, a World Golf Championship event with no cut. McIlroy not only broke par for the first time all year, he closed with a 65 to crack the top 10. And then he took off for two more weeks, spending part of that time with tennis girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki in Key Biscayne, Fla., and hitting balls at a public course in Miami. — AP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Racing bid for perfect 10 against Toulouse PARIS: Racing-Metro will bid to stretch their winning run to 10 matches when they host Toulouse at the Stade de France in Top 14 action this weekend, with the countdown on for end-of-season play-off spots.

In-form Racing sit fifth in the table on 62 points, level with fourth-placed Castres, as Montpellier and Perpignan give chase in sixth and seventh on 59 and 56 points respectively. Only the top six will make the play-offs and remain in title contention.

Toulouse are seven points ahead of Racing in third, behind leaders Toulon (77) and second-placed Clermont (75), and will likely field a strong team for their visit to the French national stadium on Saturday.

Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti expressed his hopes that his team’s string of nine consecutive league victories will continue. “When we were 11th in the table, we didn’t understand it too much,” said Lorenzetti, who has seen his team supplant Stade Francais as the leading capital club, the latter languishing in 10th.

“We analysed things, we spoke with the players and

we decided not to roll over. I’m not surprised because we trusted the squad, but it’s a good feeling because we now find ourselves where we should have been from the start.” Although coach Gonzalo Quesada is reportedly moving to Stade Francais next year, Lorenzetti insisted to AFP that it was not yet a done deal, although he did admit that the 2013/14 season would see a big turnover in players. “There’s about 20-22 percent of the players who’ll leave the squad, half of whom will likely finish their careers after having helped us in the rebuilding process.

“In total, there’ll be 10 or 11 departures, with a dozen or so coming in,” Lorenzetti said, with Wales players Jamie Roberts and Dan Lydiate touted as likely additions.

Stade Francais play star-studded Toulon earlier Saturday in the northern city of Lille, and captain Sergio Parisse sees the game as a springboard to the European Challenge Cup, in which Stade are one of four French teams drawn in the April 4-6 quarter-finals alongside Biarritz, Perpignan and Toulouse.

“Even if we can no longer really play for sixth place,

we’ll try to fix the Challenge Cup as our goal,” said Parisse, with his team drawn away to English club Bath in the tournament. “That starts with the home game against Toulon, whom I consider the best team in Europe at the moment. “There’s no better way to prepare for a quarterfinal than by playing the current benchmark team.”

Parisse, who enjoyed another outstanding Six Nations as Italy captain, explained: “It’s no longer about the defensive bonus point, the four or five points that will change our championship. “However, on a mental level, to produce a good game against Toulon, no matter the result, enables us to get in place and start the Bath week in high spirits and confidence.” Biarritz entertain Grenoble in Friday’s match, the hosts hit hard by a raft of injuries to key players on top of suspected mumps for Julien Peyrelongue and Benoit Guyot. Other games on Saturday see Clermont, who are through to the European Cup quarter-finals along with Montpellier and Toulon, host Agen, Bayonne travel to Bordeaux-Begles, while Perpignan are at home to Castres. — AFP

Pistorius allowed to leave S Africa with conditions

SEPANG: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany drives during the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. — AFP

Vettel goes from fan favorite to villain KUALALUMPUR: As Sebastian Vettel has established himself as the most dominant Formula One driver of his generation, racing fans have come to see him as the boyish, fun-loving face of the glamorous series.

But after his victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, a more complex image of the German has emerged - that of a ruthless, cunning driver who will do whatever it takes to win a race and possibly his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship.

The 25-year-old German ignored team orders and overtook Red Bull teammate Mark Webber for the victory with 10 laps remaining. The move left Webber fuming and raised questions about who is truly in charge at Red Bull.

