17 Apr 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Iranian leader steers clear of talking uranium in Niger

Musharraf disqualified from Pak election

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JAMADA ALTHANI 7, 1434 AH

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Louvre Abu Dhabi gives peek at collection

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Bahraini says he is favourite for AFC top job

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Barrak refuses arrest as activists protest ruling MPs to file grilling against interior minister

Max 34º Min 20º High Tide 05:07 & 15:12 Low Tide 09:52 & 22:40

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: Protesters block the Fifth Ring Road near Andalus as they demonstrate against a court verdict to jail opposition leader and former MP Musallam Al-Barrak for five years for insulting HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Boston explosives made from pressure cookers Injured Saudis cleared of suspicion act” used to target innoBOSTON: The explosives cent civilians. that killed three and The chief FBI agent in wounded more than 170 Boston vowed “we will go at the Boston Marathon to the ends of the Earth” were made of pressure to find whoever carried cookers packed with out the deadly attack on metal and ball bearings, one of the city ’s most a person briefed on the famous civic holidays, investigation said yesterPatriots Day. A person day. US President Barack briefed on the attack, Obama said it was which left the streets unclear whether the splattered with blood bombings were carried and glass, said the exploout by an international organization, domestic Martin Richard, 8, was killed sives were in 6-liter pressure cookers and placed group or a “malevolent in the Boston explosions. individual”. Obama, speaking to in black duffel bags that were placed on reporters at the White House, said the ground. The person said the duffel authorities still don’t know who is bags contained shards of metal, nails responsible and officials said no one and ball bearings. Richard DesLauriers, had claimed responsibility. He called FBI agent in charge in Boston, said Continued on Page 13 the bombing “a heinous and cowardly

Obama’s Gitmo policy hit by violence, force-feeding MIAMI/WASHINGTON: A violent weekend clash between guards and prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the release of harrowing accounts by inmates of force-feeding of hunger strikers threw a harsh spotlight on President Barack Obama’s failure to close the camp.

Sharpening the focus further on the

plight of inmates, the majority of an independent task force was to recommend yesterday that Obama shut the prison by the end of 2014 and either try the remaining 166 prisoners, repatriate them to home countries or transfer them to US jails, a commission member told Reuters.

Continued on Page 13

SANAA: Yemeni former Bagram and Guantanamo Bay prisoners dressed in orange prison jumpsuits participate with protestors during a demonstration demanding the release of Yemeni detainees in Guantanamo Bay in front of the US embassy. — AP

KUWAIT: Prominent opposition figure and former MP Mussallam Al-Barrak yesterday refused to give himself up to police for the second time in as many days because he insisted on seeing an “original” court order to arrest him to start serving a five-year jail term. Senior police officers arrived yesterday night at Barrak’s diwaniya where hundreds of his supporters gathered for the second day to protest the harsh sentence against him. The officers only produced a copy of the arrest order but Barrak and his lawyers insisted that he will only surrender if they bring the original order and not a copy.

Opposition activists meanwhile demonstrated for the second night in a row, completely halting traffic on the Fifth Ring Road for some time before they decided to go back to Barrak’s diwaniya in Andalus. Ahead of the procession, around 17 opposition activists repeated highlights of the speech that Barrak delivered in October and for which he was sentenced to five years in jail on charges of insulting HH the Amir and undermining his authorities. Former opposition MPs and leading activists have decided to read the highlights of the speech as a sign of defiance against the ruling and to show their total solidarity with Barrak.

The opposition has decided to demonstrate every night to protest against what they claim was a political trial that Barrak faced when he was denied the right to appoint a new lawyer after his defence team walked out of the court last week after the judge refused to hear the testimonies of defense witnesses including the prime minister. Unlike the demonstration on Monday, the demonstrators last night went in the other direction towards the Avenues mall on the Fifth Ring Road as police watched. After covering a few hundred meters, they blocked traffic on the highway by sitting on the road for some time. Then they went back to Barrak’s diwaniya.

Continued on Page 2

Pakistan bears brunt of massive Iran quake Tremors felt in Kuwait • Buildings sway from Dubai to Delhi

Bahraini cops, students clash

DUBAI: Employees gather outside their offices, located in high-rise buildings, yesterday following a powerful earthquake that hit southeastern Iran and was felt in the United Arab Emirates. — AFP QUETTA, Pakistan: A powerful earthquake struck southeastern Iran yesterday, killing at least 34 people across the border in Pakistan and shaking buildings as far away as the Gulf and New Delhi.

The quake, measured at magnitude 7.8 by the US Geological Survey, damaged hundreds of mud-built buildings in remote southwestern Pakistan and comes a week after another struck near Iran’s Gulf port city of Bushehr, killing at least 30 people. Crisis management authorities have declared a state of emergency in the quake-hit area, Iran’s official news agency IRNA said, but so far there have been no confirmed deaths on the Iranian side.

The quake was also strongly felt in Kuwait, particularly in coastal areas, and in the Bahraini capital Manama, where buildings in the central financial district were evacuated. Across the Gulf the quake shook buildings in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and was also felt in the Saudi capital Riyadh and in Oman. In Dubai, resi-

dential and office buildings were evacuated and thousands of people gathered outside skyscrapers. “Everybody’s on the streets. There’s a state of panic,” said the director of an insurance company in the city centre who identified himself only as Rami. The grandiose Dubai Mall was completely evacuated, according to employees who said people were also cleared from towers in Downtown Dubai, home to the world’s tallest building.

In Pakistan, the military has mobilised to help the relief effort after the quake brought down homes in the Mashkail area in Baluchistan province. Two military helicopters carrying medical teams have been sent to the area, which lies just a few kilometres from the Iranian border, while paramilitary troops were being moved to supplement the relief efforts.

“At least 34 people have been killed and 80 others wounded in Mashkail,” a local government official told AFP. “The bodies are at the hospital and injured are being Continued on Page 13

MANAMA: Police in Bahrain’s capital raided a boys’ high school yesterday and fired tear gas in clashes with students angry over a fellow student’s arrest the day before. Yesterday’s violence came as the Gulf nation boosted security in preparation for next week’s Formula One race. Police clashed with students at the school, located close to the US Embassy in a residential southern district of Manama full of parks and nurseries. Mohamed Jaber, a father of one of the students, said he came to pick up his son but police told him and other parents to leave. On Monday, police arrested 17-year-old student Hassan Humidan at the school.

Bahrain has been wracked by more than two years of unrest between the Sunni-led government and majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice. The Bahrain Grand Prix has drawn less attention than a year ago when F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone at the last minute decided to go ahead Continued on Page 13

MANAMA: Riot police react as a chunk of cement is thrown over a wall from a high school yesterday. — AP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his accompanying delegation left Kuwait after a short visit yesterday. They were seen off at the airport by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and a number of dignitaries.

Law to lift subsidies ‘within govt jurisdiction’ KUWAIT: Responding to reactions from some people, including parliamentarians, to what is known as “the law authorizing the government to lift subsidies from some services rendered by the government without requiring any law,” ministerial sources said this legislative provision was within the requirements of the development plan approved by the 2009 parliament, and there was nothing new in the move.

Sources said the law was within the government’s jurisdiction to make it easier for it to deal with the issue of subsidies and services. Sources said the purpose of the law was to “authorize the govern-

ment to exercise its authority to control the fees on services presented by the state without the need to issue any decision that raises the value of the services or transactions such as traffic, electricity, water and others by law.”

The sources said, “The law does not mean that there is an intention to hike prices of state services. Rather, it is meant to restore the right to control the prices to the concerned authority, which is the executive.”

They said that there is not a single country in the world where a government does not have the right to control the prices of services provided by it.

Parliament votes against stripping 4 MPs of immunity KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday voted against the Public Prosecution’s petition to void parliamentary immunity of MPs Dr Abdul-Hamid Dashti, Nabil Nouri AlFadhel, Safaa Al-Hashem, and Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak for charges in six cases filed against them.

Dr Dashti retained the immunity in a misdemeanor case, with 29 MPs rejecting the prosecution request, out of the present 35 members. In another vote, 27 MPs voted for maintaining the immunity of their fellow deputy, Dr Al-Fadhel, for accusations in

a press case, with 37 legislators present.

As to Al-Hashem, 24 lawmakers rejected stripping her of the parliamentary immunity, with a total of 37 deputies attending.

Voting for lifting the immunity of MPs Dr. Al-Dashti and Dr. Al-Mubarak, in a press misdemeanor case, came with rejection of the petition by 26 members of the assembly, with 38 parliamentarians attending this session. Balloting for lifting that of AlHashem, in a misdemeanor case in Fahaheel, came with 27 against, with 38 MPs present. — KUNA

No need for fears of aftershocks in Kuwait Expert rules out threat

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: No aftershocks were expected in the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Iran yesterday, an expert in seismology told the Kuwait Times. Dr Abdullah Al-Anezi, Supervisor of the National Net of Earthquake Detection at the Kuwait Institution for Scientific Research (KISR), said he did not expect any further tremors following the earthquake in Iran, shockwaves from which were felt throughout the Arabian Gulf, Pakistan and India, yesterday.

“Many earthquakes take place in Iran but, fortunately, Kuwait is far away and consequently, we rarely feel the tremors here.

Unless another earthquake happens, there would not be any aftershocks hitting Kuwait,” he told the Kuwait Times.

The earthquake that hit Iran at around noon yesterday with a magnitude of around 7.8 on the Richter scale was felt throughout the Gulf. Many people were instantly messag-

ing and calling up friends and family to inquire about each other’s well being and asking what they should do.

“Should we leave the flat?” asked a scared teenager of her father when she felt the tremor. Tenants in high-rise buildings and employees at their workplace in offices located in towers downtown Kuwait City also felt the tremors.

An employee in an office located in one of the high-rise towers in Kuwait City explained that the tremor lasted for five seconds but none of the staff felt frightened or thought evacuation was necessary.

This was the strongest earthquake with an epicenter in Iran in the last 40 years.

Residents in other Gulf countries-the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait-besides the Indian subcontinent, also felt the tremors.

Minutes later, people started posting images of sidewalks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi crowded with people who were evacuated as

a precautionary measure. In some GCC countries, immediate precautions were taken.

Regarding the threat posed by the Bushehr Nuclear Reactor in case of any strong earthquake to the GCC countries, he noted that it was expected that such reactors are built to resist earthquakes, especially since Iran is known as an earthquake prone region.

“We hope that nothing bad will happen, as the threat is not only to the GCC countries.

So, the Iranians will definitely be careful,” he said.

He explained that the countries which have put in place evacuation plans, such as the UAE, were quite near to the earthquake, as they were just about 70 km away. “They have many high rise buildings and in comparison to Kuwait, are more prone to danger,” he pointed out.

The Civil Defense Depar tment of the Ministry of Interior is in charge of any evacuation plans or safety procedures in case of an emergency.

All Kuwaitis in Boston safe WASHINGTON: All Kuwaiti students in Boston are safe and none of them have been hurt in the deadly explosions, the Kuwaiti Embassy in the US capital affirmed.

The diplomatic mission is continuously following up on condition of the Kuwaiti students and other citizens in the City of Boston, following the explosions that rocked it, reportedly leaving at least three people dead and more than 100 others wounded, the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy inquired about condition of all Kuwaiti students and nationals in Boston, the statement added. The embassy added that while it continues to hold contacts with the students and the nationals in the city, it also calls for “prudence, maintaining contact with it, and apprising the mission of any emergency that may develop.” The embassy receives emergency calls on the following telephone number: +12022620758. —KUNA

Interior holds training course KUWAIT: As part of the Ministry of Interior’s training season activities for the period between April 7 and 11, 2013, a course was conducted on “How to write reports in criminal field.”

Conducted in the administration building, the course was attended by 24 trainees, soldiers and civilians, including an officer from the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Organized under the patronage and presence of the General Director of Criminal Investigation, Lt General Dr Fahad Ibrahim Al Dawsari, the course was aimed

at enhancing the participants’ skills in preparing reports as medical examiners and also helped lay scientific foundation on which such reports are based and written.

Dr Al-Dawsari hailed the training program and its achievements, and stressed on the importance of such courses. He called upon the trainees to put in more efforts in the service of the country.

Diplomas were handed out to the trainees in the presence of Brig Adnan Mahmoud Baqer, Assistant Director of the Administration.

TEC hold online marketing training course KUWAIT: In collaboration with the online marketing experts at Click Media Co., the Touristic Enterprises Co. ( TEC) recently organized a training course on online marketing techniques for its PR and marketing staff. The course was held at TEC’s head-

quarters. The main lecturer for the course was Click Media general manager, Faisal Bin Thefari, who highlighted the latest o n l i n e m a r k e t i n g te c h n i q u e s a n d described how to utilize these for the company’s benefit.

He also explained function of various tools, the protocols that each uses, how to spread information through websites, emails as well as various social media networks. Bin Thefrai also talked about the pros and cons of online marketing.

Children of Kuwaiti mothers face host of problems

By Nawara Fattahova

Barrak refuses arrest...

Continued from Page 1 In a related development, a number of MPs in the pro-government National Assembly launched a scathing attack on Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad AlHumoud Al-Sabah for failing to stop demonstrators and arrest Barrak. MP Safa Al-Hashem said the minister has failed to apply the law against unauthorized demonstrations which have spread “fear and horror among the peaceful Kuwaiti population”. She accused the minister of not doing his job and called on him to step down.

The same attack was launched by MP Nabeel Al-Fadl and others who claimed the minister had failed to implement the court verdict by not arresting Barrak.

Hashem also announced that she will file a request to grill the interior minister next week along with MPs Youssef AlZalzalah and Faisal Al-Duwaisan, which will focus on the security situation in the country. The Assembly meanwhile decided yesterday to allocate one hour of today’s session to discuss the circumstances surrounding the court verdict against Barrak and the consequent protests.

KUWAIT: Children of Kuwaiti mothers could previously enjoy the benefits of the Kuwaiti citizenship in the form of free healthcare and education, among other things - till they reached 21. They could also undertake applied education and training courses that were only available for Kuwaitis. As regards the boys, their Kuwaiti mothers could only sponsor them under family visa until the boys reached the age of 21. Then the boys had to look for another sponsor or leave the country. However, the girls could be sponsored by their mothers until they got married. No age limit had been set for them. It seemed unfair that a Kuwaiti woman could sponsor a driver or servant, who was a stranger, but could not sponsor her own son. As the number of such children increased, the mothers pressed the issue even more. With the approval of political rights for women, when female MPs reached the parliament, some changes and improvements were made.

Twenty-seven-year-old Ahmad has been lucky, as he is still being sponsored by his mother. “When I reached 21, my mom didn’t know that the laws have changed. She was asking around to find a

company that could help us transfer my visa in return for money. That is if they didn’t have any suitable job for me. She was worried. But, fortunately, when she went to the Immigration Department to renew my visa, they renewed it and that too for a longer period than before. I got it for five years,” he told the Kuwait Times.

However, Ahmed complained about a related issue. “The lack of knowledge among employees of public institutions is annoying. With the new rules, we are treated as Kuwaiti citizens even after reaching the age of 21, but many employees are not aware of this. So, for instance, when I go to the hospital, they demand that we pay for the stamp, although we don’t have to. It’s not about KD 2, but the principle. So I have to first explain things to them. Then, after a long discussion, they check with other officials and find out that what I said was right. This is annoying,” he pointed out.

The lack of employment opportunities is another problem facing Ahmad. “Until now I can’t find a decent job that matches with my education. I graduated in mechanical studies, but they still don’t employ us in the public sector. And the available vacancies in the private sector are in other fields. If I knew from the beginning that I won’t find a job

with this specialization, I wouldn’t have studied in this field,” he explained.

Ahmad’s 25-year-old brother, Husain, managed to transfer his visa, thanks to the company he is working with. “I was lucky, as I received an internal scholarship as the son of a Kuwaiti mother, and I graduated from the Gulf University for Science and Technology. So, I found a decent job and I’m working-but my salary is the same as the expats’ and can’t be compared to those of Kuwaiti citizens. In addition, I don’t get the National Labor Support allowance that Kuwaiti employees in private sector receive,” stressed Husain.

Thirty-year-old Khalid is another example of people in Kuwait who have a Kuwaiti mother and non-Kuwaiti father. “I didn’t face any problem with the visa, but my biggest problem was employment, because I’m disabled. I only found a job three years ago at one of the public centres for the disabled.

But I got this job only because my brother knows the owner of the centre, not because I’m a university graduate,” he stated.

The situation for children whose fathers are GCC nationals is better, especially in the field of employment, as they can be employed in the public sector and police as well.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait political leaders attack unified press law Coup d’etat against constitution

MoE lauds GASERC role, achievements KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf yesterday said the Gulf Arab S t a te s E d u c a t i o n R e s e a rc h Ce n te r (GASERC) played a major role in coordinating the educational strategies of its member states.

“The Center has made headway in unifying the curriculums of mathematics and sciences and building an archive for the curriculum documents of, and strategies for teaching, the Arabic language,” he said in an address read on his behalf by Acting U n d e r s e c re t a r y o f t h e M i n i s t r y o f Education Maryam Al-Wutaid at the opening session of the Center’s 20th educational cultural season.

The event is themed “development of culture and sustainability of development.” “ The educational research and media institutions shoulder the responsibility for promoting public awareness about the impor tance of culture in reaching the goals of sustainable development,” he said.

In a similar speech to the gathering, GASERC Director Dr. Marzouq Youssof AlGhunaim said the current session of the season will explore ways for activating the roles of culture and the educational institutions in the socio-economic development. “Culture is the fruit of innovative and creative researchers and could contribute to meeting the demands of modern life

though opening up to the experiences of all humanity,” he pointed out.

“The United Nations, out of recognition of the urgency of sustainable development, adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation in 1992 for helping its member states to realize the targets of their respective development programs and face the challenges of the 21st century. “The plan emphasized that education is an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development,” Dr. Al-Ghunaim reminded.

I n D e ce m b e r 2 0 0 2 , t h e U N G e n e r a l Assembly adopted Resolution 57/254 to start a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD 2005-14); the resolution tasked UNESCO with adopting the necessary procedures for promoting education around the globe, he went on.

The Arabian Gulf countries took the initiative and approved a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development for the first quarter of the 21st century (200025); the document was reviewed in 2010 in response to new changes and needs, Dr. Al-Ghunaim added. The two-day event started with a lecture, given by Ibrahim Al-Belihi, member of the Saudi Shura Council. Undersecretar y of the Omani M inistr y of Education Dr. Humoud AlHarethi is scheduled to address the gathering tomorrow. — KUNA

Demonstrations ‘unacceptable’ KUWAIT: Member of Parliament Taher Al-Failakawi hoped that no citizen is jailed, including former MP Musallam Al-Barrak, as “we do not like restricting anybody’s freedom since it negatively affects the person’s life as well as that of his family.”

He said the sentence against Al-Barrak must be restricted, and any situation that can be described as a law of the jungle should be avoided. Only then, everyone will be able to resort to a court to seek justice.

Al-Failakawi found organizing demonstrations rather strange and called these “unacceptable.” He said there were people who went to jail and there were not any demonstrations. Al-Barrak was tried as a citizen, not in any other capacity, he added.

Meanwhile, lawyer Yacoub Al-Sane said he will form a team which will go after anyone who insulted the Amir, because he was the country’s symbol.

MP Abdelhameed Dashti said, “I was hurt by the sentence against my former colleague in the annulled assembly, Musallam Al-Barrak, though it did not come as a surprise, and he himself had predicted it. He is among those who tried to safeguard the constitution and believes in the country’s institutions. He knows that he must respect the court rulings, and what Al-Barrak said was a crime punishable by law.”

Big increase in airport traffic KUWAIT: Passenger traffic at Kuwait International Airport witnessed an increase of 12 percent in March, while airplane and freight traffic also rose by 17 percent compared to same month of 2012, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said yesterday.

The total number of passengers, to and from Kuwait International Airport, surpassed 735,000 passengers. The total number of arriving passengers stood at 398,000, while that of departing passengers stood at around 337,000, a DGCA press release indicated.

The Overall number of planes to and from Kuwait International Airport in March was 7,800 flights, with arriving and departing commercial flights accounting for 6,000 flights of the total. Air cargo traffic increased significantly to 16 million kilogram last month, the DGCA pointed out.—KUNA

Information minister holds talks with parliament panel KUWAIT: The meeting of Information Minister Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah with parliament’s Education Committee saw many opinions being presented even as some participants urged that the proposed law be retracted and government should wait till people are ready for it.

Sources said the minister explained to the committee that the law was merely “a proposal by the information ministry, and the government made sure that there will not be any jail sentences since the goal was not to restrict the freedoms, but rather to put an end to chaos. Besides, such laws were there in many countries.”

The sources quoted minister Al-Humoud as saying that the law does not ban the criticism of decrees, and the punishments are already mentioned in other laws. He said the need for legislation was dictated by public interest. He said the government will consider the comments of the specialists, and the law was not officially received by Parliament as yet.

The Information Minister earlier denied that there was any intention to impose prior supervision on the media through the unified information law and welcomed any amendments suggested by parliament or journalists.

KUWAIT: Representatives of political powers launched a scathing attack against the unified press law, adopted by the government, and described it as a coup d’etat against the constitution.

These sentiments were expressed during a rally at the Democratic Forum premises in the diwan of former MP Abdallah Al-Naibari. Former MP Mushari Al-Osaimi said, “I believe the coming days will see many issues that could lead to catastrophes. We have read this law including article 243, and it is a copy of the text that is in the penal law and contradicts articles 36 and 37 of the constitution.”

Al-Osaimi said articles 2 and 3 give the information minister full authority to take any steps and muzzle the media’s voice. In one of the articles, the law stipulates a payment of KD one million, and a deposit of KD 300,000, and “it is obvious that this ar ticle was included only to favor their friends, the businessmen.”

Al-Osaimi ridiculed one of the articles when he said there were certain paragraphs which were laughable as they said that a newspaper or a T V channel should have no right to announce the election results until these were announced by the official media. The law negates all freedoms and makes it compulsory for the cinemas to exhibit patriotic programs for four hours per month, and wondered, “What is the government’s understanding of nationalism, other than the fact that it wants everyone to praise the sheikhs, the ministers and the government?” Former MP Mohammad AlAbdeljader said this law is “a sword

hanging on the neck of freedom of the media,” because it said any newspaper that carries out a scoop will be sent to court. He wondered, “Why did your law not mention that any minister who leaks information will be sent to court?”

“I only want to remind the Kuwaiti people of what our grandfathers and fathers did when they fought to win for us the freedom of expression and helped preserve the constitution,” he said.

Taleeah newspaper’s editor-in-chief, former MP Ahmad Al-Nafeesi, said, “We are going through hard times and though we did experience several crises in the past, this one is different. Now, the authorities are confronting us with our identity and Kuwaitism, as if we do not know that this freedom is what distinguishes Kuwaitis and makes our people and our country like no other.”

He said, “We are proud of Kuwait’s political structure surviving for centuries now and it is our right to reject this law. This is not a unified law of information, but is rather a blow to what remains of the constitution. They are trying to turn Kuwait into a tyrant country.”

Al-Nafisi said what was going on in Kuwait now is shameful, “but no matter how much they try to bribe this assembly, we are confident that the right to hold opinions will survive, because Kuwaitis are holding onto their patriotism and freedoms. They faced such attempts earlier, and the government could only come up with a decree of necessity, and a selected assembly that has bribed ex-convict MPs.” He said, “We are facing a fierce con-

frontation and attempts to impose dangerous decisions. This is happening because we expose them, thanks to freedom of information. We expose their corruption and manipulation, and they do not want Kuwait’s public opinion to enjoy this much freedom. These attempts are not only directed towards journalism, but all Kuwaitis. With such a law, they are crossing all limits.”

The Secretar y General of the Progressive Faction, Ahmad Al-Dayeen, said, “The current political crisis is not limited to the “one vote” law. Rather, we are facing a sheikhdom that was there in the past and which still exists and targets the people’s freedoms and goes after its opponents.”

He said this law was a sort of coup d’etat against the constitution and follows the establishment of democracy.

He said it is clear that restrictions have been increased and freedoms have been tied with ropes. He said the restrictions were not just limited to the media and satellite channels only.

Al-Dayeen said the authorities wanted to scare the people and therefore, included provisions to restrict the grant of licenses and stiff jail punishments, in addition to making provisions for unheard of financial penalties. He said this proposed law warns against criticizing friendly countries, which means that the media is no more allowed to write about a subject that concerns any country or anything related to Kuwait’s relations with another country as it could be considered a major insult and will be punishable. He said the law might as well order everyone to simply “shut up.”

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

In my view

Changes in land of pyramids

Abused woman, no way out

By Labeed Abdal

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

T

O

n the northeastern side of Africa, Egypt remains a country big in size, population and with history going back hundreds of years. No wonder, it is known as the land of pyramids and the sphinx.

Egypt also remains a heavyweight Arab country and any changes there cast a reflection on all other Arab countries. As the historic trial of Egypt’s former President, Hosni Mubarak, proceeds following the street revolution in 2011 in Tahrir Square, rulers in other countries remain deeply interested and any developments in the trial are a cause of worry to them.

Although Egypt witnessed street killings, just as these happened in Libya, Tunisia and now Syria, people there chose the rule of law.

Also, we saw a strong judiciary playing its role in a determined way when it came to counting or re-counting of votes in the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Right now, the slogan shouting crowds and those who declare their affiliation by wearing t-shirts emblazoned with slogans, clearly show that there are three distinct groups in politics - those who back the new president, Mohamed Morsi, affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood; those backing his predecessor Mubarrak; and those who want neither of these two and would rather opt for someone who does not tilt towards any kind of extremist stance.

Mubarak was convicted last June of conspiring to kill protesters during the 2011 revolt that ended his rule, and was sentenced to life but a retrial was ordered in January after he appealed against the sentence.

However, the court decided to postpone the retrial when a judge recused himself. Mubarak, his two sons and six other officials serving a life term will mean a lot to the victims’ families.

A lot of arguments are being put across and questions are being raised about the current change within the new Islamic group of Muslim Brotherhood and whether it would last for long.

How will hardliners or extremists rule a country that exported laws, constitutions, education, arts, music, movie production and musicals, whose hallmarks were modernity, to many other Arab countries for more than a century remains a puzzle.

We hope that from here onwards, democracy leads the way and people come together in the national interest. Any transition of power or change of regime takes place through peaceful means.

Needless to say that everyone must work to avoid any bloodshed, especially because its victims are often the poor, hopeless and needy.

Moreover, everyone must remember that the country populated by more than 82 million people, has already reached a very low income level.

Without doubt, people are pinning their hopes on those who can usher in change and freedom, and they are depending on all the reasonable voices in Egypt and the rest of the world.

kuwait digest

How to reconcile with the world?

By Arwa Al-Waqian

T

o reconcile with oneself equals reconciling with the whole world. Most personal, physical and psychological disturbances stem from the soul and its sufferings including the ones buried deep within some souls and cruel experiences that they had gone through in the past and which do not allow such reconciliation.

However, to diagnose and identify the problem is a half way progress towards healing. We might spend more than half of our lives escaping from ourselves and from other people. We so often escape agony but this escape differs from one person to another. Some of us become the idea of being a workaholic in a bid to forget our personal concerns.

Others become drug-addicts in a bid to sedate their minds, even though temporarily. A third person may learn to bridge any troubles by ignoring them, which I believe is the best solution.

To reconcile with oneself means to probe the shortcomings and work hard to resolve them. If other people find joy in seeing one broken to pieces, disappointed and having become greatly dependant on them, this means that one has reached a dead end. Why should one blame others for one’s worries?

Why make them stronger by one’s own weakness?

Why make them penetrate and sabotage one from within?

I learnt my lesson the hard way and knew that the other might love you and, at the same time, find joy in destroying you. I learnt to make a distinction between their psychological disturbances and my own soul to avoid its destruction because of one or the other statements made by them. I learnt to avoid pensive people who spread sadness around. This was not an easy task because many of them were close to me and I liked them but, because of the depression and triviality, they turned into monsters towards those around them, namely those they loved.

To reconcile with myself, I needed to keep my soul away from those who might deliberately or unintentionally harm it. I learnt that no matter how much we love such people, our lives will not develop unless we loved ourselves and learnt to reconcile with them. Only then will we be able to reconcile with the whole world.

The journey may take days or years, but to be convinced that it is high time to reconcile with oneself and love the difference takes a great deal of courage, especially since we live in a society where individuals may oppress themselves to please others. — Al-Jarida

o me, it is hardly a new story. I have dealt with similar cases for many years now. This is again a story about an expat married woman, who is not a maid. She is here because of her husband who now abuses her. Yes, some expat men do become crazy and assume their wives are their slaves. They think they can do anything they like and beat them, snatch away their money, or rob them of any semblance of respect and dignity.

This is a heartfelt call from a reader whom I refrain from naming here.

kuwait digest

Why privatize our national carrier?

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani

O

n Nov 15, 2012, the chairman of the board of Kuwait into a financial and commercial hub and will help keep Airways, Sami Al-Nisf, stated that KAC would soon be national funds within Kuwait. How come he cannot imagine turned into a profit-making company and will then be the existence of other countries without their national carrisold. Al-Nisf did not explain why on earth KAC would be pri- ers but still wants to sell KAC? The problem with KAC and other public companies and vatized as long as it was making profits? It is illogical to sell a company making millions. Does this mean that privatization establishments is not that these are publicly owned; it’s by itself was the goal of the government, especially since Al- rather the way they are run and operated, especially the govNisf’s statement was a sort of a declaration that KAC’s nature ernment’s interference which alienates the principle of competence and equal opportunities. as a public company was in no way Such interference makes a public a deterrent to the firm posting There is a great deal of contra- firm lose its financial and adminisprofits?

Moreover, chairman Al-Nisf diction between what the chair- trative independence. The govwrote an article earlier this month man of the KAC’s board wrote ernment appoints a board of directors, based more on social in which he said, “Both citizens and expatriates in Kuwait, the KAC that and what he said six months ear- and personal relations and closeflew high carrying Kuwait’s flag lier. His praise of the success of ness to certain VIPs and influential during the occupation, its employ- Emirati, Qatari, Singaporean people. Take the current board of directors as an example. The ees and its history deserve something better than this old fleet and Abu Dhabi airlines, which board is chaired by someone who which is owned by an extremely are state-owned, emphasizes is a journalist, politician and an wealthy state. Expanding the that being a public company is active media figure who appears on a daily basis on various satellite KAC’s routes and destinations, and upgrading its fleet will surely help not a deterrent in achieving suc- TV channels and advocates the make more profits and enhance cess for any airlines. In addition, government’s policies.

As an economic policy, privatiKuwait’s status as a commercial as he himself says, KAC will play zation depends on ‘the invisible and financial hub. It will also help save public funds and instead of a role in transforming Kuwait hand of the market.’ The internaletting them go overseas when into a financial and commercial tional economic capitalism’s crisis people purchase tickets from oth- hub and will help keep national has proved its failure, which led many countries to cancel nationer carriers. Can anyone ever imagine Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and funds within Kuwait. Why priva- alization plans, such as Argentina which nationalized the oil sector Singapore without their national tize ournational carrier? after 19 years of privatization durcarriers? Where else will we get billions to help finance the development plan unless we had a ing which corruption prevailed. Bolivia also nationalized its direct means of transport between Kuwait and major coun- electricity services after 15 years of privatization. It also cantries? Don’t the brilliant financial minds operating in the celled the privatization of all airports in the country last February because the private company failed to provide the region know what to do?”

Obviously, there is a great deal of contradiction between investments it undertook to do despite making over two bilwhat the chairman of the KAC’s board wrote and what he lion dollar in annual profits.

In Egypt, about 70 per cent of the public sector compasaid six months earlier. His praise of the success of Emirati, Qatari, Singaporean and Abu Dhabi airlines, which are state- nies were sold for less than EGP 25 million while officials owned, emphasizes that being a public company is not a received EGP 33 billion as commissions.

Therefore, the question remains: Why privatize KAC? deterrent in achieving success for any airlines. In addition, as — Al-Jarida he himself says, KAC will play a role in transforming Kuwait

Respected Muna, I heard from some respected source that you write about women’s issues and also solve their problems.

Actually, I am facing many problems, and that is why I am contacting you. Please read my email carefully. I am a Pakistani expat lady. I am facing so many problems with my husband. He never gives me my expenses and his behavior towards me is also not good. I started doing a job but then he started demanding money, even though he is earning more than I do. Now he has started demanding all of my salary. When I refused, he started beating me. He abused me, my mother, father and my brother and sisters.

He also abused me sexually and the situation has become unbearable for me.

Muna, my problem is that I do not want to go back to my country, because I am working here. I have an independent aqama. If I go back, I will face so many social and financial problems. I have no house of my own back home and searching for a new job will be a very difficult task. I have no idea where will I live if I go back. I have a school going daughter. If I go back, her studies will be affected.

Here I can bear my daughter’s expenses. I am a foreigner here and do not know how to fight for my rights. Is there any NGO here that fights for women’s rights? I want to join such an NGO. Alternatively, please let me know if there is any family court available where I can go to seek my rights.

I am very much confused about which is the right path for me. Please help me, and tell me what I should do.

You are a woman and that is why I believe you can understand me. I know you are a busy person, but please help me. Otherwise I will lose my senses and I can no longer bear the sexual harassment.

A woman in trouble, It is sad that most such stories that I have dealt with till date concerned Asian women who come from male dominated societies. These women are victims but the society they came from is no different from the one here, and hence there is no way out.

It is hard for any expat woman to come with her husband who she ordinarily presumes will take good care of her in a foreign country but then starts to beat her and treat her badly. She is here with no family support and no victims’ groups to help women in need, as exist in the US or Europe.

The police only show up when a crime happens but these women do not want to fall victims to crimes before they receive help. They want peace and solutions to their troubles. That is why I have been saying for years even though no one cared that we need a shelter for woman like that. We need to provide such women with a secure shelter and lawyers to help them deal with such marriages that go horrible and deal with the situation in a peaceful manner.

I consider it my duty to issue such a clarion call as I am responsible to history. I do so even though I doubt any change will happen sooner even though we have a woman minister for social affairs. Now, as for your complaint, I think you need to call a lawyer and ask for legal opinion. You need to be strong and not allow yourself to be carried away. You can always leave your job but this will only worsen your misery. Be strong and never lose faith.

kuwait digest

Great friend of Kuwait

kuwait digest

Nuke reactor a big threat

By Abdullah Khalaf

I

n his book “The Gulf Crisis: An attempt to Understand,” poet and diplomat Ghazi AlQossaibi said that Kuwait was lucky because two of the world’s greatest leaders — George Bush Sr. and Baroness Margaret Thatcher — were coincidentally in office when it was invaded. The former was a veteran politician with a long experience in diplomacy. He was US envoy to the UN and China, headed the CIA, assumed several positions in the State Department, ran several international oil establishments and represented them in Kuwait and the Saudi Arabia in the 1940s.

The latter, on the other hand, was a physicist who contributed towards some chemical inventions such as freezing ice cream and keeping it soft and tender. She received a degree in law in 1953, won a parliamentary seat in 1959, became an undersecretary for the parliament ministry, and, later on, the minister of education.

On April 9, 2013, a Middle East newspaper published some rare information about Thatcher saying that she married the wealthy businessman, Dennis Thatcher, and carried his name as per Western norms. As minister of education, she managed to cut down the ministry’s expenses by cancelling a free milk meal that used to be given to pupils, for which she was derisively called ‘Maggie Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.’ She became prime minister in 1979.

In 1982, Argentina suddenly invaded the Falkland Islands without any negotiations.

Thatcher declared war to liberate the islands but, fearing consequences of the war, her defense secretary resigned. She assumed the command of the army herself, and led it to victory and liberation of the Falkland Islands.

In 1990, she made President Bush chase Iraqi troops out of Kuwait and liberate it by forming an unprecedented international alliance. Thatcher was a good negotiator who

used proof and evidence in her debates. “If we let Iraq take over Kuwait, chaos will prevail worldwide and smaller countries will be taken over by others and we’ll all go back to the rules of the medieval age,” she told Bush.

At the crack of dawn of Aug 2, 1990, Sheikh Saad called British PM Margret Thatcher from Nuwaibe and she reacted brilliantly by freezing both Iraq’s and Kuwait’s accounts in the UK. She even convinced President Bush to do the same in the US and, accordingly, he woke up all his leaders and ministers and did the same before the Kuwaiti people could even get out of their beds.

She did not retreat either in the Falkland or in Kuwait liberation wars when her ministers called for negotiating with Argentina before negotiating with Iraq. She ran her country’s economy during 1983-1987.

She hastily sold state assets and brought in privatization on a large scale and thus saved the UK from a major financial crisis. She overcame the bourse manipulations and faced the biggest and longest strike ever - the miners’ strike that lasted for a full year. All through, she was a daily target of local press’ criticism till the miners ended it.

She was the mightiest minister and was tough in the face of military, financial and labor crises. She was described by the Soviet Red Star newspaper as ‘The Iron Lady,’ a name that was also used by the Russian reformist leader, Mikhail Gorbachev to describe her. She managed to bring Ronald Regan and Gorbachev to meet in 1984 and cooperate on various global issues.

She was prime minister during 1979 and 1990 when she concluded her great career by liberating Kuwait after leading the world’s largest alliance along with President Bush. They were both the mightiest swords in liberating Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion. — Al-Watan

By Prof Mohammad Al-Moqatei

I

t seems that our being neighbors with Iran became a source of worry on account of security, apart from fact that there is an increased tendency to export ideologically-fanned revolutions as part of an expansionist strategy towards the Arabian Gulf countries.

Encouragement is also on offer to groups in these countries who are being urged to rise against the regime. Even financial support is possibly available as is the case with Bahrain. Also, Iran continues to occupy the UAE islands.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Al-Maliki recently seemed succumbing to this threatening stance as he spoke in a language that revealed he was responding to Iranian control, and becoming one of its arms, especially since he chose to pursue an obviously sectarian policy in Iraq.

The other security threat comes from the Iranian mindset which only cares about its own expansionist policy. It comes from its continuation of its dangerous nuclear policy.

Iran selected the city of Buhahr as a center for its nuclear tests and nuclear reactor. The latest earthquake that hit Bushar and surrounding areas reached a magnitude of 6.3 Richter scale and revealed the threat that this reactor posed.

There is no data available regarding the safety and security procedures in this reactor, an especially worrying factor since it is only 287 km away from Kuwait, 300 km from Bahrain 400 km from Qatar, 600 to 800 km from UAE and Saudi Arabia. As for Tehran, it is a good 1200 km

away from the Iranian capital.

This means that any radiation leak may reach Kuwait within three hours, and this requires us to deal with the issue very carefully, keeping in mind the following: 1. Specialized authorities are required, which may be led by the Environment Public Authority (EPA). Unfortunately, the EPA made a very unconvincing statement about being able to monitor any leak 10 hours before it reaches us, without giving any scientific explanation.

This was more of a rhetorical statement and we demand that it should, instead, put sensitive detection systems linked with the most advanced monitoring centers, in place. Also, it should draw a realistic and practical emergency plan that includes scheduled evacuation procedures, hours before the radiation reaches us. These plans should be transparent and there should be training provided to evacuate residential areas. There should also be shelters fortified against radiation and pollution, as Kuwait has vast areas in the desert to build such shelters.

2. Arabian Gulf countries and Iran must evolve official arrangements to discuss safety procedures against the risks of Iranian radio-activity, and exchange information to control nuclear radiation catastrophes, particularly because Bushahr is a candidate for violent earthquakes, or can be a military target in the future.

One of the agreements could be about the transfer of the reactor to an alternative place where it is more secure.

—-Al-Qabas

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait donates $68 million

for Syrians, Palestinians Easing out humanitarian sufferings

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait recently commenced training a group of new recruits who joined a three-month theoretical and practical training course.

Commenting on the course, CBK’s HR assistant manager, Huda Sadeq, said her department was only too happy to receive and train a new group of recruits in banking principles. She explained that the course included a month-long theoretical training with the help of specialized trainers.

NA delegation participates in finance management seminar KUWAIT: A delegation of the National Assembly headed to Ankara yesterday to participate in an international seminar, themed “an international workshop on public finance administration,” addressing the issue of the state finance management from 16 to 19 April.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Budget and Final Accounts Committee Adnan Sayed Abdulsamad, who led the delegation, said these seminars give great benefits to experts in the field of management and finance. He noted importance of sharing ideas and experiences with others from different countries, for auditing and trans-

parency as well as fighting corruption.

Abdulsamad said the conferees would discuss several international plans on monitoring the state’s budget, which were applied and proven to be successful.

He also added that benefits and effects of using information technology and modern techniques in the field would also be studied by the seminar participants.

Noting necessity of examining international experience in the field, he called for rational employment of financial resources, improving preparation and spending of budgets, setting priorities and abstaining from non-necessary expenditure. — KUNA

Bosnia, Kuwait sign MoU for judiciaries’ cooperation SARAJEVO: Visiting Kuwaiti Minister of Justice Shareeda Al-Maousherji signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding with his Bosnian counterpart Barisa Colak.

Al-Maousherji stated that this MOU aims to develop cooperation between the two ministries, namely in fighting crime and corruption.

He noted that his delegation discussed methods of abiding by international laws and legislation signed by the two countries, adding that officials on

the two sides shared experiences to improve their staff performance.

The signing ceremony was attended

by Undersecretary of Kuwait Ministry of Justice Abdulaziz Al-Majid, Legal Consultant of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Justice Mohammad Al-Ghareeb, Head of the Administration of the Minister’s office Saleh Al-Ammar, Secretary of the minister Essa Al-Bisher, and Kuwait’s Charge d’affaires in Bosnia and Herzegovina Adel Al-Adgham. — KUNA

UNITED NATION: The Kuwaiti donation is part of a $300 million pledge announced by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah during the donor conference for Syria held in Kuwait on Jan 30, 2013, Al-Otaibi said. “We are in the process of distributing the pledge announced by HH the Amir during the International Pledging Conference for Syria held in Kuwait to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Kuwait,” he said.

“Kuwait has decided to deliver all payments to international organizations and agencies which provide humanitarian services to our Syrian brothers,” he added.

He hoped that such funds would contribute to easing out the humanitarian sufferings and pains of Syrians, mostly women, children and elderly, at home and abroad. He recalled to memory that HH the Amir had pledged during the recent Arab Summit in Doha, Qatar, to continue humanitarian and political support for the Syrian people.

Al-Otaibi regretted that the humanitarian situation in Syria was getting from bad to worse and the conditions of Syrian refugees were very difficult. He also reminded that the Syrian people had hosted refugees from neighboring countries in the past and that was why everybody now should provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.

However, he called on the international community to step up efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, which could fulfill the ambitions of the Syrian people.

The Kuwaiti diplomat is scheduled to hand tomorrow (Tuesday) another two cheques to the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), thus bringing the total donations up to $80 million.

The remaining sum pledged by the State of Kuwait, hitting $220 million, will be delivered by the Kuwaiti permanent delegation in Geneva to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Committee of the Red Cross, World Health Organization, World Food Program and other organizations.

For her part, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt said following her meeting with Ambassador Al-Otaibi that “we are extremely thankful and grateful to the Government of Kuwait for this very generous contribution which is going to be a long way to help children in need both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.”

She said the Kuwait’s “very generous” contribution came at a time the UN humanitarian agencies are facing sky-rocketing humanitarian needs. “It is very, very welcome.”

She noted that UNICEF shared with the Kuwaiti Government how it was going to distribute the assistance to the Syrian internally displaced and refugees, especially children in need. She

KUWAIT: With an aim to extend support to talented artists, the Touristic Enterprises Co recently hosted sand sculpture artist Ayman Hamdi at one of its beaches on a weekend.

Hamdi displayed samples of his works at the Al-Shaab Club, Ras AlArdh (Cape club), Messiela and Ogaila beaches where the visitors enjoyed watching these.

explained that UNICEF still has a functioning office in Damascus, Homs, and other towns, manned with international and national staff, adding that UNICEF is also working with other partners too.

Richard Wright, Director of UNRWA Office in New York said following the meeting that his office was “very grateful” for the Kuwaiti contribution, and that Kuwait has set a “good example” for other donor countries to follow suit.

He described the Kuwaiti contribution as “extremely generous and we are extremely grateful to the Kuwaiti Government and people” for supporting the Palestinian refugees, whose situation is “extremely difficult,” not only in Syria but also in neighbouring countries. He noted that some 40,000 Palestinian refugees have left Syria to Lebanon and 5,000 more to Jordan. “This generous contribution will certainly help us take care of their needs which are growing by the day,” he stressed. He recognized that by contributing this

way and this much, Kuwait is setting a “good example to the other countries” that participated in the International Donor Conference in Kuwait on January 30th, and hopefully, “this will act as a catalyst for others to come forward with contributions to all UN Agencies, not just UNRWA” which “urgently needs funds to deal with this crisis situation”.

“We are immensely grateful for this very generous contribution and the example it set for everyone else. It is a very good day for us,” he reiterated.

The Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Valerie Amos and the head of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres are scheduled to brief the Security Council on Thursday on the humanitarian situation in Syria and the refugee status.

The following day, Friday, Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is scheduled to brief the Council on the status of his mediation efforts. — KUNA

GCC countries need to speed up activation of customs union RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states need to involve their private sectors in the activation of the customs union, said a GCC report issued here yesterday.

The public and private sectors go in parallel lines and have a common interest in the planned customs union, according to the report issued by the Federation of the GCC Chambers of commerce and industry.

The governments of the GCC countries need to involve the private sector in the discussion of the procedures and regulations relating to the customs union, it urged.

The union aims to facilitate the free move-

ment of goods and unify the procedures relating to the veterinary quarantine and treating the products of a GCC origin as a national product, it noted.

As for the trade volumes among the GCC countries, the report said they went up from USD six billion in 1984 to over USD 85 billion in 2011.

In 2003, the first year of the enforcement of the customs union, the trade exchanges soared by 31 percent.

Data of bilateral trade between 2003 and 2008 show that it grew by an annual average of 28 percent, it added. — KUNA

Kuwaiti female student’s death in UK ‘natural’ LO N D O N : H e a d o f t h e K u w a i t i c u l t u r a l b u re a u i n t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m , D r.

Mohammad Al-Hamad Al-Hajeri, assured late Monday night that initial investigations carried out by Scotland Yard on the death of a Kuwaiti female student showed that her passing was of natural causes, and there is nothing to suggest anything of a criminal nature.

Dr. Al-Hajeri said the student was in her final semester at a UK University, preparing to graduate and return home this summer.

He added, “a delegation from the bureau will visit the University Campus today, to

meet with Kuwaiti students who were close to her, to extend condolences, and support the students during such times.”

The bureau also stated that it assigned a hotline through which a social worker and supervisor is to answer calls from students at the university and their parents.

Dr. Al-Hajeri said that the cultural bureau is coordinating with the embassy to complete all procedures related to transporting the body to Kuwait as soon as possible.

He extended condolences to the family of the student asking Allah Almighty to bestow peace upon her soul. — KUNA

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LOCAL

Woman posts nude photos of youth over the internet Attempt to smuggle bedoon girl to Saudi KUWAIT: A woman, who claimed to be a Moroccan, turned out to be quite creative in devising a way to extort money from a young man, when she convinced him to take off his clothes in front of a webcam, and then asked him to pay KD1000 or she will put up his pictures on the social media. When the man refused to pay, he actually found the pictures sweeping through the internet and rushed to the detectives for help.

A security source said it all began as an innocuous chat on the internet which then spiraled further, eventually bringing them face to face through the webcam. The source added that the girl started to seduce the man by exposing her body a little and urging him to do the same, gradually instigating and successfully convincing him to take off his clothes and perform certain acts even as she recorded these shots. For a little while, the girl remained out of touch and then called him and asked him to pay KD 1000 as ransom to keep her from publishing the pictures over the internet. The security source said the man did not take the girl seriously, but was surprised when his pictures appeared over the social media. Once scared, he sought the help of the police. Detectives are investigating.

Human smuggling An attempt to smuggle a bedoon girl to Saudi Arabia through the Salmy border center failed as a Gulf citizen hid her under the seat. Both were referred to the concerned authorities.

A security source said that the family hailing from a Gulf country was preparing to leave Kuwait through Salmy, when during the checking of their passports, officers noticed that a ten-year-old bedoon girl had entered the country with them, but they denied her presence. When the police searched the car, they found the girl hiding under the back seat. The man and child were sent to the relevant authorities to find out why they acted in this way.

Girl harassed A Kuwaiti woman accused a man of harassing her daughter and urging her to commit vice acts. A security source said the woman told Salmiyah police that her daughter complained about a man who harassed her and exhorted her to commit vice acts. She showed certain text messages as proof. Salmiyah detectives arrested the man who confessed that he was in a relationship with the girl and wanted to break it off as the girl insisted on marriage, but when he told her to stay away, she threatened to force him to marry her.

Investigations are underway.

Armed robbery A Kuwaiti citizen accused two of his brothers-inlaw of robbing him of KD9000 at gun point. The citizen who was in industrial Shuwaikh received a call from his in-laws who asked him to meet them, but when he arrived at the indicated place, they asked him to get into their car and forced him at gunpoint to hand over KD 9000 that he was carrying. He was then

asked to leave the car. The victim went to Shuwaikh police station and filed charges.

Rape case Filipina accused a man, posing as a policeman, of raping her before taking her mobile phone and KD5.

The victim went to Nugra police station and told officers that a man stopped her in the area and asked for her ID, before brandishing a weapon and asking her to get into the car. He then took her to an isolated area where he raped her, robbed her of KD 5 and threw her out of the car before escaping. The woman gave police the description of the car.

Sister ‘punished’ A citizen, who saw his sister riding on a motorcycle with another man and then chased the frightened girl, eventually landed at the Hawally police station.

Now, he is burdened with a KD9000 payment since he smashed his sister’s luxury car repeatedly during the chase. It all began when he saw his sister on a motorcycle, pillion riding with another man along the Arabian Gulf road, and tried to chase them but failed.

The man waited for his sister at home and when she returned, he tried to beat her but she escaped in her car towards the police station. The brother went after her and kept hitting her car all the way. Policemen provided her with protection, even as her brother promised to get her car repaired, but when he found it will cost a hefty KD 9000, he refused to pay. Charges were filed.

Medical emergency conference opens KUWAIT: Medical emergency media coordinator AbdulAziz Bu Haimed said that the first medical emergency conference took off yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Farwaniya under the patronage of Minister of Health Dr. Mohammad Al-Haifi.

The conference, which will last till April 17th,

ministers in order to provide better services.

Bu Haimed added that international experts in the field will deliver lecturers at the conference.

These experts will be coming from different countries, including the USA, New Zealand, Romania, Ireland and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia apart from Kuwait. The experts will talk about the latest methods in dealing with any crisis. Some of the

will aim to develop medical emergency services and how they respond in times of crisis and disasters. It will also review emergency service providers’ cooperation with the concerned government organizations in rescuing lives and taking care of patients in a professional way.

The conference’s long term aim was to form a permanent Bureau jointly with the concerned government organizations to tend to any crisis and disasters and to work under a joint command in the central security Bureau at the council of

experts will be engaging with the audience through modern communication methods, like on line. He further said that the conference will have internal and external exhibitions, where equipments of participant parties will be exhibited.

He said anyone interested in following the proceedings of the conference should log on to www.kuwaitems.org. Visitors will be required to fill in some information to register themselves or they can do so by accessing the public relations personnel of the conference.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Buhaimed explained that several different state arms were connected with crisis and disasters management in Kuwait, including the Ministry of Interior, Fire Department, National Security Bureau, National Guards, Ministry of Oil and sundry others. All of these will be participating in the conference.

The last day of the conference will witness a workshop with coordinators from concerned parties participating. There will also be a set of recommendations for the council of ministers, including one about formation of a permanent Bureau to deal with crisis and disaster management.

The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohammad Al-Haifi, at 9:30 am yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Farwaniya. Several leaders from the Ministry of Health and other organisations connected to crisis and disaster management were in attendance.

The opening ceremony started with the National Anthem and recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. A short film about medical emergency and the technical work involved was exhibited.

Minister Dr. Mohammad Al-Haifi made the opening speech and hailed the role of medical emergency services and their cooperation with the concerned parties to reach out to the patients and provide better services.

He thanked the audience, the concerned parties and the media for their participation. The minister honored the director of medical emergency services, Dr. Faisal Al-Sham, former director, Dr. Mohammad Al-Sharhan and former deputy director, Abdel Redha Abbas. He also honored the participants and sponsors of the conference.

Thereafter, the minister inaugurated the internal exhibition at the conference as well as its external chapter and inspected the equipment displayed by the participating parties. He thanked the organizers for their efforts. A press conference will be held on Wednesday, April 17th, at noon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel to brief the media about the recommendations which will be sent to council of ministers.

KUWAIT: The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Skill and Creativity continues to cooperate with other state departments to help improve scientific and technological fields, and enhance the value of science and scientists. The center signed an agreement of cooperation with the Dasman Diabetes Center to establish the first clinic in Kuwait that will use a modern system to carry out several procedures at the same time. This system was invented by Dr Abdulmohsen Al-Torki from the Sabah Al-Ahmad Center.

Kuwaiti officials review Oman consumer protection system MUSCAT: Omani and Kuwaiti officials have discussed cooperation in the sector of consumer protection, namely the Sultanate’s measures for safeguarding interests of the consumers, it was officially reported yesterday.

The delegation of Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce representatives, headed by Assistant Undersecretary of Consumer Protection Abdullah Sager Al-Enezi and Assistant Undersecretary for Monetary Supervision Dr. Abdullah Saleh Al-Owaisi, visited Oman’s Public Authority for Consumer Protection. It met with Head of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection Dr. Saeed Al-Kaabi.

The officials on both sides discussed cooperation in the field. The Omani officials

briefed their visiting counterparts about the local authority’s efforts to monitor markets, receiving consumers’ complaints directly at the authority’s departments, via hotline, its official website, and through social networks.

The delegation visited the General Prosecution Division, studying different issues, complaints of consumers sent by the authority, and the division’s role in dealing with them.

The Kuwaiti officials also visited the authority’s divisions and departments, expressing their admiration of the Omani experience in the field of consumer protection, noting that they planned to apply some of the Omani procedures at home. —KUNA

Kuwait’s architectural projects on display KUALA LUMPUR: Architecture, Interior Design and Building Exhibition is held in Kuala Lumpur, themed “Architectural Arts” in which miniature models of most famous buildings and skyscrapers from various towns all over the world are exhibited. The fair is organized by Foster+Partners architectural Londonbased firm and is held in KLCC/Petronas Twin Towers. It is exhibiting the latest architectural design arts through exhibiting the company’s implemented or under construction projects.

A miniature model of the new building of Kuwait International Airport is present in the exhibition-with its distin-

guished design of three huge symmetrical wings.

The project is environmentally friendly and is designed by Foster+Partners company. It will increase the airport capacity to reach 13 million passengers annually, with a possibility for expansion to reach 25 million per year.

The project earned the international rating; the gold standard for energy and environmental design.

New headquarters of Kuwait National Bank is another project designed by Foster+Partners and exposed in the exhibition. It will be located in the Kuwaiti district of Sharq, opposite Al-Hamra

Tower.

This new project was designed to decrease environment pollution, operating and maintenance cost, and further offer comfort and safety for the building visitors and users according to conditions of the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

The design of the building was inspired by the idea the “pearl oysters”, which is considered as a historical, cultural emblem of Kuwait.

The exhibition also hosted several projects implemented by the company in Malaysia, Asia, Europe, Australia, US, Arab and Gulf region.

Foster+Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many highprofile glass-and-steel buildings.

Established by Norman Foster as Foster Associates in 1967 shortly after leaving Team 4, the firm was renamed in the 1990s to more accurately reflect the influence of the other lead architects.

The most important achievements of the company include designing the German Parliament, The tessellated glass roof of the British Museum’s, British Library of Political and Economic Science besides many others. —KUNA

Gulf Bank hosts INJAZ Kuwait Job Shadow Program KUWAIT: Gulf Bank recently hosted a Job Shadow day as part of INJAZ Kuwait’s Program.

During comprehensive sessions held, 21 students from Sulaiman Al Adsani School received presentations from Gulf Bank personnel about the banking industry and the skills required to succeed in a modern office environment.

The day included visits to two different Gulf Bank branches. The students first visited Al Saleh Building, where they met with the Bank’s Learning and Development Team for a brief introduction about job functions at the Bank. Each student received a booklet about Gulf Bank’s history, vision, promises, and core values to help them better understand how the Bank operates.

Following this initial session, students were split into group for branch visits, visiting either Mishref branch or MAK branch, to see firsthand how the Bank interacts with its customers and delivers its services.

At the end of the sessions, the students met with the Executive Manager, Human Resources, Sadeq Abdullah, who provided them with some advice and guidance that might help them

develop their problem-solving skills and overcome the challenges in different working areas, especially in the banking sector, with the view to encourage them in the future to join Gulf Bank which provides suitable job opportunities for young talents. Moreover, each student was rewarded for completing the session, and a fun competition was held where students were given the opportunity to answer questions about what they learned and a prize was given to the winner.

Gulf Bank’s partnership with INJAZ Kuwait on the Job Shadowing program is based on the Bank’s 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, which is focused on the two critical areas of youth and education. The Job Shadowing program gives the Bank an opportunity to present itself to Kuwait’s future business leaders, increasing their understanding of the banking industry and demonstrating the importance of operating as a team. Gulf Bank looks forward to building a prosperous future for Kuwait’s next generation and by joining forces with INJAZ Kuwait the Bank is confident of achieving great results.

Sheikha Amthal reviews Kuwaiti voluntary work experiment

Municipal inspections continue

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Farwaniya governorate municipality supervisor Khalid Al-Azemi has stated that field campaigns carried out by the inspector during the April 1-9 period, which were aimed at identifying violations by shops and vendors at Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Farwaniya and Khaitan, have resulted in the finding of 85 such cases, of which 51 involved vendors and 34 involved shops that were using the roadside.

The campaigns were divided into two dis-

tinct phases. The first phase involved identifying roadside areas that shops were using without taking permission from the municipality.

It was found that many shops were illegally using 6-24 square metres of roadside areas for exhibiting their goods or for repairing cars.

The second phase involved identifying vendors who were using public areas, such as main streets and side streets, for selling food items and other subsidized goods without following the government’s healthcare regulations. During the campaigns, the inspectors

issued legal notices to violators.

Al-Azemi said the campaign would continue in all areas of the governorate, as per the instructions of Farwaniya municipality director Ahmad Al-Hazeem, in order to ensure the proper implementation of the law on all without exception. He said vendors selling food items must follow the law because their products are highly perishable and would affect the health of consumers if proper care was not taken in such hot weather. Al-Azemi urged all Kuwaitis to abide by the law.

RIYADH: Chairperson of the Kuwaiti Voluntary Work Center Sheikha Amthal AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah elaborated here Sunday evening on her center’s experiment and efforts for environmental protection, human and sustainable development in Kuwait.

Speaking at the 4th International-Gulf Forum and Exhibition on Environment and Sustainable Development, held under the aegis of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Sheikha Amthal expounded on three aspects; the red tide and fish-perishing, the disruption of Mishref Area sewage recycling station in Kuwait and humanitarian work.

She underscored the significance of voluntary work and societal participation in the

resolution of environmental problems and issues.

She pointed to her center’s voluntary efforts in the cleaning of beaches when fish perished and the red tide phenomenon emerged following the dumping of sewage water into the sea. Sheikha Amthal, who arrived here earlier in the day and will leave later in the evening, also appreciated the efforts of all Kuwaiti civil and military bodies in environmental protection.

The 4th three-day International-Gulf Forum and Exhibition on Environment and Sustainable Development is held under the theme: “Investment Opportunities in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and Water.” —KUNA

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Rival protests planned in Venezuela after elections

Iran test-fires new land-to-sea missile Page 8

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DAMASCUS: A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows firemen and civilians inspecting the aftermath of a car bomb explosion in the al-Fahameh neighbourhood of central Damascus yesterday.

Violence rages daily in southern Damascus, with rebels holding the outer edges of several districts, while the regime tries to push them out. — AFP

Syria issues new amnesty Belgium holds suspects over Syria war recruitment DAMASCUS: President Bashar al-Assad declared a general amnesty yesterday as the conflict ravaging Syria showed no signs of abating, with Western and Russian differences proving unbridgeable.

Under the latest decree, troops who deserted but did not fight against the regime may be pardoned if they surrender within a month, state news agency SANA reported.

“President Assad has issued decree number 23, granting a general amnesty for crimes committed before April 16, 2013,” said the agency. But there were important exceptions to the types of crime it covers.

The amnesty is applicable to just one crime classified under the Terrorism Act, namely failing to inform the authorities about rebel activity. Other acts such as possessing leaflets that encourage “terrorism” and taking up arms against the regime are not covered.

“Army deserters may be pardoned, if those still in Syria hand themselves in within 30 days, and those outside Syria hand themselves in within 90 days,” said the decree.

Under the decree, “the death penalty will be replaced with a life sentence of hard labour,” said SANA, stipulating that “those who financed terrorist groups or who committed terrorist acts that led to death and destruction are not covered”.

“Those who conspired to carry out a terrorist act have their sentence reduced by a quarter, and those who knew about such an act and did not inform the authorities are covered by the amnesty,” said the decree.

It will not apply to those who smuggled weapons or drugs, though smugglers of other goods will be amnestied as long as they pay reparations. Deserters “who stole weapons from the army’s warehouses and refused to obey orders” are not covered by the amnesty, the text added.

Armed civilians who hand their weapons in within 30 days can also benefit, although those who incited sectarian strife or published false news are exempted. The regime describes Assad’s opponents and rebels fighting his troops as “terrorists”.

On the eve of Syria’s independence day, Justice Minister Najem al-Ahmad said the amnesty “will reinforce social reconciliation, national cohesion, and (cater to) the need to live together on the occasion of this public holiday”.

“The amnesty covers the majority of crimes, on different levels,” SANA quoted Ahmadi as saying, though it excludes “a small number of crimes, mainly those linked to terrorism, espionage and treason”. State television said the decree would lead to the release of 7,000 detainees.

But Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman was sceptical, telling AFP: “It is not the first time Assad passes an amnesty, and this will not lead to the release of tens of thousands of detainees.

“A real amnesty would involve the liberation of all prisoners of conscience and the revolutionaries. An amnesty would mean putting an end to detention.” Assad’s latest declaration comes a day before pro-regime television channel Al-Ikhbariya is to broadcast an interview with him.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said “there will be no Syria if President Assad steps down. “If he leaves now before we agree on a political plan among all Syrians, Syria will no longer be on the map.”

Assad’s regime has been fighting an insurgency that erupted after his forces unleashed a brutal crackdown on peaceful, Arab Spring-inspired democracy protests that broke out in March 2011.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and driven more than five million from their homes, including more than one million refugees. At least 87 people were killed in violence on Monday alone, said the Britain-based

Observatory. With no signs of a breakthrough, the international community remains divided over Syria, with several Western and Arab countries supporting the anti-Assad uprising and Russia, China and Iran backing the regime.

Meanwhile, Belgian police raided 48 homes across the country yesterday and detained six men after a year-long investigation into an Islamist group suspected of recruiting fighters for Syria’s civil war.

Prosecutors said Fouad Belkacem, the leader of Sharia4Belgium, was one of the six, but declined to give details on the others, beyond saying one had returned wounded from Syria.

Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt told a news conference that he and his colleagues were investigating whether

Sharia4Belgium constituted a terrorist organisation, membership of which could lead to a jail term of up to 10 years.

“The investigation shows that Sharia4Belgium is part of a broad international jihadist movement,” Van der Sypt said. Foreign Islamist insurgents are increasingly playing a role in Syria’s civil war, which started in March 2011 with street protests against the four-decade rule of the family of President Bashar al-Assad.

Sharia4Belgium is accused of giving ideological and combat training, organising violent activities in Belgium and recruiting Islamist fighters for conflicts abroad. Van der Sypt said prosecutors were aware of 33 people with links to the group who were either in or on their way to Syria. “The recruitment occurred, for example, by youths

being spoken to on the street and then invited to private meeting places in Antwerp,” he said.

Police seized computers, mobile telephones and money in the house searches, mostly in the northern province of Antwerp.

The Syrian conflict pits the Sunni Muslim majority against Assad’s supporters among his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, and has prompted both Sunni and Shi’ite militants from elsewhere to fight in Syria.

Sharia4Belgium is a Salafist group opposed to Assad.

Belkacem, who described himself as the spokesman for Sharia4Belgium, was convicted last year of inciting hatred and violence against non-Muslims and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring ankle band. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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

Iran test-fires new land-to-sea missile ‘Israel capable of attacking Iran on own’ DUBAI: Iran test-fired a new land-to-sea ballistic missile in the Gulf, a senior official said yesterday, days before an annual ceremony meant to showcase its military muscle at a time of rising tension with the West over its nuclear activity.

Israel has publicly warned of possible air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites if Tehran does not resolve Western suspicions it is developing nuclear weapons know-how under cover of a declared civilian atomic energy program, something Tehran

being launched, re-enters it at high speed, and completely destroys the target vessel or warship.”

Bokaei did not say when the missile was tested or give a specific indication of its range. “When this missile was tested, all the enemies’ destroyers and ships retreated from near our borders,” he said, according to IRNA. The Islamic Republic will mark its National Army Day on April 18, an occasion meant to celebrate its armed forces

of the propaganda value of all these claims,” he told Reuters.

“I think in general Iran will have a difficult time to develop really advanced modern missiles ... Opponents are increasingly capable of, at least in theory, destroying these kinds of weapons before they are even being deployed.”

Iran has made “robust strides” in developing its ballistic missile capabilities, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote in a

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fourth left, Israeli President Shimon Peres, fifth left, and Israeli military’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, second right, attend Israel’s Independence Day celebration at the President’s residence in Jerusalem, Israel, yesterday. Israel is celebrating 65 years of independence with barbeques, air force flyovers, and a bible quiz. —AP denies.

Iran has threatened to hit Israel and US bases in the region if it comes under attack, and also to block the Strait of Hormuz, the neck of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil exports pass.

“The defense ministry has been able to test a new missile in the Persian Gulf which has a high ability to hit targets,” General Majid Bokaei, Iran’s deputy defense minister, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA, which described the missile as a ballistic missile.

“This new missile, which has been equipped with a surface-to-surface missile system, exits the atmosphere after

and likely unveil military advances.

Iran often announces new weapons achievements, although these are difficult to verify independently. In August it said it had test-launched a more accurate short-range missile capable of hitting land and sea targets within a range of around 300 km (180 miles).

Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), called the announcement another example of Iran flaunting new military muscle without providing proof.

“It might very well be a weapon with a certain capability but it is extremely hard to say. We always have to be aware

2010 assessment. The IISS also said, however, that Iran’s arsenal suffered from poor accuracy.

All of Tehran’s ballistic missiles would be capable of carrying a nuclear payload, the IISS said at the time.

Meanwhile, Israel’s army is capable of attacking Iran on its own without foreign support, Chief of Staff Benny Gantz told public radio on the 65th anniversary of the Jewish state’s foundation.

Asked in an interview if Israel’s military could wage attacks “alone” — without the support of countries such as the United States — against the Islamic republic, Gantz replied, “Yes, absolutely.”

“We have our plans and forecasts... if

Saudi diplomat kidnapped in Yemen in new video plea DUBAI: A Saudi diplomat held hostage by Al-Qaeda in Yemen for more than a year has urged the kingdom to secure his release, in a new video published by the extremist network’s media arm.

Abdullah Al-Khalidi, Saudi’s deputy consul in the southern port of Aden, was dressed in a traditional black outfit and appeared to be in good health in the 19minute video interview by Al-Malahem Media, apparently produced between February and March.

He appealed to Saudi King Abdullah to secure his release by meeting his kidnappers’ demands, asking: “Will he release me and return me back to my family and children?”

“They are demanding the release of a few women and some clerics” detained by Saudi authorities over their links to AlQaeda, he said.

Militants from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula seized Khalidi on March 28 last year seeking the release of female prisoners and to collect a ransom. AQAP claimed responsibility for Khalidi’s abduction in April. In parts of the video, AQAP aired pictures of what it said were satellite pictures

of a US air base in Saudi Arabia from which drones targeted Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, as well as pictures of destruction caused by these raids.

The US has stepped up its support for Yemen’s battle against AQAP, which it regards as the most active and deadliest franchise of the global Al-Qaeda network.

This is Khalidi’s fourth such appeal. He last appeared in October in a similar recording, and made appeals on May 25 and again on July 1.

Although weakened, Al-Qaeda is still present in Yemen’s restive south and east, and launches sporadic attacks against security forces.

Saudi Arabia itself witnessed a wave of deadly attacks by Al-Qaeda between 2003 and 2006, which prompted authorities to launch a crackdown on the local branch of the jihadist network founded by slain Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

Hundreds of people have been abducted in Yemen in the past 15 years, almost all of whom have been freed unharmed. Three Europeans — two Finns and an Austrian — snatched in Yemen in December are still missing. —AFP

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on Monday shows Saudi’s deputy consul Abdullah Al-Khalidi speaking at an unknown location during a 19-minute video interview by Al-Malahim Media, apparently produced between February and March. —AFP

the time comes we’ll decide” on whether to take military action against Tehran, he said.

Gantz’s comments echoed statements earlier this month by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel would “at no stage... abandon our fate into the hands of other countries, even our best friends.” Israel believes the Islamic republic, which has issued numerous bellicose statements against the Jewish state, is working to achieve military nuclear capabilities. It has not ruled out a military strike to prevent this happening.

Last month Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country would “annihilate” the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if it comes under attack by the Jewish state.

Iran denies it is developing an atomic bomb and says it needs its nuclear program for peaceful medical and energy purposes.

Israel is widely believed to be the Middle East’s sole nuclear-armed state, albeit undeclared.

In a separate interview yesterday, Gantz said the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran was not imminent, and that sanctions imposed by the international community should be given priority to stop Tehran’s nuclear drive. “Iran has the means to obtain nuclear capability before the end of the year, but this does not mean it’ll get there,” he told news website YNet, adding that “sanctions, isolation and continued pressure” on Tehran must intensify.

Iran is estimated to have lost billions of dollars in oil sales and the value of its currency has plummeted. An independent February report said a fall in pharmaceutical exports to Iran was also causing harm and was undeniably triggered by international sanctions. US President Barack Obama said in March that Iran was still more than a year away from developing a nuclear weapon. In a third interview, with Israeli military radio, Gantz also warned of the security threat posed by neighboring Syria’s civil war.

“The rebels are for now engaged in combat against the army of President Bashar al-Assad,” he said.

“But it’s clear there will be a second war, possibly between (current opponents of Assad), or possibly directed at us. I think it’ll be both at the same time,” he said.

Mortar rounds and small-arms fire from inside Syria landed in Israeli-controlled territory in the Golan Heights earlier this month, with the Israeli army responding with tank fire. —Agencies

GAZA CITY: A protester flashes the sign for victory as she holds a poster of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails during a rally to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Gaza city yesterday. Statistics published by Israeli rights group B’Tselem show by the end of 2012, 4,500 Palestinians were being held in Israeli jails. —AFP

Palestinians open Israel jail replica to honour prisoners GAZA: Palestinians opened a replica of a former Israeli prison in Gaza yesterday to help illuminate the plight of 4,800 kin jailed in Israel after weeks of protests that have triggered clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Murals of famous leaders of Palestinian militant groups who were once held in the Saraya prison decorated walls at the site, along with a leather banner listing the names of 12 detainees who died in what locals dubbed “the slaughterhouse”.

“Prisoner Day,” an annual Palestinian national rite that commemorates the detainees, is set for Wednesday and more street violence with Israeli troops is anticipated.

Palestinians view compatriots held in Israel as heroes of their struggle for statehood, whereas the Jewish state says that many are guilty of killing or hurting innocents and the detentions guarantee its security.

A hunger strike by a handful of prisoners and the deaths of two inmates in custody this year have touched off deadly clashes with Israeli security forces that some analysts say could snowball into a third Palestinian uprising.

Saraya was refurbished and opened to visitors by Waed, a prisoners’ association loyal to Hamas.

The ex-prison spans the fraught history of Palestine. It was built by British colonial authorities in 1936 only to be used in turn

by Israel during its post-1967 occupation, the Palestinian Authority under a self-rule deal from 1994 and finally Hamas for a brief period after it seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Many of Saraya’s original concrete cellblocks and interrogation rooms were destroyed over the years by Israeli air strikes during conflict with Palestinian militants. In their place, Waed built rows of tents it says

resemble detention camps still in use in Israel’s nearby Negev desert.

Waed spokesman Abdallah Qandil said he hoped anger over the prisoners’ plight would lead to another “armed struggle”.

“When I came in I was overcome by the memories and the feelings of suffering prisoners are undergoing,” said Zeyad Jouda, a former detainee at Saraya who was guiding visitors.

“By being here I am conveying my story to people who are visiting to increase their solidarity with prisoners. We are trying to explain to them what detention and what the cells were like,” Jouda said, as he showed around some 40 local women.

Local authorities say 800,000 Palestinians have been detained under Israeli military orders since the 1967 war when Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Palestinians want an independent state in those territories but negotiations with Israel have been frozen since 2010.

Allegations of torture have been directed against all of Saraya’s former gatekeepers. Most recently, the Palestinian Fatah and Hamas movements accused each other of abusing fellow Palestinians there during their bloody rivalry.

Hamas says its militant attacks were key to making Israel withdraw from Gaza in 2005 and gaining the release of over a thousand Palestinian prisoners in 2011 in exchange for an Israeli soldier it held hostage.

Visitors to the site echoed this sense of triumphalism.

Salwa Al-Mashharawi froze briefly at one of the prison room windows where she used to visit her two sons when they served time there during Israel’s occupation. “I recalled the cries, the tears and the pain but no regret,” she said as women around her chanted “God is Great!” —Reuters

UAE plot defendant allowed to seek medical treatment ABU DHABI: An Abu Dhabi court yesterday allowed a defendant in the trial of dozens of Islamists accused of allegedly plotting to seize power to seek medical treatment abroad, the justice ministry said.

During the hearing, the court “accepted the request by one of the defendants to hand her over her passport so she could travel abroad for medical treatment,” according to the ministry statement published by the official WAM news agency.

Out of the 94 defendants in the case, 86 including 13 women appeared in court yesterday. The rest are being tried in absentia. The next hearing was set for April 30.

The women defendants have been on bail since the trial, which is closed to foreign media, began on March 4.

Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, called on US President Barack Obama to press UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan to “reverse the worsening human rights situation in the country,” when they meet in Washington.

“Obama should raise concerns with AlNahayan about severe violations of fair trial rights, allegations of torture, and the laws and practices that foster exploitation of the UAE’s sizable migrant population,” said HRW. “The US should use its leverage as a key trading partner and ally to press the UAE’s leaders to end rights violations,” said HRW’s Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.

“The backdrop to the two leaders’... meeting is the UAE’s fundamentally unfair mass trial of 94 critics of the government, the unpunished torture by its state security services, and an escalating crackdown on free speech,” said HRW. Prosecutors say the accused are linked to the group Al-Islah, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Attorney General Salem Kobaish said they would be tried for “having created and led a movement aimed at opposing the basic foundations on which the state’s political system is built and at seizing power.”

The trial is the largest in the history of the UAE, which has not seen any of the widespread proreform protests that have swept other Arab states, although authorities have boosted a crackdown on dissent and calls for democratic reform. —AFP

NIAMEY: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) shakes hand with Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou during a press conference in Niamey yesterday. The day before, Ahmadinejad defended his country’s controversial nuclear programme while on a tour of west Africa, calling it peaceful and arguing that Tehran has no use for an atomic bomb. —AFP

Iran’s president visits uranium-rich Niger NIAMEY: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the uranium-rich West African nation of Niger yesterday, although officials discounted that the mineral was the reason for his visit.

Niger’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Bazoum downplayed international speculation that Iran had come in search of uranium, saying: “I don’t think that’s the goal of this visit.” Niger obeys international regulations on selling uranium, said Bazoum, who added that it would not be legal to provide uranium to Iran.

The Iranian leader arrived Monday in Niger’s capital, where he was greeted by President Mahamadou Issoufou. The twoday stop in Niger is the second on Ahmadinejad’s trip to West Africa. He already has visited Benin and is due to visit Ghana before returning home.

The West has imposed several rounds of punishing sanctions on Iran, which Iran says has crippled its economy. Western powers are hoping to force Iran to scale

back its uranium enrichment program, suspecting it might aim to produce nuclear weapons.

Iran has refused, insisting its program is for peaceful purposes, and says it has a right to enrich under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Ahmadinejad has said that the country does not need to buy uranium in Africa, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Last week, Iran announced two nuclear-related projects to expand capabilities to extract and process uranium Iran already has uranium mines and the ability to turn the raw ore into a material called yellowcake, which is the first step in the enrichment chain.

But the new facilities - expansion in the country’s largest uranium mine and processing facility give Tehran greater access and control in making the raw materials for enrichment to nuclear fuel and, potentially, for warhead-grade material. —AP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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

17 killed in Ghana mine collapse: Official ACCRA: A gold mine collapse in central Ghana has killed 17 people who were working illegally and had been told to leave by the operator, police and an official told AFP yesterday.

The operator had completed its work at the mine near the town of Kyekyewere and returned only to shut down the operation and carry out reclamation work, said the area police commander William Otu. They found several people from the local community mining illegally, who refused when asked to leave.

Not long after, “the operator got information that the mine caved in and covered the people,” the police commander said. “The number of those trapped were 22,” said local government official Peter Owusu-Ashia.

Sixteen bodies were found dead at the scene, while six others were rushed to the hospital for treatment. “One later died” said Owusu-Ashia, putting the toll at 17.

“We have stopped rescue operations for now.”

He explained that the illegal miners were working with tools that they found discarded at the site. The west African nation of about 25 million people is one of the world’s top gold exporters. The country has been hit by similar disasters in the past, including a 2010 incident that killed 32 people in the south of the country.

Heavy rains had poured into the clandestine mine causing it to cave in. The previous year 18 people, including 14 women, were killed in one of Ghana’s

worst mining disasters. A similar number died in another cave-in in April 2007 at a mine west of the capital Accra.

Many of the country’s illegal gold-mining pits are exploited by so-called “galamsey”-often farmers evicted to make way for large-scale mining operations or former miners who lost their jobs to machinery.

Ghana’s heavy reliance on gold production is expected to decline in the coming years as output from the nascent offshore oil industry ramps up. The nation is also a major exporter of cocoa.

According to the independent Joy FM, Central Regional Minister Samuel Sarpong has vowed to clamp down on illegal mining following the latest acci-

dent. “They know what they are doing is wrong, and nobody supervises them and for that matter, they do it haphazardly, and then get away with it,” the radio station quoted him as saying.

“We will make sure that we disband illegal mining in the Central region,” he said. Ghana’s economy was once in a shambles, but the country has made considerable advances since military rule ended in 1992.

Ghanaians have since voted in six presidential elections and its economy has been among the world’s top growers in recent years. It saw roughly 14 percent growth in 2011, thanks largely to the launch of significant oil production, while 2012 saw roughly eight percent growth. — AFP

Thatcher’s coffin heads to parliament Send-off not seen since the funeral of Churchill

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, listens to Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. Lavrov said that Russia will back the Sudanese government efforts to settle the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan. — AP

S Sudan president clips vice-president’s powers JUBA: South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has clipped the powers of his deputy Riek Machar, officials said yesterday, a move that could raise ethnic tensions within the fragile and war-ravaged nation.

A presidential decree ordered “the withdrawal of all duly delegated powers assigned to the vice president” Riek Machar, a former guerrilla commander and an influential leader of the Nuer people, the country’s second largest ethnic group.

Machar will be restricted to “discharge only his powers as stipulated” under the county ’s draft constitution, the order added. That includes acting for the president when he is out of the country, and membership of the cabinet and national security council.

Machar, a Dok Nuer from the key oil producing Unity state, is a controversial figure for many in South Sudan, but commands much loyalty among the Nuer, who make up much of the new nation’s army.

During Sudan’s 1983-2005 civil war that led to a peace deal paving the way for a referendum on South Sudan’s independence, Machar fought on both sides of the conflict. His Nuer faction split the South’s thenrebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to side with Khartoum, battling troops commanded by Kiir from the mainly Dinka people.

His troops are accused of a brutal massacre in the ethnic Dinka town of Bor in 1991. He later switched sides again, and was instrumental in bringing key militia forces back to the SPLA, but has long been distrusted by the majority Dinka people, who hold key military and government positions.

South Sudan is riven by ethnic tensions, with the military struggling to control rebellions and mend a society torn apart by one of Africa’s longest-running wars, in which Khartoum pitted different southern militia forces against one another. —AP

LONDON: Margaret Thatcher’s coffin was to be taken to Britain’s Houses of Parliament yesterday, allowing lawmakers to pay their last respects to the former prime minister ahead of her funeral.

As Thatcher requested when she planned her own funeral, her body will remain overnight in a chapel at the Palace of Westminster in central London, where she served for more than half a century in both the lower and upper houses.

Her coffin will be taken from the chapel today for the ceremonial funeral with full military honours, a send-off not seen for a politician since the funeral of World War II prime minister Winston Churchill in 1965.

Thatcher, one of the giants of post-war Western politics, died on April 8 following a stroke. She was 87 and had been in frail health for some years. Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger led the latest list of guests for the funeral, to be held in St. Paul’s Cathedral at 11:00am (1000 GMT) today.

Former US vice-president Dick Cheney, king Constantine II of Greece, Britain’s last Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, London 2012 Games chairman Sebastian Coe and former US presidential candidate Ross Perot are also due to attend, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said.

Cameron, Thatcher’s successor-but-four as leader of the Conservative Party, said last week her epitaph should be that she “made Britain great again” during her three terms in office from 1979 to 1990. However, left-wingers remain bitter about her free-market reforms that brought sweeping changes to Britain’s industrial landscape. Left-wing firebrands said they would castigate her legacy in the House of Commons chamber, even as her body rests in the parliamentary chapel. George Galloway, best-known internationally for his involvement in Arab affairs, opposed a motion on Monday that would have cancelled Cameron’s weekly question-andanswer session today and delay the start of Commons proceedings until after the funeral has finished. That meant the government had to set aside three hours yesterday to debate the motion. “This was a wicked and divisive woman who was hated by half of the country and did great damage to a society she said didn’t exist.

LONDON: Pallbearers carry the coffin of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher as it arrives to the Crypt Chapel of St Mary Undercoft at the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday, to allow lawmakers to pay their last respects to the iron lady on the eve of her ceremonial funeral. — AFP People think the canonisation of Lady Thatcher has gone on long enough,” Galloway said. “I will have a lot to say,” he warned.

Labour veteran Dennis Skinner, who had memorable clashes with Thatcher across the Commons floor, also opposed the motion.

However the motion to cancel the session is certain to pass, on the votes of other MPs. Thatcher’s body was to arrive at parliament at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) to rest overnight in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. Like Westminster Abbey, the chapel is a royal peculiar, falling under the jurisdiction of the monarch as head of the Church of England rather than a bishop.

On its arrival, there was to be a short service to receive the body, attended by around 100 people made up of Thatcher’s relatives, senior parliamentarians, plus lawmakers and staff who

worked closely with the former premier.

The congregation was expected to include housekeepers who looked after her parliamentary office. The 13th-century crypt was then to open from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm (1600 GMT to 2000 GMT) to allow lawmakers and parliamentary staff to pay their respects.

While Thatcher was Britain’s first female prime minister, the woman tipped to become one of the Church of England’s first female bishops-if the rules are changed-will stand watch by her coffin overnight.Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Jamaican-born speaker’s chaplain who ministers to lawmakers, will keep vigil. Thatcher was first elected to represent suburban Finchley in north London in 1959, and remained the local MP until she entered the upper House of Lords in 1992 as a life member. — AFP

Russia protest leader faces trial after taking on Putin

PARIS: French army soldiers patrol at the Gare du Nord station, in Paris, yesterday. In the wake of the Boston attacks, the French Interior Ministry has ordered local authorities across France to immediately reinforce security measures already in place since the January intervention in Mali began. — AP

KIROV: Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny is so sure President Vladimir Putin wants him convicted in a trial starting today that he has already packed a jail bag with sneakers, jogging pants and slippers.

He expects he will also need shoes without laces under legal procedures if or when he is taken into custody after the trial in the freshly spruced-up Leninsky Court in the provincial city of Kirov, 900 km (550 miles) northeast of Moscow.

The anti-corruption blogger, 36, is the most prominent opposition leader to be tried since anti-Putin protests began 16 months ago. He could be jailed for 10 years if convicted of stealing 16 million roubles ($510,000) from a timber firm he was advising in 2009 while working for Kirov’s liberal governor.

Supporters portray the trial in Kirov - a drab city which is dominated by square and grey Soviet-era buildings and whose streets are covered with mud after the spring thaw as the culmination of a clampdown on dissent by Putin since he returned to the presidency last May after four years as prime minister.

“I think it’s clear to any objective observer that I’m not guilty,” Navalny told Reuters in his Moscow office before heading to Kirov. But he added: “I am absolutely certain that it will end in a conviction for me.” Navalny accuses Putin of orchestrating the trial and says the best he can expect is a suspended sentence which would keep him out of elections - he hinted this month that he might like one day to be Russia’s president.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, declined comment but has denied the president uses the courts for political ends. Distancing Putin from the case, he says the Kremlin leader will not be following the trial.

“If there is no proof, he will be acquitted,” said Konstantin Zaitsev, the senior official at the court, denying it had come under pressure to deliver a pre-determined verdict.

Navalny has strong backing among the middle class and urban youth in Moscow who flocked to the anti-Putin rallies he helped organise in Moscow last year. At times they drew tens of thousands of people demanding en end to Putin’s long rule.

But his support base is weaker outside big cities and Putin sees little political risk in making an example of Navalny to discourage other dissenters. Conservative voters - Putin’s traditional support base - could welcome a jail sentence after opposing protests that had little resonance in the provinces.

“I trust the courts. If they’re putting him on trial, he’s apparently guilty,” pensioner Lyubov Chuprakova said in Kirov, named after a communist whose 1934 assassination was used by dictator Josef Stalin as a pretext for mass purges.

Another pensioner, Nikolai Makarov, said: “I don’t know what has he done exactly, but those court cases don’t just get opened over nothing.”

Navalny says he knew he could one day go to jail when

he started his online campaigning against state corruption in 2007.

The campaign struck a chord when Navalny labelled the ruling United Russia a party of “swindlers and thieves” and he harnessed a mood change among urban youth against Putin’s political domination during last year’s protests.

But he has made powerful enemies and undermined Putin’s promises to crack down on corruption.

His strong oratory at rallies also make him a potent rival and his brief spell working for Kirov’s independent governor, Nikita Belykh, won him few friends in Moscow’s political establishment. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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

Online non profit InsideClimate News wins Pulitzer NEW YORK: In a sign of a rapidly changing media world, a relatively unknown New York-based online nonprofit news site joined some of the country’s most well-known media outlets in claiming a Pulitzer Prize, the highest honor in journalism.

InsideClimate News won the Pulitzer Monday for national reporting for its reports on problems in the regulation of the nation’s oil pipelines. Founded five years ago, InsideClimateNews reports on energy and the environment. Writers Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer were recognized for a project that began with an investigation into a million-gallon spill of Canadian tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010. The reporters went on to look more broadly at pipeline safety and the particular hazards of a form of oil called diluted bitumen, or “dilbit.”

“I think it’s a very hopeful sign. I think it really shows the way the journalism ethos reconfigures itself as times change,” said Sig Gissler, the administrator of the prizes. “This is a different way for journalists to practice their trade and make a contribution,” McGowan said. “The fourth estate has lost a lot. This is a way we’re making a gain.”

The Pulitzers, journalism’s highest honor, are given out each year by Columbia University on the recommendation of a board of journalists and others. Each award carries a $10,000 prize except for the public service award, which is a gold medal.

The Associated Press received the award in breaking news photography for its coverage of the civil war in

Syria. The Sun Sentinel of For t Lauderdale, Florida, received the public service award for an investigation of off-duty police officers’ reckless driving, and longtime Pulitzer powerhouses The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post were recognized for commentary and criticism, respectively.

The Star-Tribune of Minneapolis captured two awards, for local reporting and editorial cartooning. Cheers erupted in the Denver Post’s newsroom when word came that the newspaper had won the Pulitzer in the breaking news category for its coverage - via text, social media and video of the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people during a midnight showing of a new Batman movie last summer.

The honor was bittersweet for some, and people teared up and shared hugs. “We are part of this community. The tragedy touches us, but we have a job to do,” said Kevin Dale, the Post’s news director.

The New York Times’ David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab won the investigative reporting award for stories that detailed how Wal-Mart Stores Inc. systematically bribed Mexican officials with millions of dollars to get permission to build several stores across the country. The Times’ reporting spurred federal investigations.

The Times’ David Barboza received the international reporting award for his look at a how a “Red Nobility,” made up of relatives of top Chinese officials, has made fortunes in businesses closely tied to the government.

The Times staff won the explanatory reporting award for looking at the business practices of Apple Inc. and other technology companies and illustrating “the darker side of a changing global economy for workers and consumers,” the judges said.

In the feature writing category, John Branch of the Times won for a gripping narrative of an avalanche that trapped 16 skiers and snowboarders in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Told through photos, video, graphics and magazinestyle text, the piece was lauded in the industry as setting a new standard for multimedia journalism.

The paper’s editors “view the wonderful bounty of prizes as a real tribute to the newsroom’s excellence and dedication,” Executive Editor Jill Abramson told the staff. The AP’s Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen were recognized for “producing memorable images under extreme hazard” while covering the Syrian war, the judges wrote.

Their images depict the dazed and weeping wounded; a heartbroken man cradling the body of his bloodied, barefoot son; a sobbing, fatherless child; an 11-year-old aiming a toy rocket-propelled grenade.

AP Director of Photography Santiago Lyon called the winners “some of the bravest and most talented photographers in the world.”

The same conflict was the subject of the winning entry in feature photography. Javier Manzano, a freelance photographer, won for an image of two rebel soldiers guarding their posi-

tion as light streams through bullet holes in a nearby wall. The photograph was distributed by Agence France -Presse.

At the Sun Sentinel, repor ters explored speeding by off-duty officers. The reporting led to suspensions, firings and police policy changes. “It feels great to win for that stor y because it really changed things here for the better,” Editor Howard Saltz said.

At the Star Tribune, Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt captured the Pulitzer for local reporting for examining a sharp rise in in infant deaths at day-care centers, reporting that spurred stronger regulation.

Minnesota authorities reported last week that day care deaths have dropped significantly.

It was “really satisfying we had an impact,” Schrade said. Steve Sack, who has been at the paper for 35 years, won for editorial cartooning. In opinion writing categories, Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal received the commentary award for columns on American foreign policy and domestic politics.

The Washington Post’s chief art critic, Philip Kennicott, was honored for writing on the sociology of images. In one case, he focused on a picture of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hugging, calling it a portrait of a modern marriage.

The editorial writing award went to Tim Nickens and Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Bay Times for a series of editorials that helped reverse a decision to end fluoridation of the water supply in Pinellas County, home to 700,000 peo-

ple. Formerly the St. Petersburg Times, the newspaper is owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute.

Adam Johnson’s “ The Orphan Master’s Son,” about a man’s travails in North Korea, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Other arts winners included Ayad Akhtar winning the drama prize for “Disgraced,” a play about a successful Pakistani-American lawyer whose dinner party spins out of control amid a heated discussion of identity and religion.

The history prize went to Frederik Logevall for “Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam,” about Vietnam under the French. Tom Reiss won the biography prize for “ The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo.” He learned he won the Pulitzer while visiting the dentist, who waived the usual fee.

Sharon Olds’ chronicling of her divorces in her 12th poetry collection, “Stag’s Leap,” won her the Poetry prize.

“I’m in shock,” she said Monday when reached by phone, adding that she was trembling and a “little weepy.

“And my eyes are very open and sticky.” The general nonfiction Pulitzer went to Gilbert King for “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America.” The book tells the story of a 1949 case, in which four black men were falsely accused of rape, and their attorney was Thurgood Marshall.

Caroline Shaw ’s composition “Partita for 8 Voices” took the music prize. The 30-year-old graduate student at Princeton University is also a violinist and a vocalist. —AP

Rival protests planned in Venezuela after elections ‘We are here because they stole our vote’ CARACAS: The opposition planned more protests yesterday against the confirmation of late leader Hugo Chavez’s political heir as president-elect, but faced the prospect of rival demonstrations from the declared winner’s side.

Thousands of opposition supporters crammed the streets of Caracas on Monday as the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified the victory of acting President Nicolas Maduro against his opponent Henrique Capriles, who refused to concede defeat and demanded a full recount.

announced-now said that Capriles’s demand for a full recount was the “whims of a bourgeois.” Earlier, the CNE handed the certified results to Maduro, saying he defeated Capriles 50.75 percent to 48.97 percent-a difference of 265,000 votes.

The final gap was about 30,000 votes wider than initial results, but it was still the opposition’s best result against “Chavismo” over the 14 years that the latter has dominated the nation, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves.

“I am the son of Chavez,” Maduro said. “I am

CARACAS: Supporters of Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles protest in Caracas. Venezuela’s opposition piled pressure on electoral authorities Monday to recount the tight vote to replace late leader Hugo Chavez, calling for protests if acting President Nicolas Maduro is formally proclaimed the winner. —AFP At one spot, police dispersed a group of protesters with tear gas. Piles of trash burned along a central boulevard and later in the evening scores of Capriles supporters sped by in motorcycles, honking their horns.

“We are here because they stole our vote.

They cheated us,” said 60-year-old Selma Orjuela as she banged a pot. “We need Capriles to be president. That’s why we voted, and we are sure we won.”

With the opposition planning more protests on Tuesday and Wednesday, Maduro urged his supporters to demonstrate on the same days and “combat in peace” across the nation.

Maduro-who had voiced support for an audit of the vote shortly after the results were

the first Chavista president after Hugo Chavez Frias, and I will fulfill his legacy to protect the poor, to protect our independence.” The 50year-old former foreign minister reached out to the opposition, saying Chavistas will recognize and respect the “half minority. We want to work with the people who vote for the opposition,” he said.

At the same time, he accused the opposition of having a “coup mentality.” “Those who would try to undo a democratic majority’s will, what they are doing is carrying out, or pushing for, a coup d’etat,” Maduro charged.

“I am reporting that Venezuela is on the road to the preparing of an act that would disregard democratic institutions,” he warned. But

with the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS) backing his demand for a recount, Capriles called Maduro an “illegitimate president.”

Capriles, who wants the CNE to count all the backup ballots printed out by the voting machines, urged supporters to come out and protest to “let the world know our outrage, our anger.”

The 40-year-old state governor also called on Venezuelans to peacefully protest in front of CNE offices on Tuesday and Wednesday to demand a full recount. But CNE president Tibisay Lucena defended the electronic voting system, telling the opposition it should use “the legal path” instead of “threats” if it wants to contest the result, citing the 2000 US election that was decided by the Supreme Court.

In a business district known as a Capriles stronghold, protesters chanted “We see it, we feel it, Capriles president!” while waving Venezuela’s yellow, blue and red flag.

“President Capriles won. They just didn’t count the vote like they should have,” said Elis Carvallo, 33, with the Venezuelan colors painted on her face.

Outside the CNE, hundreds of Chavistas dressed in red cheered and chanted “Chavez lives! The struggle goes on!” in a central Caracas square. “We won by a hair, but we will support Maduro 100 percent,” said Marta Rodriguez, 48. “Capriles asked people to trigger conflict in the country. We won’t fall into provocations, but when the time comes, we will come out to defend Maduro.”

The OAS backed calls for a recount, while the White House said a full audit would be an “important, prudent and necessary step.” “In our view, rushing to a decision in these circumstances would be inconsistent with the expectations of Venezuelans for a clear and democratic outcome,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Around the world, Chavez’s closest alliesfrom Cuba to Ecuador, Brazil and Russia-congratulated their friend’s chosen heir, one month after the charismatic leader lost his battle to cancer aged 58. Riding a wave of grief over his mentor’s death, Maduro led opinion polls by double digits ahead of Sunday’s vote, but Capriles tapped into deep discontent over rampant crime and economic weakness.