“I think it blemished his reputation,” three-time F1 champion Jackie Stewart said. “It was an unfortunate error of judgment by Sebastian and it will linger for some time,” Stewart told The Associated Press. “There will be an awareness from now on that he may not be as stable as we originally thought.”

Since winning his first grand prix in 2008 with Toro Rosso, Vettel proved he was one of F1’s most exciting drivers and considered the heir to countryman and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

After coming back to win the championship last year, Vettel became the first driver to win three titles in a row since Schumacher won five straight from 2000-04. The only other driver to win at least three consecutive championships was Juan Manuel Fangio from 1954-57.

Along the way, Vettel displayed a persona that was almost boring in racing circles. Rather than model girlfriends, tattoos and nights spent at glitzy discos, Vettel came off as modest in person. He talked on the Red Bull website about his mother’s home cooking and how there are things more important than one’s “bank account.”

On the track, he was aggressive but rarely reckless during his championship runs. While Lewis Hamilton had several run-ins with Felipe Massa in 2011 and Romain Grosjean caused more than one first-lap crash last year, Vettel appeared content with simply winning races or doing enough to keep his championship run intact. —AP

PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius can leave South Africa to compete in international track meets, a judge ruled yesterday as he upheld the Olympic athlete’s appeal against some of his bail restrictions.

Judge Bert Bam said Pistorius, who is charged with murder in the Valentine’s Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, must travel under certain conditions. His passport will be held by a court while he is in South Africa, and he can only leave the country if he provides an itinerary of his travel plans at least a week before he is due to leave. Pistorius must also hand his travel documents back to the court within 24 hours of returning home.

The ruling in North Gauteng High Court opens the way for the Paralympic champion, who is facing a life sentence if found guilty of murder, to run in international competition again. Although Pistorius’ lawyers said in the appeal hearing that he had no immediate plans to compete, he would likely need to return to track in the future to earn money, they said. Pistorius himself, a double amputee widely known as the Blade Runner for his prosthetic legs, did not attend the court session. “He has no desire to compete now but it might change and it will change,” defense lawyer Barry Roux told Bam in arguing for some of Pistorius’ bail restrictions to be eased. Roux said Pistorius would not try and evade trial if he is allowed to travel internationally, and would eventually need to run again “to earn an income.”

“He is not going to run away and hide.

He is going nowhere,” Roux told the judge in the brown-walled courtroom in the high court, where television cameras and photographers were allowed in to record the proceedings. “Why stop him from traveling under controlled circumstances?” Roux added. Pistorius says he killed Steenkamp accidentally when he fired shots through a door in his bathroom in the pre-dawn hours, fearing there was an intruder in his house. Prosecutors say he shot the model and reality TV star intentionally after they argued, and they have charged him with premeditated murder.

The judge also ruled in favor of Pistorius on three other conditions. He no longer has to be regularly supervised by a probation official and a ban against him drinking alco-

PRETORIA: In this Feb. 19, 2013 file photo, olympian Oscar Pistorius stands following his bail hearing in Pretoria, South Africa. A judge in South Africa says Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, can leave South Africa to compete in international competition, with conditions. — AP hol was lifted. Bam also slammed one of the bail conditions imposed by another judge, saying that a condition that he would be in breach of his bail if he was accused of another crime against women was “fraud.”

It went against Pistorius’ constitutional right to be innocent until proven guilty, and being accused of a crime should not count against him, Bam said in a ruling that came three hours after the hearing began.

Another two restrictions that he was not allowed to return to his house, where he shot Steenkamp dead on Feb. 14, and had to report regularly to a police station should be disregarded, the judge said.

It meant Pistorius’ legal team succeeded in all its appeals. Pistorius’ lawyers smiled after the judge ruled in their favor. The athlete’s lawyers had earlier argued that he was being treated as a flight risk by his bail restrictions even though a magistrate ruled last month that he was not when he released Pistorius on 1 million rand ($108,000) bail. Defense lawyer Roux said Pistorius’ original bail restrictions amounted to “house arrest.” Prosecutors had opposed

the relaxing of Pistorius’ bail restrictions and also said the appeal should have gone to the original magistrate’s court that set bail for Pistorius, and not Pretoria’s high court.

Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair imposed the bail conditions on Feb. 22. Pistorius had been held in a police station until then. He hasn’t been seen in public since and is believed to have been staying at an uncle’s house.

Roux also argued against the ruling that Pistorius was not allowed to return to his home in a gated community in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, where he shot Steenkamp.

The bail ruling prevented him from returning to his home or speaking to residents, but his lawyers said he should be allowed to consult with residents in order to prepare his defense against the murder charge against him. The judge ruled the restrictions on him returning to the upscale villa complex where Steenkamp died from three gunshot wounds should be set aside and disregarded as they weren’t in Nair’s original court order. —AP

44

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Hawes lifts 76ers past Bucks, 100-92 Heat’s winning streak ends at 27 in Chicago PHILADELPHIA: Brandon Jennings had a blank stare as he scanned a disappointed Milwaukee locker room. With the Bucks in the playoff chase, Jennings was benched in the fourth quarter, and wondered why he was singled out.

“I don’t see any All-Stars in this locker room,” he said. Well, the Bucks didn’t see him on the court. Jennings was scoreless for the first time in his NBA career and did not play in the final quarter of the Bucks’ 100-92 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Jennings was quiet and controlled as he talked of his annoyance about sitting while the Bucks fell further behind seventh place in the East.

“I think that everyone should be held accountable,” he said. “There’s no maxedout players in this locker room. So don’t try to put me on a pedestal and just give everyone else the freedom to do whatever they want.”

The Bucks’ playoff push stalled in Philly - and so did their bus. Milwaukee’s team bus was stalled out outside the Wells Fargo center, forcing arena workers to bring out jumper cables to try and get the vehicle going.

Jennings and the bus were both out of juice. “I just felt like I needed to do something to energize our team,” coach Jim Boylan said of his decision. “When you play that position in this league, there comes with it a lot of responsibility. The talent at that position is outstanding. So you have to bring it every single night. If that’s not happening, you need to do something.”

Monta Ellis scored 29 points for the Bucks. Ersan Ilyasova had 13 points and 18 rebounds. After blowing an 18-point lead, the Sixers rallied from seven down in the fourth to win. Spencer Hawes had 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday and Damien Wilkins each scored 18 points. Thaddeus Young and Dorell Wright both scored 14 points for a Sixers team that put six players in double figures.

The Sixers returned from a 1-3 road trip to win their third straight game at home. On Fan Appreciation Night, the Sixers gave them something to feel good about.

“When a team’s at home, you have all the fans on your side and energy is flowing through the building,” Young said.

“You definitely get up for those kinds of games.” The Sixers wasted an 18-point lead and needed to find their touch from 3-point range to get back into this one.

Wright gave them a one-point with a 3pointer and Holiday followed with another to make it 93-87. Evan Turner, who scored 13, made Philadelphia’s eighth 3pointer and the lead was up to nine.

From there the Sixers massaged the lead until they hit 98 points with a minute left. With the crowd of 16,640 bellowing “We want Big Macs!” if the Sixers hit 100 points, Wilkins obliged with a thunderous dunk that sent fans into a frenzy.

Fast food is about the only way to satisfy a Sixers fan this year after a season full

of promise collapsed under Andrew Bynum’s balky knees. The Bucks are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and fell 2 1/2 games behind Boston for seventh and the chance to avoid a firstround series against Miami.

Ellis took control in the third to help the Bucks grab the lead after a tough first half. He twice hit tying shots in the quarter as Milwaukee was 13 of 25 from the field. Mike Dunleavy hit a 3 to help them take a 78-76 lead into the fourth.