Both candidates had pledged during the campaign to recognize the result. But Caprileswho accepted defeat when Chavez beat him by 11 points in October polls-said he had a list of some 3,200 complaints of irregularities during the election.

Maduro is due to be sworn in on Friday to complete Chavez’s six-year term, which only began in January. —AFP

Judge rejects appeal by Guantanamo detainee GUANTANAMO BAY: A federal judge has rejec ted an emergenc y appeal by a Guantanamo inmate on a hunger strike who claims he received rationed drinking water and was exposed to extremely cold temperatures.

US District Judge Thomas Hogan ruled Monday he did not have the jurisdiction to make a determination in the matter and rejected the motion by Musaab al-Madhwani who has been held at the US military prison in Cuba for eleven years.

The detainee had filed an emergenc y motion for relief demanding his jailers provide

him with drinking water and clothes that were warm enough. He has since received bottles of water but, according to his lawyer, still laments a lack of access to medical care.

Attorneys representing inmates have said the hunger strike, which has been going on for about two months, affects about 100 of the 166 prisoners. However, US authorities have said 43 inmates are participating and that 11 are being force fed.

Prison commander John Bogdan, as well as justice officials, have categorically denied the plaintiff’s allegations. The strike began when the men claimed prison officials searched

their Korans for contraband. Officials have denied any mishandling of Islam’s holy book.

“Rather than deal with the reasons for the hunger strike-the immediate trigger of the searching of Korans and the long-term desperation caused by more than 11 years of indefinite detention without charge or trial-the government responded over the weekend by escalating violence and retaliation,” the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement.

Guantanamo guards fired non-lethal shots to quell prisoner unrest Saturday as they relocated inmates into individual cells, military officials said. —AFP

BOSTON: In this Monday, April 15, 2013 photo, Boston Firefighter James Plourde carries an injured girl away from the scene after a bombing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in Boston. The FBI’s investigation into the bombings at the Boston Marathon was in full swing yesterday, with authorities serving a warrant on a suburban Boston home and appealing for any private video, audio and still images of the blasts that killed at least three and wounded more than 170. —AP

Cruel irony haunts child’s death in Boston blasts BOSTON: Eight-year-old Martin Richard died near the 26-mile marker of the Boston marathon-the one dedicated to the young victims of the Newtown massacre. The lad was among the three dead and more than 170 injured when two bombs went off within seconds of each other on a sunny Monday afternoon near the finish line of the world’s oldest international foot race.

“This is how bad this is,” wrote Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen. “I went out Monday night and bumped into some firefighters I know. They said one of the dead was an 8-year-old boy from Dorchester who had gone out to hug his dad after he crossed the finish line.”

“The dad walked on; the boy went back to the sidewalk to join his mom and his little sister. And then the bomb went off. The boy was killed. His sister’s leg was blown off. His mother was badly injured.”

Just days earlier, organizers of the Boston marathon said they were dedicating the 26-mile marker to the 20 children and six educators shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, four months ago. Those children-gunned down by a 20-year-old with an assault rifle who had earlier killed his mother and who went on to take his own life-were six and seven years old. Marathons are 26.2 miles long, or a tad under 42.2 kilometers, so the 26-mile marker would have been just 1,056 feet (nearly 322 meters) from the finish line.

Overnight and into Tuesday, surgeons performed amputations on many of the injured, although an overall figure from all Boston area hospitals was not immediately available. “If I have my numbers are right, we have performed four amputations” at Massachusetts General Hospital,

its chief of trauma surgery, George Velmahos, told reporters.

“There are two more limbs that are at risk, but I hope that we will save those legs... This bomb obviously was placed probably low on the ground, and therefore lower extremity injuries are to be expected.”

Velmahos said he knew of patients at his hospital as young as 28 and as old as 71. At Boston Children’s Hospital, meanwhile, one of eight children admitted after the blast was reportedly a two-year-old with a bleeding head injury.

Liz Norden, a mother of five, told the Boston Globe how two of her sons had lost a leg in the blast. Both had gone to Boylston Street to see a friend finish the race. She said she was taking groceries into her home in Wakefield, north of Boston, when her phone rang. She picked up to hear her 31-year-old, in an ambulance, say: “Ma, I’m hurt real bad.”

He didn’t immediately know where his 33year-old sibling was, but in the ensuing hours the terrible news emerged-both lost a leg, from the knee down. The two had been taken to separate hospitals.

Lucky to be alive and unhurt was avid runner Bill Iffrig, 78, of Lake Stevens in Washington State, who fell onto his knees as he neared the finish line and the first blast went off to his left. He told his local newspaper, the Everett Herald, that he briefly saw an object that resembled a coffee can, which he thinks might be a remnant from the explosive device. “Then all this smoke was coming from someplace, and I wasn’t able to see too much,” said Iffrig, who amid the melee got back up on his feet and ran the roughly final four yards (meters) to complete the race. —AFP

Indian police kill 9 Maoists rebels RAIPUR: India’s security forces yesterday shot dead nine Maoist rebels during a fierce gunbattle in a remote forested area of central India, a senior police officer said.

“Nine Maoists have been killed in a gunbattle with security forces and their bodies have been recovered,” police inspector general Himanshu Gupta told AFP. The battle was the latest in a simmering conflict pitting the left-wing insurgents against local and national authorities in the forests and rural areas of mainly

central and eastern India. Yesterday’s fighting took place in the thick forests of Sukma district, some 525 kilometres (326 miles) south of Chhattisgarh state capital Raipur.

“Eleven sophisticated weapons, including self-loading rifles, have been recovered from the battle site,” Gupta said.

Police commandos raided the area following an intelligence tip-off, Gupta said, adding that no casualties were reported among the security forces. —AFP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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

Organised crime worth $90bn a year in East Asia SYDNEY: Organised crime gangs dealing in fake goods, drugs, human trafficking, and the illicit wildlife trade earn nearly $90 billion annually in East Asia and the Pacific, a UN report showed yesterday.

“Transnational Organised Crime in East Asia and the Pacific: A Threat Assessment” is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the subject, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.

It estimates that the top money-makers for criminal groups are the trade in counterfeit goods ($24.4 billion), illegal wood products ($17 billion), heroin ($16.3 billion) and methamphetamines ($15 billion).

Fake medicines ($5 billion), the black

market trade in used electronics components to avoid legitimate recycling ($3.75 billion) and the illegal wildlife trade ($2.5 billion) also rank highly.

Migrant smuggling and the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution or general labour also earn crime bosses hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

UNODC deputy executive director Sandeep Chawla said the report opened the window on “the mechanics of illicit trade: the how, where, when, who and why of selected contraband markets affecting this region”.

“It looks at how criminal enterprises have developed alongside legitimate commerce and taken advantage of distribution and logistics chains,” he said at

the launch in Sydney. Chawla highlighted the growing problem of heroin.

Consumption is rising across the regionestimated at 65 million tons in 2011 — with Chinese the main users and Myanmar the key producer.

“Myanmar is the principal source of opiates in Southeast Asia. Doing something about tackling opiates in Myanmar is a very important thing for the region,” said Chawla. “Clearly that is something that more attention can be given to with the change in government that’s happening in the country at the moment.

Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said many of the organised criminal activities could have serious

global health implications. “Between one-third to 90 percent of anti-malarial drugs tested in Southeast Asia are fraudulent,” he said, with China and India the main culprits in production.

“They do not contain what they say they do. Sub-standard drugs have two serious public health consequences: One: people get sicker or die; Two: drugresistant strains can develop and cause a global health threat.”

With rapid economic growth leading to a proliferation of criminal networks, he said the threat was now so great that it has the ability to “destabilise societies around the globe”. “Illicit profits from crimes in East Asia and the Pacific can buy property and companies and cor-

rupt anywhere,” he said. “ We need to talk about this, and organise a coordinated response now. It takes a network to defeat a network.”

The trade in counterfeit goods is the most lucrative activity, despite being considered a “soft” form of crime, with China the worst culprit. According to the World Customs Organisation, 75 percent of all fake products seized worldwide from 2008 to 2010 were from East Asia, primarily China, with the industr y accounting for some two percent of world trade.

“The key players in counterfeit markets are brokers and logisticians who connect supply and demand,” the report said. —AFP

‘Callous’ India faces shame over ignored crash victims Family knocked off the bike after collision NEW DELHI: India embarked on a bout of soulsearching yesterday over a shocking video showing passersby ignoring the pleas of a desperate father after his wife and daughter were killed in a road accident.

The CCTV footage surfaced late Monday showing the man cradling his injured son next to his overturned motorbike and calling for help from other motorists as his wife and eightmonth-old daughter lay bloodied on the road.

Police say he was ignored for 40 minutes inside a newly built tunnel in the city of Jaipur, 250 kilometres (150 miles) south-west of the capital, with a stream of cars, buses and motorbikes driving past.

“That kind of failure is very, very common on the roads,” said campaigner Mridul Bhasin who works for the Muskaan road safety group. “This is happening day in, day out every minute in our country. People die and we turn blind eye and go where we need to go,” Bhasin told cable channel CNN-IBN. The Mail Today tabloid daily headlined “Callous India drives past mishap victims,” while The Hindu newspaper said the incident had “brought to life civilian apathy”.

“It’s the duty of all people to take such victims to hospital because lives could be saved,”

Jaipur traffic police chief Lata Manoj said in a televised inter view. A worker in a toll booth noticed the stricken family and called the police, who arrived on the scene and transferred the mother and daughter to the SMS hospital in Jaipur.

Dr D.S. Meena, in charge of the SMS emergency unit, said that they had died before arriving. “The situation might have been better if they were provided medical help in time,” he said.

The man and his son, who suffered light injuries, were discharged. The accident also spotlighted the routine flouting of traffic regulations the motorbike was carrying four people without helmets and was travelling in the tunnel despite a ban on two-wheelers.

The family were knocked off the bike after a collision with a truck, which drove off without stopping, police say. Using the CCTV footage which showed the registration plates, police are now hunting for the truck driver.

Prabhu Dayal, an uncle of the dead woman, blamed the deaths on public indifference. “Her husband cried for help for 40 minutes but noone stopped. It’s shameful that apathy took two lives,” he told AFP. The situation has echoes of similar incidents

in neighbouring China. In 2011, a toddler in eastern Zhejiang province was struck by two vehicles and lay dying on the street while at least 18 people walked past.

Public apathy in India was brought into sharp relief in December when a 23-year-old gangrape victim was also ignored by bystanders after she had been stripped and dumped on a New Delhi street.

Many pointed out that fear of the police was a major deterrent because anyone who stops to help is often dragged into the legal case, or even implicated in the crime.

“Following the gang-rape we did an online survey about why people don’t help victims of violence and accidents,” said Apurva Mahendra of the Delhi-based SaveLIFE Foundation, which encourages bystanders to offer assistance.

“We found legal issues such as being required to appear in court as witnesses are major deterrents for good Samaritans to come forward to help such victims,” said Mahendra, who heads the privately run agency’s emergency response programme.

A total of 131,834 people died in road accidents in India in 2011 — which works out at 15 an hour, according to the government’s National Crime Records Bureau. —AFP

Alaska-based soldier gets 16 years in spy case

QUETTA: A badly burned blast victim is given a drink of water at a hospital following a roadside bomb explosion in Khuzdar district, some 350 kilometres south of provincial capital Quetta, yesterday. A roadside bomb struck an election convoy of Pakistan’s main opposition party yesterday, killing four people, police and officials said, the third deadly attack on political targets in as many days. —AFP

Bombers kill 20 on Pak campaign trail PESHAWAR: Bombers killed 20 people and wounded dozens more in Pakistan yesterday in the bloodiest day of violence yet on the campaign trail for next month’s historic general election. Pakistan goes to the polls on May 11 for an election that will mark the first time a civilian government has handed over power at the ballot box after completing a full term in office, in a country used to extended periods of military rule. But campaign rallies have got off to a lacklustre start, in part dogged by security fears in the nuclear-armed nation troubled by AlQaeda-linked violence and where the Taleban have followed through on a series of threats against politicians.

Yesterday, Pakistan’s umbrella Taleban faction claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that officials said killed 16 people and wounded dozens more at a rally attended by a former cabinet minister in the northwestern city of Peshawar. Senior Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, who served as railways minister in the outgoing government, escaped the bombing with cuts and bruises. He appeared on television with blood spattered on his trousers. “At least 16 people have died and more than 35 been wounded,” Doctor Arshad Javed, chief of Peshawar’s main Lady Reading hospital, told AFP. Five policemen and one journalist were among the dead, and two journalists among the wounded, hospital officials and police said. Senior police official Shafqat Malik told AFP the attack was a suicide bombing. Mohammad Sharif, a 50-year-old suitcase vendor, said that when he and oth-

er ANP workers spotted Bilour’s car and moved to welcome the leader, a huge blast threw him to the ground. “When I looked around, I saw bodies, blood and human flesh scattered all over the place and wounded men in blood-soaked clothes crying for help,” said Sharif, who was hit by shrapnel in his right leg.

Ghulam, whose brother and ANP leader Bashir Bilour was assassinated by the Taleban last year, became an insurgents’ favourite after posting a $100,000 ransom for the death of a film-maker behind a controversial anti-Islam movie last year. The Taleban apologised for injuring Bilour, saying it had targeted his nephew, Haroon, the son of the slain ANP leader. The Taleban have directly threatened the ANP and its outgoing coalition partners, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which are perceived as secular.

Elsewhere, another bomb targeted the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party, killing four people travelling in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Sanaullah Zehri, head of the PML-N in Baluchistan, survived, but his son, brother, nephew and their guard were killed, officials said. “An improvised explosive device went off as Zehri, leading a convoy of more than 20 vehicles, left his home to campaign,” provincial official Akbar Durrani said. There was no claim of responsibility. Zehri survived a murder attempt two years ago that was claimed by the rebel Baluch Liberation Front.

Yesterday’s attacks bring to 24 the number of people killed in five deadly attacks targeting politicians or political parties across the country since last Thursday. —AFP

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON: An Alaskabased military policeman will serve 16 years in prison and will be dishonorably discharged for selling secrets to an FBI undercover agent who he believed was a Russian spy, a panel of eight military members has decided. Spec.

William Colton Millay, of Owensboro, Ky., pleaded guilty last month to attempted espionage and other counts. He was sentenced Monday. Military prosecutors painted him as a white supremacist who was fed up with the Army and the United States, and was willing to sell secrets to an enemy agent, even if that would cost fellow soldiers their lives.

Defense attorneys said Millay was emotionally stunted, was only seeking attention and was a candidate for rehabilitation. Monday’s proceedings were like a mini-trial conducted in front of the sentencing panel, with both sides calling two witnesses. FBI Special Agent Derrick Chriswell said Millay came to their attention in the summer of 2011 through an anonymous tip after Millay sent an email to a Russian publication seeking information about the military and made several calls to the Russian embassy.

“That’s a concern for national security,” Chriswell said.

The FBI, working with military intelligence agencies, conducted the investigation. On Sept. 13, 2011, an FBI undercover agent called Millay and set up a meeting the next day at an Anchorage hotel-restaurant. Chriswell testified that during the first meeting with the agent, Millay “expressed his disgust with the US military.” They then moved to the agent’s hotel room, where audio and video recording devices were in place. Millay, 24, said he’d work for the Russian government, and if they made it worth his while, he’d re-enlist for a second five-year stint. He also said he had confidential information on the Warlock Duke jamming system the US military uses to sweep roadside bombs. Two days after that meeting, Millay reported to his commander that he had been contacted by a Russian agent. He was later interrogated by military intelligence officers and the FBI, but prosecutors say Millay was merely trying to throw off suspicion. —AP

KARACHI: In this photograph taken on March 24, 2013, Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf (C) salutes supporters outside the airport upon his arrival in Karachi. Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was yesterday barred from running for parliament in the only seat he had been approved to contest, his lawyer said. —AFP

Musharraf barred from election race ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election authorities barred former President Per vez Musharraf from competing in next month’s general elections yesterday, derailing his efforts to regain influence by winning a seat in parliament.

The former army chief returned last month after nearly four years of selfimposed exile to contest a May 11 general election despite the possibility of arrest on various charges and death threats from the Pakistani Taleban.

The polls are seen as a key moment in Pakistan’s attempts to shake off a legacy of decades of military rule, because they represent the first time a democratically elected civilian government has completed a term in office.

Pakistani returning officers have barred Musharraf from the polls because of court cases pending against him, according to a source at Pakistan’s election commission.

There is no way for Musharraf to appeal the decision, the official said.

The source, who requested anonymity because the commission does not comment on individual cases, said the decision was also based on a clause in the constitution which requires candidates to be of “good character” and the fact that he had not declared all of his assets.

“Musharraf has been disqualified,” the election commission official said. Neither Musharraf nor his spokesman were imme-

diately available for comment. Musharraf faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007. He also faces accusations in connection with the death of a separatist leader in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

He denies any wrongdoing. Musharraf had hoped to compete for a seat in parliament at the polls. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the man Musharraf ousted in a coup in 1999, is seen as the frontrunner to win the powerful premiership.

Musharraf, a former commando, has been far removed from Pakistan’s troubles during his exile in London and Dubai, where he lived in an upmarket area of the Gulf Arab emirate.

His decision to try to run in the elections baffled many Pakistanis, who wondered why he would risk returning home when there was little evidence he could command any significant groundswell of popular support.

Pakistan’s military has ruled the nation for more than half of its 66-year history, through coups or from behind the scenes.

It sets foreign and security policy even when civilian administrations are in power.

But current commanders have meddled far less in politics than during Musharraf’s era, preferring instead to let civilian governments take the heat for the country’s problems. —Reuters

ALINGAR: US soldiers stand guard in Alingar district of Laghman province yesterday. Afghan forces are gradually taking over security responsibility as US-led international forces gradually scale down. There are widespread fears that they will be unable to face down the Taleban and that the country could tip into greater instability. —AFP

Italy objects Indian anti-terrorism agency probing marines’ case NEW DELHI: Italy opposed yesterday India’s decision to appoint its anti-terrorism agency to investigate the high-profile case of Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen, over fresh fears the men could face the death penalty.

The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, are charged with murder for shooting the fishermen off the coast of the southern state of Kerala last year while serving as security guards on a cargo ship.

The duo say they fired warning shots at a fishing boat believing it to be a pirate vessel with armed men onboard. Italy maintains the incident happened in international

waters and that the men should be tried on home soil.

Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati said the government had put the anti-terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the case because the usual investigating body, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was overburdened.

Italy disputed this, saying that the NIA only had the jurisdiction to investigate terrorist crimes, not regular criminal cases. It feared the NIA would invoke a maritime security law, which attracts a mandatory punishment of death.

“If there is a simple road, why not take it? NIA cannot probe.

Especially when India has given an

assurance to the Italian government about this,” said Italy’s senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi. He was referring to an Indian government assurance that the marines would not be executed. The Supreme Court is due to decide on Monday whether the marines’ case should be investigated by the NIA or CBI. Italy abolished the death penalty in 1947. In the past six months, India has hanged two men convicted of militant attacks. Vahanvati said the government had now set up a special court to try the Italian marines, as directed by the Supreme Court in its January ruling. He said the NIA would complete all investigations in 60 days, but was ambigu-

ous about what laws the men would be charged under.

Tensions between India and Italy have escalated over the case since the shooting incident in February last year, peaking last month when Italy refused to send the marines back from a home visit.

Outraged, India’s top court briefly barred the Italian envoy from leaving the country.

Rome returned the marines for trial after New Delhi assured them the men would not be sent to the gallows. Italy’s foreign minister resigned after the marines returned to India, saying he did not agree with the decision to send them back. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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

Malaysia PM culls scandal-hit figures from polls KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s long-ruling coalition yesterday axed four controversial current and former ministers from May 5 elections as it seeks to portray a fresh image for the hotly contested polls.

The regime dominated by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) faces the greatest threat yet to its 56-year rule, with an up-and-coming opposition tapping into discontent over authoritarianism, graft and living costs. On Monday, Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised a “transformational team.”

Nominee lists released yesterday showed that controversial figures dropped included former women’s

affairs minister Shahrizat Jalil and current Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, two female Barisan leaders accused of corruption. Information Minister Rais Yatim-a target of online abuse for comments seen as opposing free expression-also was axed. So was former health minister Chua Soi Lek, a leading politician tarnished by a 2007 video that surfaced, showing him having sex with his mistress. Chua is married. “This is to satisfy the demands of voters who want to see Barisan Nasional and UMNO change and reform,” Najib had said Monday. The Barisan Nasional (National Front) ruling coalition is among the world’s longest-serving governments, its dominance at

the ballot box unthreatened since independence in 1957 thanks to decades of economic growth and authoritarian rule.

But it is under pressure from a three-party opposition alliance led by charismatic former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim that tripled its number of parliament seats in 2008 and eyes a historic upset.

Najib-a lifetime Barisan politician who took office in 2009 after the polls setback-has sought to cast himself as a reformist to win back support but faces resistance from UMNO conservatives. He said a third of Barisan’s parliamentary line-up were new faces, and at least a dozen

former leaders who have served in the Cabinet of the multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority country were left off the lists. But Bridget Welsh of Singapore Management University, who researches Malaysian politics, said the new faces were “a record low” for the coalition. “This is not a revitalisation, this is a status-quo election list by a cautious, careful and hemmed-in prime minister,” she said, adding Najib faced resistance within UMNO to any substantive shake-up. She noted that other powerful yet controversial figures made the nominee lists. Most analysts expect Barisan to win but with a further reduced parliamentary majority. — AFP

N Korea threatens South over ‘monstrous’ act North marks birth of late founding leader

BALI: Indonesian workers prepare to remove the wreckage of a Lion Air jet after it crashed into the sea on Saturday, in Bali, Indonesia yesterday. — AP

Bali salvage team to haul plane wreck to beach DENPASAR: Indonesian investigators were set yesterday to cut up the wreckage of a plane that crashed off Bali and haul it to a beach, as they probe what caused the accident, the military said.

The Lion Air plane missed the runway as it came in to land on Saturday, slamming into the sea and splitting in two. Dozens of the 108 people on board were injured, but there were no fatalities.

Terrified passengers swam to shore or were plucked to safety by police in rubber dinghies. Witnesses and experts have suggested the crash could have been caused by a freak storm, although no official reason has yet been given.

A 70-strong salvage team, made up of military, rescue agency, airport and Lion Air personnel, would remove the seats of the Boeing 737-800 and start cutting up the jet at around 4:00 pm (0800 GMT), military officials told reporters.

“We have two hauling methods, using a crane and floating balloon,” said local navy commander Lieutenant Colonel Edi Eka Susanto at Denpasar airport in Bali, where the accident happened. The parts would be taken to a beach in the Jimbaran area, around five kilometres (three miles) away, he said. The cockpit voice recorder was

found wedged between a wing and the body of the aircraft on Monday, and was being flown to Jakarta yesterday, Masruri, from the national transportation safety committee, which is probing the crash, told AFP. “The black box will be cleaned and checked for damage and hopefully we will be able to extract the data in it,” said Masruri, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. “We will not make any comment on the cause of the crash until we are done studying the data.”

Five passengers were still in hospital on Tuesday following the crash, said Lion Air airport ser vice director Daniel Putut, although he said he did not have details of their conditions.

Government officials and the airline said at the time of the crash the weather had been fine. But the transport ministry has since said the jet was in thick cloud when the accident happened and one passenger has told how the plane was engulfed in torrential rain before the crash.

Indonesia, which relies heavily on air transport to connect its sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, has one of Asia’s worst aviation safety records. The Bali crash was the nation’s fourth accident since the start of 2012. — AFP

SEOUL: North Korea’s military yesterday threatened the South with imminent “sledge-hammer” retaliation unless Seoul apologised for antiPyongyang protesters burning effigies of its revered leaders.

South Korea called the North’s ultimatum “regrettable” and “absurd” with the defence ministry vowing a tough response to any military provocation.

The warning came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a Northeast Asian tour aimed at defusing soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula and getting China to help rein in a belligerent Pyongyang.

As North Korea marked the birth of late founding leader Kim Il-Sung on Monday-a major national holiday-around 40 protesters in Seoul burned portraits of Kim, his son Kim Jong-Il and grandson and current leader Kim Jong-Un. Condemning what it described as a “thricecursed... monstrous criminal act”, the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Supreme Command issued an “ultimatum” threatening immediate action if no apology was forthcoming.

“Our retaliatory action will start without any notice,” it said in a statement. “The military demonstration... will be powerful sledge-hammer blows at all hostile forces hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership,” it added.

Intelligence reports suggest the North has had two medium-range missiles primed to fire from its east coast for at least a week, with most observers predicting a launch sometime around the date of Kim Il-Sung’s birthday.

During his whirlwind tour of South Korea, China and Japan, Kerry had warned that a testlaunch in the current tense climate would be a “huge mistake”. South Korea’s defence ministry called Tuesday’s ultimatum “regrettable” and promised to retaliate “thoroughly and resolutely” to any provocation.

A Foreign Ministr y spokesman said the North’s threat was “absurd”. Some analysts pointed out that the North’s demand for an apology was couched in language that might open the door to talks that the South has been suggesting for days. “If the puppet authorities truly want dialogue and negotiations, they should apologise,” the KPA statement said.

“The emphasis there is placed on conditions

PYONGYANG: A North Korean military officer plays a game called “Time Crisis” with his son at an amusement park in Pyongyang, North Korea, yesterday. — AP That would cover any target in South Korea for resuming dialogue and that is worth noting,” said Kim Yong-Hyun, a North Korea expert at and Japan, and possibly even US military bases Dongguk University in Seoul. The Korean penin- on the Pacific island of Guam. South Korean and sula has been in a state of heightened military US forces have been on a heightened state of tension since the North carried out its third alert for days, and Japan has deployed Patriot anti-missile systems around Tokyo and promised nuclear test in February.

Incensed by fresh UN sanctions and joint to shoot down any missile deemed to be a South Korea-US military exercises, Pyongyang threat. A US Forces Korea official said yesterday has spent weeks issuing blistering threats of mis- that North Korea was seeking a way to “off-ramp” from the elevated state of threat its rhetoric had sile strikes and nuclear war.

During his trip, Kerry raised the prospect of risen to in recent weeks. “We’re seeing nothing ... “authentic” negotiations if Pyongyang took that would suggest that anything is going to be “meaningful steps” to show it would honour past threatening the South,” the official told commitments. He also gave US blessing to reporters, adding that any missile launch would peace moves by Park, who has signalled to “lis- likely be directed into the sea.

A US military CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter ten to what North Korea thinks”.

In a further show of solidarity, it was carrying five crew and 16 other personnel taking announced yesterday that US President Barack part in a training exercise crashed upon landing Obama would hold his first White House talks yesterday near the North Korean border.

The precise cause of the incident was not with Park on May 7. The missiles mobilised by the North for a possible launch are reported to immediately clear. Six personnel were hospibe untested Musudan models with an estimated talised and in “a stable condition”, the US military said. — AFP range of up to 4,000 kilometres (2,485 miles).

Taiwan train scare suspects extradited from China TAIPEI: Two Taiwanese men suspected of planting suitcases loaded with petrol on a high-speed train and in a politician’s office in Taiwan were extradited from China yesterday, police said.

The men, identified by their family names Hu and Chu, fled to Macau on the same flight after the incidents on Friday and were nabbed in the southeastern Chinese city of Zhuhai early Sunday, said Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau.

“We are treating this as a major criminal case.

We have not solved the case yet and we will continue our investigation to meet the demands ... to solve it soon,” police chief Wang Cho-chiun told a press conference.

Wang also thanked Chinese police for the speedy arrests and extradition of the pair, calling it a successful example of joint crime-fighting following an agreement the two sides signed in 2009.

The pair arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday afternoon and will be interrogated to clarify their motive, said Wang, adding that an initial probe have ruled out the possibility of more suspects.

Television footage showed a man with dyed blond hair wearing handcuffs and leg shackles and another man in handcuffs being escorted by the police into the bureau for questioning. The incidents happened on Friday when two unattended suitcases were found on board a train bound for the capital Taipei, prompting the evacuation of more than 600 passengers.

Several hours later, two other suitcases also containing petrol were found in lawmaker Lu Chiachen’s office in New Taipei city where a bomb squad was called in to remove them. Police ruled that the two cases were linked after 44-year-old Hu’s DNA traces were found on the luggage at both locations while 46-year-old Chu’s fingerprints

TAIPEI: Two men suspected of planting suitcases loaded with petrol on a high-speed train in Taiwan, Hu (2nd, L) and Chu (4th, L), are escorted to Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau in Taipei yesterday after their extradition from China. — AFP sengers at Taoyuan station near Taipei and police were found on a van they allegedly used.

The four suitcases also contained identical con- removed the bags for investigation.

Officers searched the train for evidence and the tents, including gasoline, gas canisters, clocks, wires and sodium cyanide, police said. After dis- platform for Taipei-bound trains was temporarily covering the two suitcases on the train, rail opera- closed, the company said. It said it had not tor Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. evacuated pas- received any threats prior to the incident. — AFP

Top Filipino militant wounded in attack MANILA: A Filipino Islamist militant leader, who has a $5 million American bounty on his head, was wounded but managed to escape in an army offensive that killed eight rebels in the southern Philippines, a military official said yesterday.

Isnilon Hapilon, a known leader of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group, was hit in the military raid but his followers were able to drag him to safety before soldiers could seize control of the rebels’ jungle base, said Colonel Carlito Galvez, brigade commander. “ We have information that Hapilon was wounded during the encounter,” Galvez told reporters. “Our boys found two bodies but we were told six more Abu Sayyaf members were also killed.”

Hapilon, 47, is the only one of five Abu Sayyaf

leaders still alive. They were all indicted in the United States for the kidnapping of American nationals in the Philippines in 2001.

The Abu Sayyaf seized three Americans from a beach resort on Palawan island in May 2001. One was executed while another died in crossfire between Filipino troops and Abu Sayyaf militants. In Monday’s clash near Tipo-tipo town on Basilan island, three soldiers were slightly wounded when about 100 troops battled 30 Islamist militants, the first major clash since October 2011 when about 20 soldiers were killed.

The 2011 clash had threatened to scuttle peace talks between the Manila government and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). A year later, the

two sides signed a preliminary deal to end 40 years of conflict. The military said they have been tracking Hapilon since October 2012 when he was spotted visiting relatives in Lantawan town after he returned from nearby Jolo island, another Islamist militant stronghold.

Before the assault at dawn on Monday, Galvez said Hapilon was with another Abu Sayyaf local commander, Furuji Indama, and two Indonesians from Jemaah Islamiah, another al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist militant group.

Galvez said the assault on the Abu Sayyaf base on Monday had pre-empted the militants’ plan to disrupt mid-term elections next month. Materials used for making crude bombs and sniper rifle parts were recovered in the militants’ base, he added. — Reuters

China criticizes US force strengthening in Asia BEIJING: In its latest account of national defense efforts, China said yesterday that the United States is destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region by strengthening its military alliances and sending more ships, planes, and troops to the area.

The U.S. policy known as the “pivot” to Asia runs counter to regional trends and “frequently makes the situation tenser,” the Defense Ministry said in its report on the state of China’s defense posture and armed forces.

“Certain efforts made to highlight the military agenda, enhance military deployment and also strengthen alliances are not in line with the calling of the times and are not conducive to the upholding of peace and stability in the region,” spokesman Yang Yujun told reporters at a news conference marking the report’s release.

“We hope that the relevant parties would do more to enhance the mutual trust between countries in the region and contribute to peace and stability,” Yang said.

China has consistently criticized Washington’s deployment of additional ships and personnel to Asia, along with increasing cooperation both with treaty partners, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, as well other countries such as Vietnam that aren’t traditional allies.

The US is winding down its fighting in Afghanistan and calls the restructuring a natural reallocation of resources to the world’s most economically dynamic region. Beijing, however, sees it as specifically designed to contain China’s diplomatic, military, and economic rise, and has sought to reassure Asian nations that China poses no threat to them.

Despite that, China’s fast-growing military and increasingly firm assertions of its territorial claims have concerned many countries, pushing them to seek stronger relations with the US, the region’s traditional military superpower. The pivot will see 60 percent of the Navy’s fleet be deployed to the Pacific by 2020.

Singapore will be home to four new US Littoral Combat Ships designed to fight close to shorelines, while Indonesia is looking to buy a

broad range of American hardware and take part in joint maneuvers. The Philippines is seeking to host more US troops on a rotating basis and Australia has agreed to allow up to 2,500 Marines to deploy to the northern city of Darwin.

Meanwhile, in the face of natural disasters and North Korean threats, US military relations with treaty partners South Korea and Japan - which host 78,000 American troops between them - are closer than ever. China has also been angered by what it sees as US support for its opponents in disputes with Japan, the Philippines and others over territory in the East China and South China seas.

“China views the US actions as proving it is biased against it,” scholar Qian Liwei wrote in the official English-language China Daily yesterday. “It will take time and patience to convince China that it isn’t the target of the US’s rebalancing,” wrote Qian, an associated research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, China’s main intelligence agency.

In its report, the Defense Ministry again sought to assuage concerns about its more than 500 percent increase in defense spending over the past 14 years.

China’s defense budget is now the second largest in the world after the US, allowing it to acquire everything from better submarines and missiles to state-of-the-art fighters, aircraft carriers and electronic warfare systems, and helping spawn an arms race across Asia.

Much of the report was devoted to the military’s contribution to UN peacekeeping efforts and disaster relief, portraying the People’s Liberation Army as a force for regional and global stability. Yet it also asserted the PLA’s role as a guarantor of China’s core interests, vowing to tolerate no violation of those. “‘We will not attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked. Following this principle, China will resolutely take all necessary measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the report said. — AP

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Emirati policemen patrol in an especially modified Lamborghini Aventador yesterday in Dubai. The introduction of the sports car, which can reach speeds of up to 349 km/h, aims to make justice quicker on Dubai’s dangerous highways. — AFP

Boston explosives made from pressure...

Continued from Page 1 earlier that investigators had received “voluminous tips” and were interviewing witnesses and were analyzing the crime scene. “We will go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime, and we will do everything we can to bring them to justice,” he said. A European security official said yesterday initial evidence indicates that the attacks were not the work of suicide bombers. “So far, investigators believe it was not the work of suicide bombers, but it is still too early to rule it out completely,” said the official, who spoke from the United States.

The Pakistani Taleban, which has threatened attacks in the United States because of its support for the Pakistani government, yesterday denied any role in the marathon bombings. The fiery explosions took place about 10 seconds and about 90 m apart, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending dense plumes of smoke rising over the street and through the fluttering national flags lining the route. Blood stained the pavement, and huge shards were missing from window panes as high as three storeys. Victims suffered broken bones, shrapnel wounds and ruptured eardrums.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called the bombing a “cruel act of terror”. He said that any event with explosive devices is clearly an act of terror and he promised that a thorough investigation will determine whether the perpetrators were foreign or domestic. The Pentagon chief vowed that those responsible will be brought to justice. Massachusetts Gov Deval Patrick said yesterday no unexploded bombs were found at the marathon site. He said the only explosives were the ones that went off Monday. At Massachusetts General Hospital, Alasdair Conn, chief of emergency services, said: “This is something I’ve never seen in my 25 years here ... this amount of carnage in the civilian population. This is what we expect from war.”

WBZ-TV reported late Monday that law enforcement officers were searching an apartment of a Saudi student who was injured in the blast in the Boston suburb of Revere. Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served Monday night in Revere, but pro-

vided no further details. Some investigators were seen leaving the Revere house early yesterday carrying brown paper bags, plastic trash bags and a duffel bag.

Yesterday, law enforcement sources briefed on the case said that the evidence was indicating that the Saudi student, who had been temporarily considered a “person of interest” in the investigation, would be cleared of suspicion and was unlikely to shed any light on the attack.

The Saudi foreign minister said the Saudi national who was injured in the Boston bombings is a woman married to a student in city as he condemned the attack. “One of the injured is a Saudi citizen, the wife of a student there. We hope she is well and we hope well to all those who have been injured,” Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said after talks with Secretary of State John Kerry. Police earlier said that a 20-year-old Saudi was under armed guard at a Boston hospital but not under detention.

The Saudi embassy in Washington later said that two of its nationals, one man and one woman, were wounded in Monday’s blasts. US authorities told the embassy late Monday “that no Saudi national was a suspect in the Boston Marathon attack and that the Saudi national in question was a witness, not a suspect,” mission spokesman Nail Al-Jubeir said.

But Dr Stephen Epstein of the emergency medicine department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said he saw an X-ray of one victim’s leg that had “what appears to be small, uniform, round objects throughout it - similar in the appearance to BBs.” He said it remained to be determined what exactly the objects were. Other doctors said they removed a host of sharp objects from the victims, including nails that were sticking out of one little girl’s body. Police said three people were killed.

Eight-year-old Martin Richard was among the dead, according to a person who talked to a friend of the family. The person said the boy’s mother and sister were also injured. Police commissioner Ed Davis said 176 victims were brought to hospitals around Boston, and 17 were in critical condition. At least eight children were being treated at hospitals. The Boston Marathon is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious races and about 23,000 runners participated. The race honored the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting with a special mile marker in Monday’s race. — Agencies

Obama’s Gitmo policy hit by violence...

Continued from Page 1 David Gushee, an ethics expert on the panel created by The Constitution Project think tank in Washington, said the task force would unanimously condemn force-feeding as prisoner abuse.

Many terrorism suspects captured abroad after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks have been held in legal limbo - without charge or trial - for over a decade and some despair of ever leaving. “Instead of a swift execution, we are being subjected to a cruel, slow and cold-blooded death,” Musa’ab Al-Madhwani, a Yemeni hunger striker wrote in a recent court affidavit dictated to his defense lawyer. “Gitmo is killing me” was the headline of a New York Times op-ed on Monday written by another Yemeni man, who described in dramatic detail being strapped down and force-fed intravenously.

The hunger strike to protest against indefinite detentions at Guantanamo escalated into violence between guards and prisoners during a weekend raid aimed at halting it. Guards swept through communal cells and forcibly moved prisoners into individual cells, firing off four rounds of small, rubber pellets against those who resisted or fought back with makeshift weapons. The White House defended the raid, which highlighted weeks of mounting tensions with prisoners at the US Naval Base in Cuba.

But it pointed the finger at Congress for blocking Obama’s efforts to close down the prison, which has become an enduring symbol of widely criticized Bush-era counterterrorism practices.

“We’ve been monitoring of course the situation at Guantanamo closely,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters when asked about the weekend raid. He said the prisoners were moved to “ensure their health and security.” Carney said Obama, who originally promised to close the prison within a year of taking office in 2009, remained committed to shutting it.

But the president has offered no new path to doing so in his second term. “Obstacles have been raised by Congress and that remains a reality,” Carney said.

Obama has approved military tribunals to try some of the most dangerous suspects. But only nine of the current prisoners have been charged or convicted of crimes. US lawmakers have blocked Obama from bringing Guantanamo prisoners to American jails, saying they would pose a security risk, and made it difficult to repatriate others. The US government will not send some back to their homelands because of instability or concerns over mistreatment, and most countries are reluctant to accept them for resettlement when the United States itself will not take any. Some legal experts say Obama could take action to close

Bahraini cops, students clash Continued from Page 1

Pakistan bears brunt of massive Iran quake Continued from Page 1 treated by army doctors. Paramilitary forces are busy in rescue work.”

Tremors were felt across Pakistan, shaking buildings in Islamabad and prompting many to flee into the streets of the biggest city Karachi in terror. A local health official in Iran told the Fars news agency that more than 20 villages were probably “severely damaged”, based on initial reports. At least 27 people were hurt in Iran yesterday, according to a local governor speaking to IRNA, but there was no immediate confirmation of any deaths. The head of Iran’s Red Crescent rescue corps, Mahmoud Mozafar, said communications to the stricken areas have been cut.

The quake struck at 3:14 pm Iranian time (1044 GMT) with its epicentre around 80 km east of the Iranian city of Khash, in the province of Sistan Baluchistan, USGS said, at a depth of 82 km. There have been conflicting reports of the precise magnitude. Iran’s Seismological Centre measured it as 7.5 and gave the depth as 95 km.

Iran sits astride several major fault lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes, some of which have been devastating.

People in the Iranian city of Zahedan poured into the streets when it struck, Fars news agency reported.

Officials in Saravan, the nearest city to the epicentre, said there had been no serious damage. Iranian Red Crescent official Morteza Moradipour said emergency crews, including dog teams to sniff through the debris for any buried survivors, had reached the area. “Because

of the strength of the earthquake we had expected to see significant damage in residential areas but the quake was at a depth of 95 km and therefore the extent of the damage was on par with earthquakes measuring magnitude 4,” he said.

A double earthquake, one measuring 6.2 and the other 6.0, struck the country’s northwest last August, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000. In December 2003, a massive quake struck the southern city of Bam. It killed more than 26,000 people - about a quarter of the population - and destroyed the city’s ancient mud-built citadel. Dr David Rothery, chair of the volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis course at Britain’s Open University, said the depth of yesterday’s quake would have lessened its impact. But he added that the area “is mountainous, and damage can be expected from landslides as well as because of poorly constructed buildings”.

In the Indian capital New Delhi, tremors rattled buildings and led many office workers to run into the street as a precaution. “We felt the jerks,” said SC Basu, a retired government engineer who lives in the east of the city.

“Our beds shook and crockery rattled. Many people left for outside.” There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties in India, but concern remains high just 10 days after the collapse of a building in Mumbai killed 72 people. Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on Oct 8, 2005, that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. — Agencies

Guantanamo using his executive powers. If he were to do so, he would face opposition from both sides of the political aisle.

The situation at Guantanamo, which was opened by Obama’s Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, to hold foreign terrorism suspects after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, will again be cast in a critical spotlight on Tuesday with the release of the task force’s report in Washington. But the panel - co-chaired by former Republican undersecretary of homeland security Asa Hutchinson and former Democratic congressman James Jones - will also underscore divisions among Americans on what to do about Guantanamo.

Gushee, a professor at Mercer University in Atlanta, said most of the panel’s 11 members opposed indefinite detention at Guantanamo and would recommend the closing of the camp by the end of 2014. They will propose a combination of civilian and military trials to deal with as many of the inmates as possible.

Those who cannot be tried or transferred to their homelands would be moved to jails on the US mainland, he said. These goals would be hard to achieve because of legal and political hurdles, and Gushee said some of task force members will even call for maintaining the status quo at Guantanamo.

Obama’s original promise to shutter Guantanamo was part of an effort to turn the page on the Bush era, when the invasion of Iraq and the harsh treatment of mostly Muslim terrorism suspects damaged America’s image in the Islamic world. The prisoners’ accounts of their treatment and those of their captors have always been at odds. Prisoners and their lawyers say more than 100 men are taking part in the hunger strike, which began two months ago. But the military counts only 43 prisoners as being on a hunger strike. It says about a dozen have lost enough weight that they are being force-fed via tubes inserted in their noses and down into their stomachs - a method that human rights advocates strongly oppose as a violation of personal dignity.

But US military officials have said repeatedly that they have a duty to safeguard prisoners in their custody and that “No detainee will be allowed to harm himself or to endanger his health.” The military doctors say the process is done gently, that the feeding tubes are lubricated before insertion - one said he used olive oil - and that the prisoners can choose which flavor of Ensure liquid meals they want. The military has acknowledged that prisoners are sometimes strapped into restraint chairs, with their head and limbs immobilized to keep them from removing the tubes. “It’s a problem in terms of medical ethics,” Gushee said.

“It’s very invasive.” — Reuters

with the race despite calls by some rights groups for a boycott. But criticism has intensified in the past week, after explosions sparked security concerns and a Human Rights Watch last week alleged that authorities rounded up activists living around the track in a bid to “silence” dissent ahead of Sunday’s race.

Amnesty International also criticized a decree that imposes penalties of up five years in prison for insulting the Gulf state’s king or its national symbols, while a group of British parliamentarians sent a letter to Ecclestone calling for the race to be cancelled. “I think most democratic-minded people would be appalled if you allowed the Bahrain leg of the Formula One championship to go ahead amid the most atrocious human rights violations,” the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Bahrain said in the letter.

Ecclestone, as he has done in years past, has insisted that the circuit is safe and that the race would go on.

Speaking in China, Ecclestone told reporters he had sympathy for both sides and was hopeful the race would go off peacefully. “If we hear about anything that goes on and it’s bad, for sure we don’t want to be in that country,” Ecclestone said. “Don’t forget when we had apartheid in South Africa, I was the one who pulled the race, so I’m the last guy to help out with this.”

Organizers have tried to play down the unrest, insisting ticket sales are up 20 percent from last year and emphasizing how the race could help unify the country and bring in much-needed tourist revenue - with some $220 million generated from the race. “Motor racing in Bahrain is a sport which has had support from all parts of Bahrain society for many years,” said the circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa, noting that

77 percent of people in a survey supported the race.

Increased security was on display yesterday, with armored vehicles and checkpoints dotting Manama and helicopters flying overhead. There was also increased police on the highway leading to the Bahrain International Circuit to prevent protesters from blocking roads with burning tyres. The race last year went off incident free. But it was overshadowed by the huge anti-government protests and a firebomb that briefly delayed a Force India car and prompted the team to pull out of the second practice.

Much the same as 2012, the teams have mostly dodged the question of racing in Bahrain. However, Franz Tost, team principal of Toro Rosso, endorsed the race going ahead. “I don’t see any problems going to Bahrain,” Tost said. “I’m looking forward to going there.

Formula One is entertainment. We should not be involved in politics. We should go there, do our race.”

But 1996 world champion Damon Hill has demanded that FIA president Jean Todt take an ethical stance on Bahrain hosting the race.

The competing messages over F1 were on full display this week in the Bahrain capital Manama, where huge signs promoting the race contrasted with the tear gas and angry, anti-government chants echoing through some Shiite-majority villages. Carrying portraits of some of those killed in the nearly three-year uprising and signs calling for a boycott of F1, protesters on Monday warned those attending the race will effectively have blood on their hands. Most protesters seemed to be resigned to the fact the race would go on but were hopeful that it will shed light and revive interest in a conflict that has largely been overshadowed by the civil war in Syria and post-revolution unrest in Egypt. — AP

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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Issues

Militant uprising not likely in Niger Delta

By Joe Brock espite a deadly attack on police and emailed threats from a militant group, Niger Delta militants are unlikely to resurrect the campaign of violence that once hobbled Africa’s biggest energy industry. Many former militant leaders are now accepting money from President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, and are unlikely to relaunch the campaign of kidnappings and attacks on pipelines that helped spike world crude prices from 2006-2009. Militants claiming to be from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), whose leader Henry Okah is doing time in a South African jail for setting bombs off in Nigeria’s capital, claimed responsibility for an April 5 attack that killed 12 policemen. They warned oil companies against a “false sense of security”. MEND also claimed on Sunday it had destroyed an oil well owned by Shell that has been spilling crude into the creeks of the delta, stirring memories of a time such attacks nearly halved Nigeria’s oil output. But authorities in the delta suggest the attack on the police boat was driven by a local dispute between disgruntled ex-militants and their commander over money not politics. And in the second incident, an oil spill appears to have been caused by a rupture on a Shell pipeline - probably hacked into by oil thieves - rather than militants blowing up a well.

The emailed statements arrived from Jomo Gbomo, a pseudonym and email account MEND has used. But nevertheless, security officials do not believe they represent a serious threat. MEND halted its offensive after the government agreed to pay former militants under an amnesty deal, and organised militancy seems unlikely to resurface while those payments continue - even if it is anyone’s guess what will happen when they stop.

Today, many ex-militant commanders enjoy valuable government contracts to help guard the pipelines they used to blow up. Senior commanders who directed MEND’s operations in the last decade insist the latest emailed statements are not from them. “There is no MEND anymore. We were MEND and there can be no return to militancy while we remain peaceful,” former MEND commander Reuben Wilson told Reuters at his home in Yenagoa, a riverside city in one of Nigeria’s major oil producing states. “There will be pockets of violence but it took many years to build up before the surge in attacks,” said Wilson, taking a call on one of his two smart phones while his men lay on leather seats watching football on a flat screen television.

Outside Wilson’s large house, policemen hired to protect him cleaned their AK47 rifles, dressed in football shirts and shorts. The relative luxury former militant leaders enjoy is an incentive for them to keep violence to a minimum. In one bar in Yenagoa, secret police and ex-militants, once sworn enemies, drink, laugh and play pool together. Some top MEND commanders, like Ebikabowei “Boyloaf” Victor Ben - Reuben’s former boss - have moved away from the sweaty swamps of Nigeria’s delta region to its less humid, altogether more functional capital Abuja.

Boyloaf lives in a mansion there. Others, like Ateke Tom and Farah Dagogo, moved west along the coast to Nigeria’s main commercial hub of Lagos, a lagoon side city not lacking in entertainments for those with the cash.

But even if payments from the government are likely to keep most militant leaders in line, they also create an atmosphere of intrigue that can cause violence. The boat that was attacked on April 5 was carrying policeman to a funeral for the mother of former militant commander Kile Selky Torughedie, better known as “General Young Shall Grow”. Police who investigated the attack believe it was carried out by a faction of ex-militants who were trying to kill their former boss because Torughedie was pocketing the $410 a month they were due from the amnesty deal.

Torughedie was not available for comment. However, Jaspa Adaka, one of the militants from the faction that launched the attack, told Reuters his former boss was indeed the intended target and that they shot at the boat because the heavy police presence mistakenly lead them to believe Torughedie was on it. “This is a warning from us to Mr Young,” he said. The attack was certainly fierce: the boat’s driver told Reuters he had survived by hiding beneath the oily water as masked men fired their final bullets into the floating corpses. They then piled the bodies of the 12 slain policemen onto his boat and sped away.

“I heard the noise of the gunshots, then it was panic. I was so scared I jumped out of the boat,” the man, who gave only his first name Jonathan out of fear of reprisals, told Reuters. “I hid behind the mangroves and under the water. — Reuters

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

Rich Libya flashes cash for Egypt

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Ghaith Shennib country still rebuilding from civil war and prowled by loosely-governed bands of idle and heavily armed youths, Libya might seem an unlikely donor to bail out its bigger neighbour Egypt. But by quietly finding $2 billion of its oil-derived wealth to deposit in the Egyptian central bank, Libya is stepping back into its old role as North Africa’s answer to the Gulf petrostates, discreetly deploying its cash to secure its interests.

First and foremost, Tripoli says it aims to protect itself from the spread of Egyptian unrest should its much larger and poorer neighbour teeter. It also wants to persuade Cairo to hand over fugitive allies of Muammar Gaddafi. And in the longer run, it could be using its generosity now to open doors for future investments in the region as its oil money rolls in.

So far little information has been given about the terms of the deal, with Libyan officials perhaps being cagey about the details to avoid drawing too much attention at home to their generosity abroad. But the payment demonstrates the shifting fortunes of the North African neighbours two years after the regional revolts that toppled their long-serving autocrats, Libya’s Gaddafi and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.

Libya’s central bank governor, Saddeq Omar Elkaber, confirmed the deposit at the weekend, saying Egyptian stability was important to Tripoli and comparing the move to Greece’s bailout by its European partners.

“There are times when your upstairs neighbour has a leaking pipe and you need to help him fix it for your own peace of mind,” deputy central bank governor Ali Salem Hibri said.

“This deposit could be considered as a form

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of support for economic stability. The stability of neighbouring countries is important to us, especially Egypt.”

Libya, still prone to political unrest and bristling with guns looted from Gaddafi’s arsenals during its civil war, has nevertheless nearly restored pre-war oil output that makes it one of the richest countries per capita in the region. Egypt has no such source of wealth and has been rapidly burning through the hard currency reserves it needs to import food to feed its 82 million people. It is grappling with falling tourism, a soaring budget deficit and an atmosphere of political confrontation that has led to waves of violent street protests.

The two countries share a border of more than 1,000 km, and are important trading partners for goods and migrant workers.

Libyan officials fear that any worsening of Egypt’s economic crisis could spread unrest across the frontier. The announcement of the deposit also comes after months of pleas from Libya’s new rulers for Cairo to extradite former Gaddafi allies who fled across the border during the fighting, now wanted for trial in Tripoli.

In March, Egyptian police arrested Gaddafi’s cousin Ahmed Gaddaf Alddam, a former envoy to Cairo. Last week Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said Libya was appealing an Egyptian court decision barring his extradition, which said he should be tried in Egypt.

Two other ex-Gaddafi officials were sent to Libya last month but Gaddaf Alddam, 60, was not handed over partly because he claims Egyptian citizenship, according to his lawyers.

He is wanted in Libya for alleged counterfeiting, forgery, fraud and money laundering, and is also under investigation on suspicion of attacking Egyptian police during his arrest.

“The deposit can be seen as a form of urgent support for a country in critical condition as

any instability could quickly spread across the border,” a Western diplomatic source said.

“But it can also be seen as an attempt to sweeten conditions for Egypt to extradite supporters of the former regime.”

Libya’s new rulers have not been shy about using oil funds for their neighbours.

They authorised a payment of almost $200 million to Mauritania after it extradited Gaddafi’s former spy chief Abdullah AlSenussi last year, although they later denied there was a quid pro quo. Libya has already said it plans to refine some of its crude oil in Egyptian refineries to help Cairo. However, authorities appear keen to play down the $2 billion payment to Egypt at a time when Libya faces its own challenges: reconstruction costs estimated at $200 billion and unemployment around 15 percent.

Tripoli is now spending much of its oil income on state salaries, including payments to former rebel fighters. Such payments buy the loyalty of a generation of heavily armed young men but have made it hard to disarm them. Libya’s shabby towns and its need for reconstruction belie just how rich it is.

Bringing oil output back close to its 1.6 million barrel-per-day pre-war level allowed it to record economic growth of more than 100 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

The central bank’s foreign reserves, including cash and liquid instruments, total around $160 billion - giving it more than ten times as much cash on hand as Egypt, despite having less than a tenth the population. “Egypt is worse off than Libya and needs assistance,” Ahmed Al-Awjali, economics professor at Benghazi University, said. “Two billion dollars is not much compared to the assets Libya has abroad.” Details about the $2 billion deposit for Egypt are scarce. Last week, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported Libya would

give Egypt a $2 billion five-year interest-free loan, however both Elkaber and Zeidan denied a loan was made.

On Saturday, Elkaber told Reuters and another international news agency the amount was taken from Libyan investments in Egypt such as banking, property and agriculture. However a central bank statement denied the deposit was taken from those investments, estimated at “tens of billions of dollars”. It said it can be withdrawn after five years, aims to help boost economic recovery and stem the flow of illegal workers. Elkaber, travelling abroad, could not be reached for comment. Other banking and finance ministry officials said they had little information about the deposit. Zeidan said the central bank “was free to make deposits where it chose”. “If this can help secure Egyptian stability this can only be beneficial for us,” a member of Libya’s national assembly said.

So far domestic reaction has been muted but some say the matter should have been brought before the ruling congress. “The government has not given details,” Libyan political analyst Azzedine Aguil said. “If Libya is doing this for the handover of Gaddafi allies, it is doing so discreetly.” And Libya may also be looking further ahead. Officials have said Libya’s sovereign wealth fund, with assets of $60 billion, would continue to look for investment opportunities in Egypt. “Tripoli may want to reinforce its relationship with Cairo at a time when Egypt is very vulnerable,” Anthony Skinner, head of risk analysts Maplecroft’s MENA practice, said. “The Libyan authorities could in future remind the Egyptian authorities that they provided a prop to the economy during a period of great need ... and may seek to refer to this in order to be able secure new contracts, joint projects and exploit the Egyptian market in the future.” — Reuters

Without Hugo, ‘Chavismo’ loses appeal

By Brian Ellsworth and Enrique Andres Pretel he bereavement of millions of Venezuelans at Hugo Chavez’s funeral last month appeared to signal that the political movement he led would remain strong long beyond the passing of its inspirational founder. Just six weeks later, however, his anointed successor barely scraped out a presidential election victory over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, who was roundly defeated by Chavez just over six months ago. Nicolas Maduro’s narrow election win suggests that “Chavismo” - the political philosophy and disparate coalition built up by Chavez during 14 years in power - will struggle without him. Maduro clearly does not have his charismatic predecessor’s command over the OPEC nation and may face challenges from rivals within the Chavista ranks. “These results require deep self-criticism,” said Diosdado Cabello, the powerful head of the National Assembly, another close ally to Chavez whom many see as a potential rival to Maduro. “Let’s turn over every stone to find our faults, but we cannot put the fatherland or the legacy of our commander (Chavez) in danger.”

Chavez beat Capriles by 11 percentage points in October for his fourth presidential election win and that was after a long campaign in which he was severely weakened by the cancer that killed him on March 5.

His death unleashed a wave of emotion that immediately boosted Maduro’s poll numbers, suggesting he would stroll to victory. His campaign was also boosted by ample state resources and unlimited access to government-run television outlets. But his lead faded fast in the last days of the campaign and his winning margin was just 1.6 percentage points. Capriles, who quickly conceded defeat against Chavez in October, is bitterly challenging the result from Sunday’s election and demanding a full recount. To be sure, millions of Venezuelans stayed

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faithful to Chavez’s dying wish that they back Maduro and many will continue to support him. He enjoys control over the courts and state prosecutors, and few believe the electoral authority would overturn the results of Sunday’s vote despite the opposition’s allegations of irregularities and demands for a full recount.

But the close and contested vote means Maduro now has less room to carry on Chavez’s six-year campaign of nationalizations or advance a utopian and controversial plans that include the creation of “socialist communes” which would compete with state and local governments. He may also have more limited capacity to follow Chavez’s foreign policy goals, including generous assistance to Cuba and other left-wing governments in Latin America, the constant excoriation of Washington, and high-profile support for US pariahs such as Syria and Iran. Chavez burst onto Venezuela’s political scene by leading a failed coup in 1992, electrifying the nation with a brief televised speech in which he admitted defeat “for now”. After serving time in prison, he launched his political career and swept to power in 1998 on a leftist platform. During his 14year rule, Chavez crafted a top-down system that allowed him to steadily concentrate power by controlling state institutions, while demanding unswerving loyalty from his protÈgÈes.

Bolstered by his personal magnetism and fear of his ferocious temper, Chavismo has attracted supporters as disparate as military officers and oil executives to armed slum organizers and socialist intellectuals who often have little patience with one another. While Chavez’s repeated trouncing of adversaries at the ballot

box let him effortlessly brush off any questioning of his democratic credentials, Maduro’s narrow win means he will start his term in office from a much weaker position.

Cabello was long seen as a more experienced manager than Maduro, but also generally perceived as less likable and more vindictive. Chavez in December passed him over as successor in favor of the mustachioed former union organizer. As head of the country’s Congress, Cabello will likely try to boost the power of a legislature that was weakened steadily during Chavez’s time in office. He has considerably greater sway than Maduro in key power blocs including the military and state governorships that are crucial in ensuring the wealth from oil resources reaches poor Venezuelans.

While Chavez marked his election victories by whipping crowds of supporters into a frenzy, many supporters at Maduro’s victory speech on Sunday wandered aimlessly back and forth as he talked, checking phone messages and dejectedly pondering why the results were so much tighter than expected.

“Without Chavez, he (Maduro) will have no capacity to ask that the population be patient while he fulfills promises and meets expectations,” said local pollster Luis Vicente Leon.

Opposition sympathizers pointed out via Twitter that after weeks of calling himself a “son” and “apostle” of the messianic socialist, Maduro now looks more like a distant cousin.

Any division within the leadership of “Chavismo” could promote a splintering of the various groups that no longer have Chavez’s charisma - or his iron hand - to keep them together. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Injured Blake sidelined

ITF to hear Pakistan appeal

Singh cleared in drug test

KINGSTON: Jamaica’s world 100 metres champion Yohan Blake could miss the Jamaica International Invitational on May 4 and the Shanghai Diamond League meeting a fortnight later because of a hamstring injury, his coach Glen Mills said yesterday.

Mills told Reuters that the right hamstring injury sustained by Blake during a 100 metres race on Saturday at the UTECH Track and Field Classic in Kingston was more serious than originally thought.

“An MRI done Monday afternoon revealed the hamstring injury sustained was more serious than first thought,” he said. “Blake could be out for several weeks as he recuperates.” Blake, who finished second to training partner Usain Bolt in last year’s London Olympics 100 and 200 metres final, trailed former world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis after 40 metres following a less than impressive start in his first 100 of the season on Saturday. The joint second fastest man ever then pulled up, favouring his right hamstring as he tried to power past Collins. Blake who walked around without assistance minute after the race, tweeted “am good my twitter family just a cramp”. He was scheduled to run over 200 metres in Shanghai.—Reuters

KARACHI: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has agreed to hear an appeal by Pakistan against the awarding of their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 11 tie to New Zealand, the Pakistan Tennis Federation said yesterday.

“It is a major breakthrough for us after we got confirmation from the ITF they will be hearing our appeal against the referee’s decision,” PTF secretary Mumtaz Yousuf told Reuters.

Pakistan were disqualified from this month’s Davis Cup tie against New Zealand played in Yangon, Myanmar after Sri Lankan referee Ashita Ajigala ruled that the grass court had become unplayable and dangerous. The tie was played in Myanmar after New Zealand refused to visit Pakistan due to security concerns.

Pakistani players had officials strongly protested against the decision to award the tie to New Zealand. “We think that the ITF’s decision to consider our appeal shows how seriously we are taking this matter and how seriously the ITF views our reservations on the referee’s decision,” Yousuf said. The appeal will be heard by the ITF’s Board of Directors next month.—Reuters

MUMBAI: India’s boxing pin-up boy Vijender Singh, who had been accused of taking heroin, has been cleared in an out-of-competition drug test, the country’s sports ministry said yesterday.

Singh, who won a middleweight bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was ordered by the ministry to take a test after local police accused him of using heroin on several occasions amid allegations from a fellow boxer.

“Vijender Singh...along with four others was subjected to an out-of-competition test for banned substances,” the sports ministry said in a statement.

“The Ministry...is glad to announce that on the basis of these tests none of the boxers were found to have used any banned substances in the recent past.”

Singh came under scrutiny when a fellow boxer told investigators after a $24-million drug haul in the northern state of Punjab last month that he and Singh had consumed heroin supplied by a drug dealer. The 27-year-old Singh denied the allegation.—Reuters

ABK announces the winners of second Football Penalties Competition KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced the winners at the end of the “ABK Second Football Penalties” competition that was organized within the framework of an ongoing campaign “Our Society, Our Responsibility”. This is the slogan under which ABK conducts its corporate social responsibility initiatives, whether related to humanitarian, environmental, cultural or sport categories. The tournament “ABK’s Second Football Penalties” comprised 64 teams competing to win cash prizes. Each team consisted of 2 players, and the competition was over two days. It ended with an awards ceremony, held on Monday 15th April, at the GOAL playground in Discovery Mall. The winners in first place were: 1. Abdulla Mousa Obaid 2. Ahmed Mousa Obaid 3. Bassam Al Abdullah

4. Mohammed Hasan Al Enzi 5. Fahad Mujbel Al Buraiky 6. Saad Abdulmohsen Al Shemmeri 7. Saud Abdulla Al Jasem 8. Ali Ahmed Shamseddine Winners in second place were: 1. Basem Khaled Moharram 2. Ashraf Mustafa Hamed 3. Atallah Awad Al Shemeri 4. Fahad Awad Al Shemeri 5. Abdulla Mousa Al Shemeri 6. Mohd Fahad Al Shemeri 7. Abdulaziz Abbas 8. Mohad Bandar Al Barazi ABK’s public relations team congratulated the winners, appreciating their sports spirit, and thanked those who helped in making the event a huge success. They also extended gratitude to GOAL on their effort and the cooperation extended to ABK.

GLENDALE: Patrick Marleau No. 12 of the San Jose Sharks attempts to control the puck for a shot on goaltender Jason LaBarbera No. 1 of the Phoenix Coyotes as Oliver Ekman-Larsson No. 23, Zbynek Michalek No. 4, Martin Hanzal No. 11 and Radim Vrbata No. 17 skate in during the NHL game. —AFP

Devils stumble, Flyers soar Return of the king for China’s Lin Dan TAIPEI: Olympic gold-medallist Lin Dan returns to the court after an eight-month break this week as he spearheads China’s drive for a clean-sweep of titles at the Badminton Asia Championships in Taipei.

Lin, arguably the sport’s greatest player, has not hit a shuttlecock in anger since last year’s Olympic final, apart from playing-and losing-a farewell exhibition match against retiring Danish great Peter Gade in December.

Last August, Lin ripped off his shirt and raced around the London venue in celebration, weeping and saluting the crowd, after he defeated his arch-rival Lee Chong Wei to become the first double men’s singles Olympic champion.

The tattooed 29-year-old has since kept a low profile, although he donned military uniform to marry long-term sweetheart and former world champion Xie Xingfang at a decked-out Beijing university gymnasium in September.

Now attention will focus on the form of the People’s Liberation Army officer and whether China can repeat their feats

of London, when they took all five titles despite losing their top women’s doubles pair in a cheating scandal.

China arrive with a brimming coterie of stars including women’s Olympic champion Li Xuerui, and Zhao Yunlei and Zhang Nan, the boyfriend-girlfriend partnership who won the mixed doubles gold medal in London. China’s formidable line-up also features women’s doubles pair Wang Xiaoli and Yang Yu, who were among eight players disqualified from the Olympics for trying to lose group matches, in a bid to win a favorable quarter-final draw.

However, representation from other countries is patchy. With Malaysia’s Lee, the world number one, sitting out the event, Taiwanese fans will miss the chance to see a rematch of the Olympic final.

India’s women’s world number two Saina Nehwal is another high-profile player giving the tournament a miss, further shortening the odds of a Chinese sweep of the five categories.—AFP

Lin Dan

TORONTO: James Reimer made 31 saves, and Phil Kessel snapped a scoreless tie late in the third period to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, despite recording only 12 shots.

Kessel broke the deadlock with a powerplay goal at 13:28 of the third, and Jay McClement scored into an empty net with 36.6 seconds remaining to back Reimer’s third shutout of the season.

Toronto (24-14-5), aiming for its first postseason berth since 2004, is 9-1-4 in its past 14 games.

The Devils (15-17-10) lost for the 10th straight time (0-6-4) and were blanked for a second consecutive game. New Jersey, the defending Eastern Conference champion, is in 11th place - six points below the postseason cutoff with only six games left.

FLYERS 7, CANADIENS 3 In Montreal, Scott Hartnell scored three goals and Philadelphia snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over Montreal.

Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek each had a goal and two assists, and Wayne Simmonds and Erik Gustafsson also scored for the Flyers (18-21-3), who matched their season high for goals as they try to make a late push for a playoff spot.

Philadelphia is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, four places and seven points behind the New York Rangers and the postseason cutoff. The Flyers have six games remaining.

Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk scored for the Canadiens (26-10-5), who were coming off a 5-1 loss in Toronto. They have had two lopsided losses since clinching a playoff spot on Thursday.

The Flyers outshot Montreal 33-28. Carey Price was pulled for a second game in a row in favor of Peter Budaj. Price left at the end of the second period after allowing six goals on 29 shots.

Montreal’s Ryan White was ejected in the first period for a direct hit to the head of defenseman Kent Huskins.

BLACKHAWKS 5, STARS 2 In Chicago, Chicago’s Andrew Shaw, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa scored in the third period after Dallas rallied to tie it, and the Blackhawks went on to beat the Stars for their sixth straight win.

Jonathan Toews netted his team-leading 21st goal, and Viktor Stalberg also scored for NHL-leading Chicago, which has points in nine consecutive games (8-0-1). Ray Emery made 16 saves and improved to 16-1. Jamie Benn scored both goals for the Stars, whose five-game winning streak ended. They got even after falling behind 2-0. Richard Bachman made 23 saves in his third straight start in place of No. 1 goalie Kari Lehtonen, who is out because of a lower body injury.

Bachman has been in goal since relieving Lehtonen in the first period of the Stars’ 5-1 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Stars remained in ninth place in the Western Conference, two points below the postseason cutoff with six games remaining.

CANUCKS 5, PREDATORS 2 In Nashville, Ryan Kesler scored two goals and Roberto Luongo made 36 saves to lead Vancouver over Nashville. Derek Roy, Jason Garrison, and Alex Burrows also scored for Vancouver, which has won five of six. Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Jannik Hansen each had a pair of assists.

Nick Spaling and Bobby Butler scored for the Predators, who were eliminated from postseason contention with their franchiserecord seventh straight loss and 10th in 11 games. They had qualified for the playoffs in seven of eight years.

BLUE JACKETS 4, AVALANCHE 3 In Dever, Nick Foligno scored at 4:31 of overtime, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 shots, and Columbus beat Colorado for its fourth straight win.

Blake Comeau, Mark Letestu and R.J. Umberger also added goals to help the Blue Jackets remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

They pulled even in points (47) with Detroit for eighth place. Cody McLeod scored twice and Jamie McGinn added another goal for the Avalanche, who are last in the West. Foligno skated in on the right side of Jean-Sebastien Giguere and sent a wrist shot by the veteran goalie.

WILD 4, FLAMES 3 In Calgary, Jason Pominville scored twice to help Minnesota beat Calgary and snap a three-game losing streak (0-2-1). Pominville has four goals in six games since being acquired from Buffalo at the NHL trade deadline.

Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard also scored for Minnesota, which began a threegame trip. The Wild moved past St. Louis into sixth place in the Western Conference and three points behind Northwest Division-leading Vancouver. Jiri Hudler, Sven Baertschi and Ben Hanowski - making his NHL debut scored for Calgary.

SHARKS 4, COYOTES 0 In Glendale, Antti Niemi stopped 35 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, Logan Couture scored two goals, and San Jose earned a key road victory by racing past Phoenix.

The Sharks overwhelmed Phoenix in the second period to move within a point of Los Angeles for fourth place in the Western Conference.

San Jose outshot Phoenix 24-7 in the period, going up 3-0 on goals by Tommy Wingels, Couture and Joe Pavelski. Niemi made some tough saves early and was steady after the Sharks took the lead to earn his 23rd career NHL shutout.

Jason LaBarbera stopped 37 shots for Phoenix, which remained 11th in the West and four points out of the final playoff spot with six games left. The Coyotes earned a point in eight of their previous nine games (51-3), but were still 11th.—AP

NHL results/standings Toronto 2, New Jersey 0; Philadelphia 7, Montreal 3; Chicago 5, Dallas 2; Vancouver 5, Nashville 2; Columbus 4, Colorado 3 (OT); Minnesota 4, Calgary 3; San Jose 4, Phoenix 0.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division

Pittsburgh NY Islanders NY Rangers New Jersey Philadelphia

W 32 21 21 15 18

Montreal Boston Toronto Ottawa Buffalo

26 26 24 21 18

Washington Winnipeg Tampa Bay Carolina Florida

23 21 17 17 13

L OTL GF GA PTS 10 0 141 102 64 16 5 119 122 47 16 4 100 96 46 17 10 96 115 40 21 3 115 129 39 Northeast Division 11 5 131 107 57 11 4 116 91 56 13 5 130 113 53 14 6 101 89 48 19 6 111 128 42 Southeast Division 17 2 129 118 48 19 2 109 123 44 22 3 133 131 37 22 2 107 131 36 22 6 99 142 32

Western Conference Central Division Chicago 33 5 4 139 87 70 St. Louis 23 16 2 110 104 48 Detroit 20 15 7 106 107 47 Columbus 20 16 7 106 110 47 Nashville 15 21 8 100 123 38 Northwest Division Vancouver 24 12 6 117 102 54 Minnesota 23 16 3 109 106 49 Edmonton 16 18 7 103 115 39 Calgary 16 22 4 113 145 36 Colorado 14 22 7 103 135 35 Pacific Division Anaheim 27 10 5 125 105 59 Los Angeles 24 14 4 120 104 52 San Jose 22 13 7 106 102 51 Dallas 21 18 3 118 126 45 Phoenix 18 17 7 110 114 43 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Pistorius ‘not welcome’ at Anniversary Games LONDON: South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, will not be welcome at the Anniversar y Games at London’s Olympic Park this year, organisers said yesterday. The three-day event to commemorate the first anniversary of the London Olympics will include a day of Paralympic sport, but UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said Pistorius would not be invited to take part.

“I don’t want to see the Sunday of the Anniversary Games turning into a media circus,” Warner told BBC radio. “It would

Oscar Pistorius

over-shadow every other athlete that was there.

It’s not about innocent or guilty, it’s about how you handle an individual with a difficult moral situation hanging over them.

“Anything might change. He is in court before then, but based on what I know at the moment, it would be a no if he rang this morning.”

Pistorius, a six-time Paralympic goldmedallist, is currently on police bail after being accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in Pretoria in February.

The 26-year-old, who claims he mistook Steenk amp for an intruder, is allowed to compete outside South Africa before his case goes to trial. He was recently photographed at an athletics track in Pretoria, but is yet to return to full training.

British Olympic gold medal-winners Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Ruther ford will all compete at the Anniversar y Games on July 26-28, organisers announced earlier on Tuesday.

“I have amazing memories of competing in the Olympic Stadium last year and it will be good to step out on that track again in front of a British crowd,” Ennis said.

“I’ll never forget the noise the crowd made when I competed last August and know that the draw of the stadium and the great line-up of athletes will fill the stands and make it another incredible occasion. “I am training hard and am getting excited about the prospect of getting out there and competing again this summer.”—AFP

Chan switches focus to Olympics TOKYO: Three-time world figure skating champion Patrick Chan hopes moving his training base will be the key to Olympic success next year after falling on the ice several times at Tokyo’s World Team Trophy.

The 22-year-old will bid for his first Olympic medal in the Russian resort of Sochi at the 2014 Winter Games and is banking on a switch in his preparation venue from Colorado Springs to Detroit to help secure the elusive accolade.

“Hopefully I can start the season well by training in an environment where I’m happy and that will be in Detroit,” Chan said after falling on three occasions during his free skate at the World Team Trophy which ended Saturday.

“A very positive environment is going to help my training. I don’t think there is anything new I need to do technically.

“Really all the work is done and it’s just really about competing and repetition and consistent training,” Chan, who was fifth in his Olympic debut in Vancouver 2010, added.

Chan started the 2012-2013 season in October by falling four times in freeskate jumps at the Japan Open to finish last out of six.

His Grand Prix results were erratic, finishing second at Skate Canada, winning Skate America and losing his Grand Prix Final title.

Chan cited the difficulty of starting the season with a new coach as a factor in the disappointments but decided to change his training schedule.

In the three weeks to March’s World Championships in London, Ontario, Chan worked out at the Detroit Skating Clubaway from Colorado Springs where he had been training for nearly two years.

Chan said he had enjoyed the camaraderie at the club between himself and top US skaters Jeremy Abbott and Alissa Czisny as well as his teammates and icedancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and junior ice-dancers.

The switch paid off and Chan won the world title with a world record short-programme score, narrowly beating rising

Kazak star Denis Ten, leading him to decide to permanently move his rink.

“It’s very motivating to get off the ice after hard practice and have fun and laugh and joke about whatever and hang out on weekends,” he said.

“So next year, it’s going to be great because I’ll be in Detroit longer and hopefully get more quality training throughout the season.”

Chan has been quoted as saying something was “wrong” with the Colorado environment but he wasn’t specific. Despite Chan’s tumbles at the World Team Trophy he still managed to finish second overall behind Grand Prix Final winner Daisuke Takahashi of Japan thanks to a solid performance in the short programme.

The result helped Canada finish runners-up to the United States in the sixnation event viewed as a dry run for a similar team competition due to make its Olympic debut in Sochi.—AFP

Patrick Chan

Faisal Al-Qinae chairing the meeting of the Asian Union of Sports Journalism in the presence of President of the International Association.

International Sports Journalism Association Conference opens KUWAIT: Under the patronage of Russian Minister of Sports, and in the presence of Sochi City Mayor and representatives of 113 countries, the meetings of International Sports Journalism Association Conference was opened in Sochi city, Russia.

Kuwait is represented by Faisal Al-Qinae and Adnan Al-Sayyed. Faisal Al-Qinae chaired the meeting of the executive committee of the Asian Federation for Sports Journalism in the presence of 24 countries, during which Lebanon’s Yousuf Berjawi was selected as treasurer by acclamation.

BOSTON: Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Joyce beats a wild throw to first for an infield hit as Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli covers during the second inning of a baseball game. —AP

Red Sox defeat Rays BOSTON: The Red Sox and Rays were making their way out of Fenway Park when two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon were heard at the stadium.

The Red Sox beat the Rays 3-2 on an RBI double by Mike Napoli in the ninth inning Monday in Boston’s traditional Patriots Day morning game.

The game began at 11:05 a.m. and ended at about 10 minutes after 2 p.m. A little less than an hour after that, about a mile away, the explosions from Copley Square could be heard by those in and around Fenway - but not in the clubhouses where the teams were getting ready to leave. The game sent the Red Sox fans home happy - at least for a while.

With the score tied at 2, Napoli drove a line-drive double off the left-field wall that scored Dustin

Pedroia from first base.

BLUE JAYS 4, WHITE SOX 3 In Toronto, Mark Buehrle pitched in and out of trouble into the seventh inning to beat his former team, JP Arencibia and Maicer Izturis hit solo homers and the Blue Jays topped the Chicago White Sox. Buehrle (1-0) went 6 1-3 innings in his first career start against the White Sox, allowing two runs and nine hits. The left-hander walked two and struck out three. Righthander Gavin Floyd (0-3) remained winless as the slumping White Sox lost for the sixth time in seven games.

TWINS 8, ANGELS 2 In Minneapolis, Joe Mauer had a home run among his four hits and drove in three runs for the Minnesota Twins in an victory over

the Angels on a cold, windy night that helped send several fly balls to the deepest parts of Target Field.

Kevin Correia (1-1) earned his first American League win after finishing seven innings for the third time in as many starts with the Twins, getting two double-play grounders to help him limit the Angels to solo home runs by Peter Bourjos and former Twins utility infielder Brendan Harris.

Angels starter Joe Blanton (0-3) was battered again for nine hits, one walk and four runs in 4 2-3 innings. Mauer doubled and scored in the first and led off the fifth inning with a homer to left-center.

Trevor Plouffe also went deep off Blanton, and Justin Morneau drove in a run with a double.

ATHLETICS 11, ASTROS 2 In Oakland, Jed Lowrie drove in four runs and Tommy Milone won

his third straight start as Oakland beat Houston.

Nate Freiman added a threerun homer and Brandon Moss had three RBIs for the A’s. Oakland also benefited from eight walks - four in the first inning by Houston starter Erik Bedard.

Carlos Pena had two hits for the Astros, who have lost three straight following a three-game winning streak. Milone (3-0) had a season-high six strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings and didn’t walk a batter for the eighth time in his career.

The lef t-hander has won five straight decisions dating to last season.

The A’s scored six runs on two hits in the first inning to chase Bedard (0-1), sharp in his first two outings this season. He walked Oakland’s first three batters and watched his perfect ERA jump to 7.04.—AP

Reds end losing streak CINCINNATI: Brandon Phillips drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning and the Cincinnati Reds ended their fivegame losing streak by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Monday night. Cincinnati’s fivegame slide matched its longest slump from last season, when it won the NL Central.

The Reds still didn’t hit much, but left-hander Cliff Lee helped them by letting in a run on a wild pitch in the seventh. Todd Frazier followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Bronson Arroyo (2-1) gave up pinch-hitter Chase Utley’s two-run homer in the eighth, but Cincinnati rallied against the Philadelphia bullpen. The Reds loaded the bases against Jeremy Horst (0-1), and Phillips singled off Mike Adams to break the tie.

Aroldis Chapman retired all three batters he faced in the ninth for his third save in three tries.

He threw 100 mph fastballs to Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard while fanning them to end it.

Phillies center fielder Ben Revere made a spectacular diving catch of Frazier’s fly to the edge of the warning track. Revere also banged into the outfield wall to catch Ryan Hanigan’s fly.

CARDINALS 10, PIRATES 6 In Pittsburgh, Jon Jay and Matt Holliday each had two hits and two RBIs as St. Louis jumped on Pittsburgh early.

Allen Craig doubled and drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who knocked around James McDonald (1-2) with a seven-run second inning.

McDonald gave up eight runs, three earned, and walked two in 1 1-3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

Lance Lynn (2-0) labored through five innings to get the win. Starling Marte had three hits and Neil Walker homered for the Pirates, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

NATIONALS 10, MARLINS 3 In Miami, Jordan Zimmermann pitched a sixhitter for his third victory of the season and Washington bounced back from a humbling weekend to beat Miami.

Ryan Zimmerman hit his first home run and had four RBIs to lead a 16-hit outburst.

Zimmermann (3-0) struck out six, walked one and threw 102 pitches in his second career complete game.

The Nationals were outscored 18-5 while being swept in a three-game series at home against Atlanta. They took out any lingering frustration on the Marlins (2-11), who came into the game tied for the worst record in the majors. The Nationals had six extra-base hits, including doubles on three consecutive pitches.

Ian Desmond had four hits, including a pair of doubles. Tyler Moore drove in three runs.

Washington scored four runs in the first inning, when its first six batters reached against Wade LeBlanc (0-3).—AP

CINCINNATI: Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Domonic Brown after Utley hit a home run in the 8th inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. —AFP

MLB results/standings Boston 3, Tampa Bay 2; Cincinnati 4, Philadelphia 2; St. Louis 10, Pittsburgh 6; Toronto 4, Chicago White Sox 3; Washington 10, Miami 3; Minnesota 8, LA Angels 2; Oakland 11, Houston 2; San Diego 6, LA Dodgers 3.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT Boston 8 4 .667 NY Yankees 6 5 .545 Baltimore 6 6 .500 Toronto 6 7 .462 Tampa Bay 4 8 .333 Central Division Detroit 7 5 .583 Kansas City 7 5 .583 Cleveland 5 6 .455 Minnesota 5 7 .417 Chicago W Sox 5 8 .385 Western Division Oakland 10 4 .714 Texas 8 5 .615 Seattle 6 8 .429 Houston 4 9 .308 LA Angels 4 9 .308

GB 1.5 2 2.5 4

Atlanta NY Mets Washington Philadelphia Miami

1.5 2 2.5

St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs Milwaukee

1.5 4 5.5 5.5

San Francisco Arizona Colorado LA Dodgers San Diego

National League Eastern Division 11 1 .917 7 4 .636 8 5 .615 6 7 .462 2 11 .154 Central Division 8 5 .615 6 7 .462 6 7 .462 4 8 .333 3 8 .273 Western Division 9 4 .692 8 4 .667 8 4 .667 7 6 .538 3 10 .231

3.5 3.5 5.5 9.5 2 2 3.5 4 0.5 0.5 2 6

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Previous attacks on sports events LONDON: Previous attacks on sports events, and failed plots, in recent decades, after Monday’s bomb blasts that killed three people at the Boston Marathon: Sept. 5, 1972 - Eight members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) splinter group Black September raided the Israeli team’s quarters in the Olympic village in Munich, killing a weightlifter and a wrestling coach almost immediately. They took nine athletes and officials hostage and demanded the release of more than 200 prisoners held in Israel. Later, at Munich’s military airport, from where the guerrillas were hoping to leave Germany, police opened fire and a gunfight erupted. All the hostages were killed and five of the gunmen and a policeman also died.

July 1996 - A powerful nail bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park on July 27 during the Atlanta Olympics. One person died and more than 100 were hurt. Eric Rudolph, who was sentenced to three life terms without parole in 2005 for Atlanta and other bombings, said the Olympic attack was designed to “confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand”.

June 1998 - An Algerian cell funded by Osama bin Laden planned to attack the World Cup finals in France, targeting the US Embassy in Paris and the US soccer team. The cell also planned a pitch assault on the England team during their group match against Tunisia in Marseilles.

Individuals were arrested by French intelligence, foiling the plot.

May 2002 - A car bomb exploded in the Pakistani city of Karachi near the hotel where the New Zealand cricket team were staying, killing 13 people including 11 French navy experts. New Zealand called off the tour after the attack.

2002 - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al Qaeda’s operational leader who was arrested in 2003, revealed that the

group had intended to carr y out attacks in Japan during the soccer World Cup jointly hosted with South Korea. The attacks did not go ahead as the group failed to establish a network there.

May 26, 2006 - Gunmen killed the coach of Iraq’s national tennis team and two of his players in Baghdad, days after militants issued a warning forbidding the wearing of shorts.

May 17, 2006 - Some 15 athletes and officials from a taekwondo squad were kidnapped from a highway in western Iraq as they travelled to a training course in Jordan. The decomposed bodies of at least 13 of the squad were found in the desert in June 2007.

July 16, 2006 - Up to 50 gunmen seized some 30 Iraqi sports officials, including the national Olympic chief Ahmed al-Hadjiya, and their bodyguards, in a brazen daytime raid on a central Baghdad hall. They are still missing.

July 31, 2006 - Two suitcases filled with explosives were placed on trains near Hamm and Koblenz and would have killed hundreds during the soccer World Cup in Germany. The detonators were faulty and did not ignite the explosives.

March 3, 2009 - Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lanka’s cricket team outside a Lahore stadium in Pakistan, killing seven people, including six policemen and a driver. Six of the cricketers and a British coach were wounded.

Jan. 8, 2010 - A Togo soccer team bus, travelling from the Republic of Congo to the African Nations Cup in Angola, had just entered Cabinda province when it came under heavy gunfire from separatists. Team media officer Stanislas Ocloo and assistant coach Amalete Abalo were killed. Seven people were wounded. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), who have fought for independence in the oil-producing province, claimed responsibility.—Reuters

BOSTON: Claire Schaeffer Dufy walks with a sign she made to support her runner husband, Scott, near the scene of a twin bombing at the Boston Marathon.—AFP

London Marathon to go ahead despite Boston bombing LONDON: The London Marathon will go ahead as planned in the British capital this Sunday despite the bomb attack on the Boston race which killed three people and wounded more than 100, police and officials said yesterday.

Sports Minister Hugh Roberston said he was confident of security arrangements for the London event and encouraged people to attend as a show of solidarity with the US city.

“In security terms, we are as confident as we possibly can be that we can deliver a safe and secure marathon,” Robertson said in an interview on the BBC and Sky TV. The 26-mile (42 km) London Marathon will attract 36,000 runners, among them Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah, starting at Greenwich Park and winding through city landmarks before finishing at the Mall.

London Mayor Boris Johnson told reporters while on a visit to Dubai: “Obviously what happened in Boston was shocking and horrific and our thoughts are very much with the victims and their families.”

The Boston blasts detonated close to specta-

tors standing behind roadside barriers. The two explosions were about 50 to 100 yards (metres) apart as runners crossed the finish line.

The incident evoked memories of the Sept.

11, 2001, attacks on the United States although no one has claimed responsibilty and a political motive has not yet been determined. Robertson said the British police and military had great experience in guarding big events.

“The best way of dealing with this is to get out on the streets, is to show solidarity with the people in Boston, to celebrate a fantastic marathon and send out a very clear message to those responsible that we won’t be cowed by this kind of behaviour,” he said.

Metropolitan Police chief Superintendent Julia Pendry said the force was reviewing its security arrangements in liaison with race organisers.

London police will also mount a large security operation for the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher today. Mayor Johnson said he had talked to the London police commissioner about both events.

“We have got the funeral and then obviously we have got the marathon at the weekend...clearly we will be calling on the public to be vigilant and maybe there will be some intensified search operation but certainly we will be proceeding as normal,” he said.

The London race was first run in 1981 and has become a centrepiece of the sporting calendar in Britain with elite athletes joined by the vast number of amateur runners who compete to raise money for charity. Hundreds of thousands of people line the course with music and food stalls adding to the party atmosphere.

London Marathon Chief Executive Nick Bitel said he was saddened and shocked by the bloodshed in Boston. “Our immediate thoughts are with the people there and their families. It is a very sad day for athletics and for our friends and colleagues in marathon running,” Bitel said.

In Germany, Hamburg’s annual marathon will go ahead as planned on Sunday after German police and security officials said they saw no increased risk for the event, organisers said.—Reuters

Show must go on for city sport events after Boston blasts

LA PAZ: Dancers perform the traditional dance of La Diablada, during the presentation of the 2014 edition of the Dakar Rally. Bolivia will be on the itinerary for the 2014 Dakar Rally for the first time, albeit just for the motorbikes and quadbikes. The 2014 Dakar will kick off on January 5 in Rosario, Argentina, and finish in the Chilean city of Valparaiso on January 18.—AFP

Zimbabwe, Bangladesh in basement battle HARARE: Zimbabwe and Bangladesh begin Test cricket’s basement battle today as the two teams look to measure their personal progress in a two-match series.

Although Zimbabwe have never lost a Test on home soil against Bangladesh, and beat them by 130 runs when the two sides last faced off in 2011, they come into this series dispirited after two heavy defeats in the West Indies and another player contract crisis.

By contrast, Bangladesh enjoyed an encouraging tour of Sri Lanka recently, when they posted their highest ever Test score and showed welcome signs of improvement. The importance of the two Tests for cricket’s lowliest teams should not be underestimated. “ We’ve played most of our cricket against Bangladesh, so they’re the guys we use as our yardstick on whether we are improving or not,” Zimbabwe’s stand-in coach Stephen Mangongo said.

“It’s absolutely important for us to remain in the international arena and for people to respect us, and to be dignified we need to be beating guys like Bangladesh. Otherwise people will take us for a joke.”

Zimbabwe’s off-field problems have not helped them in this regard, with non-contracted players recently staging a two-day

strike over poor pay.

Although the issue was resolved by the heavily-indebted board, the hosts will be without batsman Craig Ervine after he took up a deal to play club cricket in Ireland.

“Yes it’s affected us, but that’s life and you must buckle down and just get on with the job,” Mangongo said. Zimbabwe will also be without fast bowler Christopher Mpofu, wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva and opening batsman Tino Mawoyo because of injury, meaning wicketkeeper-batsman Richmond Mutumbami could make his international debut.

Meanwhile Bangladesh will welcome allrounder Shakib Al Hasan back from injury, although he is likely to play the first Test only as a batsman.

Tamim Iqbal is rated a “50-50” chance of playing as he recovers from a broken thumb, but otherwise Bangladesh have a first-choice squad to pick from.

“This series will be a good measuring stick to see where we are at,” coach Shane Jurgensen said. “Sri Lanka was really important for us to perform overseas. We have always been a tough team at home but we did need to step up.

“Last year was a good year around oneday cricket for us, and that confidence and the way that we go about that is starting to move into other formats.”—AFP

BERLIN: Deadly bomb blasts that hit the Boston marathon on Monday will not affec t the future of city sports events even though full security can never be guaranteed for the thousands of fans, experts said yesterday.

Two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the illustrious race, killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100 in what a White House official said would be treated as an “act of terror.”

It was the worst bombing on US soil since security was tightened after the attacks of Sept.

11, 2001, and President Barack Obama promised to hunt down whoever was responsible on a

day when tens of thousands of spectators packed the streets to watch the world-famous race.

While the incident instantly raised the issue of security at outdoor city events, exper ts believe it will not affect their future, popularity or revenues.

“To have a 100 percent security is very, very difficult if not near impossible,” said Helmut Spahn, Executive Director of the International Centre for Sport Security. “There has to be a clear analysis of the situation and certainly no over-reaction.

“More police, more military is not always the best solution,” Spahn, who was in charge of security for the 2006 soccer World Cup and the 2011

women’s World Cup in Germany, told Reuters.

“It should be a tailor-made security event instead of blanket security plan. Not just standard measures, a tailor-made concept and what is decisive for me is that safety and security can not been seen isolation,” he said.

“It should be an integrated holistic approach. You cannot have for example a large number of police and military and then have holes in your accreditation system.”

For Spahn, the Boston blasts are unlikely to discourage other major sports events held in city courses instead of stadiums or indoor arenas where security can be much more controlled.

Boston is part of the World Marathon Majors, an association of the world’s biggest marathon races that includes New York, Tok yo, Berlin, London and Chicago.

London marathon organisers are already reviewing their security arrangements ahead of Sunday’s race. “We do not have them (blasts) every week. This is the absolute exception,” Spahn said. “You should not put yourself in a position where you give those who did the attack, what they really want, where you curtail all those liberties, all that what make up our society, freedom, the right to stage such events, freedom of move ment.—Reuters

Tsonga, Gasquet reach third round MONACO: Sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and seventh-seeded Richard Gasquet advanced to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday.

Tsonga beat Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (3), 6-2, while Gasquet had a little more trouble overcoming Benoit Paire 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic wasn’t as fortunate, losing to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (3), 6-1.

Gasquet broke Paire twice in the third set and set up a match against either No. 9 Marin Cilic of Croatia or big-serving Kevin Anderson of South Africa.

“That was an important match to win,” said Gasquet, who is still bothered by a sore ankle that forced him to skip France’s Davis Cup quarterfinal loss to Argentina recently.

“I’m happy I won the first round because now I’m only playing Thursday.”

Paire leveled the match when he broke Gasquet with a superb cross-court backhand pass and then served out the set.

“For sure he played better than me in the second set, I lost five games in a row,” Gasquet said. “He was being more aggressive and I was playing a little bit short.”

Dimitrov had seven aces and broke Tipsarevic’s serve four times.

“It’s never easy playing against Janko. I played him three times before, always losing in close matches,” said Dimitrov, who faces either Florian Mayer or Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.

“I fought until the last point in the first set. I gained an extra edge as the match

goes on.”

Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany also advanced to the third round, while Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, Marinko Matosevic of Australia and qualifier Albert

Ramos of Spain advanced to the second round. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who drew a crowd for a practice session on an outside court, was to announce if he will play after recently twisting his ankle.—AP

MONACO: France’s Jo Wilfried Tsonga celebrates after winning his Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament tennis match against Russian Nikolay Davydenko.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Title in sight as Utd take on West Ham LONDON: Having returned to winning ways at the weekend, Manchester United can close to within four points of the Premier League title with victory at West Ham United today.

United’s morale took a blow after last week’s defeat at home to Manchester City, but Sunday’s 2-0 success at Stoke City saw Alex Ferguson’s side re-establish a 15point lead over their derby rivals.

It left them seven points from an unprecedented 20th English league crown and they could even capture the title as early as Sunday if City slip up against Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur this week.

However, before that can happen, United must prevail at Upton Park, and the boisterous east London stadium has not always been a happy hunting ground for the men from Old Trafford.

United had title bids derailed there in both 1992 and 1995; the latter occasion a game in which home goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko produced save after save to deny United the goal they needed to pip Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League trophy on the season’s final day.

More recently, United were given a searching examination in an FA Cup third-round game in January, when the visitors needed an injury-

time goal from Robin van Persie to take the tie to a replay. All in all, United have won on just three of their last seven visits to West Ham in all competitions, including a chastening 4-0 thrashing in a League Cup tie in November 2010.

At least van Persie has recovered his scoring touch, having gone 10 games without a goal before finding the net from the penalty spot in the second half at Stoke.

Ferguson praised United for their “battling per formance” at the Britannia Stadium and captain Nemanja Vidic believes a similarly committed display will be required today.

“Now it’s West Ham and we have to play well again,” the Serbian told United’s in-house television station, MUTV. “They play in a similar style to Stoke - we’re going to have long balls and set-pieces to deal with.”

The game at Stoke saw Wayne Rooney deployed in a midfield role, but although his performance was praised by Ferguson, the England striker has hinted that he would prefer to return to a more advanced position at West Ham. “I’ve played there (in midfield) a few times this season,” he said. “You have to think. As a centre-forward, you want to be as close to goal as possible to try and score.

“In midfield you have to hold

yourself back at times and try and help the team keep the ball and move up the pitch.” West Ham appear to have secured their topflight status for next season, with Saturday ’s 1-1 draw at Southampton having taken them to within two points of the 40-point mark typically considered as a guarantee of survival.