They couldn’t keep it going. Jennings was scoreless off three missed shots in 17 minutes for the Bucks in the half. He was benched early in the third quarter and did not return. There was no injury report on Jennings, whose rookie contract expires at the end of the season, making him a

all he could to keep the run going, scoring 32 points in a physical final few minutes that saw the MVP even collect a flagrant foul.

The Heat hadn’t lost since the Pacers beat them in Indianapolis on Feb. 1. But after grinding out some close wins lately, including a rally from 27 down in Cleveland, they simply came up short down the stretch in this one. For the better part of two months, they were the NBA’s comeback kings. They erased seven double-digit deficits during the streak.

They found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter 11 times, and won them all.

The Bulls whooped and slapped hands with anyone they could reach, with some acknowledging that being the team

NBA results/standings Atlanta 107, Toronto 88; Philadelphia 100, Milwaukee 92; Charlotte 114, Orlando 108; Boston 93, Cleveland 92; NY Knicks 108, Memphis 101; Chicago 101, Miami 97; LA Clippers 105, New Orleans 91; Indiana 100, Houston 91; Oklahoma City 103, Washington 80; LA Lakers 120, Minnesota 117; San Antonio 100, Denver 99; Utah 103, Phoenix 88; Sacramento 105, Golden State 98; Brooklyn 111, Portland 93.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB NY Knicks 44 26 .629 Brooklyn 42 29 .592 2.5 Boston 37 34 .521 7.5 Philadelphia 28 43 .394 16.5 Toronto 26 45 .366 18.5 Central Division 45 27 39 31 34 36 24 48 22 48

.625 .557 .486 .333 .314

5 10 21 22

Southeast Division 56 15 40 32 26 45 18 54 17 54

.789 .556 .366 .250 .239

16.5 30 38.5 39

Western Conference Northwest Division 53 19 49 24 36 36 33 38 25 45

.736 .671 .500 .465 .357

4.5 17 19.5 27

LA Clippers Golden State LA Lakers Sacramento Phoenix

Pacific Division 49 23 41 32 37 35 26 46 23 49

.681 .562 .514 .361 .319

8.5 12 23 26

San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans

Southwest Division 54 17 47 24 39 32 35 36 25 47

.761 .662 .549 .493 .347

7 15 19 29.5

Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland

Miami Atlanta Washington Orlando Charlotte

Oklahoma City Denver Utah Portland Minnesota

PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia 76ers’ Damien Wilkins goes up for a dunk during the final minute of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 100-92. —AP restricted free agent. He was scoreless for the first time in his 281st career NBA game. “It’s all about how hard you want to play and that has to be there every single night,” Boylan said. “That is something we need to address. That is what we are all paid to do. It’s definitely something that is of a concern.”

Well out of the playoff race, but over .500 at home, the Sixers raced to an 18point lead in the first half. Wright buried a 3 to start a 14-2 run that gave them a cushy lead. “This season’s been tough,” Hawes said. “Going forward, we have a lot of pride. It’s not just about next season, it’s about finishing this season the right way.” Meanwhile, the Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday night by the Chicago Bulls, 101-97, when a furious comeback by LeBron James and his teammates fell short. The Heat finished six games short of the record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Luol Deng scored 28 points, Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the Bulls brought the Heat’s pursuit of the record to a screeching halt despite another big game from James. Miami’s superstar did

that snapped the streak meant plenty.

It will go down as the second-longest winning streak in the history of American major pro sports, behind only the Lakers.

And some of those who helped that 33game run become reality were openly cheering for the Heat as Miami’s streak rolled along, with Jerry West among those saying that he believed the reigning champions had a real shot at pulling the feat off.

The streak began on Super Bowl Sunday in Toronto, a day when Heat players were mildly annoyed about having to miss football’s title game. When San Francisco and Baltimore were to be playing, the Heat were to be flying home for a game the following night.