Manager Sam Allardyce had previously refused to answer questions about his future at the club, but with the finishing line now in sight, he has revealed he is already making plans for next season.

“I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t playing in the Premier League next season,” he said. “(But) we are going to be safe and playing in the Premier League next season so my planning will be done as quickly as possible and we’ll get on to the contract, which I’m sure I’m going to sign.”

Allardyce has several injury concerns in defence, with centre-back James Tomkins having joined Winston Reid and George McCartney in the treatment room after limping off at Southampton.

Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley will hope to return to the United starting XI after being rested at Stoke, while Ferguson must also decide whether or not to restore Rooney to his attacking line.—AFP

Robin van Persie

Brazilians lead way in transfer market LONDON: Brazil’s reputation as a source of top soccer talent was underlined yesterday by a report showing that Brazilians were the most heavily traded players on the international transfer market last year. Clubs spent a total of $2.53 billion on recruiting players from other countries, down 10 percent on the previous year, according to a study by FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS).

It was too early to say whether the global economic crisis or pressure on clubs to curb losses was dampening the market, TMS General Manager Marc Goddard said, adding that the TMS survey of the market was only in its second year.

Teams from England, where the Premier League enjoys the world’s most lucrative television deals, were the biggest net spenders, paying out $314 million in 2012.

The next three highest spenders were less predictable - Russia ($256 million), Turkey ($78 million) and China ($49 million) - showing the growing influence of these fastdeveloping economies on the soccer world.

English teams also paid out the highest fees to middlemen involved in brokering transfers.

Where agents were involved in deals, the average commission paid by clubs around the globe was 28 percent.

Brazilian clubs were the biggest

beneficiaries of transfer spending, reaping $121 million. Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times and the country has a history of exporting top players. Oscar, who joined Chelsea from Internacional last July, was one of almost 1,500 players with Brazilian nationality involved in international transfers last year.

Italian clubs paid the highest salaries for new international hires an average of $720,000 per year. By contrast, players moving to Argentina were paid on average $40,000. FIFA’s TMS was set up to help to promote a transparent and efficient global transfer market. Its study does not cover domestic deals.—Reuters

St Mirren chief fumes at Rangers plot claims GLASGOW: St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour yesterday threatened to take legal action after claims he brought down talks about the reconstruction of Scottish football as a favour to fallen giants Rangers.

On Monday, Gilmour and his Ross County counterpar t, Roy MacGregor, joined forces to vote down Scottish Premier League proposals to introduce a new three-tiered league format with a 12-12-18 structure. Gilmour ’s move sparked accusations he was in league with Rangers, having invited the Ibrox club’s chief executive, Charles Green, to attend St Mirren’s home game with Celtic last month.

Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne said there was an “agenda” behind Gilmour’s decision to vote against the proposals, while

Hear ts chief executive David Southern claimed St Mirren’s concerns about the voting structure were a “smokescreen to protect other people’s interests”.

But Gilmour reacted angrily, telling Britain’s Press Association: “These rumours sound like a conspiracy theory. Any club official who would suggest such a thing, we would look at it legally because it is absolutely slanderous.

“The St Mirren board are only interested in what is in the best interests of St Mirren Football Club and that will always be the case.”

Rangers have opposed the proposed restructuring as it would leave them in the third tier of Scottish football, effectively voiding their successful bid to secure promotion from the fourth tier this season.

The Glasgow giants were punitively demoted to the Scottish Third Division after going into administration at the end of last season.

The Scottish Football League was due to poll its 29 full-member clubs about the league restructuring proposals on Friday, but St Mirren and Ross County prevented the SPL from reaching the 11-1 majority required to approve the plans. Earlier, Gilmour told Scotland’s Daily Record tabloid: “Let all of them blast their shotguns. “I’m still firmly of the belief, with all my heart and not letting it rule my head, that what I did at Hampden (where the vote was held) was the right thing to do.

“I still want to see elements of the reconstruction proposals-like a single league body-implemented. But not at any cost.”—AFP

Photo of the day

Three competitors perform at the Red Bull Crashed Ice in Quebec, Canada. www.redbullcontentpool.com

City and Wigan stage Cup final rehearsal MANCHESTER: Manchester City and Wigan will stage a dress rehearsal for next month’s FA Cup final at Eastlands today with both sides looking for points for very different reasons.

Wigan and City will meet at Wembley after the Latics beat Championship side Millwall and Roberto Mancini’s men overcame Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals over the weekend.

Now Mancini’s side will be looking to strengthen their hold on second spot as they try to hold off Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Leaders Manchester United restored their advantage at the top of the table to 15 points with a 2-0 win at Stoke, leaving City with virtually no hope of retaining the title.

City midfielder Gareth Barry concedes his club, who won the FA Cup in 2011 before winning the Premier League last year, must now be competing for silverware every season.

“We knew this (the FA Cup) was the realistic chance of a trophy this year,” Barry said. “Where the club is now, you don’t really want seasons going past without winning a trophy.

“The FA Cup is a massive one. If we can win that, fantastic. “Wembley is a fantastic place to come and play. The big players, as we have seen over the last few years, when we come to semifinals and finals, they generally turn up and do the business.

“Hopefully they can continue that until the final.” Mancini may decide not to risk Spanish forward David Silva, who missed Sunday’s semi-final with a hamstring problem.

But City have been boosted by the news that Sergio Aguero will not face retrospective action from the Football Association after catching Chelsea’s David Luiz with a two-footed challenge at Wembley.

Defenders Maicon and Micah

Richards are City’s only other two absentees as they look to extend a fine run that has seen them win seven of their last eight matches.

Wigan know they must improve their miserable record against City, following a run that has seen them lose their last five games against Mancini’s side without scoring a goal.

Wigan are in the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, but have slipped into the relegation zone, although they have two games in hand on Sunderland, Stoke and Aston Villa, who they trail by three points.

Roberto Martinez’s team are also in their best run of form in the Premier League all season with three wins and just one defeat in their last five outings. Wigan pulled away from trouble with seven wins from their final nine games last season after avoiding relegation on the final day

of the season in 2011 and goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi is sure Martinez’s men can manage another escape.

The Oman international said: “We will do it. We will stay in the Premier League. “The FA Cup won’t distract us.

Our squad is big enough to cope. We have been in this situation many times, we believe in ourselves and we will be okay.

“We are a small club and we don’t have that many fans but they all believe in the team. To reach the FA Cup final for the first time is amazing.

“But I can promise it won’t be a distraction. It all has to be done in order, first the league, then the final, then Europe. Brilliant.”

With defender Ivan Ramis out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Martinez is likely to select a similar side to the one that beat Millwall 2-0 on Saturday.—AFP

Roberto Mancini

Benitez looks to rally deflated Chelsea LONDON: Rafael Benitez will attempt to rally his Chelsea side in the wake of their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City as they prepare for a crucial Premier League visit to Fulham today.

The Wembley loss to Roberto Mancini’s side means the Blues have missed out on seven of the eight trophies available to them this season and places more pressure on their efforts to qualify for the Champions League.

Benitez’s team make the short trip across west London to Craven Cottage in fourth place, but a failure to make the most of their game in hand will pave the way for Tottenham and Everton to step up their challenge. The game marks the latest fixture in a gruelling schedule for Chelsea and interim manager Benitez must quickly lift his side’s spirits after the narrow 2-1 defeat to City.

Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta admits Chelsea’s habit of losing important games this season is becoming alarming.

The club have exited both domestic cup competitions at the semi-final stage and failed at the final hurdle in their efforts to win the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup. And Azpilicueta said: “It’s a little bit worrying. It’s not normal for Chelsea but it’s the reality. “At the start against City we didn’t play our game. We were defending, we didn’t create chances. We shot once in the first half. It’s true we need to play different.

“We wanted to win all the trophies at the start of the season. Now the only trophy that we can win is the Europa League.”

The challenge facing Benitez is to manage a squad that has now played 59 games with the campaign not yet over. John Terry and Frank Lampard were left on the bench against City and could be recalled against Fulham, while Fernando Torres could start after an impressive substitute appearance.

“Fatigue is the reality. We’ve played 15 games more than Man City and we played three days ago in Moscow.

But we’re professionals,” Azpilicueta said.

“It’s normal that we feel a little bit more tired than the other team. This season we’ve played a lot of games.

“We need to be focused and not think about feeling tired because it doesn’t matter. We need to win and it doesn’t matter the way we do it.”

The stakes in the league are getting higher with every cup exit, but Chelsea centre back David Luiz said: “If we win the Europa League and play Champions League next season, of course the season is a success.

“Some big teams in Europe don’t win titles this year so, of course, it’s a success.” Fulham head into the clash sat comfortably in 10th place, having reached the important 40-point mark with the weekend 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

The main aim for Martin Jol’s team is to secure a top half finish. And Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said: “We’ve got one more game than most teams as we’re playing Chelsea today. “So we’ve got six games remaining and the target will be to try and get to that point where we are mathematically safe and then we’ll try and finish as high as possible in the table.

“There are points available and it’s good for momentum for next season if we can prove to people that Fulham deserve to be in the top half of the table.”—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League West Ham v Man United ................ 21:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Man City v Wigan ........................... 21:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Fulham v Chelsea .......................... 22:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

S P ORT S

New ASEAN League to start in 2015 with eight teams SINGAPORE: Soccer’s inaugural ASEAN Super League will kick off in 2015 with eight franchise clubs competing in a relegation-free division with a playoff system to determine the winner, organisers told Reuters yesterday.

The ASEAN Football Federation anticipate 16 teams will eventually compete annually in the league with a limit on the number of franchises awarded to the key markets of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore so that the likes of Myanmar and Laos can also take part.

The season will be played over eight months from February-September, will follow FIFA’s international calendar and will not compromise the AFC ’s Champions League or AFC Cup. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have been kept abreast of the new league for the 11-strong bloc of Southeast Asian nations, while a memorandum of understanding has been agreed with all member associations, the AFF said.

The AFF stressed that the new league would not lead to the death of domestic divisions in Southeast Asia but would instead help capitalise on the sport’s huge popularity and provide financial sustainability for struggling nations in the long run.

“The Member Associations of the AFF were briefed on the potential benefits including the financial forecasts for the participating clubs,” AFF council member and AFC vice -president Prince Abdullah Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah told Reuters yesterday.

“The concerns raised by the Member Associations, such as the impact to domestic leagues and the sustainability of the ASL were answered during the briefing (on April 3).”

Despite the huge popularity of soccer in the region and the success of the AFF’s Suzuki Cup - the biennial tournament for national teams in ASEAN -

Southeast Asia has made little impact in the rest of the confederation, let alone globally.

Vietnam are the best side in the region at 132, according to the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday, with Indonesia the only one to appear at a World Cup finals after qualifying for the 1938 edition as the Dutch East Indies.

Indonesian soccer has been in free fall in recent times with a war for power between rival factions leaving the national team in disarray, clubs in perilous financial states and Paraguayan striker Diego Mendieta dead when he succumbed to a treatable disease after going unpaid for months.

In Singapore, the S.League has struggled to attract crowds - critics say the 12-strong league is too large for a citystate of around 5 million people - while Vietnam’s 2013 domestic league has been postponed for months because of financial issues.

The Thai League has enjoyed a boom in recent years with big investment after a marketing blitz that attracted dozens of corporate sponsors, but Malaysia has struggled with matchfixing problems.

International fixtures, the lifeblood of most Football Associations, are also sporadic. Wary of the domestic problems, the AFF said the new Super League would employ a strict licensing system that would improve integrity, raise playing standards, enhance supporter experience and attract new investors that will help ‘enable the region to realise its true potential’.

Talks are expected to continue after the AFC elect a new president on May 2 at their congress in Kuala Lumpur. “The AFF has agreed to further develop the proposed concept of the ASEAN Super League together with (marketing agency) World Sports Group to be presented to the AFC in the near future,” Prince Abdullah said.—Reuters

Giovani dos Santos

Mallorca edge past Celta MADRID: Giovani dos Santos struck in added time to earn Real Mallorca a dramatic 1-0 win at home to Celta Vigo in a battle of La Liga’s two basement sides on Monday.

A deep cross was headed goalwards by striker Tomer Hemed in the 93rd minute and when keeper Javi Varas could only parry the effort, Mexico forward Dos Santos volleyed in the rebound to set off ecstatic celebrations on the pitch.

The victory moved Mallorca up to second from bottom with 27 points and seven games left, behind Real Zaragoza on goal difference.

Promoted Celta, who now prop up the table on 24 points, have taken one point

from their last six games. Mallorca dominated the early exchanges and Dos Santos was the most dangerous player, going close with two free kicks and delivering a corner that was headed just over the bar.

However, it was Celta who had the clearest chance before the break when Alex Lopez fired wide with only the keeper to beat. Celta grew in confidence in the second half as Borja Oubina volleyed over and home keeper Dudu Aouate saved a point-blank header from Andres Tunez. The home side showed more desire to seek a winner in the closing stages and were rewarded when former Tottenham Hotspur forward Dos Santos scored.—Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama (right) poses with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski (left) on the South Lawn of the White House. Looking on are team owner Roger Penske (second left) and crew chief Paul Wolfe.—AFP

MANAMA: Bahrain’s candidate for the Asian Football Confederation Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (right) signs a ball for an unidentified man after a press conference in Manama. —AP

Bahraini soccer head says he is favorite for AFC top job MANAMA: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president should automatically be on world body FIFA’s executive committee instead of having to go through a separate vote, Bahraini soccer head Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said yesterday. Sheikh Salman is standing for both positions at a May 2 vote in Kuala Lumpur but Hassan al Thawadi, leader of Qatar’s winning 2022 World Cup bid, is seeking election only to FIFA’s top committee. “How can we have a president who cannot have our voice in FIFA?” the Bahraini, who felt he was favorite to win the AFC presidency, told Reuters in an interview in his Manama office.

“Those two positions should be in one. To have a candidate running for just one post and not another I regard as a compromise, a weak position just to accept what they can get,” he added.

The executive committee position is a five-year term running to 2017 while the vote for AFC president will elect a new Asian soccer head for two years to replace disgraced Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam. Bin Hammam has been banned for life by FIFA for corruption and bribery and his place has been filled temporarily by China’s Zhang Jilong, who has also sat on FIFA’s executive committee.

Four candidates are vying for the presidency, three of them from the Gulf region and the other being Thailand’s FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi.

Sheikh Salman’s local rivals are UAE soccer

chief Yousuf Al Serkal and Saudi Arabia official Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej. The Bahraini positioned himself, as someone who was not in the Bin Hammam circle, as the outsider who could step in and clean up Asian soccer’s corrupted image.

Tackling the scourge of match-fixing in Asia would be a clear priority, with zero tolerance for offenders and enlisting the help of governments, as well as treating all national associations as equals no matter how big or small. “I think people have sensed the wind of change,” said the man who lost the AFC vote for the FIFA seat 23-21 to Bin Hammam in 2009. “I think I represent the new face of Asia. “People who want to vote for the change, the choice is clear. If people want to leave matters as they are, they have the right to do so. “I think for the last few years it’s been like a roller-coaster up and down that the AFC has suffered,” he added. “I think it’s time to steer the ship to calmer waters. This is what I’d like to do.”

Asked whether he felt his rivals were ‘tainted’ by association with Bin Hammam, he replied: “I don’t want to use any negative campaigning about any others...but I think the (national associations) around Asia can understand where each individual stands and who they represent.

“I can feel that people want to embrace that change...we want a clean AFC, we want to do the changes that are needed, the transparency.”

Bahrain has made headlines of late for a

bloody response to a 2011 uprising and continuing civil unrest with almost daily clashes between pro-democracy protesters and the authorities.

The crackdown included the arrest of several soccer players and allegations that they had been tor tured. Asked whether the unrest and allegations had impacted on his campaign, Sheikh Salman said sport and politics should be kept apart.

“My response is let’s talk about football and leave the political side to the other people who deal with that,” he said. “We hear reports a lot from all sides and I am here to talk about the elections.

“I don’t want to talk about these matters because the moment you talk about it, it opens the door. “Since I have been in charge of football here in Bahrain, we always leave religious and political matters and views outside to try to focus on the game.”

On other issues, the Bahraini said he was in favor of the hijab in women’s soccer if it helped the game to grow in countries with cultural hurdles and religious taboos to overcome, such as neighboring Saudi Arabia. “We’d like to encourage women’s football in this region. we’ve got the world champions in Japan and we’d like to encourage this in west Asia as well,” he said.

“Bahrain has a women’s team and they’ve done a terrific job. We’d like to encourage it at school level, at a club level. It’s going to take time. There’s always a cultural barrier that we feel in some countries.” —Reuters

Juventus clear at the top ITALY: Juventus’ pursuit of the Serie A title gathered pace on Monday as they opened up an 11point lead at the top of the table after Arturo Vidal scored twice in a 2-0 win at Lazio.

Vidal fired Juve ahead from the penalty spot after Lorik Cana brought down Claudio Marchisio in the eighth minute.

Chile international Vidal doubled his tally 20 minutes later when he latched on to a deflected Mirko Vucinic pass to slot the ball into the back of the net.

With six games to go Juve have 74 points and they enjoy a commanding lead over second-placed Napoli. AC Milan are third on 59.

“This victory is very, very important as it allows us to put another huge brick on the road to the title,” said coach Antonio Conte. “We still need seven points and until we have something in our hands we won’t talk about it.”

Defeat dented sixth-placed Lazio’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as they now trail Milan by eight points.

The top two clubs qualify for Europe’s elite club competition an d th e team in th ird go e s th rough to th e prelimin a r y round. —Reuters

ITALY: Juventus’ forward of Montenegro Mirko Vucinic (left) fights for the ball with Lazio’s Nigerian midfielder Ogenyi Eddy Onazi during their Italian Serie A football match. —AFP

Pistorius ‘not welcome’ at Anniversary Games

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

16

Bahraini soccer head says he is favorite for AFC top job

19

Title in sight as Utd take on West Ham

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BOSTON: Arsenal and Everton players hold a minute’s silence in memory of those killed in the Boston Marathon bombings ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at The Emirates Stadium in north London. — AFP

Boston bombs raise worries for Olympics, World Cup LONDON: From London to Sochi to Rio de Janeiro, the deadly bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon raised new concerns yesterday over safety at major sports events around the world, including the Olympics and World Cup. The twin bombings near the marathon finish line that killed three people and injured more than 170 people brought into sharp focus the security challenges facing next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. “We are very, very concerned,” senior IOC member Gerhard Heiberg of Norway told The Associated Press. “Security is priority No. 1, no question about it.”

More immediate is the security planning for this weekend’s London Marathon, which attracts more than 30,000 runners and half a million spectators. Organizers said they were reviewing security for Sunday’s race - one of the world’s six major marathons - but the event will go ahead as scheduled in a display of unity with Boston.

“The best way for us to react is to push ahead with the marathon on Sunday, to get people on the streets and to celebrate it as we always do in London,” British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said. “We are absolutely confident here that we can keep the event safe and secure. ... The best way to show solidarity with Boston is to continue and send a very clear message to those responsible.”

The London Marathon, which takes in some of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, draws many of the world’s top marathoners as well as tens of thousands of amateur and “fun” runners

who raise money for charity. Prince Harry, patron of the marathon’s charitable trust, is scheduled to attend Sunday’s race and make the presentations to the winners.

“When you have an event of any nature - a marathon, parade - it’s only as safe as the city itself,” race chief executive Nick Bitel said. “If it’s not held in a stadium, you can’t do a lockdown like you may do in a building.”

Also taking place Sunday is the Bahrain Grand Prix, a Formula One race that faces its own security issues after a series of explosions, including a gas cylinder blast that set a car ablaze in the Gulf nation’s financial district.

A Human Rights Watch report alleged that Bahrain authorities rounded up activists living around the track in a bid to “silence” dissent ahead of the race. Protesters, carrying portraits of people killed in the nation’s nearly three-year uprising, are calling for a boycott of the race.

Security for the Olympics, meanwhile, has been paramount ever since the attacks by Palestinian gunmen that killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Munich Games.

The focus now falls on Sochi, a Black Sea resort that will host Russia’s first Winter Olympics next February. Security was already a concern because of Sochi’s proximity to an Islamic insurgency that spread across southern Russia after separatist wars in Chechnya.

“Naturally, we’re beefing up security measures,” Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said in remarks carried by the R-Sport news agency.

IOC vice president Thomas Bach, who was on his way to Sochi on Tuesday for an international

journalists’ conference, said the attacks in Boston reinforced the IOC’s policy that safety is paramount for any Olympics.

“I’m sure that this malicious attack will lead the public authorities to have another look at all security measures,” Bach told the AP by telephone. “While it is too early to draw any final conclusions, we have full confidence in the Russian authorities. They have already analyzed the overall situation and I’m sure they will take this event into account and take the necessary measures.”

Heiberg, who organized the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, and now chairs the IOC’s marketing commission, said security concerns had been heightened since the Sept.

11, 2011, terror attacks in the United States. Since then, Olympics have passed off peacefully in Salt Lake City, Athens, Turin, Beijing, Vancouver and London.

“So far we have been lucky in the Olympics but what happened in Boston reminds us that we cannot take it easy, we have to continue and we have to plan for not only the possible but also the impossible,” Heiberg said. “We are taking it extremely seriously in Sochi, working very hard with the Russian authorities.”

The Russian Interior Ministry said Tuesday it has fully deployed the police force that will be in place during the Sochi Olympics and has conducted regular checks of all venues to make sure they are protected. Alexander Konovalov, head of the Institute of Strategic Assessment and Analysis, an independent think-tank, said international terror groups could be encouraged by the carnage in Boston to plot against the Sochi

Olympics.

“The terrorists’ strategy is to create a sense of panic and leave an impression that they can strike any target, no matter how tightly it’s protected,” Konovalov said. “The Olympics would make a highly desirable goal for terrorists, offering the maximum publicity.”

Russia is also hosting one of the biggest international sports events of 2013 - the world track and field championships in Moscow on Aug. 1018.

“Our security measures are tough as they are,” said Mikhail Butov, secretary general of the Russian Athletics Federation. “But when it’s clear what actually happened (in Boston), we will draw our conclusions.”

Guarding the Olympics is a massive operation covering 17 days of competition in numerous outdoor and indoor venues. Not only are sports facilities at risk, but so are the public areas where fans and spectators congregate. At the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, a backpack bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, killing one person and injuring more than 100.

“The balance is not easy,” Heiberg said. “Of course, you can provide security but we don’t want to show the world pictures of soldiers and police with guns and so on. It’s the same for Rio and all the others to come.”

Rio organizers, who will be hosting the first Olympics in South America, said they are working with the government to “deliver safe games in 2016.” The city has won kudos for its crackdown on once-endemic drug violence in preparation for hosting the World Cup and Olympics. But safe-

ty has been a big topic in Rio recently after an American woman was gang raped and beaten aboard a public transit van while her handcuffed French boyfriend looked on helplessly. Ahead of next year’s World Cup, Brazil is hosting the Confederations Cup in June. The warm-up tournament featuring eight teams will be played in six cities across the country and is seen as a big test for organizers in all areas.

On Sunday, two fans were shot to death on their way to a match meant to test the facilities at a World Cup stadium in northeastern Brazil. Rival supporters were suspected in the killings.

The terror threat was considered high for last year’s London Olympics, where overall security costs rose above 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion).

London was hit by terrorism in 2005, when 52 people were killed in attacks by suicide bombers on the city’s transportation network.

London’s huge security operation included thousands of police and military troops and deployment of warships, surveillance aircraft, sniper-carrying helicopters, fighter jets and missile batteries on rooftops. Denis Oswald, who headed the IOC coordination commissions for the Athens and London Olympics, said the games remain a potential target wherever they are held and the Boston attacks do not radically change the security planning for Sochi or Rio. “Each case has to be studied,” Oswald said. “It could be new ways or new systems put in place.

We just have to make sure these types of cases are covered by the security system. We have to be 100 percent vigilant and never neglect any possibility.” — AP

Heat scorch Cavaliers as Thunder advance CLEVELAND: LeBron James watched from the bench in street clothes as Norris Cole stripped Kyrie Irving of the ball with 2.2 seconds left to give the Miami Heat, resting most of their top players for the playoffs, a 96-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

Cole finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. But it was his only steal on Cleveland’s final possession that sealed it.

James was disappointed to not play in another homecoming game against his former team, but he appreciated coach Erik Spoelstra’s desire to get the NBA champions as healthy and refreshed as possible heading into the postseason. Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers joined James on the bench while Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem stayed back in Miami with minor injuries.

Rashard Lewis scored 19 points and James Jones had 14 for the Heat Light. Irving and Tristan Thompson scored 16 apiece for the Cavs, who have lost five straight, 15 of 17 and may soon relieve Byron Scott of his coaching duties.

THUNDER 104, KINGS 95 In Oklahoma, Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook had 21 before getting ejected in the final 3 minutes and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs by beating the Sacramento Kings.

Tyreke Evans, the Kings’ second-leading scorer, did not return after grabbing at his troublesome left knee following a drive to the basket late in the first quarter.

Durant hit a 3-pointer and Westbrook set up Serge Ibaka for a two-handed slam during a string of 11 straight Thunder points midway through the third quarter that stretched the lead to 75-51.

Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 16 points, Travis Outlaw scored 15 and Cole Aldrich had a double-double for the second straight game by tying his career best with 12 points and setting a career high with 13 rebounds.

NUGGETS 112, BUCKS 111 In Milwaukee, Ty Lawson scored 26 points, including a jumper in the lane with 9.3 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wilson Chandler added 21 points for the Nuggets, who can secure the No. 3 seed in the West with one more victory or two losses by the Los Angeles Clippers. Milwaukee lost its season-high fifth game in a row despite Monta Ellis scoring 38 points, one shy of his season high.

PISTONS 109, 76ERS 101 In Auburn Hills, Greg Monroe had 27 points and 16 rebounds,

and the Detroit Pistons made the most of their home finale by beating the Philadelphia 76ers.

For both teams, the game was overshadowed by uncertainty off the court. Doug Collins is on his way out as Philadelphia’s coach, and Pistons owner Tom Gores remained noncommittal before the game on the status of team president Joe Dumars and coach Lawrence Frank.

A person familiar with the situation has told The Associated Press that Collins and the Sixers are trying to resolve their future relationship after the coach told them he would not return for a fourth season. Dorell Wright had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the 76ers.

JAZZ 96, TIMBERWOLVES 80 In Minneapolis, Al Jefferson had 22 points and eight rebounds to help Utah keep its playoff hopes alive with a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mo Williams had 15 points and seven assists for the Jazz, who needed a win to avoid being eliminated in the Western Conference playoff race.

The Jazz need to win at Memphis on Wednesday and for the Los Angeles Lakers to lose at home against Houston that night to get into the playoffs. They own the tiebreaker after beating the Lakers two out of three times this season.

Derrick Williams had 18 points and six rebounds for the Timberwolves, who were missing center Nikola Pekovic with a bruised left calf.

GRIZZLIES 103, MAVERICKS 97 In Dallas, Keyon Dooling scored 13 points, including a goahead 3-pointer before consecutive baskets by Ed Davis, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to keep alive their chance of hosting a first-round playoff series. Jerryd Bayless had 19 points and the Grizzlies’ bench accounted for 64 points - all 35 in the decisive fourth quarter. Dooling, who signed April 3 as a free agent, had only 12 points combined his first five games.

Clean-shaven Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and Vince Carter 22 for the Mavs, who had finally reached .500 for the first time since Dec. 12 with a win at New Orleans on Sunday night. They had vowed not to shave until reaching .500 - though it lasted only one night.

BULLS 102, MAGIC 84 In Orlando, Carlos Boozer scored 22 points, Luol Deng added 18 and the Chicago Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Orlando Magic.

The win, which was the Bulls’ fifth straight over the Magic, also keeps alive their hopes of catching of Atlanta for the fifth seed in

DALLAS: Zach Randolph No. 50 of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles the ball against Elton Brand No. 42 of the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. — AFP the Eastern Conference. They conclude their regular-season schedule at home Wednesday against Washington. Chicago needs to win that game and for Atlanta to split or lose their final two.

Tobias Harris led Orlando with 20 points, followed by Nik Vucevic with 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Magic finish just 1229 at home, their fewest victories in Orlando since they were 11-30 during the 2003-04. Orlando wraps up its schedule Wednesday in Miami.

BOBCATS 106, KNICKS 95 In Charlotte, Gerald Henderson scored 27 points, Kemba Walker had 23 points and a career-high 13 assists and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated a New York Knicks team playing without Carmelo Anthony and a few others.

The victory was the second straight for the Bobcats, who pulled into a tie with Orlando for the worst record in the league.

The Knicks played only seven players, resting Anthony and others after wrapping up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, Amar’e Stoudemire, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin also did not play.

Chris Copeland led the Knicks with 32 points, shooting 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

NETS 106, WIZARDS 101 In New York, Andray Blatche led a bevy of Brooklyn bench play-

ers with 20 points and 11 rebounds the Nets erased an early 17point deficit to beat the Washington Wizards.

Kris Humphries, who was the team’s original starting power forward at the beginning of the season before falling out of the rotation, added 20 points and nine boards for Brooklyn. Mirza Teletovic added 14 points and MarShon Brooks chipped in 12 for the Nets, who will host Detroit on Wednesday night before they open up at home in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Nets reserve rookie Toko Shengelia, who has played 67 minutes all season, saw 25 minutes and finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. John Wall led Washington, which lost its fifth straight, with 18 points and 12 assists.

SUNS 119, ROCKETS 112 In Phoenix, Luis Scola had 26 points and 15 rebounds, Goran Dragic added 21 points and 14 assists and Phoenix snapped a franchise-record seven-game home losing streak with a victory over the Houston Rockets in the Suns’ final home game of the season.

Markieff Morris had 20 points and had career highs of six blocked shots and five steals for the Suns, who despite the victory finished with the second-worst home record in club history.

Carlos Delfino scored 22, including 6 of 9 3-pointers, and Jeremy Lin 20 for the Rockets, whose loss was a blow in their bid for the No. 6 playoff spot in the West. — AP

Business

Investors dump gold, oil as growth reality dawns Page 24 Africa on track for solid economic growth: IMF Page 22

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Cyprus braces for Russian cash exodus

Glencore, Xstrata merger clears final hurdle Page 25

Page 25

IMF trims global growth forecast International Monetary Fund sees ‘stagnation’ risk for EU WASHINGTON: The IMF cut its world growth forecast for 2013 yesterday as the euro-zone recession continued to drag, but predicted growth overall would pick up in the second half of the year. In its newest assessment of the global economy, the International Monetary Fund said world output would expand by 3.3 percent this year, compared to the 3.5 percent it predicted in January. That left the pace of the world economic expansion virtually flat from 2012’s 3.2 percent, with slower-thanexpected growth in the United States and prolonged stagnation in the euro area the key reasons behind the downgrade. The global crisis lender said that short-term risks still loomed especially in the eurozone, where Cyprus’s fresh bailout and Italy’s weaknesses could still spark fresh setbacks. But it also saw growth slower in large emerging economies like Russia, China, Brazil and India, underscoring the global sense of economic weakness.

“Global prospects have improved again but the road to recovery in the advanced economies will remain bumpy,” the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook.

“In the medium term, the key risks relate to adjustment fatigue, insufficient institutional reform, and prolonged stagnation in the euro area as well as high fiscal deficits and debt in the United States and Japan. “In this setting, policymakers cannot afford to relax their efforts.” With immediate crises out of the way, the Fund stuck close to its previous estimate for global growth in 2014, predicting a 4.0 percent expansion, “assuming that policymakers avoid setbacks and deliver on their commitments.”

Generally prospects were better since last year after two of the largest short-term threats to the global recover y were defused: the threat of a breakup of the euro-zone and a potentially sharp contrac-

tion in the United States driven by extreme budget cuts and tax hikes. Even so, the two giant economies continue to drag. US growth was forecast at 1.9 percent this year, due to larger-than-expected government spending cuts, and the euro-zone was expected to contract 0.3 percent.

“The forecast for negative growth in the euro area reflects not only weakness in the periphery but also some weakness in the core. Germany’s growth is strengthening but is still forecast to be less than 1 percent in 2013,” said Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s chief economist. In the euro-zone, the IMF said, even though conditions have eased for the government finances of struggling economies, that improvement is not passing through to businesses and households, “because banks are still hobbled by poor profitability and low capital, constraining the supply of credit.” The single-currency area presents the principal short-term risk to global growth, the IMF said, citing especially “uncertainty about the fallout from events in Cyprus and politics in Italy as well as vulnerabilities in the periphery.”

Among leading economies, Japan is the one bright spot, its IMF-approved effort to reflect the economy with aggressive monetary easing leading to an upgrade of its growth prospects this year, to 1.6 percent from the previous estimate of 1.2 percentthough Japan’s huge debt load raised questions of sustainability. Among emerging economies, the IMF lowered its 2013 forecast for China’s growth by 0.1 percentage point to 8.0 percent-still better than 2012’s pace and Brazil by 0.5 percentage points to 3.0 percent. On Monday, Beijing said growth in the first quarter ran a lowerthan-expected pace of 7.7 percent fueling fears that a rebound in the world’s number-two economy is faltering on weak overseas demand.

Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa remain

supported by resilient domestic consumer demand, and should improve if growth in the euro-zone, US and other advanced economies picks up. But the Middle EastNorth Africa region is still struggling with political reforms, and inflation and foreign exchange market pressures are setting tough challenges in some Latin American countries, the IMF said. The IMF said the “bumpy ” progress of the advanced economies was making it difficult for developing countries themselves to get traction as well as to manage gushes of capital and upward pressure on currencies.

Although worldwide inflation was generally under control, it warned advancedeconomy central banks stoking their markets with liquidity to remain on guard for a change in price expectations. However, it said, growing complaints about competitive exchange rate devaluations “appear overblown.” “The US dollar and the euro appear moderately overvalued and the renminbi moderately undervalued. The evidence on valuation of the yen is mixed.”

“The challenge for recipient countries is to accommodate the underlying trends while reducing the volatility of the flows when they threaten macro or financial stability.”

Iran’s economy contracted by 1.9 percent in 2012 and is expected to shrink by 1.3 percent this year as it reels from the impact of Western sanctions, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. The economy of the Islamic republic is, however, forecast to grow next year by 1.1 percent, the IMF said in its annual World Economic Outlook. The IMF said the “macroeconomic environment is likely to remain difficult, given the sharp depreciation of the currency and adverse external conditions, which would sustain inflation at relatively high levels.” A Western ban on Iranian oil exports, which came into effect in July, hit the country’s economy badly. —Agencies

Oil export economies slow as demand drops Kuwait to see sharp drop in growth DUBAI: Economic growth in Middle East and North Africa oil-exporting countries is expected to fall to 3.25 percent in 2013 due to a relatively weak crude demand, after expanding by almost 5.7 percent last year, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday.

But oil-importing MENA countries will experience healthier growth of 2.7 percent in 2013 compared with 1.9 percent in 2012, though this remains weighed down by political uncertainty, decreased trade with Europe and high commodity prices. “For MENA oil exporters, 2012 was a year of robust growth, which reached about 5.75 percent,” the IMF said in its annual World Economic Outlook.

The almost complete restoration of Libya’s oil production and strong expansion in the Gulf helped to boost this growth, the report said. “Economic growth is projected to fall to 3.25 percent in 2013 as oil production growth pauses against a backdrop of relatively weak global oil demand,” it said. MENA oil exporters include OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia, and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council members, as well as Algeria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. The economy of Iran, hit by US-led sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, will continue to contract in 2013, shrinking 1.3 percent this year compared with 1.9 percent in 2012, the IMF said. Additional oil supplies from Iraq and Libya are expected to “more than offset a decline in oil exports from Iran this year,” it said, while “lower net demand for Saudi Arabian exports is expected to result in slightly reduced production.” Non-oil gross domestic product is expected to grow by 4.2 percent this year, propped up by sustained high government spending, the IMF said.

A slight expansion is expected in 2014 with the growth rate increasing to 3.7 percent on the back of

rising non-oil GDP growth and resuming oil GDP growth. Saudi Arabia’s economy will see a drop in growth from 6.8 percent in 2012 to 4.4 percent in 2013.

The UAE economy will also see a slower rate of growth of 3.1 percent this year compared with 3.9 percent in 2012. Kuwait is forecast to see a sharp drop in growth from 5.1 percent in 2012 to 1.1 percent this year, and Qatar’s expansion will decrease from 6.6 percent in 2012 to 5.2 percent in 2013.

Iraq, on the other hand, will continue to widen its pace of expansion, topping its 8.4 percent growth last year to reach 9.0 percent in 2013, aided by surging oil production. Last month the IMF predicted Iraq’s oil output would gain about 10 percent, reaching 3.3 million barrels a day. North African oil producer Algeria will see growth rising from 2.5 percent last year to 3.3 percent in 2013. Libya’s economy has expanded by over six percent, as oil pumping levels have risen close to those before the 2011 rebellion that toppled the regime of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the IMF said, without specifying figures. Meanwhile, the IMF said “continued political uncertainty and bouts of social unrest across the Arab countries in transition, (and) significant regional spillovers from the escalating conflict in Syria,” have continued to impact growth in oil-importing economies. Other factors affecting this growth include “soft external demand from European trading partners, and persistently high commodity prices,” the IMF added, citing food and oil in particular. Oil importers include, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Djibouti and Mauritania. War-torn Syria has again been excluded. The aggregate growth of oil importers appears to have been prompted by Sudan’s comeback from a 4.4 percent contraction in 2012 to 1.2 percent growth expected in 2013.— AFP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Africa on track for solid economic growth: IMF

Gold: A game changer?

By Ole S Hansen

T

he near free fall in gold over the past few trading days has pushed other financial news off the front pages. Gold, which has been the darling of many investors over the past decade and has offered rich rewards during that time, is suddenly looking vulnerable. Will this latest move spell the end of the rally that began back in 2001 or will history show this as being a great opportunity to invest?

Up until last Friday, gold had spent the past 18 months consolidating in a wide range between 1,525 USD/oz and 1,800 USD/oz. But particularly since last September, we have witnessed a slow drift lower following a third rejection of the 1,800 USD/oz level. Speculative traders such as hedge funds, which tend to be quick on the trigger when changes are looming, began losing faith back in September: from a peak netlong futures and options position of almost 20 million ounces, they started a gradual reduction that, by last Tuesday, had seen their position dwindle to just 5.6 million ounces.

Investors who used Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)to gain long exposure to gold continued to accumulate or maintain their position well into February, by which time the ongoing price weakness began to have an impact. This investor segment is generally viewed as longer-term.

Apart from many small retail investors, it also includes some big hedge funds such as Paulson & Co, which by the end of 2012 held 21.8 million shares in the biggest fund, the SPDR Gold Trust. The trigger in February that led to a pick-up in ETP holdings being reduced was the technical break below 1,625 USD/oz, which a few days later was followed by the technical sell signal called the death cross on February 20. Such a signal, which is triggered when the 50-day moving average crosses the 200-day, has on two out of three occurrences during the past five years triggered 15 percent and 8 percent selloffs. With so much invested in exchange-traded products, the ball began rolling. During the past month, we have witnessed continued long liquidation despite fundamental support coming from the European debt crisis represented by Cyprus, softer economic data from the US and China, and a massive asset-purchase program from the Bank of Japan. What really rattled investors’ nerves last week was the potential for Cyprus to sell its gold reserves to cover losses. Such a sale could easily be absorbed by the market. But the worry spread that this, if implemented, could become precedent for other peripheral Euro area members’ central banks.

Such action would have a much greater impact on gold markets considering the current holdings of countries like Spain and Italy.

Adding to this continued price downgrade from another of the major bullion houses, the course was set and once the 1,525 USD/oz support level was reached and breached, as if it did not exist, waves of selling orders from both the spot and futures market sent the price into a tailspin. During the initial hour of carnage last Friday, almost 9 million ounces of gold futures had swapped owners.

TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE The USD 59 loss on Friday was followed by an even greater move today and the big question everybody is now asking is when will the selling stop? As mentioned earlier, fundamental support has risen but has been ignored in recent weeks. Until a floor can be established, additional economic weakness that could point towards a continuation of support from asset purchases in the US will have limited if no impact.

The Technical picture obviously looks very bleak, with strong resistance now established between 1,500 USD/oz and 1,525 USD/oz, an area that undoubtedly will be met by new selling should that be revisited soon. The downside looks pretty open down towards 1,300 USD/oz, which represents a 50percent retracement of the rally following the Lehman Bros collapse in the autumn of 2008. Also it is worth noting that the current price just above 1,400 USD/oz is within the consolidation area between 1,300 USD/oz and 1,425 USD/oz, where gold spent six months from late 2010 to early 2011.

ONCE THE DUST SETTLES The multi-year rally is over, but it is probably too early to make a call for a complete trend reversal. The coming days and weeks will be very important as this has now become of war of nerves. Will ETP investors, especially the larger ones, be forced to continue selling?

Along with hedge funds going net-short, thisscenario could create further weakness. Or will the current slowing economic climate eventually trigger some support? As mentioned in previous outlooks, we maintained a constructive view on gold, but were also aware that a break below 1,500 USD/oz would be a potential game changer. We look for support towards 1,300 USD/oz followed by a long period of consolidation, with the USD 1,550per ounce area offering resistance.

The process of rebuilding investors trust will be a long one and one that has not yet begun.

Regional GDP expected to increase 5.6% JOHANNESBURG: Economies in subSaharan Africa will ride out the bumpy global recovery in the next few years to post growth rates not seen outside Asia, the IMF said in its latest economic forecasts yesterday. The International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook predicted economic activity in Africa’s reinvigorated economies will “remain robust” this year and next.

Regional GDP is expected to increase 5.6 percent in 2013, slightly lower than previously expected, but still among the fastest rates seen anywhere in the world. Resource -rich economies like Nigeria (7.2 percent) and growing lower-income economies like Mozambique (8.4 percent) are expected to lead the way. Only two countries, Swaziland and Equatorial Guinea are expected to see their economies shrink.

Next year an economic resurgence in South Africa-the regional powerhouse is expected to push sub-Saharan growth to around 6.1 percent, faster than first thought. The South African economy, hobbled this year and last by “sluggish mining production” and a downturn in key euro-zone export markets, is forecast to grow at 3.3 percent next year. But, the IMF admits, the regional outlook for 2014 depends on improvements in the economic outlook for Europe and other key export markets.

I ts warning that some African

WASHINGTON: World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim speaks during an event on “The Private Sector and Ending Poverty” on April 15, 2013 at the International Finance Corporation in Washington, DC. The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund will hold the annual Spring Meetings from April 19 to April 21. — AFP economies remain vulnerable to external shocks came as lower Chinese growth figures pummeled gold prices.

The largest drop in the precious metal’s spot price in three decades sent the Johannesburg Stock Exchange down 1.6 percent on Monday, with many major producers taking a beating. “The

main risks to the outlook for sub Saharan Africa stem from the external environment, although domestic security and political risks should not be discounted,” the report stated.

“Given the still-uncertain global environment, countries whose policy buffers are thin and where growth is

India’s Reliance Industries Q4 profit jumps 32 percent Higher refining margins offset slowing output MUMBAI: Reliance Industries, India’s biggest private firm, reported yesterday a better-than-expected 32 percent rise in quarterly net profit as higher refining margins offset slowing output from offshore fields. The energy giant, controlled by India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani, said in a statement consolidated net profit rose to 55.89 billion rupees ($1.02 billion) in the three months ended March from 42.36 billion rupees a year ago.

The earnings overshot analysts’ expectations of a 54.8-billion-rupee profit. “The growth in earnings was largely driven by strong and improved refining margins during the year,” Ambani said. Reliance’s gross refining margins (GRMs) for the fourth quarter rose 33 percent to $10.1 a barrel from $7.6 levels a year earlier.

Turnover, however, slid 1.1 percent to 842 billion rupees for the quar ter.

Analysts have been concerned in recent months about Reliance’s ability to raise gas production from its blocks off India’s east coast. Crude oil production from Reliance’s main oil field KG-D6 fell 41 percent year-on-year to 2.91 million barrels of crude oil.

Natural gas production fell 39 percent to 336 billion cubic feet (BCF), over levels a year earlier. In 2011, British energy giant BP paid $7.2 billion to acquire a 30 percent stake in 21 of Reliance’s oil and gas fields. Reliance hopes that BP’s deep-

water drilling expertise will give the Indian giant the skills to develop hard-toexploit reser ves and find more oil.

Reliance operates the world’s largest oilprocessing complex in Jamnagar, where two adjacent refineries have a combined capacity to process 1.24 million barrels of oil a day.

The company added it was still expanding its retail operations and now operates more than 1,450 stores in 129 cities across the country. Reliance has built up a war chest for acquisitions, with cash reserves of more than 829 billion rupees ($15.3 billion) as of the Marchend quarter. The energy behemoth has been scouting for acquisitions and looking to diversify its revenue sources by expanding into financial services, retailing, hotels and communications.

Ambani has also announced a foray into the Indian media sector as well as media and telecom. Earlier this month, Mukesh and younger brother Anil, who fought a very public feud for spoils of their father’s business empire, signed a $220-million deal in the first tangible sign of a corporate reconciliation.

Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom unit of Reliance Industries, signed the agreement with Reliance Communications, the flagship firm of the Anil Ambani group, to share their fibre-optic communications networks. — AFP

strong should seek to rebuild fiscal position.” The IMF said growth came in slightly lower than October forecasts thanks to the impact of floods on Nigerian output and labor stoppages in South Africa. In 2012 South Africa was rocked by a series of deadly labor strikes, which mine owners estimated cost the economy around $1.2 billion.

Violent conflict also curbed growth, and remains a threat, the IMF said. Oil exports from South Sudan where interrupted and the economies of Mali and Guinea-Bissau were hit by conflict.

“On the positive side, Angolan oil production strengthened, and Ivory Coast experienced a sharp rebound in economic activity after the electionrelated disruptions of 2011.” The IMF encouraged a continuation of spending to improve infrastructure and boost production capacity, both of which have helped fuel the rise of African consumers.

On average urban Africans already spend more on apparel and food than those in Brazil, China and India, according to a recent McKinsey & Company study. While the price of basic goods continues to increase apace in many African nations, particularly oil producers Nigeria and Angola, the IMF urged others to take advantage of moderate inflation. “The success in reducing inflation has provided room for a gradual easing of the monetary policy stance in several countries,” it said. — AFP

Oman’s Alizz Islamic Bank eyes Q3 launch DUBAI: Omani lender Alizz Islamic Bank, the second full-fledged Islamic bank in the sultanate, plans to begin operations in the third quarter of this year, chief operating officer Jamal Darwiche said.

Oman is the last country in the sixnation Gulf Cooperation Council to introduce Islamic finance; it granted licenses to Alizz Islamic Bank and Bank Nizwa late last year and rolled out detailed regulations in December. “We are currently on track for the launch of our products and services during the third quarter of 2013,” Darwiche told Reuters. “We are taking a careful approach, gaining valuable market insight and further refining our products and service offering.”

Last October, the bank raised 40 million rials ($104 million) by selling 40 percent of its capital through a month-long initial public offer of shares. The Islamic lender is targeting a 3.5 percent share of financing and a 3.6 percent share of deposits in Oman’s banking sector by 2017, Darwiche said. It aims for annual growth in total assets, financing and deposits of 15-20 percent, and to build a customer base of between 65,000 and 100,000 accounts over five years.

To achieve this, it plans to build a network of 10 branches and between five and 12 customer service centers in the next five years, Darwiche said. Oman’s commercial banking network had 461 branches registered at the beginning of 2012, according to the latest available

official data. Alizz Islamic Bank counts Abu Dhabi state-fund Aabar Investments as a founding shareholder, as well as Bahrain’s First Energy Bank.

PRODUCTS Alizz intends to launch products based on a variety of Islamic finance contracts including mudaraba, ijara, istisna and wakala. “Our strategy is to develop a large array of simple and easy-tounderstand Islamic products that cater to the diverse needs of commercial and retail customers across the sultanate.

“SME (small and medium enterprise) financing will be targeted at a later stage,” Darwiche added. Rival Bank Nizwa launched operations in January with three branches and plans to open an average of five every year, targeting a total of eight by the end of 2013.

“In five years that should give you a network of 20 to 25 branches,” Jamil Al Jaroudi, chief executive of Bank Nizwa, told Reuters in February.

The bank says it aims eventually to take a 5 percent share of Oman’s overall banking market. The country’s Islamic banks will also face competition from conventional lenders which plan to launch Islamic windows themselves, in a sector that now has a total of 18 banks operating. The sultanate reversed its prohibition on Islamic finance in 2011 after seeing economic and political benefits from the industry in neighboring countries. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2770000 .4310000 .3680000 .3020000 .2780000 .2940000 .0040000 .0020000 .0771240 .7513970 .3930000 .0720000 .7366120 .0370000

.2880000 .4470000 .3760000 .3170000 .2920000 .3020000 .0069000 .0035000 .0778990 .7589480 .4110000 .0770000 .7440150 .0440000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2841000 .4338920 .3707360 .3043390 .2795430 .0497330 .0443660 .2963730 .0365940 .2291130 .0029600 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0773800 .7538810 .0000000 .0757800 .7382100 .0000000

.2862000 .4370990 .3734770 .3065880 .2816100 .0501010 .0446940 .2985640 .0368650 .2308060 .0028810 .0052870 .0022880 .0029190 .0036810 .0779520 .7594530 .4048090 .0763400 .7436660 .0069870

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

2.902 5.230 2.900 2.273 3.281 232.740 36.776 3.646

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani riyal - transfer Irani riyal - cash

6.909 9.847 0.271 0.273

Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

76.150 78.463 741.720 758.470 77.758

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 41.045 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.332 Tunisian Dinar 180.660 Jordanian Dinar 403.260 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.916 Syrian Lier 3.102 Morocco Dirham 34.186 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 285.450 Euro 377.650 Sterling Pound 441.450 Canadian dollar 284.600 Turkish lira 159.060 Swiss Franc 311.290 US Dollar Buying 284.250 GOLD 20 Gram 298.000 10 Gram 150.000 5 Gram 77.500

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar

SELL DRAFT 300.00 283.25 309.91 377.53 284.65 439.62 2.98 3.666 5.236 2.271 3.298 2.898 77.57 757.92 40.93 405.52

SELL CASH 308.000 283.500 307.000 369.000 286.500 437.000 3.300 3.740 5.400 2.450 3.450 2.975 78.300 757.850 41.300 413.000

740.000 78.500 76.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

740.82 78.60 76.04

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 285.000 282.130 438.210 373.695 307.115 754.545 77.570 78.230 75.965 401.755 40.930 2.270 5.244 2.893 3.652 6.898 699.120 3.920 9.890 4.030 3.365 93.535

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa

SELL CASH Europe 0.4293574 0.0061567 0.0459211 0.3677036 0.0454870 0.4260933 0.0404609 0.3019576 Australasia 0.2853629 0.2337252 0.0001116 America 0.2719706 0.0001484 0.2829000 Asia 0.0036081 0.0031622 0.0449693 0.0164700

SELLDRAFT 0.4383574 0.0181567 0.0509211 0.3752036 0.0506870 0.4335933 0.0454609 0.3089579 0.2973629 0.2437252 0.0001116 0.2809706 0.0001664 0.2850500 0.0036631 0.0033922 0.0499693 0.0195700

Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

0.0000442 0.0341806 0.0051765 0.0000243 0.0028477 0.0028460 0.0033337 0.0892219 0.0031233 0.0028706 0.0064482 0.0000728 0.22663116 0.0019710 0.0094121 Arab 0.7496745 0.0389130 0.0129248 0.1483801 0.0000793 0.0001734 0.3964753 1.0000000 0.0001748 0.0219688 0.0012114 0.7293790 0.07764090.0784239 0.0754800 0.0479288 0.0031807 0.1776667 0.0761813 0.0012859

0.0000502 0.0372806 0.0052405 0.0000295 0.0038477 0.0030260 0.0035637 0.0962219 0.0033233 0.0029106 0.0069182 0.0000758 0.2323116 0.0022730 0.0100121 0.7581745 0.0409430 0.0194248 0.1501701 0.0000796 0.0002334 0.4039753 1.0000000 0.0001948 0.0459688 0.0018464 0.7403790 O.0761200 0.0484788 0.0034007 0.1836667 0.0776313 0.0013859

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 284.700 375.000 438.150 280.800 2.925 5.240 40.920 2.271 3.643 6.890 2.894 758.000 77.580 76.070

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

BUSINESS

China’s struggle to measure economy clouds its outlook BEIJING: After China reported quarterly economic growth of 7.7 percent this week - far above anemic US and European performance - global markets reacted by falling, wiping billions of dollars off stock prices. The reason? Growth came in under the 8 percent expected by private sector forecasters who relied on Chinese trade and other data. The market plunge highlighted complaints about the possible inaccuracy of Beijing’s official data and the intense, possibly excessive importance traders attach to a handful of Chinese economic indicators.

What matters more than a difference of a few tenths of a percentage point in growth from quarter to quarter is whether Chinese leaders are allowing the private sector to flourish by reducing the role of state industry in the economy, said Ben Simpfendorfer, managing director of Silk Road Associates, a consulting firm in Hong Kong. “There is an obsession with these GDP numbers, and what really matters at this point is reform,” said Simpfendorfer, a former Royal Bank of Scotland economist.

China is watched especially closely because it is a major market for foreign goods from iron ore to smartphones and is relatively healthy, fueling hopes Chinese demand can help offset weakness in the US, Europe and Japan. Confusion about how fast China is growing can hamper foreign and private companies in industries from construction to chemicals to consumer goods as they make plans for business and investment. Beijing’s problems in keeping track of its economy stem in part from the fact that while it is surpassed only by the United States in size, China is growing and changing much faster than any rich country.

An understaffed bureaucracy inherited from the era of central planning is struggling to keep up with changes in trade, finance, manufacturing and city growth. Chinese companies have an incentive to avoid taxes or boost export rebates by misreporting sales and profits. Secrecy surrounding the collection and processing of official statistics leaves open the possi-

CHONGQING: Workers assemble vehicles on an assembly line at Ford factory in Chongqing, China yesterday. China’s auto sales in March rose 13.3 percent over a year earlier but Japanese automakers suffered more declines, an industry group reported. — AP bility they might be altered for political reasons.

Foreign and private companies look at government data with skepticism. Many rely on watching their own industries and markets more closely. The government still is the only source for most nationwide data, but a growing number of banks and research firms are developing their own based on surveys of companies and consumers. “I think everyone doing business in China is skeptical of the data,” said analyst Alistair Thornton of IHS Global Insight.

Thornton said three of China’s most closely watched yardsticks are rife with potential problems -

exports, real estate sales and credit. Export data have gotten the most attention lately after some analysts suggested companies might be inflating values on customs declarations. That might be intended to let them evade currency controls and move money into China. Reporting rising prices while exporting the same amount of goods might give a false impression of higher production.

The customs agency defended itself this month, saying its reports were based on goods that really were exported. However, that would not prevent exporters from submitting inflated values for them.

March exports were “substantially lower than reported numbers,” which might have helped lead to the discrepancy between GDP forecasts and the government report, said RBS economists Louis Kuijs and Tiffany Qiu in a report. Monday’s unexpected decline in reported growth from 7.9 percent in the final quarter of 2012 was severe enough that economists responded by cutting their growth outlook for China this year. JP Morgan economist Hongbin Qu scaled back his forecast from 8.2 percent to a still-healthy 7.8 percent, while Kuijs and Qiu at RBS reduced theirs from 8.4 percent to 7.8 percent. Data showing rising bank loans and other credit, another key indicator, also might be inflated, according to Thornton. He said official figures might mistakenly count the same money two, three or more times as credit is extended from one company to another and then to a third.

Government figures on home sales also might give a false picture of the strength of the housing market because they rely on seller-reported prices without independent measurement. Chinese economic growth figures are, like those of other countries, estimates that are often revised later. Unlike other countries, though, China’s revisions can be huge. In 2009, Beijing raised its official 2007 growth rate from an already eye-popping 11.9 percent to 13 percent. That suggested its earlier estimate failed to take account of tens of billions of dollars in economic activity. Economists also note that even where Chinese data are reliable, they can be pumped up by investment or government spending that might do little for long-term prosperity.

Chinese leaders are trying to nurture more self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption rather than exports and investment. That will drag down the overall growth rate in the short run. The World Bank and other advisers have warned that to keep growth strong, Beijing needs to curb the dominance of state industry and encourage free-market competition - a factor that isn’t reflected in the headline numbers. —AP

Britain fund managers face biggest hit from bonus cap European lawmakers want tighter control over pay

SHANGHAI: Crews clean the body of a jet plane exhibited at the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE) in Shanghai, China yesterday. — AP

Moody’s lowers China credit rating outlook China’s poultry sector losses exceed $1.6 bn BEIJING: Ratings agency Moody ’s cut China’s credit outlook to stable from positive yesterday, citing concerns on the country’s opaque local government debt, fast bank lending growth and stalled economic reforms. Moody’s kept China’s rating at Aa3, but the change in outlook means it does not expect to give China an upgrade over the next year to 18 months.

It came a day after Beijing announced growth in the world’s second-largest economy slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter, lower than market expectations.

“Progress has been less than anticipated in the process of both reducing latent risks by making local government contingent liabilities more transparent and in reining in rapid credit growth,” Moody’s said in a statement.

“Credit-positive structural reforms under the new leadership are expected over time, but their scope and pace may not be sufficient over the course of the next 12-18 months to justify a rating upgrade,” it added. The slowdown from growth of 7.9 percent in the last three months of 2012, which snapped seven straight quarters of deceleration, fuelled fears that recovery is faltering on subdued overseas demand and domestic woes.

Moody’s warned that “a significantly greater-than-anticipated slowdown in economic growth”, a deterioration in government finances and a rise in social unrest could add “downward pressure” on China’s credit rating. Risks from China’s local government liabilities could “derail the transition to a more balanced and more moderately growing economy”, it said. Beijing’s National Audit Office identified local-level debt at 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) at the end of 2010, or 27 percent of the Chinese economy in the year, the latest figures available. But the agency said the actual number could be even larger.

Moody’s said Chinese authorities lack policy tools to control shadow banking, which is increasingly driving credit growth, and need to take steps to ensure it does not destabilize the financial system in the future. The government has announced broad reform initiatives aimed at narrowing the income gap and fighting corruption, but the impact on the economy is limited as details are sketchy and no timeframe is given on implementation, it added.

CHINA’S POULTRY SECTOR Meanwhile, China’s poultry sector has recorded losses of more than 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) since reports emerged of

a new strain of bird flu two weeks ago, an official at the country’s National Poultry Industry Association said yesterday.

Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing in an attempt to reduce the rate of human infection and allay growing fears about the H7N9 virus.

However new cases are being reported daily. In total 14 people have now died from the bird flu virus and 63 have been infected, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday. Most of the cases to date have been in eastern China, where poultry consumption is down by more than half, according to Liu Yonghao, president the New Hope Group, the country’s largest producer of animal feed.

Prices have dropped on weaker demand. High-quality chicken is selling for 4 yuan per kg, down from 16 yuan per kg, Liang Zhong, the poultry association official, told the China Daily newspaper. The governments of central Anhui province and the eastern city of Ningbo have offered financial help to poultry farmers, Xinhua said yesterday. The Ningbo government plans to give about 20 million yuan of subsidies to farmers who rear chickens, ducks and geese, while the Anhui government will give farmers lower interest payments on loans as well as tax breaks.

However National Bureau of Statistics data released on Monday showed that average whole chicken prices nationwide were down only 1.5 percent to 18.8 yuan per kilogram in the first 10 days of April, compared with the preceding 10-day period. China is the world’s second largest poultry market after the United States, and poultry is the country‘s fastest growing meat sector. But a spate of food safety scandals in recent months has hurt consumer confidence in the industry. “Chicken prices are falling which will lead to losses for breeders,” New Hope’s Liu said last week. “There are more than 100 million farmers raising chickens who will need to be supported.”

The recent decline in demand is also having a negative impact on imported poultry. “We thought that people would try to avoid domestic chicken, and have more preference for imported chicken, but this is not the case. Across the board, people are being more cautious,” said Sarah Li, director of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council’s Hong Kong office. “According to our importers, (wholesale) sales for both imported and domestic chicken products have declined by 80 percent.” — Agencies

LONDON: Caps on bonuses paid to fund managers proposed by European lawmakers may prompt British investment houses, which have most to lose from the new rules, to look at new structures such as profit sharing partnerships favored by law firms, experts say. A European parliament panel has called for tighter control of fund manager pay though lawmakers are split over how far reaching a cap on bonuses should be. Experts say any cap on performance related pay will have a bigger impact on the industry in Britain where firms like Schroders or Henderson, say they use variable pay for money managers, often relying on bonuses rising and falling with the fortunes of the firm.

Henderson’s variable staff costs published with 2012 earnings, for example, rose from 77.4 million pounds in 2010, peaked at 103.3 million pounds in 2011, but dropped to 77.6 million pounds in 2012. This, the company said, reflected variance in fund performance fees and the shifting fortunes of the overall business. The equivalent business in Europe is more likely to be a unit within a wider financial services group or bank rather than a standalone business, and pay is more frequently fixed, according to Ben Phillips, partner at consultants Casey Quirk.

“It (the bonus cap) would have an outsized impact on the UK managers,” Phillips said.

Phillips said the cap could prompt firms to introduce pay structures based on “franchise value” whereby managers become part owners of the firm and are paid a dividend, or share of profits.

“This is a further kick in the pants to get (fund managers) thinking about compensation structures that are more deferred and more based on franchise value - actual ownership of the fund manager,” he said.

Some experts say British fund managers could compensate for being forced to limit the variability of their wage bill by introducing fixed, short term contracts where staff sign new agreements, with a new pay deal, each year. “Either you can reserve a right to make a change ... or exercise a right to terminate on one month’s notice and re-engage you the next day on a new contract and your salary will be 30 percent lower,” said Trevor Bettany, partner and employment law expert at London based legal firm Speechly Bircham.

WELL-COMPENSATED Britain’s investment managers are a wellcompensated group: salaries in 2012 averaged 84,716 pounds ($130,100), a survey carried out by financial sector head hunter Astbury Marsden showed. This compares with an average gross

LISBON: Celestino Ribeiro, 56, who has been unemployed for three years, smokes a cigarette as he works helping people to park their car outside the Bank of Portugal offices in Lisbon. Ribeiro, who worked as a painter in the construction sector for 41 years, receives euros 176 ($229) a month in benefits. Inspectors from Portugal’s bailout lenders are back in Lisbon to see how the government intends to plug a euro 1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) hole in its state budget. — AP annual salary in Britain of 26,000 pounds while lawyers are paid on average 70,731 pounds, medical practitioners earn 69,741 pounds and airline pilots get 77,906 pounds, according to government figures.

However, managing director Jonathan Nicholson said the highest paid fund managers in Britain can command pay measured in millions of pounds, with an annual bonus several times a top end basic salary at between 200,000 to 250,000 pounds. The EU proposals involve capping bonuses at 100 percent of basic pay.

Fund managers warn the main impact will be to increase the fixed costs of running an investment manager because staff will expect bigger base salaries, leading to layoffs in lean times if firms cannot cut the wage bill in line with performance.

“We think this is a thoroughly bad idea. Fixed costs will rise which helps no one because it just makes the industry less flexible,” said a Britishbased senior source at a large international fund manager who asked to remain anonymous, wary of the possible public reaction to a fund manager objecting to attempts to cap pay. Ian Gorham, chief executive of investment firm Hargreaves

Lansdown, which selects funds from across the industry for its retail investor clients said making pay less variable could ultimately punish consumers.

“If a fund manager is going to be paid a higher basic salary or other rewards that are fixed, that means they are going to receive that money whatever performance they’ve put in and that can’t be good,” he said. Others warn a bonus cap will leave firms unable to stop their best money managers moving beyond the reach of the rules.

Kevin Poulter, a senior associate at lawyers Bircham Dyson Bell warned of an exodus of talent overseas, suggesting financial services hubs beyond the reach of EU rules such as Dubai or Hong Kong as possible destinations.

“What the European Parliament might do is send all the top quality fund managers elsewhere to unregulated parts of the world,” he said. But some in the industry dismiss the gloom. Casey Quirk’s Phillips says much of the new framework could lead to a better performing industry. “It’s not the end of the world and some of the options around it are best practice anyway so it’s certainly something that can be dealt with,” he said.— Reuters

Softbank shares plunge after rival bid for Sprint TOKYO: Shares in Softbank fell more than eight percent yesterday after a US satellite-television provider trumped the Japanese mobile operator’s bid to acquire Sprint Nextel. Softbank shares were down 8.11 percent at 4,305 yen in Tokyo trade after DISH Network on Monday launched an unsolicited $25.5 billion bid against Softbank’s October offer to acquire 70 percent of Sprint for $20 billion. Halfway down the aisle, Sprint Nextel Corp has gotten a new proposal one that could leave Tokyo-based SoftBank Corp at the altar. Dish Network Corp, the satellite TV service based in suburban Denver and led by dealmaker chairman Charles Ergen, has offered to buy Sprint for $25.5 billion.

The offer threatens to disrupt Sprint’s $20 billion deal with SoftBank, one that the companies hoped to complete this summer. It has been seen as a critical step in Sprint’s emergence as a stronger wireless competitor to Verizon and AT&T. Dish, however, says it has bigger plans for Sprint. It wants to marry Dish’s video expertise with Sprint’s mobile know-how to offer video, high-speed Internet and voice services in a single package. That would be faster and more afford-

able for consumers than buying those services separately, Dish said.

The key is video that is clogging the wireless pipelines with all the data streaming to smartphones and tablet computers. “If you’re going to do lots of video, you better have a big pipe,” Ergen said on a conference call. “Nobody’s going to have a bigger pipe than Dish/Sprint.”

Consumers, Ergen told The New York Times, “want broadband and video and voice in their home and want the exact same thing outside the home. And they want it to look and feel and be priced outside the same as it is inside.”

The offer puts Sprint in a bit of quandary.

“They’ve got two suitors,” said wireless industry analyst Bill Ho. “Both are good deals.” But the company’s future under each deal could look quite different. SoftBank already has said it would leave Sprint largely intact, bringing money and expertise from Japan. Dish said it sees $11.1 billion in cost savings where it and Sprint duplicate efforts. Assuming it is able to acquire Sprint, Dish hasn’t said what changes it might make in the Kansas City area, where Sprint is headquartered, or elsewhere.

But the cost-cutting would hit many parts of the companies, from call centers and advertising to information technology and corporate overhead. The unanswered question is where the cuts would land and whether the merged companies’ headquarters would be in Overland Park, Kan, or Englewood, Colo. Dish’s offer for Sprint raises the ante in a battle for control of the nation’s No. 3 wireless phone company. Sprint’s $20 billion deal with SoftBank last October would give SoftBank a 70 percent stake in Sprint.

SoftBank has already pumped $3 billion in fresh financing into Sprint in anticipation of the deal wrapping up this summer. This down payment on its deal with Sprint would turn into Sprint shares even in a Dish merger, leaving SoftBank with 5 percent of the merged companies’ shares, according to Dish. Sprint, in turn, has used its new financial strength to buy part of smaller wireless operator US Cellular and to bid for full ownership of its own wireless partner, Clear wire Corp. Dish jumped into the mix Monday with a surprise offer. It would buy Sprint outright for $25.5 billion and merge the companies. —Agencies

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Investors dump gold, oil as growth reality dawns Boston explosions rattle already-nervous markets TOKYO: Commodities from gold to oil recouped some of their earlier steep losses but remained volatile after investors dumped risk assets overnight, gripped by worries over slowing growth in China and the United States. European stock markets were seen extending losses, with financial spreadbetters predicting London’s FTSE 100, Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open down as much as 0.8 percent.

US stock futures were up 0.5 percent, pointing to a rebound at the Wall Street open after US stocks dropped more than 2 percent and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index had its worst day since Nov 7 overnight, after two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish

line of the Boston Marathon on Monday killing at least three people and injuring more than 100. The MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.1 percent after shedding as much as 1 percent to come closer to a 2013 low hit earlier this month, dragged down by its materials and energy sectors.

Markets were ripe for some correction after recent rallies. US stocks hit record highs, underpinned by optimism about a steady recovery in the world’s two largest economies, despite patchy economic reports. Oil and base metals were resilient despite supply capacities, and investors piled up positions shorting the yen on expectations for bold monetary stimulus.

“Broadly, risk markets had been rallying at a pace not in line with a tepid global growth recovery, so in a way, they are trying to revert to levels more in line with fundamentals. It’s time to book profits from recent rallies and hoard cash,” said Naohiro Niimura, a partner at research and consulting firm Market Risk Advisory in Tokyo.

Cash gold and US gold futures plunged to their weakest in more than two years, pulling silver lower and dragging Tokyo gold futures down almost 10 percent. Spot gold fell as much as 2.3 percent to $1,321.35 an ounce before recovering to $1,352.56 while silver shed as much as 2.4 percent to $22.04 before trading up at $22.76. On Monday, the price of

gold bullion tumbled another $125 per ounce in its biggest-ever daily loss, and its 9 percent loss was the biggest since 1983.

“Price actions point to a full-fledged flight of funds out of gold markets. Gold stands to lose the most,” Niimura said, as a progress in fiscal consolidation will boost the allure of US debt, reducing demand for an alternative safehaven such as gold. Gold has been struggling to extend gains this year as a recent rally in US and global equities drained money out of bullion while concerns about central bank selling and a steady drop in exchange traded funds on selling by large investors further undermined investor sentiment.

Brent crude futures fell below $100 for the first time in nine months yesterday and last traded down 1 percent at $99.58 a barrel and

UBS in Tokyo, noting that equities had been rallying recently on growth optimism. “In this light, the yen may firm a bit more given the way the currency’s short positions had built up.”

A US regional manufacturing report on Monday showed the pace of growth slowed, the latest indication the economy lost some steam heading into the second quarter, and coming just after news the Chinese economy unexpectedly stumbled in the first three months of 2013. The sell-off in gold hit metalssensitive Australian shares, but they recovered some losses and were down 0.3 percent.

Japan’s Nikkei average also trimmed earlier losses to edge down 0.1 percent, after tumbling as much as 2 percent earlier as the yen’s rebound took a toll on sentiment.— Reuters

ANHUI: A sales girl displays a gold bowl in a shop in Huaibei, central China’s Anhui province yesterday. Gold prices recovered slightly yesterday after suffering their heaviest slump in 30 years triggered by weak Chinese growth data and reports Cyprus was planning to sell part of its reserves. — AFP US crude traded down 1.3 percent at $87.60 after hitting a four-month low of $86.06.

Investors will likely reassess their portfolio allocations for the second quarter, with Japan possibly surprising on the upside while uncertainty may take a deeper hold on the European and Chinese economies. The US may be starting to feel the pain of its fiscal contraction.

“I think the underlying driver is markets around the world are making an adjustment to some of the major commodity markets,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. “They’re now forecasting that the decline in commodity prices looks as though it might be happening sooner and that it’s going a bit deeper than analysts had previously forecast.” Shanghai copper fell to an 18month trough of 51,920 yuan ($8,400) a ton earlier, tracking losses in benchmark London copper overnight when it hit its lowest in a year and a half at $7,085 a tonne. London copper was last up 1 percent at $7,271 yesterday.

YEN SHORTS UNWOUND Among the few assets that bucked the selloff and gained was the yen, as the reversal in recent positioning meant short sales on the Japanese currency had to be covered. The dollar fell to a low of 95.67 yen and the euro also hit a low of 125 yen earlier but the dollar managed to crawl back nearly two yen and was last at 97.55 yen, while the euro also recovered to 127.53 yen. “Assets with large positions being built up will be squeezed out,” said Hiroshi Maeba, head of FX trading Japan for

Agility wins a new contract KUWAIT: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, yesterday announced it has been awarded a contract to provide warehousing services to Universal, a home appliance provider in Egypt. As part of the five-year contract, Agility will manage the storage of various components for microwaves, washing machines, refrigerators, and several other home appliances in its warehouse in 6th of October City, a satellite city that is part of Cairo, Egypt.

The estimated value of the contract is $9.7 million.

“Agility’s warehousing and distribution capabilities are the driving force behind our successful supply chain solutions in Egypt,” said Ahmed Aly, Chief Executive Officer, Egypt, Agility. “We are pleased to be utilizing our expertise for Universal, with the extensive range of products they offer in the Egyptian market. We look forward to partnering with them as they continue to expand their business.” “We are excited to be working with a global company like Agility,” said Sameh Abu El Yazid, Supply Chain Director, Universal.

“With Agility’s expertise in warehousing, we will benefit from efficient operations that will help us achieve our ambitious and sustainable plans for growth.”

German state buys tax data in secret account crackdown BERLIN: The German state of RhinelandPalatinate said yesterday it had bought a CD containing data on secret bank accounts which could yield half a billion euros in tax revenues, triggering police raids across the country. It was unclear who sold the information but in the past, unidentified whistleblowers have provided similar data to German states, including North RhineWestphalia. The purchase comes amid a growing debate in Europe about tax evasion after the leaking of thousands of holders of secret bank accounts and the belated admission by a disgraced former French budget minister that he held a secret foreign account.

The EU’s six biggest countries last week agreed to increase their cooperation in fighting tax havens. “(The data) is authentic and of excellent quality,” said Carsten Kuehl, finance minister of RhinelandPalatinate which is run by opposition Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens. He added there were 40,000 sets of data which his state had bought for 4 million euros. “We expect the information to yield tax revenues of around 500 million euros across Germany,” said Kuehl in a statement, adding officials had been in touch with investigators and that numerous raids had taken place as a result of the purchase.

The SPD minister said the data proved the high level of criminal energy that goes into tax evasion. “We must act resolutely against tax fraud. In their investigations, the authorities must use every channel that is legally practicable... Buying tax CDs is part of that. Tax evasion is a serious offence,” he said. Der Spiegel magazine reported that

the information was on Germans with accounts in Switzerland and that it affected more than 10,000 customers.

STOLEN DATA Switzerland said such a purchase would not have been necessary if Germany had implemented a tax treaty, agreed last year but blocked by Germany’s SPD in the upper house. “Data CDs can yield chance finds, at most, and do not clear the way for making sure everyone is taxed, as the treaty that was rejected would have done,” said a spokesman for the Swiss finance ministry.

“Switzerland will not provide any official help on the basis of stolen data,” he said.

French President Francois Hollande has launched a campaign to crack down on tax evasion and in response to EU pressure, Luxembourg has dropped its opposition to sharing bank data with its partners.

However, Austria is still resisting calls to lift bank secrecy, arguing such a move would amount to an invasion of privacy.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble says Berlin has taken a lead in getting international bodies like the G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to define which countries are tax havens and to act against them. But his attempts to seal a tax deal with Switzerland were thwarted by Germany’s SPD who said the agreement was too weak. The SPD takes a tougher line and thinks cracking down on tax evasion is a winning campaign issue for them, not least because their candidate for chancellor, former finance minister Peer Steinbrueck, has a track record in trying to tackle the issue.— Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Cyprus braces for Russian cash exodus Russian investors feel betrayed, suffer amid ‘haircut’ LIMASSOL: Russian investors were shocked by having to contribute heavily to the international bailout of Cyprus, the east Mediterranean island which now faces a tall order in restoring its allure. Some participants who live in Russia and attended a Global Russia Business Meeting in the southern resort of Limassol suffered a major so-called “haircut” on deposits of more than 100,000 euros in the small country’s two largest banks.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, some said that they felt a sense of “betrayal”. Russians have billions of euros in deposits parked in Cyprus, with estimates ranging from 5-31 billion euros.

Some will take a hit of as much as 60 percent or more on bank deposits above the 100,000-euro mark. Cypriot officials at the conference admitted there would be a large cash outflow as a consequence of the bailout terms.

“The money is going to leave, but I think the majority of the structures set up by international companies will remain in Cyprus,” said Christodoulos Angastiniotis, chairman of the Cyprus investment promotion agency. Theo Parperis, president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of

News

in brief

US inflation falls WASHINGTON: A sharp drop in gasoline prices eased US inflation in March, government data released yesterday showed. The Labor Department said its consumer price index fell 0.2 percent from February, mainly due to a 4.4 percent drop in gasoline prices. The decline in CPI was slightly more than the 0.1 percent drop expected by most analysts. Gasoline prices at the pump in March fell sharply amid declining energy after surging in February. The March energy index fell 2.6 percent in March after a 5.4 percent rise in February. Food prices were virtually unchanged.

Excluding food and energy, CPI edged up 0.1 percent, including increases in the costs for shelter, medical care and airline fares. On an annual basis, overall CPI rose 1.5 percent, slower than the 2.0 percent pace of February. Inflation has been tame as the world’s largest economy struggles with tepid growth and high unemployment despite extended stimulus support from the Federal Reserve.

Aldar grabs contract ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties has won a contract to build 996 villas in the United Arab Emirates capital, the company’s chairman said, expecting to see at least 2 percent growth in the emirate’s real estate market this year. Ali Eid Al-Muhairi told reporters on the sidelines of Cityscape exhibition yesterday that the Abu Dhabi housing Authority has awarded the company a contract to build the villas in Al Falah area of Abu Dhabi, without giving a value for the contract.

Aldar, which in the process of merging with rival Sorouh Real Estate to create a real estate entity with assets of about $13 billion, has sold 125 villas in Al Raha beach in the first quarter of the year, he said. “Aldar is already building 4,857 villas in the area of which 2,079 have been handed over. The 996 will be additional,” Al-Muhairi said. He admitted that new stock entering the market will slow down growth in the emirate’s real estate sector.

“Home prices in Abu Dhbai will go up 2 to 5 pct by year end,” Al-Muhairi said.

Cyprus, agreed: “There will be a very important outflow of money because... the Eurogroup decision has broken the trust in the Cypriot banking system.

“It is the end of Cyprus as a place for holding huge deposits, but our model is not just about deposits. The financial sector will still be one of the main sources of income,” Parperis said. He said the draconian conditions imposed for the 10-billioneuro bailout by the lending “troika” of the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and European Union did not damage the country’s main asset.

“Cyprus still offers an attractive business package” of low taxes, double tax avoidance treaties with Russia and the quality of its UK- and US-trained lawyers and accountants, as well as quality of life and cultural ties. According to Natalya Kaspersky, head of a Russian data management firm, such elements make Cyprus “very convenient in term of setting up a holding company,” even if it is now much less attractive following the hit on large deposits.

“If such measures were made possible, what will come next? The corporate tax was already increased from 10 percent to 12.5

percent, and we have no guarantee that other major changes are not imposed,” she said. Because of this, her company has “started to work with consultants for

changes of jurisdiction for the holdings.”

“We have hardly been affected so we are not reacting emotionally as some investors who want all their assets out of Cyprus,”

NICOSIA: A man reads a copy of the Cyprus Mail newspaper in the capital Nicosia.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he will appeal to EU chiefs for extra assistance for the island as it faces ever more crippling terms for a euro-zone debt bailout. — AFP

Glencore clinches Chinese approval with copper deal Glencore, Xstrata merger clears final hurdle LONDON: China’s antitrust authorities removed the last obstacle to Glencore’s $30 billion takeover of miner Xstrata yesterday after the commodities trader agreed to sell a $5.2 billion mining project to ease its grip on copper. Xstrata’s Las Bambas mine in Peru had been expected to be sacrificed to secure the approval of China’s Ministry of Commerce, but Glencore also agreed 8year commitments covering the supply of copper, zinc and lead to China. Chinese regulators have rarely demanded asset sales to improve competition after a major tie-up, but the importance of the metals that Glencore mines and trades for China’s economy meant the merger was unlikely to go through without changes.

In particular, Glencore had already signaled that Chinese authorities were focused on its hold on the copper market, and specifically copper concentrate.

Glencore and Xstrata combined account for roughly 7 percent of global copper supply.

Glencore, which is now on track to complete the industry’s biggest ever deal in two weeks, has to begin the process of selling Las Bambas within three months, and find a buyer by the end of August 2014. If it does not find a buyer for the asset - a major mine expected to produce an annual 400,000 tons of copper for at least four years from 2015 - it will have to find alternatives.

Glencore, which has made no secret of its desire to slash the number of Xstrata mines being built from scratch, will have three months to offer up one of the miner’s longer-dated projects instead - namely

Tampakan in Peru, Frieda River in Papua New Guinea, El Pachon or Alumbrera in Argentina. “Them being willing to sell Las Bambas shows there are no sacred cows in the eyes of the Glencore management. It shows they think a little differently - they’ve always shied away from greenfield projects,” analyst Jeff Largey at Nomura said.

“If they can pull value forwards on Las Bambas by selling it rather than taking on all the operational and execution risk associated with building it (and) bringing it to production - I think the market will reward them.” Satisfying China’s appetite for concentrate, an intermediate product that feeds refineries and smelters, Glencore agreed to supply a minimum of 900,000 tons of copper to Chinese clients a year for 8 years from 2013. The price for at least 200,000 tons will be priced in accordance with the benchmark level. Glencore also agreed to supply zinc and lead concentrate on “fair and reasonable” terms.

XSTRATA DEPARTURES China’s green light yesterday paved the way for Glencore to tie up at last its longdesired acquisition of Xstrata by next month - 15 months after it was first announced. But separate news yesterday of a stream of departures from Xstrata’s management team highlighted the challenges during what will be Glencore’s biggest integration to date. Xstrata announced chief executive Mick Davis would not take up the role of at the combined group for six months, as initially agreed. It also announced the departure of

WASHINGTON: Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfien speaks during an interview by the Economic Club of Washington at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in this file photo. Goldman Sachs yesterday reported slightly higher earnings for the first quarter but became the latest banking giant to give a cautious appraisal of the global economy. — AFP

Goldman Sachs beats forecasts NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs reported firstquarter results that beat analysts’ forecasts thanks to a pickup in stock and bond underwriting. The bank earned $2.2 billion in the first quarter, up 5 percent from a year ago. The earnings were equivalent to $4.29 per share.

Analysts polled by FactSet had expected $3.90 per share. Revenue was $10.1 billion, up 1 percent from a year ago. That also beat analysts’ forecast of $9.7 billion. In a prepared statement, Goldman’s CEO Lloyd Blankfein described the results as “generally solid.” He also said the potential for economic instability had “constrained” companies and investors

and that the bank would remain focused on controlling costs. The investment bank underwrote more stock and bond offerings, although revenue from advising companies on mergers and acquisitions fell slightly. Revenue from investing and lending was up overall, thanks in part to Goldman’s sale of some of its stake in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Revenue from the unit that trades on behalf of customers - usually institutions such as pensions, mutual funds and hedge funds - fell. Revenue from the unit that manages money for clients rose. Goldman Sachs’ stock was little changed in pre-market trading yesterday at $146.50.— AP

Arabtec ‘not interested’ in buying stake in Drake ABU DHABI: Dubai-based builder Arabtec is not interested in buying a stake in contractor Drake and Scull, Arabtec’s newly appointed chief executive said yesterday. Drake, which specializes in mechanics, engineering and plumbing (MEP), has seen its shares jump 17 percent year-to-date on growing speculation that it was a takeover target, with Arabtec viewed by analysts as a possible buyer.

Arabtec is on an expansion drive after a management shake-up led by Abu Dhabi fund Aabar, its

BAAR: Picture shows the Glencore headquarters in Baar, Switzerland. Commodities trader Glencore says Chinese regulators have approved its proposed merger with mining company Xstrata PLC. — AP divisional heads including copper boss Charlie Sartain and nickel chief Ian Pearce, along with Thras Moraitis, Xstrata’s head of strategy and a close associate of Davis. “ This clearly turned into a takeover rather than a merger. We all knew (Glencore chief executive) Ivan Glasenberg was going to be the top dog, it was just a matter of time,” Nomura’s Largey said.

Glencore has already cleared regulatory

hurdles including the European Union, which instead of copper focused on the group’s concentration in zinc. Glencore had agreed to scrap a European zinc sales with producer Nyrstar, and said yesterday it had struck a deal and a termination fee.

Nyrstar will buy out Glencore’s almost 8 percent equity stake for 3.39 euros a share - below the current price - for a total of 44.9 million euros. — Reuters

Italy prosecutors order seizure of 1.8 billion euros at Nomura

Saudi orders cement import DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has ordered the import of 10 million tons of cement to end a shortage in the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday. King Abdullah wants three to four cement plants to be built over the next three years and has granted 3 billion riyals ($800 million) towards the scheme, SPA reported, citing trade minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. The kingdom has embarked on multibillion dollar infrastructure and housing construction plans, putting pressure on resources such as cement. SPA did not give an estimate of how large the cement shortage was.

Coke Q1 earnings slip WASHINGTON: Soft drinks king Coca-Cola reported a fall in earnings for the first quarter yesterday as sales sagged in the key US and European markets and restructuring costs hit North American profits. Coke’s net income for the quarter to March 31 fell 14.8 percent to a lower-than-expected $1.75 billion, compared to $2.05 billion a year earlier. Operating revenues fell 1 percent to $11.04 billion, while operating income fell 4 percent to $2.41 billion. Earnings per share fell six cents to 39 cents. Coke said operating income in the crucial North American region fell 24 percent, mainly due to investments in the ongoing productivity and reinvestment program. Sales in Latin American grew 4 percent, to a level surpassing Europe, where sales edged lower amid the ongoing recession. Sales in the Eurasia and Africa division jumped 9 percent, but mainly due to the company’s acquisition of Saudi Arabia bottler Aujan. The company “once again delivered solid growth against the backdrop of a still uncertain global economy,” said Coke chairman and chief executive Muhtar Kent in a statement.

Kaspersky said, “but we must assess the risks and alternatives.”

She said it was “not certain” that her business would pull out of the island.

Frank-Juergen Richter, one of the organizers of the Global Russia Business Meeting, sounded a note of hope that Russian businesses might stay. “I feel Russia is still committed to Cyprus,” he told AFP in Limassol which is also home to many thousands of Russians. “This crisis could be an opportunity for Cyprus by forcing it to broaden the spectrum of services it offers, for example by offering IPOs for Russian firms,” Richter said. “It could thus develop into a real financial sector that is not just doing money management.”

The Cyprus government has wasted no time in launching a charm offensive targeting Russians who might be tempted to take their money out of the country. Opening the conference on Monday, President Nicos Anastasiades said foreigners with bank deposits in Cyprus who lost at least 3 million euros ($3.9 million) under the EU bailout would be given passports. He also pledged other measures “to mitigate... the damage the Russian business community has endured.”— AFP

largest shareholder. Asked by reporters in Abu Dhabi whether Arabtec was interested in buying a stake in Drake, Arabtec CEO Hasan Ismaik said: “No, we are not”. Arabtec, which recently announced a $1.8 billion capital increase as part of its expansion, is set to launch a joint venture with an international oil and gas firm in the next few days, Ismaik said.

He declined to give further details. The company has said it would distribute the funds raised through the rights issue and a bond sale across

four of its business areas. About 55 percent would help support growth in oil and gas. The contractor, which helped build Dubai’s famous palm islands, is also expected to buy the 40 percent it does not already own in oil and gas construction firm Target Engineering, according to sources familiar with its plans. Arabtec replaced its chief executive in February as part of the shake-up led

by Aabar, which has been tightening its grip on the group. —Reuters

SIENA: Italian prosecutors have ordered the seizure of 1.8 billion euros ($2.4 billion) of assets from Japanese bank Nomura as part of a probe into a suspected fraud involving troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

Prosecutors in the city of Siena said they were investigating Nomura’s former top executive in Europe, Sadeq Sayeed, and Raffaele Ricci, managing director in fixed income sales for the EMEA region at the Japanese bank.

The two men are being investigated over allegations of aggravated fraud and usury (or overpriced loans), obstructing the work of regulators and making false statements to the market in dealings with Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Sayeed, who left Nomura in March 2010, rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. “I vigorously deny any of the allegations,” he said. “The first I heard of it was in the reports earlier today. I have not been approached by anybody. I am trying to analyze it myself.”

Ricci did not immediately return calls for comment. Nomura, which said in January it acted fairly and responsibly in all its dealings with Italy’s third-biggest bank, declined comment. The prosecutors said the seizure concerned 88 million euros of hidden commissions they say Nomura received and 1.7 billion euros of funds deposited with Nomura by Monte Paschi by way of collateral for the so-called Alexandria trade, which is at the centre of a probe into risky derivative deals.

The trade involved the purchase by Monte dei Paschi of Italian government bonds for 3 billion euros which the bank financed through a long-term repurchase agreement with Nomura. Prosecutors and the bank’s current management say the trade helped Monte dei Paschi conceal losses suffered by the lender by spreading them over 30 years.

LOSS-MAKING TRADES Smaller sums were being seized from former Monte Paschi chairman Giuseppe Mussari, ex-managing director Antonio Vigni and the former head of the finance depart-

ment, Gian Luca Baldassari - who are all under investigation over the Alexandria deal and other trades. Mussari and Vigni declined to comment. Baldassarri was arrested on Feb 14.

The 2009 transaction between Nomura and the Tuscan bank is one of a series of lossmaking “structured finance” deals carried out under the Tuscan lender’s previous management to conceal losses, according to prosecutors. The bank, which in February received a state bailout of 4 billion euros that was also meant to plug a capital shortfall due to the derivatives deals, booked a pretax loss of 730 million euros in 2012 linked to those trades.

The bank’s new management has said it only discovered the true nature of the Alexandria deal in October 2012 after finding a document hidden in a safe. A judicial source told Reuters the seizure of funds ordered against Banca Nomura International Plc, a unit of the Japanese bank, would be carried out by seizing deposits it has with the Bank of Italy to be able to operate in Italy. The size of those deposits was not made public.

The source also said the seizure had effectively frozen the Alexandria deal. “The seizure order interrupts the validity of the contracts so they cease to have effect,” the source said. “The contracts have been frozen, so receipts and payments are suspended.”

Last month Monte dei Paschi, the world’s oldest bank, filed a lawsuit in Florence seeking at least 700 million euros from Nomura, Mussari and Vigni over the Alexandria trade.

Nomura has been trying to establish British jurisdiction for the dispute.

The Tuscan lender is also seeking at least 500 million euros in compensation from Mussari, Vigni and Deutsche Bank AG for a 2008 deal known as Santorini. Deutsche Bank has said its 2008 trade with Monte dei Paschi was subject to rigorous internal approval processes. Monte dei Paschi has been rocked by the scandal over the opaque derivatives and by another probe over its costly 2007 acquisition of its rival Banca Antonveneta. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

BUSINESS

2013 Jaguar XJ Ultimate unveiled KUWAIT: In aims of continuously offering premium luxury, Jaguar & Al-Zayani are now presenting to the market a new level of innovation and luxury; the 2013 Jaguar XJ Ultimate. Jaguar has always prided itself on creating unique cabin environments and the interior architecture of the XJ is like no other, combining graceful and unexpected forms with quality materials that reward the senses with their tactility, visual splendor and luxury.

Based exclusively on the long-wheelbase XJ, the interior changes applied to the Ultimate focus on the rear accommodation, extending the car’s appeal to provide a fully-appointed luxury business class experience for the most discerning customers. The XJ Ultimate offers the appointments of a private jet in a package to suit a wide range of requirements.

A full-length, leather-trimmed center console

separates the two individually tailored rear seats which feature power adjustment, ventilation, massage and lumbar functions. A table, machined from solid aluminum with piano-black and chrome detailing, rises up from the center console at the touch of a button to provide a working area, its role supplemented by the provision of two third-generation iPads with wireless keyboards that are housed in leather-trimmed docks in the rear of the front seats.

A full rear seat entertainment package with twin headrest screens and wireless headphones completes the experience in combination with a new 20-speaker surround sound in-car entertainment system developed by British audio experts Meridian. The Jaguar XJ introduced a ground breaking coupe design ethos, taking Jaguar’s established principle of long, unbroken feature

Booz & Company study finds steep rise in planned CEO turnovers DUBAI: Leading global management consulting firm Booz & Company yesterday announced the results of this year’s Chief Executive Study, finding the highest share ever of planned CEO successions. “During the economic crisis, boards took a reactive approach to CEO turnover and postponed CEO transitions. Now they are actively planning CEO successions-companies are looking to build on the stability of a stronger economy and move forward with needed changes,” said Gary L. Neilson, Booz & Company senior partner and coauthor of the study.

“Planned turnovers are at the highest rate ever, and insider CEOs make up the majority of new CEOs, indicating companies are taking a more thoughtful approach to ensure the right leaders are in place.”

Bahjat El-Darwiche

The annual study of CEO changes at the largest 2,500 public companies in the world, revealed that the CEO turnover rate in 2012 was15 percent-the secondhighest since 2000, lower only than in 2005. Furthermore, companies are actively planning their CEO successions: The share of planned turnovers, at 72percent of all turnover events, is the highest in the 13-year history of the study. “The Middle East region is no exception to this global trend of increasing planned turnovers,” explained Bahjat El-Darwiche, Booz & Company partner. “In general, organizations are becoming more prescriptive on the type of skills that a new CEO should possess.

In fact, board of directors are becoming increasingly demanding on the CEO’s ability to develop and drive sustainable capabilities within the organization, as well as to contribute to supervisory and executive governance,” he added. The Booz & Company study examined the rate of, reason for, and geographic and industry distribution of chief executive changes among the world’s 2,500 largest public companies. This year’s report, “Time for New CEOs: The 2012 Chief Executive Study” focused particularly on who the new leaders are and where they came from.

KEY FINDINGS Companies are becoming more proactive about the CEO succession process. Companies are now planning carefully to ensure they have the leaders they need. Planned successions made up 72 percent of all 2012 successions (up from 69 percent in 2011), and forced

turnovers were at19 percent, their second-lowest share ever.

This shift indicates that companies are now able to take a more thoughtful approach to transitions. The proportion of female CEOs saw a slight increase in 2012. Only 5 percent, or 15, of the incoming class of CEOs in 2012 were womenwhich is a notable rise from the 3 percent average over the prior three years, but still only a tiny share. “Despite major success cases, gender diversity at CEO level remains a challenge in the region,” noted El-Darwiche.

The “Global CEO” is more of a myth than a reality. Most companies seem to be seeking familiarity in their new CEOs. In 2012, 71 percent of new CEOs were insiders-people promoted from within.

Companies also tended to hire leaders native to their company’s headquarters country; 81 percent of companies hired CEOs from the company headquarters country and an additional 9 percent hired CEOs from a different country but the same region as headquarters.

Additionally, this year’s study found that 25 percent of new CEOs had worked at only one company for their whole career.

“When hiring new CEOs with global work experience, Western European companies stood out in 2012, with 60 percent hiring CEOs who have experience in regions outside their company’s headquarters. In addition, 67 percent of newcomer CEOs who are Western Europeans had global working experience,” said Per-Ola Karlsson, Booz & Company senior partner and coauthor of the study. “It’s interesting to note, Western Europe is the only region that supplied new CEOs to all other regions.”

OTHER FINDINGS Companies in Brazil, Russia, and India had the highest increase in turnover rates in 2012. In 2012, CEO turnover rates increased from the average turnover rates over the prior five years (2007-11) in every region except Japan. The increase was highest in Brazil, Russia, and India, where turnover increased by 55 percent, from 15.4 percent in 2007-11 to 23.9 percent in 2012. Although companies in Western European countries did see an increase in their turnover rate, they had the lowest increase of any region outside Japan. Turnover in Western Europe increased by 3.5 percent, from 14.2 percent in 2007-11to 14.7 percent in 2012.

All but one of the new CEOs in 2012 held an undergraduate degree, but few had gone on to get an MBA or PhD. Only 29 percent of the new CEO class in 2012 had an MBA, and 9 percent a PhD. However, having an MBA may slightly accelerate the career path of a CEO, as the median age of incoming CEOs in 2012 with an MBA was 52, just slightly lower than the median age of CEOs without, which was 54. Ken Favaro, Booz & Company senior partner and coauthor of the study, added, “The path to becoming CEO doesn’t just involve checking off boxes. As is evident from our study, incoming CEOs aren’t required to earn advanced degrees or gain global experience. Becoming a CEO is more about taking the time to develop the skills needed to grow a company and lead it well into the future.”

lines and applying them to a decidedly 21st century form.