So team officials team changed course, as a surprise. Miami beat Toronto that afternoon, then stayed in the city several more hours to watch the Super Bowl together, an event highlighted by Shane Battier giving an unplanned speech about appreciating little moments as a team. For whatever reason, the Heat were unbeatable for nearly the next two months. And they won games in a number of different ways. —Agencies

Jesse Ryder in criticalcondition CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a critical condition in Christchurch Hospital after suffering severe head injuries in a late night assault outside a bar.

Radio New Zealand reported Wednesday that Ryder was in a coma in the intensive care unit with a fractured skull, punctured lung and internal bleeding. The hospital refused to confirm Ryder’s injuries but said his condition was listed as critical. A spokesman for the ambulance service that transported Ryder to hospital said he had suffered “very serious head injuries” Eye witnesses said Ryder was attacked by four men outside a bar in the Christchurch suburb of Merivale. He was punched and then kicked repeatedly while lying on the ground. Ryder had been at the bar with teammates from the Wellington cricket team, which played in the semifinals of New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition in Christchurch earlier Wednesday. A witness quoted by Fairfax Media said the attack appeared to be unprovoked and Ryder did not appear intoxicated. “Four dudes were just laying into him and absolutely smashing him on the ground,” the witness said. “His shirt was ripped off and they were kicking him and punching him while he was down.” The manager of the bar where the assault took place, Steve Holmes, said Ryder and his teammates had been drinking quietly. He said footage from the bar’s security cameras had been provided to police. —AP

45

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Ferrer fights back to book Miami semi-final MIAMI: Third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer quieted his early nerves and battled back for a three-set victory over Austrian veteran Jurgen Melzer Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the Miami ATP Masters.

Ferrer defeated the unseeded Melzer 46, 6-3, 6-0 and will face either French 11th seed Gilles Simon or giant-killer Tommy Haas of Germany for a place in the title match.

Haas, 34 years old and seeded 15th, toppled world No. 1 and two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Tuesday to book his quarter-final berth.

Djokovic’s ouster left Ferrer as the highest seed remaining in the top half of the men’s draw.

Perhaps the Spaniard felt the pressure of that status in the first set against Melzer.

He grabbed a quick break for a 2-0 lead, but the Austrian left-hander reeled off the next five games to serve for the set at 5-2.

Ferrer gained another break, and held to extend the set, but Melzer fended off two break points in the 10th game to pocket the set. “Well, I started good with 20 up, but he played very good and he played with great power with his shots,” Ferrer said. “And when he broke me, I played not so good.

“I was a little bit nervous in the first set and part of the second, but I tried to fight every point, to be focused, and I had a good feeling in the end of the second set and of course in the third one.”

Ferrer broke Melzer for a 3-1 lead in the second, and although the Austrian immediately broke back Ferrer was able to regain the advantage with a break for 4-2.

By the third set, he was rolling, his cause aided by the 23 forehand errors Melzer scattered through his match.

Ferrer hadn’t made it to the final four at Miami since 2006, when he lost to Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

He was toppled in the second round of

Sharapova keeps Miami title quest on track MIAMI: Maria Sharapova kept her quest for a first Miami title on track Wednesday with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 quarter-final triumph over Italy’s Sara Errani. “With all the tournaments I have played, this one I have been so successful at but yet I haven’t won it,” said Sharapova, a fourtime finalist at the Miami WTA and ATP

and top seed Serena Williams advancing to take on defending champion and fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer led the way into the men’s semis as he rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over unseeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer. Ferrer, winner of

KEY BISCAYNE: Maria Sharapova of Russia serves against Sara Errani of Italy during their quarter final match at the Sony Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on Wednesday in Key Biscayne, Florida. —AFP Masters hardcourt tournament but never the winner.

“I’ve been so close to winning,” she said. “I would love to win this. I’ve been coming to this tournament since I was a little kid. It would mean a lot to win it.”

Sharapova will battle for a place in the final against either 15th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci or 22nd-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic. The other women’s semifinal was set on Tuesday, with world No. 1

two titles already this year at Auckland and Buenos Aires, steadied after an erratic first set and eventually cruised through the third to improve to 7-2 against the Austrian left-hander.

“I was a little bit nervous in the first set and part of the second, but I tried to fight every point, to be focused, and I had a good feeling in the end of the second set and of course in the third one,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer awaits the winner of Wednesday

night’s last match, between 11th-seeded Gilles Simon of France and giant-killer Tommy Haas of Germany-who toppled world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Tuesday.

Sharapova had her struggles against eighth-seeded Errani, the same woman Sharapova beat in last year’s French Open final to complete a career Grand Slam.

Sharapova fired six aces, but also had 14 double faults.

Trailing 4-5 in the second, Sharapova saved three set points to knot the set at 55. She then broke Errani in the penultimate game and held serve to end it on a forehand winner after two hours and 29 minutes.

Although she was pleased to wrap it up in two sets, Sharapova said she should have sealed it even sooner after twice going up a break in the second set. “I was up a break,” she said. “I had my chances. I was up 30-love on my serve, and those are the type of games that against these types of opponents you need to buckle down and win.

“Of course it’s great that I was able to come back, but I felt like I made things much more difficult than they should have been.”

Sharapova lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2005 Miami final, to Svetlan Kuznetsova in 2006, Victoria Azarenka in 2011 and Radwanska last year-all in straight sets.

Not only is she trying to fill that gap on her resume, she’s trying to become just the third woman to win both the prestigious Indian Wells and Miami hardcourt titles in the same year.

German great Steffi Graf accomplished the feat in 1994 and 1996, and Clijsters did so in 2005. “I think it’s one of the toughest back to backs of the year,” Sharapova said.

“It’s the amount of matches. It’s also the late matches that you’re playing, the recovery.

“Also coming from different coasts. I mean, it’s not just a hop. It’s a five-hour flight. Conditions are completely different.

It’s not easy.” —AFP

the Indian Wells Masters immediately prior to Miami, although until then he’d been enjoying a fine season that included titles at Auckland and Buenos Aires and a runner-up finish Acapulco.

Ferrer has won more matches this season — 24 — than any other player. He’s also due to jump back over compatriot Rafael Nadal for the world No. 4 ranking next week, but Ferrer said he didn’t mind working in relative anonymity.

“I’m very happy with me, with my career of tennis,” he said. “I don’t mind a lot (whether) I am a more important player or not. I like playing tennis and it’s my job.” —AFP

UEFA recommends referees halt matches in case of racism SOFIA: UEFA has recommended that referees stop matches when there are incidents of racism and says it will “fully support” them if they follow its advice.

In a resolution issued in conjunction with the European Clubs Association (ECA) and the world players’ union FIFPro, European soccer’s governing body reminded referees that they had been authorisied four years ago to stop matches in case of serious racism incidents from the stands or on the pitch.

The resolution also called on coaches and players to speak out “even if it meant criticising their own players and fans”.

The resolution was drawn up by the Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC) and ratified by UEFA’s executive committee, meeting in Bulgaria, on yesterday. The PFSC is composed of representatives from UEFA, the national leagues, European clubs and the players. The resolution “recommends and fully supports referees to stop matches in cases of racism and calls on national associations and leagues to do the same”. In 2009, UEFA outlined a three-step procedure for abandoning games. It said the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

So far, no UEFA-organised match has ever been abandoned and, despite the guidelines, there have been several games where play has continued despite racist chanting, including a recent match between Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.

AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off in disgust having been racially abused by fans during a friendly with Italian lower-division side Pro Patria in January and the game was abandoned. The resolution also called on UEFA, national associations and leagues to provide new regulations which allow for stricter sanctions in cases of racism. “Many countries have taken significant and successful action but such incidents are still widespread in our continent,” it added. “(The resolution) calls on the players and coaches - namely those with most influence on the perpetrators of racist acts - to speak out, even if this may mean criticising their own fans or players.