Dramatically different, the all-aluminum XJ captures the essential Jaguar design elements of elegance, muscularity, sleekness and strength. The exterior detailing of the XJ Ultimate offers discreet clues to the high status of this model with sculpted lower air intakes chromed to match the grille, polished stainless steel oval exhaust pipe finishers, unique dual-surfaced alloy wheels and subtle ‘Ultimate’ badging. The detail changes applied to the XJ Ultimate serve to subtly enhance the inherent rightness of the car’s design, making it clear that this is the luxurious flagship of the range.

The lower front air intakes are reshaped and chrome finished, matching the powerful Jaguar grille, while LED daytime-running lights underline the assertively shaped headlamps. To underline its

purpose in ensuring that passengers remain cosseted at all times, the XJ Ultimate features revisions to the air-sprung rear suspension for optimized ride comfort. While this provides a truly relaxing experience for rear seat passengers, the XJ Ultimate loses none of the model’s core dynamic abilities and so is as rewarding to drive as it is to be driven in.

The XJ’s lightweight aluminum construction means a weight saving over its rivals of as much as 330 lbs. This offers great advantages in terms of agility, acceleration, braking and driver feedback and involvement. The aluminum architecture also provides benefits in terms of emissions and fuel consumption, allowing the XJ to provide astonishing performance with respectable fuel efficiency.

The new 2013 Jaguar XJ Ultimate is now available in Al-Zayani showroom in Al-Rai.

Weak Europe weighs on staffing firm PageGroup Gross profit down 6.7%; Shares drop 7.7% LONDON: British recruiter PageGroup posted a 7 percent drop in first-quarter profit as recession-hit businesses in the euro-zone held back from hiring permanent staff, and said it saw little sign of improvement in the months ahead. The firm, formerly Michael Page International, makes about 40 percent of its profit in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, and less than a quarter of its business involves temporary jobs, which tend to fare better in a tough economy. “Without any significant change in economies around the world I can’t predict or foresee specific changes happening in our business in the next three months,” Chief Executive Steve Ingham said yesterday.

“It is very, very difficult to predict where we’re going to be at the end of June,” he added. Shares in PageGroup were down 7.7 percent by 0830 GMT to 367 pence, a fourmonth low. Shares in rival recruiter Hays were also down 2.1 percent to 97 pence.

PageGroup, which specializes in professional areas such as accounting and finance, made gross profit of 127 million pounds ($194.5 million) in the three months ended March, down 6.7 percent year-on-year, but up 0.2 percent on the fourth quarter.

Shore Capital said analysts’ forecasts had ranged from 126 million to 133.8 million pounds. PageGroup said profit in its largest EMEA region fell 13.8 percent year-on-year, while in France - where its business is the market leader - profit fell 17 percent. This was partly down to the firm’s focus on permanent recruitment there, which Ingham said suffers in continental Europe because of tougher labor laws that make it difficult to fire workers.

“Hiring a permanent person is a much bigger decision in Europe than it is in the UK,” he said.

Rival Hays, Britain’s largest recruiter by market value, said on Thursday its full-year earnings would be at the top end of analysts forecasts after seeing the first pick up in its British

Gasoline and food prices subdue US consumer inflation WASHINGTON: US consumer prices fell in March for the first time in four months as the cost of gasoline tumbled, providing scope for the Federal Reserve to maintain its monetary stimulus to speed up economic growth. Other data yesterday suggested the housing market recovery was losing momentum, even though housing starts jumped in March to their highest level since 2008.

The Labor Department said its Consumer Price Index slipped 0.2 percent, unwinding some of the 0.7 percent increase in February. Economists had expected a flat reading last month. In the 12-months through March, consumer prices rose 1.5 percent, the smallest increase since July. Prices had increased 2.0 percent in February.

“On balance, this reflects the soft demand environment out there. There is not a lot of price pressure. That’s good for the Fed to maintain its accommodative policy,” said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stripping out volatile energy and food, consumer prices rose only 0.1 percent after advancing 0.2 percent in February.

That took the increase over the 12 months to March to 1.9 percent. The so-called core CPI had increased 2.0 percent in February.

The signs of muted inflation pressures could bolster the case for the Fed to remain on its very easy monetary policy path, despite divisions among policymakers over continued asset purchases. Minutes of the Fed’s March 19-20 meeting published last week showed the US central bank was moving closer to ending its monthly $85 billion purchases of mortgage and Treasury bonds to keep rates low and spur faster job growth. Data have suggested economic growth accelerated in the first quarter after a near stall in the final three months of 2012.

But in a replay of the prior two years, the

economy appears to have hit a speed bump at the end of January-March quarter, with data ranging from employment to retail sales and manufacturing weakening significantly in March. Much of the weakness is blamed on tighter fiscal policy in the form of smaller paychecks and deep government spending cuts. A second report from the Commerce Department showed housing starts rose 7.0 percent last month to a 1.04 million-unit annual rate, the highest since 2008. However, the rise in starts was driven by the volatile multi-family sector and permits for future construction fell 3.9 percent.

That suggested a slowdown in activity, coming on the heels of a report on Monday that showed a third straight month of decline in homebuilders’ confidence in April. “The decline in single starts and permits is consistent with recent hint the housing recovery has lost some momentum,” said David Sloan, senior economist at 4Cast Ltd in New York. Home construction is being fueled largely by a demand for rental apartments. Homebuilding added to gross domestic product last year for the first time since 2005, and the trend is expected to continue this year.

In March, gasoline prices dropped 4.4 percent after spiking 9.1 percent the prior month. Food prices were flat after edging up 0.1 percent. There is still no sign of a pass-through from last summer’s drought.

Though overall housing costs maintained their steady rise, owners’ equivalent rentwhich accounts for about a third of the core CPI-rose only 0.1 percent after rising 0.2 percent in February. Apparel prices dropped 1.0 percent, the largest decline since April 2001, after falling 0.1 percent in February. New motor vehicle prices edged up 0.1 percent after falling 0.3 percent the prior month. Prices for used cars and trucks rose 1.2 percent, the largest increase since April. — Reuters

business in around two years. Around 60 percent of Hays’ business comes from placing people in temporary jobs, compared with 23 percent for PageGroup. “With Page’s high levels of exposure to the permanent market and lack of exposure to some of the structural drivers that are helping others making it, in our view, the least attractive of the recruitment companies,” Investec analyst Sebastien Jantet said.

Despite macroeconomic weakness across Europe, the firm reported some improvement in the south of the region, particularly in Spain. Ingham said PageGroup had benefited from holding firm while competitors downsized or exited Spain. Despite the fall in profits at PageGroup, Ingham said the firm was still hiring local people in growing markets to earn fees, with headcount cuts focused on its back- office operations.

Ingham also said the firm may open some new offices in its growth areas in Asia or the Americas.— Reuters

London luxury property boom looking shaky LONDON: Grosvenor Group, which owns most of London’s upscale Mayfair and Belgravia districts, said the rate of luxury home price growth in the capital looked unsustainable after years of foreigners pouring cash into the safe-haven market. Luxury home prices have surged 53 percent since 2009, compared with 25 percent in Greater London, as investors sought refuge from Europe’s debt crisis, and political uncertainty in the Arab world and Russia, property group Knight Frank said.

The buoyant market has since attracted a slew of commercial developers such as British Land and Land Securities while Grosvenor has also cashed in by converting offices back to their original use as homes. “The extremely high rate of growth over the last two, three years is a thing I’m concerned about and I think it’s probably unsustainable,” Grosvenor’s Chief Executive Mark Preston said yesterday.

“As those crises recede then perhaps there’s less interest in capital moving internationally for safe haven reasons,” he said. “(And) we’re reaching values in prime London that are just extremely high by historic standards.” Preston said Grosvenor would focus on diversifying the business further this year by investing in Canadian residential and British rental homes to offset the risk of slowing price growth in the luxury housing market.

London is the third most expensive place to buy a home after Monaco and Hong Kong at 2,540 pounds ($3,900) per square foot, Knight Frank data showed.

Grosvenor is one of the first major London luxury home owners to warn of the sector’s risks. The firm is controlled by the Grosvenor family, headed by Gerald Grosvenor - the Duke of Westminster - whose 7.4 billion pound fortune placed him at No. 7 in Britain’s Sunday Times Rich List last year.

Its London estate, which it has owned for more than 300 years, comprises 300 acres of Mayfair and Belgravia with more than 1,500 homes, shops and offices as well as investments in China, Europe and North America and a fund management arm. The company said profit before tax rose 12.5 percent to 354.4 million pounds in 2012, driven by central London property price growth and improved operational performance. The value of its property assets was 5.8 billion pounds, unchanged from 2011. Total return, based on rental income and property prices, fell to 7.2 percent from 9 percent due to losses on a Spanish office park and property revaluations in continental Europe. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

technology

Federal lawmakers push for online tax Internet commerce perceived more feasible

THE HAGUE: In this file photo, equipment to analyze mobile and smart phones is displayed in a lab during a media tour of the Cybercrime Center at Europol headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. —AP

Local police grapple with response to cybercrimes WASHINGTON: If a purse with $900 is stolen, the victim probably would call the police. If a computer hacker steals $900 from that same person’s bank account, what then? Call the police? Could they even help? As it is now, local police don’t have widespread know-how to investigate cybercrimes. They rely heavily on the expertise of the federal government, which focuses on large, often international cybercrimes.

What’s missing is the first response role, typically the preserve of local police departments that respond to calls for help from individuals and communities. Obama administration officials have said that cyberterrorism is the leading worldwide threat to national security. So far, the discussion about such threats and security has focused on breaking classified foreign government codes, monitoring overseas communications and protecting the US from devastating attacks that could jeopardize massive amounts of data and valuable corporate trade secrets.

It’s been about businesses protecting their networks and individuals using the Internet safely, for instance, by choosing smart passwords. But when one person hacks into someone else’s computer to access a bank account, credit cards or even email, the crime fighting path is uncertain.

“I am not sure who owns cybercrime at the local level. And that is a problem,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Local police departments are looking to boost their expertise so they can respond to cybercrimes and cyberthreats that are expected to only get worse. The hypothetical victim who had $900 stolen from the bank account should call the police, and the police should document the theft in a report, said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major City Chiefs Association, which represents police chiefs in major US metropolitan areas.

“What they can do after that gets very complicated,” Stephens said. For instance, police departments work within jurisdictions, but cybercrime knows no boundaries. “The victim may live in one place, their bank is in another jurisdiction and the person that committed the theft could be anywhere in the world,” Stephens said. Then there’s the matter of determining who the victim is. Most banks and credit card companies typically replace the accountholder’s stolen funds, he said, which makes the banks and credit companies the victims of the theft.

“Most local police do not have the capacity to investigate these cases even if they have jurisdiction,” Stephens said.

Further complicating the issue is that the response to a cyberoffense is not the same as the response to a physical offense such as a burglary. When someone’s home is burglarized, the homeowner doesn’t usually repair the broken window, clean up the crime scene and then call the police. But in cases such as network intrusions, the victim’s first goal typically is intended to get the network restored and working again. In doing this, initial crime scene evidence may be sacrificed, complicating an investigation down the road.

“Police will need to become more equipped to deal with cybercrime in the future,” Stephens said. “Most major cities have a limited capability, but more will be required.”

Bart Johnson, executive director of the

International Association of Chiefs of Police, said police need to have a better understanding of what a cyberthreat is and how to address it. Johnson said his organization has been working with the FBI and Homeland Security Department since December to confront these issues. “The unfortunate thing is that law enforcement at a state and local level are not fully apprised of the threat, who the actors are,” said Johnson. The FBI and Secret Service have the capabilities to address this, he said, but more expertise is needed at the local level.

The Secret Service has trained some 1,400 state and local law enforcement officers on cybercrimes since the agency began the education program in 2008, said Hugh Dunleavy, deputy assistant director of the Secret Service, which specializes in investigating such crimes. But the demand for training is greater than the agency can provide, he said.

Some local police officers may participate on some task forces with the FBI, Secret Service and other federal agencies, but the cases typically are those with international components and involve millions of dollars.

Mike Sena, president of the National Fusion Center Association, an organization that represents state and local intelligence centers around the country, recalled a case in which a California business was the victim of a cybercrime and lost $40,000. Sena said the theft wasn’t great enough for the federal government to take up the investigation, and there was confusion about where to turn at the local level.

“The FBI and Secret Service are looking at just large amounts of thefts. Who takes care of that lower tier,” Sena said. Several current task forces coordinate with local law enforcement on cyberissues, and the federal government offers some guidance for where to turn, depending on the incident and depending on who is asked.

According to the Justice Department, if a computer is hacked, you can call your local FBI office or the Secret Service or the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is run by the FBI and the nonprofit National White Collar Crime Center.

For Internet fraud and spam, you can call your local FBI office, the Secret Service, or file an online complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are also Secret Service-led Electronic Crimes Task Forces in 29 cities, and they regularly work with state and local law enforcement. But figuring out which task force or which federal investigative agency to turn to can be a challenge. Not everyone will have the expertise to know what time of crime occurred so that the right agency can be contacted, said Shawn Henry, former top cybercop at the FBI and currently president of CrowdStrike Services, a security technology company.

That leaves few options for a victim of a cybercrime whose loss would be considered small by the federal government but crippling to the individual or small business.

“Right now there’s such a level of confusion on where to push the information,” Sena said. Dunleavy said he is confident that local law enforcement at least knows who to call, but there is a need for more training.

“The general public is going to call who they know the best,” Dunleavy said. “They’re going to call the police officer that they see on a daily basis for response.” —AP

CHICAGO: When Katherine McHenry answers the phone at a Building Blocks Toy Store in Chicago, she may get a caller who wants to negotiate a lower price on an item she is selling because it can be purchased for less money online. “I just basically tell people I can’t control the fact that I have to charge the sales tax,” said McHenry. “What they’re using for leverage is, ‘I can buy it on the Internet for basically a 10 percent discount’ “ when they don’t pay taxes.

Walk-in stores like McHenry’s are on the front line of a tax war that may be entering a new phase in Washington. Federal lawmakers in both chambers are showing signs of warming to legislation that would require out-of-state Internet businesses to collect taxes at the rates levied in the communities where purchasers live. A sizable exemption still would allow Internet companies to skip that requirement if they didn’t do $1 million worth of sales in the previous year.

In what was viewed as a breakthrough moment, the proposal was supported last month on a test vote in the upper chamber, in an effor t led largely by the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois. Critics argue that the legislation would mean more taxes on Americans who are overburdened, but Durbin insists, “We’re not talking about imposing a new tax. Not at all.”

To Durbin, it is “just a question of fundamental fairness.” In the dozen or more years since the issue of sales taxes on out-of-state Web commerce first sur faced, technology has changed rapidly and “Internet commerce has boomed,” said Max Behlke, the point person on the issue for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Like Building Blocks in Chicago, other longestablished local merchants increasingly are seeing their stores serving as “showrooms” where consumers visit to check out pricey products, ranging from TVs and computers to highend cameras - and then turn to the Internet to avoid paying sales tax, Behlke said. “More and more, people are going into stores, looking at products and then buying them with their iPhone, buying it on their BlackBerry, because it’s cheaper,” Behlke said.

That stark storyline played out for a Chicago suburban sportswear business that had survived 18 years but shut its doors last year.

Soccer Plus owner Bob Naughtrip said he and his sales staff saw “showrooming” at the headquarters in Palatine, Ill., and another store in Libertyville, Ill. High-end soccer shoes and other items would be reviewed closely, tried on and then purchased later with a computer.

But beyond the individual sales, the big losses came when huge youth soccer clubs would buy over the Internet. With as many as 1,000 players, a club or league could shift buying patterns that add up quickly when uniforms and gear run from $100 to $300 per player, Naughtrip said. If buyers can avoid paying the 9 percent total state and local sales tax in Palatine on a $300,000 purchase, for example, the savings is $27,000.

Though the Great Recession and higher property taxes also played roles in the demise of the Soccer Plus business that Naughtrip once

thought was “recession proof,” the sales tax issue was a significant factor, he said. “We’re the poster child of what happens when people buy outside of the area to save sales tax dollars,” Naughtrip said. “They don’t understand the impact on a business like ours.”

Durbin took the Soccer World story to the Senate floor, where he told colleagues how Naughtrip lost his small business and its local jobs. “If they’re going to have a fighting chance to compete, they ought to be on a level playing

Womack of Arkansas. “We’re very hopeful, especially given the Senate’s overwhelming support, that the House will take this on” this year, said Claire Burghoff, Womack’s spokeswoman.

The timing of federal action, if there is any, would be a major factor in determining how much and how quickly states and cities could reap the benefits. Durbin faces strong opposition from conservatives such as Grover Norquist and businesses such as eBay that say the proposed legislation could hurt small businesses.

ILLINOIS: Katherine McHenry, owner of Building Blocks Toy Stores in Chicago, Illinois, says people try to use online prices to bargain with her, but she says she must charge sales tax. —MCT field,” Durbin said.

Durbin’s fellow Illinois Democrat, Gov. Pat Quinn, certainly agrees. Quinn, who says Illinois is losing about $200 million a year in state sales taxes through Internet purchases, sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders recently urging action on the issue. “ The exponential growth of electronic commerce (more than 10 percent annually) has resulted in the erosion of states’ sales tax bases and an increased dependence on other sources of revenue,” Quinn wrote.

Durbin’s effort matches a push in the Republican-led House, where legislation also has bipartisan support but faces a potentially tough road even with a GOP lead sponsor, Rep. Steve

“Our view is that the current bill would not protect many small businesses, and that it needs to be improved before Congress takes any final action,” said Brian Bieron, eBay’s chief spokesman on the matter. The threshold of $1 million in annual sales outlined in the bill is too low, Bieron said, arguing that a better way to gauge a business’ size is how many employees it has. He suggested setting 50 employees as the level between small and big businesses or using a combination of the employee numbers and a dollar threshold. “Our main point is that it is good public policy to encourage small business to grow into big businesses before new tax burdens are put on them,” Bieron said. —MCT

Super Mario Bros designer speaks of gaming origins Shigeru Miyamoto is the artist and designer behind video game titles including “Donkey Kong,”“Super Mario Bros.” and “Legend of Zelda.”

Miyamoto has been creating video games for more than 30 years. He was recently in New York to help launch “The Year of Luigi,” which includes the release of Luigi-themed games like “Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon” for Nintendo 3DS. We interviewed Miyamoto, with the help of a translator, at Nintendo of America’s offices in New York. Read on to find out the origins of “Super Mario Bros.,” Luigi and what he hopes kids gain by playing videos games.

TFK: What was the inspiration behind the first “Super Mario Bros.” game?

MIYAMOTO: Before the original “Super Mario Bros.,” I had created games called “Donkey Kong” and “Excitebike.” After we created “Donkey Kong” where Mario was very small, we wanted to create a game with a bigger character that you could move around. The problem was that if you had a bigger character, there was less space to move around. In “Excitebike,” the screen scrolled so that there was more room to play. We used this screen scrolling technology to create a bigger Mario and allowing him more room to move. So we made Mario bigger and had him running across the screen, which turned out to be fun. However, when we made Mario smaller, the space in the game seemed bigger.

We enjoyed the big and small Mario so we thought it would be more fun if Mario could change sizes during the game and that is when we introduced the super mushroom to allow Mario to change size. That is how Mario became Super Mario.

TFK: How did you come up with the idea of Mario and Luigi as brothers?

MIYAMOTO: Before “Super Mario Bros,” we made a game that was just called “Mario Bros.”

In that game there were two characters that would knock over turtles that were dropping down from pipes and kick them off. The two characters would play at the same time. The

problem was that when we were making that game, the amount of memory available in the computers at that time was very small. Even though we wanted to make two different players, there wasn’t enough memory in the computer to make two different characters. We had to use the same character design for each player. Also, there was a limit to the number of colors you could use in video games so we couldn’t add a new color to make a new character. We had to use colors we were already using in the game. So, we took the green color from the turtle shells and applied that color to (Mario’s character template). We spoke to our colleagues in America and wanted help finding a name for the second character. They said that if you want Italian brothers and the first brother is called Mario, you should call the other brother Luigi. We noticed that ruiji, which means “similar” in the Japanese language, was very close to Luigi, so it became a joke in Japan that Mario is similar to Luigi.

TFK: Why is 2013 “The Year of Luigi?”

MIYAMOTO: This is the 30th anniversary from the release of the first “Mario Bros.” game. Also, by coincidence, we have a number of people at Nintendo who are Luigi fans and have been working on Luigi games. All of those games happen to be coming out this year. So we decided to make this year a “festival” celebrating the Luigi character and games.

TFK: What do you hope kids gain from playing your games?

MIYAMOTO: The most important thing about interactive entertainment like video games is the way the player thinks about what they can do with the game. What’s important is that the player think creatively, then try out what they’re thinking and then see it (come to life) in the game. For example, when playing a game like “Super Mario Bros.,” the players hit blocks to find different items. I want that player to think about all of the possibilities of what they might find or new worlds that they might uncover. My hope is that kids will test their creativity and think of different fun and silly ways to interact with the game. —MCT

In lab, ‘bio-kidney’ offers hope for renal patients PARIS: Researchers in the United States said they had bioengineered a kidney and transplanted it into rats, marking a step forward in a quest to help patients suffering from kidney failure. The prototype proves that a “bio-kidney” can work, emulating breakthroughs elsewhere to build replacement structures for livers, hearts and lungs, they said.

Described in the journal Nature Medicine, the work entailed taking a rat kidney and stripping out its living cells using a detergent solution, leaving behind a shell made of collagen.

The next step was to repopulate this empty structure with living cells, comprising human endothelial cells, which line the walls of blood vessels in the kidney, and kidney cells taken from newborn rats. The trick was then to “seed” these cells in the correct part of the kidney, using a muscle duct called the ureter as a tube. The team transplanted the organ into living rats from which a kidney had been removed. The new kidney started filtering blood and producing urine through the ureter as soon as the bloody supply was restored, and there was no evidence of bleeding or clots. —AFP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Breast cancer gene patents in US court WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court heard the most high-profile genetics case in history on Monday, as justices considered whether private firms should be allowed to patent human genes linked to breast cancer. The court’s decision could have broad implications for research, patient health and the pharmaceutical industry, with nearly 20 percent of the approximately 24,000 human genes currently under patent, some linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. At issue are the actions of Myriad Genetics, a Utah-based company which holds patents on genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, both associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

The firm says patents for the two genes, awarded in 1998, have helped it raise the money “necessary to decode the genes, design and deliver the tests, interpret the results, and help patients,” to the benefit of a million people. Critics accuse Myriad of barring research by other institutions on the BRCA

genes and making the test too expensive for many patients, with a cost of $3,000 to $4,000. Inside the court, Justice Elena Kagan asked if a plant in the Amazon could be patented because it was hard to find, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor likened the matter to patenting elements of a favorite recipe. “I create my chocolate cookies, I can get a patent on that but I cannot imagine a patent for salt, flour and eggs,” Sotomayor said. Dozens of breast cancer survivors and women’s health advocates assembled on the Supreme Court steps as the arguments were heard inside. Some hoisted signs, including one that read: “Corporate Greed is Killing My Friends.”

One of the plaintiffs, Lisbeth Ceriani, said her doctors recommended the test after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she was initially unable to get it because Myriad did not contract with her health insurance to cover the cost. She later found the means to pay for it with the help of a grant. “It’s important to me because there are so

many other women who have not been able to access the test. I have a daughter who will one day need to be tested,” she said outside the court.

“Competition is what leads to innovation and improvement,” said Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist and another plaintiff in the case. If Myriad did not own the patents, “I would start offering testing to my poor patients in the Bronx,” he added.

Opponents of gene patenting in this case, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, include more than 150,000 geneticists, pathologists and laboratory professionals. The ACLU argued that patents on human genes “violate the First Amendment and patent law because genes are ‘products of nature’ and therefore can’t be patented.” Countering that point, Myriad attorney Gregory Castanias told the nine justices that “genes are themselves a human construction.”

James Watson, Nobel laureate and co-discoverer, with the late Francis Crick, of DNA’s double helix

structure in 1953, filed an amicus brief that argued human genes are a product of nature and cannot be monopolized by any entity.

“Knowledge per se cannot be patented. Myriad should not own breast cancer genes,” Watson said outside the Supreme Cour t. In Februar y, an Australian court ruled against the plaintiffs in a similar case, rejecting the argument that BRCA1 could not be patented because it was a naturally occurring substance and finding in favor of Myriad Genetics and Melbourne -based Genetic Technologies Ltd. A decision by the US Supreme Court is expected in June. Scott Elmer, director, O ffice of Technology Licensing at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said he wanted the court to establish what can and cannot be the subject of a patent. “This clarity will help everyone focus on using the patent system in an appropriate way to promote the progress of science,” he said. — AFP

NASA’s Wallops Island prepares for spotlight Rocket to be vaulted into orbit today

SAN FRANCISCO: A two-month-old Sumatran tiger cub plays with its mother, Leanne, in their enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, California. — AFP

Online photos of dead birds prompt China flu openness SHANGHAI: Photos of 10 dead sparrows on a Chinese pavement which went viral on social media and drew a swift official response show how hard covering up a bird flu outbreak would be in the Internet age. China has won international praise for its transparency on the H7N9 strain, which has killed 14 people so far, in sharp contrast to criticism for trying to conceal the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic.

But analysts say the government has little choice, as technological change over the past decade and the proliferation of Twitter-like “weibo” microblogs help drive greater official openness. Mao Xiaojiong’s images, shot beneath a magnolia tree near her home in the city of Nanjing-which banned live poultry trading and culled birds after confirming H7N9 in people-were a case in point. When she posted them on her weibo account earlier this month, asking authorities to investigate, they were reposted 20,000 times, racked up hundreds of thousands of views, and became a top topic on Internet portal Sina.

Police whisked away one of the dead birds the same night to test for H7N9, and within two days authorities publicly ruled out the virus as a cause of death. Mao, who like many Chinese Internet users uses a pseudonym to try to retain anonymity, said the spread of her post “showed this matter received great attention from the public”.

“It made it easier to attract attention of the government,” she told AFP. But she also deleted her original post and changed her account name because of worries over the uproar she caused. “Really nervous seeing so many reposts... As it hasn’t been confirmed by officials, I deleted the post so as not to cause panic,” she explained at the time. China keeps a tight grip on the Internet, censoring content it deems politically sensitive and keeping a close watch even on euphemisms that citizens use to evade scrutiny. In the face of H7N9, it has also used a more old-fashioned

tool of control, detaining at least a dozen people for spreading false information online about outbreaks where they lived, saying their actions had heightened public fears.

Censorship on the new outbreak appears limited compared to past political and health scandals, but whatever authorities’ intentions, the number and speed of postings on microblogs has made it far more difficult to control information. “The weibo has put a lot more scrutiny (on the government),” said David Bandurski of the University of Hong Kong’s China Media Project, which researches Chinese journalism.

“Weibo is working as this big kind of steam machine-it lets everyone let off steam about a very generalized frustration.”But the new medium faces limitations in bringing real political change, he added, as the one-party state still exercises control over the Internet and traditional media. Rumors about SARS, which later proved true, eventually forced China to be more forthcoming about that disease, which originated in the country and went on to kill about 800 people around the world. The World Health Organization said it was pleased with China’s information sharing on H7N9, while US public health experts said it had quickly released the genome sequences needed to develop a vaccine and research the virus.

“We are very satisfied and pleased with the level of information shared and we believe we have been kept fully updated on the situation,” the WHO’s representative in China, Michael O’Leary, said last week.

Chinese Internet users have questioned a three-week gap between the first deaths from the H7N9 outbreak and the official announcement on March 31. Chinese officials say time was needed to confirm the virus in people for the first time, but one poster drew a parallel with SARS, writing: “Delayed action 10 years ago, delayed action 10 years later...

Only the virus has changed.” —Agencies

Unsafe cattle plague still kept by many labs PARIS: Too many laboratories still have samples of the devastating cattle disease rinderpest two years after it was eradicated, only the second disease after smallpox to be wiped out, the World Organization for Animal Health said. Member countries of the organization, known as the OIE, committed to destroy their samples or pass them on to a handful of approved high-security laboratories when the world was declared free of rinderpest in 2011. But two years later, 25 laboratories still have samples, OIE Director General Bernard Vallat told Reuters. He declined to give details about where.

Rinderpest, or cattle plague, did not affect humans directly but decimated hundreds of millions of cattle across Asia, Europe and Africa. As with smallpox, the aim was to leave only a few samples in high-security laboratories for research or for vaccination in case the disease re-emerged. “If you release these materials into the wild, they can touch sensitive species and re-trigger a global animal disease even more so that there are no animals vaccinated anymore,” Vallat said. “It would be a disaster if it happened.” Scientists argue they need samples for research and would be vulnerable to bioterrorist attack without them to produce vaccines in case, for example, a country or group still has the virus. However leaving too many samples around, in possibly insecure locations, was an unacceptable risk, Vallat said. “We have no blue helmet,” he said, referring to the headgear worn by UN peacekeepers. “I cannot

guarantee that some countries that have the virus did not declare it. Some countries may refuse to be transparent due to political ulterior motives,” he said, declining to name any countries. The Paris-based OIE (Office International des Epizooties) owes its existence to rinderpest: an outbreak of the disease in imported animals in Belgium in 1920 was the impetus for international cooperation in controlling animal diseases and the OIE’s creation in 1924. The disease, eradicated with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is believed to have been brought to Europe by Moghul invaders in the 13th century, the OIE said.

Many species of wild and domestic clovenhoofed animals, including sheep and goats, only showed symptoms of the disease when infected, but mortality reached up to 100 percent in cattle or buffalo herds. The Americas and Oceania never faced rinderpest epidemics.

As in the case of rinderpest, it was a global campaign that led to the eradication of smallpox, a highly contagious human disease that killed Queen Mary II of England and Louis XV of France and threatened 60 percent of the world’s population until a vaccine was found in the 1950s. Only two highsecurity laboratories still have samples of smallpox after it eradicated in late 1979 - the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, and Russia’s State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk. —Reuters

WALLOPS ISLAND: On one of Virginia’s small barrier islands, a NASA facility that operates in relative obscurity outside scientific circles is preparing to be thrust into the spotlight. Today, Orbital Sciences Corp plans to conduct the first test launch of its Antares rocket under a NASA program in which private companies deliver supplies to the International Space Station. If all goes as planned, the unmanned rocket’s practice payload will be vaulted into orbit from Wallops Island before burning up in the atmosphere on its return to Earth several months later.

The goal of the launch isn’t to connect with the space station, but to make sure the rocket works and that a simulated version of a cargo ship that will dock with space station on future launches separates into orbit. Orbital officials say that should occur about 10 minutes after liftoff.

In that short period of time, Wallops Island will transition from a little-known launch pad for small research rockets to a major player in the US space program.

The Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s rural Eastern Shore is small in comparison to major NASA centers like those in Florida, California and Texas. The site is near Maryland and just south of Chincoteague Island, which attracts thousands of tourists each summer for an annual wild pony swim made famous by the 1947 novel “Misty of Chincoteague.” The Eastern Shore is dominated by forests and farmland, and Wallops Island’s isolated nature, with marshland to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its east, has also made it home to a Navy surface warfare combat center.

Those who work at Wallops Island joke that even people living on the Eastern Shore are surprised to learn about rocket launches there. In fact, more than 16,000 rockets have been launched from Wallops Island since 1945, but none has drawn the attention of Antares. Most of the launches are suborbital and focus on educational and research programs.

“The real transformation here at Wallops is we’ve always been kind of a research facility,” said William Wrobel, the facility’s director. “So this transition is really kind of into an operational phase, where we’re going to be doing kind of regular flights out of here to the space station.” A successful launch would pave the way for Dulles-based Orbital to demonstrate that it can connect its unmanned Cygnus cargo ship with

the space station this summer. If that’s successful, Orbital would launch the first of eight resupply missions from the island in the fall under a $1.9 billion NASA contract.

Orbital has been in the commercial space business for more than 30 years, producing small satellites and rockets for NASA and the military. Antares marks the company’s first venture in medium-size rockets, which can carry twice as much of a payload as other rockets it produces.

The space station delivery contract was awarded in 2008, and the company had originally hoped to launch in 2011, when NASA retired it shuttle

WALLOPS ISLAND: In this file photo provided

by NASA, a specially designed rocket to test the Alternative Astronaut Escape System is launched from the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. — AP

program. In a partnership with Orbital and NASA, Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority built a $120 million liquid fuel launch pad at Wallops specifically for this type of mission. But there were numerous delays, and the state agency didn’t turn over the launch pad to Orbital until October.

That further put Orbital behind Californiabased competitor SpaceX, the second private company working with NASA on cargo resupply missions. NASA chose SpaceX to develop a commercial spaceship in 2006, and it docked with the space station for the first time in 2012.

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule returns to Earth after missions with science experiments and old station equipment, but Orbital’s Cygnus is filled with trash and burns up in the atmosphere upon re-entry.

“The fact is, there is not that much cargo valuable enough to warrant the additional cost that’s inevitable when you try to return something,” Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski said. “”It’s a demand question. How much return cargo is there and does NASA need to order a Cygnus that can return cargo in addition to what the SpaceX capsule does?”

Landing Orbital’s business was seen as a major victory for Virginia over Florida, which has a storied space history as the former home of US manned spaceflight. But Beneski said Wallops Island had several advantages over Florida, including Wallops Island is a smaller facility and not as busy, he said. “The Wallops range for flights like this is not very congested.

It’s not that busy with other satellites going to orbit because sometimes you can have schedules overlap with other missions,” he said.

“Down in Florida, they launch a lot of high-value national priority missions, so potentially you can get bumped on the schedule, and of course, that would cost money.”

Virginia officials say the publicity associated with Antares should help recruit other space and technology companies to do business on Wallops Island, particularly those interested in launching satellites. “This launch is going to be a real watershed event,” said Dale Nash, executive director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. “We are getting into the big time.” — AP

Stranded sea lions baffle California SAN PEDRO: Peter Wallerstein realized something was seriously wrong when a sea lion pup turned up seven miles inland at a cell phone store in California. The number of the starving animals stranded along the southern California coastline has been rising since January, but usually they were just found on beaches. Now they were everywhere.

And there were hundreds of them. And, while the immediate crisis seems to have abated, experts are scratching their heads over what could have caused a tidal wave of sick and malnourished animals over the last two or three months. “I wasn’t too alarmed in the beginning,” 61-year-old Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescue, who has been saving the mammals for nearly three decades, told AFP. “But when the numbers got to be higher, where we’re getting 75 to 100 calls a day and finding animals at the Carson Verizon store and under cars, finding them all over the place, one after another, it kind of put a red flag up.” Carson, 20 miles south of Los Angeles, lies several miles back from the oceanfront. “It had to swim miles and miles up the flood control canal, cross a couple of roads, almost get hit by a car. The sheriff’s deputies called me about 11:30 at night, saying ‘Hey, we’ve got a sea lion at the Verizon store’.” Stranded sea lion pups are nothing unusual in these parts-dozens of them are cared for by rescue centers along the coast every year, when they struggle to forage for themselves after being weaned from their mothers. But usually rescuers don’t start seeing them until April.

“What happened this year was, we started seeing those pups that should have still been with their mother, showing up as early as January, at six months of age,” said biologist Sharon Melin of the National Marine Fisheries Service.”It has been increasing ever since,” she told AFP from Seattle, adding that there were two main theories-either disease running through the population, or shortage of food, both of which are being intensively investigated. Neither can explain this year’s unexpected surge in stranding. “What made this event really unusual is that the age and class of animals is very specific, and the fact it started so early,” said Melin, adding there was apparently “no large scale regional event” that could have caused the problem.

Wallerstein said that, at the height of the crisis,

he was working round the clock responding to calls about stranded pups. After catching the forlorn animals, he mostly took then to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, situated on a picturesque headland looking out over the sparkling Pacific. The center’s director David Bard, told AFP the baby sea lions coming in were on average half the normal weight of 50 to 60 pounds.”Typically in the first three months of the year we’ll see between 50 and 80 animals. This year by the end of March we had well over 400 admitted,” he said.

The sea lions are housed in an array of pens. The smallest and weakest are under constant surveillance in a separate unit, while others are moved to bigger pens with deeper pools, to be cared for and fed as they recover. Some, inevitably, don’t make it.

“As with any hospital there are some that don’t survive,” he said, adding: “If we have an animal that is undergoing pain and suffering and we can’t cure it some of those animals are euthanized. “Back out on the beaches, Wallerstein recalls how, at the worst point in the crisis, there were too many rescued sea lion pups, and not enough space to house

them.”We were like a paramedic without a hospital.

It really hurt, we were having to relocate animals that I knew were in trouble” to less exposed beach areas, but with no backup care. “As rescuers we had no other option,” he said.

Jim Milbury of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in Long Beach, said that between January and March, 1,098 sea lion pups were stranded on the coastline between Santa Barbara and San Diego.

That compares to a historic average of 131. In Los Angeles County alone, the number stranded is 412, compared to 48 on average for the first three months of previous years. Wallerstein said call outs have dropped but biologist Melin, in Seattle, said numbers may begin to increase again.

“We would expect that it might have a little lull now, but the proper weaning time is right now so normally the stranding centers will get an uptick in stranding,” she said. “If the event is ending, then maybe that number is going to be normal. If it’s continuing. We would expect maybe another increase.” — AFP

SAN PEDRO: Young sea lions recover at the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Haider Khan, Al-Qallaf families celebrate wedding SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Announcements NAFO Kuwait to present ‘Samanwayam’ AFO Kuwait, on the auspicious occasion of its 10th anniversary celebration ‘Samanwayam,’ proudly presents an eclectic dance and English musical show by renowned film actress and acclaimed danseuse Padmashree Shobhana along with the pulsing talents of team Kalarpana Chennai on May 10, 2013 at American International School, Maidan Hawally.

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Kottayam Gramolsav ottayam Association, Kuwait is conducting Malayalam Arts competitions - Gramolsav’ 2013 on 10th May 2013 at United Indian School from 4pm onwards. The competitions are for Solo Nadan Pattu (Folk Song), Poetry Recitation and Kathaprasamgam. The group is divided as Sub-Junior, Junior, senior and Super Senior where as Kathaprasamgam is only for Junior and Senior groups.

Different committees headed by Jomon Joseph as General Convener and Renjith Thomas as Joint convener are making the arrangements. Entry forms are available at Hi Tech Computers, Hi Dine Restaurant, Family Super Market and Al-Watan Restaurant, Abbassiya.

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Basketball Academy

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he new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. Located in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee Shirts for all participants, with certificates and special awards on completion of each 6 week course. Qualified and experienced British and American Coaches, Everyone Welcome.

IMAX

IMAX film program Effective from 31st March 2013 Wednesday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups To The Arctic 3D 10:30am Tornado Alley 3D11:30am, 6:30pm, 9:30pm Flight of Butterflies 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm Journey to Mecca 5:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 8:30pm Thursday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 11:30am Tornado Alley 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D 6:30pm Friday: Fires of Kuwait 2:30pm Tornado Alley 3D 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm To The Arctic 3D 4:30pm, 7:30pm Flight of Butterflies 3D 6:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 9:30pm Saturday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D

10:30am,

1:30pm, 8:30pm Tornado Alley 3D

11:30am,

2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D

12:30pm,

6:30pm Born to be Wild 3D

3:30pm

Journey to Mecca

4:30pm

Notes: All films are in Arabic. For English, headsets are available upon request.

“Fires of Kuwait” is in English. Arabic headsets are available upon request.

Film schedule is subject to changes without notice.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Ali Haider Khan celebrated the wedding of his son Bader with the daughter of Ali Al-Qallaf. On this occasion, a reception was held at Behbahani Hall attended by sheikhs, ministers and other economic and social VIPs, and members of the families and friends who congratulated the two families and wished the bride and groom a lifetime of happiness.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Marina Hotel Kuwait bids farewell

Nabil Hammoud pictured along with Lebanese Military Attache, BG Taha Dennawy.

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arina Hotel Kuwait proudly hosted a farewell reception for Lebanese Military AttachÈ, BG Taha Dennawy. The barbeque dinner reception was attended by US Defense Attach - BG Rick Mattson, Saudi Defense Attach - Col Nasser Hammad, Egypt Defense Attach - Col Nader Saleh, Chinese Defense Attach - Col

Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

Guests seen at the event.

Wang, US Assistant Def. Attach -Elliot Olmstead, Chinese Assistant Def. Attach - Maj Xia, Lawyer - Mohamad Esbetah, George Abi Saad, Mohamad Dennawy, Company Manager Ghassan Al-Zahr.

Starting the night was a welcome speech from the hotel’s General Manager Nabil Hammoud. He further

Embassy

went on to say “we are delighted to gather today with such prominent government officials with whom we share strong bilateral ties that go back for several years, to bid farewell to Brigadier General Taha Dennawi, who has made a substantial mark on the community”. This was followed by a thank you speech from Lebanese

Military Attach, Brigadier General - Taha Dennawi. The guests were treated to a warm and relaxing evening filled with barbequed fresh meats, seafood, a variety of salads, live Oriental music, shisha and breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf. To end the perfectly delightful evening, scrumptious assortments of desserts were served.

Twinning between KNES, UNESCO schools in Kuwait

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. nnnnnnn

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ollowing the program organised by the Kuwait National Commission of UNESCO, Kuwait National English School has successfully applied for twinning with the Latifa Al-Fares High School for girls. A special ceremony was held for talented students called “Pearls and Shells”. Tiga Wang from Kuwait National English School played solo on the piano and was awarded a special certificate of appreciation for her outstanding performance on stage.

ACK concludes 3rd annual Moto Bazaar

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he Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) recently concluded “Moto Bazaar 3” held over a two-day period. Hosted annually, the bazaar was a great success thanks to the massive support provided by its sponsors, Alghanim Automotive and KromOzone.

Alghanim Automotive is currently one of Kuwait’s biggest automotive dealers with leading brands such as Chevrolet and Cadillac. KromOzone is every car enthusiast’s destination in Kuwait for quality GM and aftermarket car accessories, who were on hand to showcase their heavily modified sports car and pickup trucks to the visitors.

Moto Bazaar 3 also received a boost with the participation of the “Kuwait Hod Rod Club”, the “Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) - Kuwait Chapter”, the “Corvette Club” and many more, providing a display consisting of a wide range of classic cars, sports cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles for attendees to enjoy.

The bazaar also served as a platform for small and medium businesses to exhibit their products and services to the visiting crowd, with 120 booths placed around the vehicles display area. Moto Bazaar represents ACK’s emphasis on the importance of creating activities that engage with youth, while providing tailored themes, such as motoring, to specifically target their respective interests.

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SRCC appreciates Salmiya police authorities

T

he Salmiya Residents Coordination Committee is continuing its services to the community in the possible manner. It is helping and coordinating within its limits with the authorities and liaison with community to alleviate criminal activities in the area.

In continuation with Public Awareness Program held some weeks before with the presence of Salmiya Police Station Inspector Captain Meshal Al-Mutairi as a representative of Area Commander Col Bader Al-Mutairi, SRCC members made a follow-up meeting with them and presented the compiled and translated complaints, which were received in the public function.

Though there is an improvement, SRCC representatives reiterated their

request for increased police patrolling in the area and Area Commander accepted that request. Also, bi-lingual volunteers were introduced to the commander. The courtesy meeting was very fruitful in terms of strengthening communication bond between the authorities and the community.

Salmiya residents can make use the services of the volunteers by seeking their help to register their complaints in case of any events. It is important that complainant go to the police station and register the complaints. Volunteers can only help in completing the formalities of complaints. As area commander reminded us, without proper registration of complaints, no further action can be taken. The volunteers will be able to

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on shortstay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS.

help only in registering the complaints especially to those who have issues with their Arabic language skill. The volunteers can’t register complaints on behalf of others. The complainant will have to spare some time for investigation and volunteers will try to help in investigation process, depending on their availability. As well the area commander reminded us to be bold, and not to be submissive to the miscreants. People have the right to ask politely to see the ID of the security personnel, in case of street checking. By this the people will not be the victims of unauthorized people asking for civil IDs. We need to be bold and question the miscreants and to be vigilant and defensive to any of the events, we come across. Our bold atti-

tude will also help the miscreants turn away from us. The authorities and staff of Salmiya Police Station are very cooperative and provide excellent support to the cause. SRCC representatives will try to meet the officials in regular intervals to further strengthen the bond and to update them the progress in security concerns. Email address srcc@gmail.com can be used to communicate issues of general concerns and suggestions. Also you can contact one of the volunteers to seek guidance and help in registering complaints at the police station. The volunteers’ contact numbers are: 66360772, 66071237, 67071355, and 97337861.

One of the volunteers, whosoever is free will reach to you or to the Police Station to help or can organize whatever possible. It is to be noted once again that the complainant need to go to police station to register the case and the volunteers can only help in that process. Help the volunteers with appropriate information. Try to get good look at the culprits to be able to identify in the line-up.

Note down number plate of the car or take photographs of the miscreant or car number plate or whatever could help in identifying the miscreants.

By the grace of Almighty SRCC could address many issues and it seems the crimes are drastically reduced.

Volunteers of SRCC are not getting calls like before. If there are cases unreported during list week, please contact and report the cases. In conclusion all residents along with the authorities are requested to be alert and help each other to make the area peaceful.

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the Kenyan community residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that the Embassy has acquired new office telephone numbers as follows: 25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 25353987 - Fax Our Email address: info@kenyaembkuwait.com. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF MEXICO The Embassy of Mexico to Kuwait has the pleasure to announce the opening of its Consular Section where visa applications are already being handled. The Consular Section is open to the public from Sundays-Thursdays 09.00-12.00 hrs. at Cliffs Complex in Salmiya, Villa No. 6 (3rd floor). nnnnnnn

EMBASSY GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday).

Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF ALBANIA The Embassy of the Republic of Albania to the State of Kuwait would like to inform that on 03.04.2013, the new Albanian Ambassador, Kujtim Morina presented credential letters to His Highness, the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah. The address of the embassy is the same: Al - Zahra, Block 8, Street 802, Villa 169, Kuwait,P.O.BOX 3090, Safat 13131. The ebassy offers consular services as well. Working hours are from 9:00 to 14:00, Sunday through Thursday.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:35 02:25 03:15 03:40 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 09:10 09:35 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:20 12:50 13:15 13:45 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 Baker 18:20 19:15 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

I Shouldn’t Be Alive Untamed & Uncut Wildest Latin America Shamwari: A Wild Life Shamwari: A Wild Life World Wild Vet Call Of The Wildman Orangutan Island Shamwari: A Wild Life Shamwari: A Wild Life Wildlife SOS The Really Wild Show Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Dogs 101: Specials Jeff Corwin Unleashed Jeff Corwin Unleashed Wildest Latin America Animal Cops Houston Call Of The Wildman Wildlife SOS RSPCA: On The Frontline RSPCA: On The Frontline Animal Precinct Wildest Latin America Orangutan Island The Really Wild Show Dogs 101: Specials Weird Creatures With Nick Groomer Has It Monkey Life Bondi Vet Call Of The Wildman Orangutan Island Wildest Latin America Wild Appalachia Wild France Animal Cops Phoenix

00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals 02:20 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 03:05 What To Eat Now - Summer 03:30 Cash In The Attic 04:15 Bargain Hunt 05:00 Britain’s Dream Homes 06:00 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 06:50 French Food At Home 07:15 The Roux Legacy 07:50 Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking 08:15 Homes Under The Hammer 09:05 Bargain Hunt 09:50 Antiques Roadshow 10:45 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 11:25 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:10 Come Dine With Me 13:00 The Roux Legacy 13:35 French Food At Home 13:55 Cash In The Attic 14:40 Bargain Hunt 15:25 Antiques Roadshow 16:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:00 Homes Under The Hammer 17:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 18:20 The Good Cook 18:45 Baking Made Easy 19:15 French Food At Home 19:40 Come Dine With Me 20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Homes Under The Hammer 23:55 Cash In The Attic

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00

BBC World News America BBC World News America Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News

05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 BBC World News 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 BBC World News 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 16:30 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 Hardtalk 18:00 Global With John Sopel 18:30 Global With John Sopel 19:00 Global With John Sopel 19:30 World Business Report 19:45 Sport Today 20:00 BBC World News 20:30 BBC Focus On Africa 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 21:30 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 23:30 Hardtalk

00:45 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:00 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:00 05:25 05:45 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 08:55 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:50 12:40 13:00 13:25 13:50 14:20 14:45 15:10 15:35 16:00 16:25 16:50 17:15 17:40 18:05 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:45 20:10 20:35 21:00

Wacky Races Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Ha Ha Hairies Bananas In Pyjamas Lazytown Krypto: The Super Dog Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Cartoonito Tales Lazy Town Baby Looney Tunes Krypto: The Super Dog Cartoonito Tales Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Lazy Town Jelly Jamm Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Moomins Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tiny Toon Adventures The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Taz-Mania Tom & Jerry Tales Moomins The Garfield Show The Looney Tunes Show Tiny Toon Adventures Taz-Mania Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Pink Panther And Pals The Looney Tunes Show Taz-Mania Puppy In My Pocket What’s New Scooby-Doo?