“Finally, the PFSC acknowledges that racism is one form of discrimination, but that, unfortunately, other forms of discrimination also manifest themselves from time to time in football.

“It expresses its full and unconditional opposition to any form of discrimination.” —Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

NHL result/standings Montreal 6, Boston 5 (SO)

MINNESOTA: David Moss #18 of the Phoenix Coyotes and Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild skate after the puck during the third period of the game on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Coyotes 4-3 in overtime. —AFP

Canadiens overwhelm Bruins 6-5 in shootout BOSTON: Andrei Markov tied it with 8.2 seconds left in regulation, and Brendan Gallagher scored the only shootout goal to give the Montreal Canadiens a 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. The victory snapped a tie for the second-most points in the Eastern Conference, giving the Canadiens 47. They lead the Northeast Division by a point over the Bruins. In the shootout, all six Bruins players were stopped. The first five Canadiens couldn’t score, either. Then Gallagher put the puck between Tuukka Rask’s pads. It capped a comeback after Boston had taken a 5-3 lead on Tyler Seguin’s 11th goal of the season at 11:50 of the third period.

Gallagher scored 28 seconds later, then Markov tied it on a power play.

With Aaron Johnson in the penalty box for delay of game, Markov’s shot from the left point appeared to go in off the stick of Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Michael Ryder opened the scoring at 4:15 of the first period and P.K. Subban gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead at 2:53 of the second. Then the Bruins, scored four goals in just over 14 minutes against goalie Carey Price. Dougie Hamilton started the comeback at 3:32 of the second, Brad Marchand tied it, Patrice Bergeron put Boston ahead and Nathan Horton made it 4-2 at 17:36 of the period. Price was replaced by Peter Budaj to start the third period. Ryder cut it 4-3 with his second goal of the game at 3:58 of the third period, but Seguin restored Boston’s two-goal advantage.

FLAMES 4, AVALANCHE 3 Mike Cammalleri scored twice in the second period and Calgary held off Colorado before trading captain Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames sent Iginla to the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins in exchange for college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick this year. Iginla was announced as a healthy scratch two hours before the start of the game. He sat out for the first time since April 8, 2007, in Colorado, ending his consecutive games streak at 441. Jiri Hudler and Steve Begin also scored, Blake Comeau had two assists, and Joey MacDonald made 27 saves. The Flames, ahead of only Colorado in the 15-team Western Conference, won their eighth straight game on home ice to improve to 13-15-4. Jamie McGinn, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly scored for Colorado. The Avalanche have lost three straight and seven of eight to drop to 1117-4.

WILD 4, COYOTES 3, OT Mikko Koivu scored at 2:43 of overtime to give Minnesota a comeback victory over Phoenix on Wednesday night, extending the Wild’s winning streak to seven and the Coyotes’ skid to seven. Koivu skated out from the corner and beat goalie Jason LaBarbera between the pads. Minnesota tied it with 54.3 seconds left in regulation, with Ryan Suter scoring on a wrist shot from the left point

with Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom off for an extra attacker. Torrey Mitchell and Matt Cullen also scored for the Wild, and Backstrom stopped 24 shots. Rob Klinkhammer, Boyd Gordon and Michael Stone scored for Phoenix. LaBarbera made 33 saves.

SHARKS 4, DUCKS 0 Joe Pavelski scored a minute into the game to start a three-goal first period spree and Antti Niemi earned his second shutout of the season to help San Jose sweep a home-and-home series against first-place Anaheim. Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns also scored in the opening 10 minutes and Niemi made 22 saves for the Sharks, who have back-to-back regulation wins for the first time in two months. Tommy Wingels added a short-handed goal and two assists to get San Jose off to a strong start to a crucial seven-game homestand. The Sharks moved into a tie for seventh place with St Louis in the Western Conference. The Ducks followed up a 5-3 home loss to the Sharks by coming out completely flat in the return game.

Anaheim has lost four straight games in regulation following a 12game streak with at least one point. This is the Ducks’ longest skid since Bruce Boudreau took over as coach Nov 30, 2011. — AP

Pittsburgh New Jersey NY Rangers NY Islanders Philadelphia

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division L OTL GF GA PTS W 26 8 0 117 84 52 15 11 7 82 89 37 16 13 3 78 78 35 15 15 3 96 107 33 13 17 2 84 99 28

Montreal Boston Ottawa Toronto Buffalo

Northeast Division 21 7 5 21 7 4 18 9 6 18 12 4 13 16 4

104 83 94 72 86 72 102 97 87 102

47 46 42 40 30

Winnipeg Carolina Washington Tampa Bay Florida

Southeast Division 18 14 2 15 14 2 15 17 1 14 18 1 9 19 6

88 99 86 90 94 93 105 99 80 119

38 32 31 29 24

Chicago Detroit St. Louis Nashville Columbus

Western Conference Central Division 25 4 3 108 17 11 5 90 17 13 2 92 14 13 6 83 13 13 7 75

Minnesota Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Colorado

Northwest Division 20 10 2 18 9 6 12 13 7 13 15 4 11 17 4

Anaheim Los Angeles San Jose Dallas Phoenix

Pacific Division 22 7 4 18 12 2 15 11 6 15 14 3 13 15 5

71 83 89 88 86

53 39 36 34 33

90 78 88 85 77 91 89 108 82 104

42 42 31 30 26

104 93 80 87 85

87 80 82 97 94

48 38 36 33 31

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Struggling Scots must go back to basics GLASGOW: Former Scotland star John Collins insists his country must go back to basics to avoid a repeat of their embarrassingly early exit from the World Cup. Gordon Strachan’s side became the first European team officially eliminated from the race to qualify for next year’s tournament in Brazil following their 2-0 defeat in Serbia on Tuesday. The Scots are rooted to the bottom of qualifying Group A, below the likes of Wales and Macedonia, with two points from six games.

They have lost their last four qualifiers and have scored just three goals in the campaign. It is now 15 years since Scotland’s appearance at the 1998 World Cup-the last time they qualified for a major international competition-and Collins, who was part of that side, is shocked by the way the national team has disintegrated since then.

They reached the finals of five consecutive World Cups from 1974 to 1990, an era in which they were inspired by players such as Kenny Dalglish, Archie Gemmill and Graeme Souness. While Scotland have never threatened to win the World Cup or European Championship, for many years they could be relied on to at least qualify and occasionally produce

memorable moments in the finals, such as their 3-2 win over eventual runners-up Holland in 1978.

But those glory days are but distant memories now and former Celtic midfielder Collins, who won 58 caps, believes Scotland must start grooming a new generation capable of replacing the present flops. “The bottom line is we haven’t been good enough,” Collins told Sky Sports News.

“We are not good enough at this moment in time but we have to look further down the ladder at the younger players, that’s where the real work has got to be done.

“It has started with the Scottish FA and the performance schools with the 12-year-olds. “That’s where the work has got to start on a daily basis, working on the skill and the technical aspect of the game, that’s where we are falling short.

“It’s going to take time and patience. Nobody has got a magic wand. It’s a lot of hard work at the grass-roots level that’s got to be done.”

Strachan, himself a fine player who played for Scotland at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, can’t shoulder all the blame for his country’s failings as he has only just started his reign as Scotland boss.—AFP

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Sharapova keeps Miami title quest on track Page 45

www.kuwaittimes.net

Hawes lifts 76ers past Bucks, 100-92 Page 44

OAKLAND: Carl Landry #7 of the Golden State Warriors drives on DeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Sacramento Kings at Oracle Arena on Wednesday in Oakland, California. — AFP