21:25 21:50 22:15 23:05 23:30 23:55

Looney Tunes Dexter’s Laboratory Tom & Jerry Tales Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Moomins

00:30 Grim Adventures Of...

01:20 Johnny Test 02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 02:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Regular Show 03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 04:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 04:40 Powerpuff Girls 05:05 Evil Con Carne 05:30 Cow & Chicken 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:30 Angelo Rules 07:00 Dreamworks Dragons: Riders Of Berk 07:25 The Amazing World Of Gumball 07:45 Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated 08:10 Evil Con Carne 08:55 Adventure Time 09:45 Regular Show 10:35 Angelo Rules 11:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 11:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 12:15 Hero 108 12:40 Hero 108 13:05 Mucha Lucha !

13:30 Angelo Rules 14:20 Evil Con Carne 15:10 Ben 10 15:35 Ben 10 16:00 Johnny Test 16:35 Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated 17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 17:25 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 17:50 The Amazing World Of Gumball 18:15 Adventure Time 18:40 Regular Show 19:05 Total Drama World Tour 19:30 Total Drama World Tour 19:55 Starwars: The Clone Wars 20:20 Ben 10: Omniverse 20:45 Hero 108 21:10 Young Justice 21:35 Green Lantern: The Animated Series 22:00 Ben 10 22:25 Ben 10 22:50 Mucha Lucha !

23:15 Mucha Lucha !

23:40 Powerpuff Girls

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30

Amanpour World Sport Piers Morgan Tonight World Report World Sport Anderson Cooper 360 Piers Morgan Tonight Quest Means Business The Situation Room World Sport News Special World Report World Report World Sport Inside Africa World Business Today World One On China Amanpour CNN Newscenter Piers Morgan Tonight News Stream World Business Today International Desk Global Exchange World Sport On China International Desk Quest Means Business Amanpour CNN Newscenter

JOHN CARTER ON OSN ACTION HD

23:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson

00:15 Dual Survival 01:10 Yukon Men 02:05 Finding Bigfoot 03:00 Mythbusters 03:55 Border Security 04:20 Auction Kings 04:50 Baggage Battles 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 Sons Of Guns 07:00 Mythbusters 07:50 Ultimate Survival 08:45 American Chopper 09:40 Border Security 10:05 Auction Kings 10:30 Baggage Battles 10:55 How Do They Do It? 11:25 How It’s Made 11:50 Dual Survival 12:45 Yukon Men 13:40 Finding Bigfoot 14:35 Border Security 15:05 Auction Kings 15:30 Baggage Battles 16:00 Inventions That Shook The World 16:55 American Chopper 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Sons Of Guns 19:40 How Do They Do It? 20:05 How It’s Made 20:35 Auction Hunters 21:00 Baggage Battles 21:30 You Have Been Warned 22:25 Magic Of Science 22:50 Magic Of Science 23:20 Mythbusters

00:05 00:30 01:00 01:50 02:15 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:25 11:15 12:05 13:00 13:50 14:20 14:45 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:45 18:35 19:30 20:20 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Tech Show Weird Connections Prototype This Prank Science Prank Science Scrapheap Challenge Prototype This Robocar Gadget Show - World Tour The Tech Show Moon Machines Space Pioneer NASA’s Greatest Missions Gadget Show - World Tour The Tech Show Smash Lab Nextworld Robocar Meteorite Men NASA’s Greatest Missions Weird Connections Gadget Show - World Tour The Tech Show Space Pioneer Smash Lab Nextworld Robocar Moon Machines Space Pioneer NASA’s Greatest Missions Gadget Show - World Tour The Tech Show Space Pioneer Weird Or What?

Gadget Show - World Tour

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 10:50 11:15 11:40 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 17:30 17:55 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

Hannah Montana Forever Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Doc McStuffins Hannah Montana Hannah Montana A.N.T. Farm Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Austin And Ally Austin And Ally Shake It Up Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T Farm A.N.T Farm Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Good Luck Charlie Jessie Shake It Up A.N.T Farm Austin And Ally Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place That’s So Raven Cory In The House Good Luck Charlie Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Phil Of The Future Hannah Montana Jonas Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Forever

00:00 00:55 01:25 03:15 03:40 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15

Opening Act Style Star 20 Acts Of Love Gone Wrong Style Star Extreme Close-Up THS E!es 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies Style Star Opening Act Opening Act

10:15 11:10 12:05 12:35 13:05 13:35 14:05 York 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:30

E!es THS Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar Married To Jonas Married To Jonas Kourtney & Kim Take New Style Star E!es Extreme Close-Up Giuliana & Bill E! News Fashion Police E!es Kourtney And Kim Take Miami Chasing The Saturdays E! News Chelsea Lately

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Outrageous Food 00:55 Unwrapped 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Special 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Unique Eats 03:50 Andy Bates Street Feasts 04:15 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Food Network Challenge 07:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 07:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 07:50 Unique Eats 08:15 Andy Bates Street Feasts 08:40 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:30 The Next Iron Chef 10:20 Extra Virgin 10:45 Extra Virgin 11:10 Everyday Italian 11:35 Unwrapped 12:00 Staten Island Cakes 12:50 Reza’s African Kitchen 13:15 Barefoot Contessa 13:40 Barefoot Contessa 14:05 Extra Virgin 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Reza’s African Kitchen 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:05 Tyler’s Ultimate 19:30 Chopped 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Iron Chef America 22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:50 Unique Sweets 23:15 Unique Sweets 23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Couples Who Kill Deadly Women I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Undercover: Double Life Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Undercover: Double Life Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Undercover: Double Life Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Nightmare Next Door Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It

00:15 The Rice Chronicles 00:45 Ice City 01:40 London, Uk 02:05 Port of Spain, Trinidad 02:35 White Water Challenge 03:30 Cocaine Mule Mom 04:25 City Chase Rome, 1 05:20 Ep 1 06:15 Tossachs 06:40 Mexico City 07:10 Red And White Wine Goes Green 07:35 The Rice Chronicles 08:05 Ice City 09:00 London, Uk 09:25 Port of Spain, Trinidad 09:55 White Water Challenge 10:50 Cocaine Mule Mom 11:45 City Chase Rome, 1 12:40 Ep 2 13:35 Mexico 14:00 Singapore 14:30 The Black Diamonds 14:55 The Jeju Chronicles 15:25 Going Local 16:20 Kiev, Ukraine 16:45 Tokyo, Japan 17:15 Bangkok Underworld 18:10 Escape from Argentina 19:05 City Chase Rome, 2 20:00 The Black Diamonds 20:30 The Jeju Chronicles 21:00 Mexico 21:30 Singapore 22:00 City Chase Rome, 2 22:55 Lake District 23:20 Spain - Barcelona 23:50 South Africa

00:00 The Ward-18 02:00 The Running Man-18 04:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle

WE BOUGHT A ZOO ON OSN CINEMA For Redemption-PG15 06:00 Carjacked-PG15 08:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 10:00 Warbirds-PG15 12:00 Ice Road Terror-PG15 14:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 16:00 The Man Inside-PG15 18:00 Ice Road Terror-PG15 20:00 Cowboys & Aliens-PG15 22:00 John Carter-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 14:45 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Encounter With Danger-PG15 Just Crazy Enough-PG15 A Dog Named Duke-PG15 Battle For Terra-PG Just Crazy Enough-PG15 Something Borrowed-PG15 Stolen Lives-PG15 We Bought A Zoo-PG The Winning Season-PG15 Toast-PG15 Cedar Rapids-18 Final Destination 5-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The New Normal 02:00 South Park 03:00 Hot In Cleveland 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Hope & Faith 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:30 Hope & Faith 09:00 Hot In Cleveland 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 Hope & Faith 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Ben And Kate 19:00 Modern Family 19:30 The Mindy Project 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Weeds 22:30 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Supernatural American Horror Story The Americans Greek House Of Cards Grey’s Anatomy Supernatural Emmerdale Coronation Street The Closer The Ellen DeGeneres Show Grey’s Anatomy House Of Cards Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Closer Supernatural Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Closer Touch Franklin & Bash Castle The Client List Greek

00:00 Warbirds 02:00 The Ward 04:00 The Running Man 06:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption 08:00 Carjacked 10:00 True Justice: Angel Of Death 12:00 Warbirds 14:00 Ice Road Terror

16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

True Justice: Angel Of Death The Man Inside Ice Road Terror Cowboys & Aliens

00:00 The Giant Mechanical ManPG15 02:00 The Banger Sisters-PG15 04:00 The First Wives Club-PG 06:00 The Smurfs-PG 08:00 Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate-PG 10:00 The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad-PG 12:00 The First Wives Club-PG 14:00 Wild Wild West-PG15 16:00 The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad-PG 18:00 Hop-PG 20:00 The Romantics-PG15 22:00 The Giant Mechanical ManPG15

01:30 The Man Who Came With The Snow-PG15 02:45 Dog Day Afternoon-PG15 05:00 Moneyball-PG15 07:15 Hindenburg-PG15 10:15 Nomads-PG15 11:45 Planet Of The Apes (1968)PG15 13:45 Call Of The Wild-PG15 15:30 Nomads-PG15 17:15 A Kiss At Midnight-PG15 19:00 Take Shelter-PG15 21:00 Final Analysis-PG15 23:15 Dying Young-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

Flower Girl-PG15 This Means War-PG15 A Better Life-PG15 Teen Spirit-PG15 Real Steel-PG15 101 Dalmatians 2-PG The Muppets-PG 33 Postcards-PG15 Real Steel-PG15 Joyful Noise-PG15 Goon-PG15 The Rum Diary-18

01:00 The Happy Cricket 02:45 The Fantastic Adventure Of The Ugly Duckling 04:30 Alpha And Omega 06:00 The Search For Santa Paws 08:00 The Happy Cricket 2 10:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits 11:30 Emilie Jolie 13:00 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years 14:30 Alpha And Omega 16:00 Dolphin Tale 18:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits 20:00 Flicka: Country Pride 22:00 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years 23:30 Supertramps

00:00 MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 01:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 02:00 Live NBC Nightly News 02:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 03:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 04:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 05:00 MSNBC The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell 06:00 NBC Nightly News 06:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 07:00 Live NBC Nightly News 07:39 ABC Nightline 08:06 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 09:00 MSNBC The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell 10:00 ABC World News Now 10:30 Live ABC World News Now 11:00 NBC Early Today 11:30 ABC America This Morning 12:00 ABC America This Morning 12:30 Live ABC America This Morning 13:00 Live ABC America This

Morning 13:30 MSNBC First Look 14:00 Live NBC Today Show 17:57 Live MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 18:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show 19:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 20:00 MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports 21:00 MSNBC Newsnation 22:00 MSNBC The Cycle 23:00 MSNBC Martin Bashir

00:00 01:00 01:30 05:00 06:30 07:00 09:00 10:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 17:00 18:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:30 23:30

AFL Premiership Highlights NRL Full Time Premier League Darts Super League NRL Full Time Super Rugby Super Rugby Highlights Top 14 NRL Full Time Super Rugby Highlights Premier League Darts AFL Premiership Highlights Super Rugby Futbol Mundial PGA European Tour Weekly Inside The PGA Tour Trans World Sport AFL Premiership Highlights Top 14

00:00 01:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 12:30 13:30 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 20:00 21:00 23:00 23:30

WWE Bottom Line Super Rugby NHL AFL Premiership Highlights Super Rugby WWE Vintage Collection Trans World Sport NRL Full Time ICC Cricket 360 AFL Premiership AFL Premiership Highlights HSBC Sevens World Series NRL Full Time ICC Cricket 360 Futbol Mundial NHL AFL Premiership Highlights Super Rugby Futbol Mundial Premier League Darts

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:30 19:30 21:00 21:30 22:30

NRL Full Time Top 14 Highlights World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Golfing World Boston Marathon Golfing World Asian Tour Highlights World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Trans World Sport Top 14 Highlights ICC Cricket 360 Golfing World Asian Tour Highlights Futbol Mundial World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Top 14 Super League Futbol Mundial Asian Tour Highlights Super League

01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 Finale 20:00 22:00 23:00

NHL Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE SmackDown Adventure Challenge UAE National Race Day Series UFC The Ultimate Fighter NHL Adventure Challenge WWE Experience

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Kuwait

SHARQIA-1 GET LUCKY (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) SHARQIA-2 SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) SHARQIA-3 OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) MUHALAB-1 DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) MUHALAB-2 OBLIVION (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) MUHALAB-3 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) NO FRI BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) FANAR-1 OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) FANAR-2 DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) FANAR-3 GET LUCKY (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM 1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM 12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (11/04/2013 TO 17/04/2013) MARINA-1 GET LUCKY (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MARINA-2 OBLIVION (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) AVENUES-1 THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) AVENUES-2 GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) AVENUES-3 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) 360ยบ- 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) NO SUN+ TUE+WED 360ยบ- 2 THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) 360ยบ- 3 THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) SNITCH (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) AL-KOUT.1 SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) JURASSIC PARK (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM 12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM 1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM 12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM 1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) AL-KOUT.2 DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) KON-TIKI (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) AL-KOUT.3 OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) BAIRAQ-1 SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) SKY FORCE (DIG-3D) THE CROODS (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) NO SUN+ TUE+WED BAIRAQ-2 DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (DIG) GET LUCKY (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED PLAZA BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) DEAD MAN DOWN (DIG) LAILA OBLIVION (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THU+FRI+SAT+SUN G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG) THU+FRI+SAT+SUN AJIAL.1 BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) AJIAL.2 NAUTANKI SAALA (DIG) (HINDI) NAUTANKI SAALA (DIG) (HINDI) NAUTANKI SAALA (DIG) (HINDI) AJIAL.3 CHASHME BADDOOR (DIG)(HINDI) SETTAI (DIG) (Tamil) AJIAL.4 AMEN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) AMEN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) METRO-1 BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) FRI+SAT BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) METRO-2 AMEN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) AMEN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) BAADSHAH (DIG) (Telugu) AMEN (DIG) (MALAYALAM)

12:15 AM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM 12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MATRIMONIAL Marthomite parents seek alliance for their daughter 25/165, BE chemical engineer working as process engineer in oil and gas company in Kuwait. From parents of well qualified professionals, preferably engineers, doctor, CAs, below 29 years.

Email: stephenvarughese51@gmail.com (C 4377)

15-4-2013 SITUATION WANTED Female, MBA with over 11 years experience in all functions of HR/Admin.

Transferable Visa 18, can join immediately.

Knowledge of English, Hindi & Arabic. Please contact: 94062123. (C 4374) 14-3-2013

FOR SALE 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

5:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM

6:30 PM 9:45 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM

BMW X5 2001 V8, full option 200,000 km, white color in good condition, just come out from service cost KD 800, price for sale KD 2,500. For more information feel free to call 90005442.

15-4-2013 SITUATION VACANT A live-in housekeeper is needed. Two adults, no children. Good English / Arabic speaking. Dahiyat Abdulla Al-Salem. Transferable residency. Call or SMS 99160902 16-4-2013 CHANGE OF NAME I, Abdul Wasim, Indian Passport No: E5138929, hereby change my name to Abdul Wasim Mewafrosh.

(C 4378) 17-4-2013

3:30 PM 6:45 PM 10:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM

I, Moises Joao Gomes, holder of Indian Passport No: E9556439, hereby change my name to MOISES GOMES, Address: Bathiem Cuncolim Salcette, Goa, India. (C 4376) 14-4-2013

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines QTR JZR JZR QTR ETH GFA UAE ETD FDB MSR OMA QTR THY DHX FDB KAC JZR BAW JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ETD ABY QTR IRM FDB IRA ETD GFA MEA IAW TMA JZR IRM JZR KAC KNE IZG UAE MSR THY CLX KNE KAC QTR FDB KAC

Arrival Flights Wednesday 17/4/2013 Flt Route 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 6130 DOHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 412 MANILA 555 ALEXANDRIA 157 LONDON 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 933 ABU DHABI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 1186 TEHRAN 55 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 157 BAGHDAD 213 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 1188 MASHAD 561 SOHAG 284 DHAKA 470 JEDDAH 4167 MASHAD 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 792 LUXEMBOURG 480 TAIF 672 DUBAI 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 790 MEDINAH

Time 0:15 0:20 0:40 1:00 1:45 1:55 2:25 2:30 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:30 4:35 5:10 5:50 6:15 6:20 6:30 6:40 7:25 7:30 7:45 7:50 8:05 8:20 8:25 8:30 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:30 10:40 10:55 11:00 11:00 11:35 11:45 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:40 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:15 13:25 13:40 13:45 13:50 13:55

MSR SVA KAC IRC KAC RJA JZR QTR IYE ETD JZR FDB UAE ABY SVA GFA UAL JZR KNE JZR KAC QTR KAC KAC FDB GFA KAC KAC KAC MSR KAC JAI FDB OMA ABY MEA AXB KLM ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA DHX QTR FDB AIC JZR UAL JZR JZR DLH JAI THY

575 500 788 6692 538 640 787 134 824 303 357 71 857 127 510 215 982 177 462 777 542 144 786 166 63 219 618 674 774 606 102 572 61 647 129 402 489 417 229 859 307 136 217 372 146 59 975 239 981 185 135 636 574 772

CAIRO JEDDAH JEDDAH MASHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH AMMAN RIYADH DOHA SANAA ABU DHABI MASHAD DUBAI DUBAI SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN WASHINGTON DC DULLES DUBAI MEDINAH JEDDAH CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH PARIS DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI RIYADH LUXOR NEW YORK MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH BEIRUT COCHIN AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI ISTANBUL

14:15 14:30 15:00 15:45 15:50 15:55 16:15 16:15 16:30 16:35 16:50 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:45 17:50 18:15 18:25 18:30 18:40 18:55 19:05 19:10 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:35 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 22:00 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:40 22:40 23:00 23:10 23:20 23:45

Airlines AIC JAI UAL DLH THY QTR ETH UAE FDB MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR FDB GFA THY JZR KAC BAW FDB KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB QTR KAC ETD IRA IRM ETD JZR GFA KAC MEA IAW TMA KAC JZR KAC JZR KAC IRM KNE JZR IZG MSR THY KNE

Departure Flights on Wednesday 17/4/2013 Flt Route 320 AHMEDABAD 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 773 ISTANBUL 6131 DOHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 789 MADINAH 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 117 NEW YORK 302 ABU DHABI 602 SHIRAZ 1187 TEHRAN 934 ABU DHABI 356 MASHHAD 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 405 BEIRUT 158 AL NAJAF 209 DOHA 175 FRANKFURT 776 JEDDAH 103 LONDON 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 1189 MASHHAD 461 MADINAH 176 DUBAI 4168 MASHHAD 611 CAIRO 767 ISTANBUL 481 TAIF

Time 0:05 0:20 0:25 0:30 2:20 2:30 2:45 3:45 3:50 4:15 4:20 4:20 4:25 5:15 5:35 6:30 7:00 7:10 7:25 8:00 8:25 8:25 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:35 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:30 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:25 12:30 12:50 13:00 13:10 13:10 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:10 14:15

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

UAE FDB CLX QTR MSR KAC KAC SVA KAC IRC RJA JZR QTR ETD IYE FDB JZR ABY UAE SVA GFA JZR JZR UAL KNE QTR FDB GFA JZR MSR JAI FDB ABY KAC KAC OMA KAC MEA DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB DHX KAC QTR KAC KAC

872 58 792 141 576 673 617 503 773 6693 641 238 135 304 824 72 538 128 858 511 216 184 266 982 471 145 64 220 134 619 571 62 120 361 331 648 351 403 171 417 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 373 205 147 283 415

DUBAI DUBAI GIALAM DOHA SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI DOHA MADINAH RIYADH MASHHAD AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI SANAA DUBAI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH COLOMBO TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT KOCHI BEIRUT BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN ISLAMABAD DOHA DHAKA KUALA LUMPUR

14:15 14:30 14:45 14:55 15:00 15:05 15:45 15:45 16:00 16:45 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:20 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:40 18:45 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:05 20:30 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:50 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:50 22:05 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:45 23:50

34

stars CROSSWORD 162

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) It’s probably about time you lifted your head from that pile of paperwork, dressed in your finery and went out to see what you could be missing. Come on, you really do need the break! A new relationship may form for some, whilst others consider calling it quits with a longtime commitment. Frustrations and obstacles in your relationships with others arise at this time. You feel like others do not really understand you and do not cooperate with you, and that to do anything right, you have to do it yourself.

This can be a very self defeating attitude, try to look outside your own perception and see how you can find some win situations.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This period should be very active for you. Travel and very clear communication may be needed for you to take advantage of the opportunities before you. Don’t dodge phone calls or put off writing letters as they are keys to your success. Get your schedule in order, make sure you don’t double up on your appointments. At the moment it may be easier to see what is wrong with your personal relationships than it is to see what is right. If so, you’re likely to fall into such a funk that you find yourself doing so much whining resolving your problems seems impossible. Shake your down mood off and confront any issues in your personal life head on and with optimism. If you do you may find that most of what is bothering you quickly vanishes.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

4. A literary language of Chinese Turkestan (named for one of the sons of Genghis Khan).

12. A federal agency that supervises carriers that transport goods and people between states.

15. Syndrome resulting from a serious acute (sometimes fatal) infection associated with the presence of staphylococcus.

16. Yellow-flowered primrose native to Alps.

17. A toilet in England.

18. A member of the extinct Algonquian people formerly living in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.

20. Administer an oil or ointment to.

22. A popular tourist area in northwestern England including England's largest lake and highest mountain.

25. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

28. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

31. A member of an Iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania and western New York.

33. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the Covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.

35. Wish harm upon.

39. Small often spiny insectivorous mammal of Madagascar.

40. An informal term for a father.

42. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

43. An informal debt instrument.

44. An extreme state of adversity.

48. (Greek mythology) The Muse of history.

50. A deposit of valuable ore occurring within definite boundaries separating it from surrounding rocks.

51. Strike with disgust or revulsion.

52. The capital and largest city of Nepal.

55. (usually followed by `to') Having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something.

57. Informal terms for a mother.

58. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

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

60. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

63. A distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant.

68. A person active in party politics.

70. The trait of lacking restraint or control.

72. Not in good physical or mental health.

73. A graphic character used in ideography.

75. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

76. One or some or every or all without specification.

77. A river in northeastern Brazil that flows generally northward to the Atlantic Ocean.

78. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

DOWN 1. A set of tags and rules (conforming to SGML) for using them in developing hypertext docu-

ments.

2. The largest continent with 60% of the earth's population.

3. Port city on southern Honshu on Osaka Bay. 4. A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence).

5. A soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element.

6. The mother of your father or mother.

7. Located at or near the back of an animal.

8. (informal) Of the highest quality.

9. Eurasian perennial bulbous herbs.

10. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar to but heavier than beer.

11. A state in midwestern United States.

12. A Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy.

13. Omnivorous mammal of Central and South America.

14. Ratio of the hypotenuse to the opposite side.

19. Resembling a network.

21. Lacking either stimulating or irritating characteristics.

23. Extremely dirty and corrupt.

24. Soft creamy white cheese.

26. Lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity.

27. The executive agency that advises the President on the federal budget.

29. Small space in a tissue or part such as the area between veins on a leaf or an insect's wing.

30. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

32. A member of a people inhabiting the Arctic (northern Canada or Greenland or Alaska or eastern Siberia).

34. A burn cause by hot liquid or steam.

36. A city in northwestern Syria.

37. A woman of refinement.

38. City in Sudan.

41. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

45. A former Spanish gold coin.

46. Elder brother of Krishna.

47. Someone who copies the words or behavior of another.

49. Of or relating to Oman or its people.

53. A state in northwestern North America.

54. Guinea fowl.

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

61. A commercial center and river port in western Germany on the Rhine River.

62. A friendly nation.

64. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

65. An Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan.

66. A cord fastened around the neck with an ornamental clasp and worn as a necktie.

67. Type genus of the Anatidae.

69. The extreme end of something.

71. An informal term for a father.

74. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

Feelings and actions at cross-purposes make this day’s blank slate one that you might not want to write much on, but just write it off. Under any circumstances, don’t be hasty, and try not to repeat yourself too many times because you didn’t hit the mark with the first shot. Accept uncertainty, and certainty will arrive soon enough. You’ll be sensitive and probably take things the wrong way today. Refuse to let anyone take advantage of your good nature and big heart. The desire to keep the peace regarding certain issues may leave you feeling more vulnerable than usual. Talk to someone you trust about your personal intentions and desires.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Disagreements or differences of opinion and viewpoints arise now. You may have to speak your mind in a way that challenges or unnerves someone close to you. However, your mind is very active and sharp, and your reasoning power is good, so this is a good time to try and work things out or maybe even find some compromises. You pull emotional sustenance and a sense of security from ideals, friends, and social involvement at this time. There is a need for change, a desire to break with old patterns from the past. A longing for the new, the different, the unique and even the eclectic draw to your interest in romantic relationships.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You’ll have heaps of get-up-and-go today, so take advantage of it and do all those odd jobs and put those ideas into action. Someone who’s been ranting and raving over a certain issue finally backs off and gives you some space. A new physical activity could be a total joy. Feeling cared for and needed is what makes you most comfortable. The lack of these things can cause an instinctive feeling of uneasiness. You may have to put yourself out there on an emotional level to start attracting someone of like mind into your life.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Exchanging information, ideas, and opinions plays an important role in your life now. A significant conversation with someone who has a very different attitude or perspective than your own is likely. Try to be receptive and learn as much as you can from others at this time. Feels like a time for change in your intimate and personal partnerships. A sense of emotional coolness or detachment at the personal level all combined with an emphasis on idealism. Your tolerance for those whose energies aren’t in tune with yours is becoming more noticeable. Definitely a time to consider making some changes or even talking about the issues at hand.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Your ambition and drive to succeed are incredibly strong now. You will go to any lengths to achieve your goals, and you have the energy to do it now. A nonstop flow of communication between yourself and the people in your immediate environment is likely today. You may engage in interesting and informative discussions or fritter your time away in inconsequential chatter and gossip. 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.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Stumbling across some inspiring words will actually be of use to you during this particular phase of your life. This is because you’re more likely to act upon an inspiration or a respected friend’s advice. You’ve probably been trying to escape the inevitability of dealing with some problem and these words will help you solve that problem now. If it feels right then go ahead and take the risk and ask that special someone whatever it is you’ve been holding back! This is a time when inspiration and opportunity both are in the air, so be ready to take a risk and make your move.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You could be so attached to certain emotions, memories, or relationships from your past that they could cause a problem in your present relationships. Your emotions will be intense but not very stable today which could lead to difficulties and undesired changes in your current associations and romantic relationships. You are more sensitive to delicate changes in the energy around you. Try not to get to upset if your feelings are hurt by others today. But instead try to focus on maintaining as much balance as you can, the day will pass quickly.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) This is the time that is closest to the “pits.” Most likely time to catch cold, get overlooked, find yourself ignored. Energy is low and efforts are more ineffectual than usual — either push twice as hard or take the day off and wait for improvement. You’ll be back in style in no time. You are more clear and objective about personal matters and your relationships, so this is a favorable time to work out differences or come to a decision. Communicating openly with loved ones, taking a trip to visit friends, or going on an outing with someone you care about or love is likely now.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

Observation now will let you do it with greater regularity — shine, but remember how you did it so it becomes a habit. This is a really good time of the month to get noticed, so get out there and take charge. Refinement and relationships are the issues to emotional satisfaction for you now. Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying to you on both an emotional and spiritual level. And the lack of them can be emotionally unsettling. Close personal ties to other people are a focal point for your feelings, intimate relationships and other partnerships could be a what it’s about.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Things may not be exactly what they seem. Take a peek behind your back and see if some things being said or done that you might need to take some precautions about. Be subtle as there may not be enough to really focus on. Try not to make sudden decisions now as they could turn out badly, cover what bases you can and wait for the cards to fall. Socializing and a little quality time with your romantic interest is exactly what you need at the moment. A night on the town with close friends will do wonders for your spirit. A quiet, late night frolic with your lover should send both your energy levels soaring as well.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

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25345875

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24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

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36

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

R apper identified as victim in Atlanta highway shooting

R

A

man shot to death last week on an Atlanta interstate while driving a $400,000 sports car was identified Monday as James D. Lewiel, a 41-year-old rapper known as “OG Double Dee,” a police spokeswoman said. Lewiel was driving a Maybach sports car when he was shot to death late Thursday on Interstate 20 by someone in a white sport utility vehicle, said DeKalb County police spokeswoman Mekka Parish. No arrests have been made, Parish said. “We have not determined the motive. It’s still an active investigation.” In an online video nine months ago, Atlanta rapper Future introduced Lewiel as the newest member of Future’s recording label, Freebandz.

Rihanna cancels Houston show because of illness

ihanna has canceled another date on her latest tour because she is ill. Live Nation says the Grammy-winning singer is unable to perform at Monday’s concert in Houston “as a result of illness.” The concert promoter says fans should retain their tickets to use at a rescheduled show. Rihanna canceled shows in Baltimore and Boston on her “Diamonds World Tour” last month because she was sick. The next date on the singer’s tour is Tuesday in Dallas. She’s supporting her seventh album, “Unapologetic,” which features the hits “Diamonds” and “Stay.” Rapper A$AP Rocky is the opening act on Rihanna’s tour.

Kareena says women’s role in Bollywood is changing

B

ollywood star Kareena Kapoor says the portrayal of women in Indian cinema is changing and increasingly film directors are creating more meaningful roles for them. Kapoor says Bollywood has begun portraying women in a more positive manner. Women’s “roles are being written by new and young directors and they are showing that we are not just objects of desire,” she said. For the most part women lead subservient lives in India, and Bollywood’s portrayal of women is no different. In most Indian films, the female lead’s job is to pout and make the male protagonist look good. Kapoor was speaking on New Delhi Television channel on Monday after receiving NDTV’s “Entertainer of the Decade” award. She has acted in more than 50 films since joining the film industry in 2000.

Robert Downey Jr says it is

T

inevitable he will win an Oscar

he ‘Iron Man 3’ star believes it is just a matter of time before he collects an Academy Award because he knows he is one the “best actors” of his generation. Downey cheekily said: “I know it’s going to happen. That’s just a fact ... Because it just doesn’t make sense. That’s why I don’t mind showing up and watching everybody else get them ...

Look, even if I don’t get one directly, eventually they’re just going to have to give me one when I get old. So no matter how you slice it, I’m getting one ... I should probably have more, but zero’s fine.” The 48-year-old actor has been nominated for an Oscar twice before; for Best Actor his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in 1992’s ‘Chaplin’ and Best Supporting Actor in 2008 comedy ‘Tropic Thunder’. Despite Downey’s bravado, he insists he isn’t bothered if wins awards for his acting and is just content that people like his movies, especially his portrayal of Tony Stark in the ‘Iron Man’ franchise. In an interview in the new US issue of GQ magazine, he said: “I don’t care. I used to think I cared, and I couldn’t care less. Now, I’m not saying I wouldn’t get a little choked up, but it is amazing to see how people are literally hyperventilating when they get up there, because they have such an attachment to this outcome. I mean, it’s not like we’re at the Olympics or something.”

Paltrow is voted the most hated celeb in Hollywood

will.i.am thinks Fergie will be an ‘amazing mum’

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G

wyneth Paltrow has been voted most hated celebrity in Hollywood.

The 40-year-old actress surprisingly topped Star magazine’s annual poll of the 20 most irritating personalities in film, music and television, with ‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart coming a close second. Gwyneth is thought to have amassed so many votes from American readers because of her reputation for leading a health-conscious lifestyle. Meanwhile, moody-looking Kristen suffered due to the public exposure of her affair with married ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders last year behind boyfriend Robert Pattinson’s back. Latina superstar Jennifer Lopez placed third, with John Mayer - who recently split from Katy Perry and is famed for his womanizing ways - coming fourth, and romantic comedy queen Katherine Heigl ranking fifth. The top 20 included some unsurprising entries, such as controversial teen idol Justin Bieber and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, but also featured some surprises. Humanitarian activist Angelina Jolie was 15th on the list, with ‘Two and a Half Men’ joker Ashton Kutcher coming 13th. However, R&B singer Chris Brown only placed 20th, despite receiving mass criticism this year for rekindling his relationship with Rihanna, who he was arrested for beating in 2009, and starting a violent club brawl with Drake.

Star magazine’s 20 Most Hated Celebrities in Hollywood list: 1. Gwyneth Paltrow 2. Kristen Stewart 3. Jennifer Lopez 4. John Mayer 5. Katherine Heigl 6. Matt Lauer 7. Madonna 8. Justin Bieber 9. Anne Hathaway 10. Kris Jenner 11. Kim Kardashian 12. LeAnn Rimes 13. Ashton Kutcher 14. Jay Leno 15. Angelina Jolie 16. Lindsay Lohan 17. Shia LaBeouf 18. Taylor Swift 19. Jesse James 20. Chris Brown

Hurley saves hens from fox attack

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lizabeth Hurley saved one of her hens from being attacked by a fox. The ‘Gossip Girl’ star is a keen livestock farmer and owns several hens, and was alarmed to find the predator lurking in her garden but when she went out to snap a picture of the bushy-tailed hunter, it became startled and ran away. The fox was found roaming closely to one of the actress’ hens, however, the actress’ quick response avoided an early death for her feathered friend. In a Twitter post, Elizabeth wrote: “I saw a fox in my garden this morning - it vanished before i could photograph it, but I got the daffodils! If you look carefully you’ll also see a hen pheasant looking very relieved. Mr Fox was probably about to nab her... (sic)” The 47-year-old star’s keeps many animals, including her cheeky pet Parrot Ping Pong and dogs Raja and Lucy. Ping Pong has even learned to mimic her speech and the sound of her owner’s coffee machine. Hurley - who is engaged to cricketer Shane Warne - previously revealed: “My parrot Ping Pong can now imitate the coffee machine. Yes, annoying. She’s very pleased with herself (sic)”

Butler gets distracted in New York

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erard Butler doesn’t spend too much time in New York - because he can’t get any work done. The 43-year-old actor has homes in Los Angeles and ‘The Big Apple’ but he tends to spend more time at his LA base because he gets distracted too easily in New York to focus on his career. He said: “I enjoy living in LA but I also have a place in New York. Only I love New York so much that I don’t get any work done. I can’t get my head down and read scripts. I want to be out walking or going to the theatre. In LA you get disciplined - you train, you write.” Butler is originally from Scotland but has been based in Hollywood since his career really exploded.

The ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ star misses his home country but accepts he needs to be Stateside to be a successful leading man. In an interview with the new UK issue of OK! magazine, he added: “You can live in Britain, but without a doubt it helps to live over there, especially if you’re producing too as often a meeting will come up and the director’s in town for one day and everyone else is based there.” —Bang Showbiz

he ‘Scream & Shout’ hitmaker has praised his former Black Eyed Peas band mate for taking the “leap” from being a musician to starting a family with her actor husband, Josh Duhamel. In an interview on TV show ‘Chelsea Lately’, he gushed: “[I’m proud of her] for taking that leap. You know, our life... we travel, been doing crazy things, going to different countries and selling out stadiums. So to step away from that and to do a family, that’s a big leap. She’s going to be an amazing mum. “I remember on our last tour, she was talking about how her and Josh want to have a family. That’s a dope thing to think about.”

The 38-year-old star is also excited at the prospect of being an ‘uncle’, as he considers Fergie, 38, his sister. Following gentle teasing from host Chelsea Handler about whether he fathered the ‘Glamorous’ singer’s impending bundle of joy, he said: “That’s like incest. Fergie’s my sister. I’m really proud of her. Josh Duhamel’s amazing.” Meanwhile, will.i.am is also undergoing major changes in his life as the tech-obsessed producer will soon be enrolling at university to learn computer science so he can create his own gadgets. He explained: “I’m going to school this September to learn computer science. I didn’t go to college. Straight out of high school I had a record deal - music was my dream.

So, when I was 15 till now, I’ve been pursuing [music] and trying to move my mom out the Projects and I accomplished that one. It’s been a nice run. I’m still going to do music. Now I’m just preparing for, what am I going to be doing 20 years now?”

37

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

Ron Mueck Exhibition

Visitors look at a sculpture entitled “Couple Under an Umbrella, 2013” by Australian artist Ron Mueck during the opening day for his exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris yesterday. —AP/AFP photos

A sculpture entitled “Drift, 2009”.

A visitor, left, looks at a sculpture entitled “Young Couple, 2013”.

A visitor looks at a sculpture entitled “Woman With Shopping, 2013”.

Fighting for the legacy of Hong Kong’s graffiti pioneer

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is graffiti once plastered Hong Kong, dense black ink calligraphy applied with a brush to any public surface, telling the outlandish story of why he believed the territory belonged to him. The self-declared “King of Kowloon”, Tsang Tsouchoi, lived in poverty but became a local hero and internationally renowned artist, creating around 55,000 outdoor works over five decades on everything from post boxes to flyovers. But six years since his death in 2007, aged 85, only four pieces of his distinc-

he has tried to convince the authorities to safeguard Tsang’s works, without success. “It makes me angry,” he told AFP. “The LCSD (Leisure and Cultural Services Department) does not have a sense of culture. He is one of the earliest modern graffiti artists, but they say it is arguable whether his work is art.”

Tsang came to Hong Kong as a teenager from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and started his prolific graffiti career in the 1950s. Believing his ancestors once ruled the city’s Kowloon district, his

Pedestrians walk past a plastic casing set up around a graffiti made by the late selfdeclared “King of Kowloon”, Tsang Tsou-choi, in Hong Kong. —AFP tive Hong Kong street art remain in situ, the rest swept away by an unstoppable wave of redevelopment or painted over by the authorities. Hong Kong’s arts community is now fighting to preserve the vestiges of his public work. “The King’s work belongs to the street, but most of it has already vanished or been cleaned up,” says photographer Simon Go, who was a friend of Tsang’s and runs Hong Kong heritage organization Hulu Culture. “Preserving these remaining works where they are is our last chance to save his true legacy. But the authorities want a clean city, where every community looks the same.”

Heritage regularly falls victim to construction in Hong Kong and the government is often criticised for doing too little to preserve cultural history. Lau Kin Wai, art critic and friend of the King of Kowloon, says that

street art promoted his claim to be the rightful monarch, depicting his family tree and raging against colonial powers in bold columns of Chinese characters. Tsang worked as a rubbish collector until he broke both legs in his 60s, after which he painted on crutches.

From social outcast to celebrated artist Dismissed for years as a crazy old man and repeatedly arrested for vandalism, The King finally became a Hong Kong hero when the city was handed over from Britain to China in 1997. “Around handover time people were looking for signifiers of local identity,” says David Clarke, professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Hong Kong University. “The fact that his work was disappearing resonated with a sense that Hong Kong was disappearing and that something

was being lost.” Lau Kin Wai created the first exhibition of Tsang’s work in 1997 and Hong Kong designer William Tang used his graffiti for a dress collection that year suddenly, the King of Kowloon was cool.

He went on to feature in the Venice Biennale art show and his later pieces, written to order on paper, wood and other objects, have become collectors’ items. In 2011 a metal box covered in his calligraphy was sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for HK$800,000 (US$103,000). But it is The King’s original street art which his supporters feel is his most important.

“Part of the meaning of his work is for it to be in public,” says Lau. “Something should be done to preserve it in its original place.”

The LCSD told AFP it believed Tsang’s graffiti should be “preserved in situ as far as possible to reflect their context” and has put up plastic casing around two of the remaining works, on a pillar and a lamp post. But it says it cannot act to protect the two others as they are on private property.

A jumbled collection of characters painted around an electricity meter box is fading fast and metal doors covered with graffiti on another electric box at an old theatre set for demolition will be moved by developers.

They have pledged to protect them and are looking for museums or art organizations that might want to display them. Questions have repeatedly been asked as to why more has not been done to save Tsang’s street art, but the LCSD says it has done its best to preserve his “less damaged works... where practicable”.

With his public work all but gone, Tsang’s supporters are now determined to coordinate a full archive. Critics and curators have collaborated on a new book, “King of Kowloon: The Art of Tsang Tsou-choi”, due out in May, which says it is the first major monograph of his work and includes rare unpublished photographs. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s younger generations are continuing the tradition The King started, albeit with Western-style spray-can graffiti.

Street art is far from ubiquitous and the work done by the handful of small crews is often quickly painted over by the authorities, as was Tsang’s. “All young graffiti artists should know about The King. He was a pioneer,” says 27-year-old street artist ‘jams’ who told AFP he had been arrested and cautioned by Hong Kong police for his own work. “He never gave up-he went out and did what he wanted to do and wasn’t scared of the authorities. That’s why he is an inspiration for us.” —AFP

This undated photo provided by the Pulitzer Prize Board shows violinist Caroline Shaw, who was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her work “Partita for 8 Voices”. —AP

Caroline Shaw wins 2013 Pulitzer for music

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aroline Shaw isn’t your typical Pulitzer Prize for music winner. The violinist and vocalist is just 30, a freelance musician in New York, a grad student at Princeton University and an all-around music lover who is combining new ideas with old to make something the Pulitzer foundation found enchanting. “I think up to now people have known me as a violinist and then more so as a singer,” Shaw said in a phone interview from New York where she lives. “I guess now people are going to know me as a composer - I guess more than I’m used to.”

She won a Pulitzer often given to older composers and musicians for her composition “Partita for 8 Voices,” an a cappella piece written for her vocal octet Roomful of Teeth that’s both modern and steeped in the Baroque tradition.

It was released on Roomful of Teeth’s self-titled debut album last October on New Amsterdam Records. The Pulitzer committee wrote of Shaw’s work: “a highly polished and inventive a cappella work uniquely embracing speech, whispers, sighs, murmurs, wordless melodies and novel vocal effects.”

Shaw writes of the four-part suite on her website: “Partita is a simple piece. Born of a love

of surface and structure, of the human voice, of dancing and tired ligaments, of music, and of our basic desire to draw a line from one point to another.” She says the piece was inspired by Sol LeWitt’s “Wall Drawing 305,” an installation piece she saw at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where Roomful of Teeth sets up shop for a few weeks every summer.

Shaw will receive $10,000 for the prize, and plenty of attention. The category’s other finalists included previous winner Aaron Jay Kernis for classical composition “Pieces of Winter Sky” and jazz musician Wadada Leo Smith for “Ten Freedom Summers,” a 10-part examination of the civil rights movement.

The North Carolina-born Shaw was on the way Monday evening for rehearsal with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, another group that inspires the composer in her. “There’s a bit of a new guard of contemporary classical musicians in New York and we play a lot of different kinds of music together,” Shaw said. “We do pop studio sessions and we’ll also play John Cage and more avantgarde work. We’re developing a language of music that comes with a lot of different styles, different kinds of work.” —AP

RAJESH WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

W

ith the well-hyped beginning of the third season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series, America will once again return to Westeros, the universe created by American fantasy writer George R.R. Martin. Americans have embraced this world of kings and dragons in much the same way J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings” has been loved since being released in the US in the 1960s.

Fantasy series like Tolkien’s have become ingrained in American culture. The characters of Fantasy books are well known, even to those who never read the genre. The heroes and villains, their stories and the lessons learned from them, are common knowledge. And the reason for this is that in the modern world, particularly in the West and the United States, Fantasy has become our mythology.

Mythology: a collection of fables, legends, and myths that tell stories about the culture, about its values, and how the people living in that culture are supposed to act, and what type of person they should strive to be. Yet if Fantasy books make up much of our mythology, and I think strongly that that is true, then I also think that we, in America, have a problem. The problem is that most of our Fantasy isn’t written by Americans about American culture and values.

The most famous books of Fantasy are arguably “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Harry Potter.” And

&

they were all written by British authors, about-essentiallyBritish characters, and discussing British values. My father gave me the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy when I was in fifth grade, and I burned through them in two weeks. Even before those books I started reading about three young wizards named Harry, Ron and Hermione, and was captivated by that world as well. Even my mother, not a Fantasy reader at all, has strong memories of reading and loving “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” perhaps the most famous of the books in C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

English values are similar to ours, but they’re still not American. And if mythology is supposed to teach a culture how to act and behave, what type of person you should strive to be, then we have a serious problem, because all our mythology is teaching us how to be good Brits, not good Americans. If we’re going to teach American culture and beliefs to generation after generation, then we need powerful stories and characters that will remain with us for decades. We need more American Fantasy that speaks to our culture and our values.

Yet we don’t have that American Fantasy. Even American Fantasy writers write like they’re British. George R.R. Martin is hailed as the American version of Tolkien, yet his series takes place in a mythical world styled after medieval Europe, and

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has characters that usually seem pretty British to me. When HBO went and turned his popular books into an even more popular TV show, they filmed it mostly in Wales and Ireland, and used a cast of mostly British actors who all speak and look and talk like Brits.

American Fantasy authors don’t write about America. We don’t have anyone writing stories set in the lush Mississippi delta, or the Rocky Mountains, or the forests on the East coast, or among the redwoods on the West coast. There aren’t Fantasy books discussing and questioning American social issues or our notions of heroism, like our obsession with vigilantly justice so prevalent in our westerns and action films. We don’t have Fantasy characters that are symbols of what to strive for as Americans.

All hope is not lost, though. We do seem to be making some progress. As bad as Stephanie Meyers’ “Twilight” books are, they still mostly take place in Washington State, and in small town America. As poorly as the characters and scenes are written - I truly hope we won’t be talking about Bella Swan or Edward Cullen in a decade - the books are about Americans, in America.

Another popular series is “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. It’s more Science Fiction than Fantasy, but the two genres are close enough. Collins’ books take place in a

dystopian future America, so the characters are American, or at least a fictional version of future Americans. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, does seem like the type of character that can teach readers how they should act and strive to be as Americans, not as Brits.

But I don’t think we have any truly American Fantasy yet, or at least not any that could become part of our mythology. But perhaps it’s only a matter of time until we get some American mythology from our Fantasy books. I really hope this comes true, because I’m rather tired of listening to British accents and reading about British characters. That won’t stop me from watching the third season of “Game of Thrones,” or from rereading “Harry Potter” for the umpteenth time. But hopefully the next generation will have an American series to reread over and over again with American characters to fall in love with. And perhaps the next HBO Fantasy series won’t have actors that all talk like they just stepped out of the mists of an English moor. Why can’t people with New York or Southern or Californian accents ride dragons and cast spells?—Reuters

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File photo of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne as they arrive at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s sixth annual benefit ‘An Enduring Vision’ at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York.—AP

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lack Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne apologized yesterday for bingeing on drink and drugs over the last year and a half but said he was not getting a divorce from his wife Sharon. The British singer’s comments on his Facebook page were a response to media speculation about the state of his marriage, with reports that he and Sharon had split up after more than 30 years and were living separately. “Just to set the record straight, Sharon and I are not divorcing,” Osbourne, 64, said on his Facebook page. “I’m just trying to be a better person.”

He said he had been drinking and taking drugs for the last year and a half and had been in a “very dark place”, but has now been sober for 44 days. Osbourne, who made his name as lead singer of the heavy metal band

Black Sabbath, has frequently spoken over the years about his battle with drugs and alcohol and has spent time in rehabilitation clinics. “I would like to apologize to Sharon, my family, my friends and my band mates for my insane behavior during this period ... and my fans,” wrote Osbourne.

The Osbournes have become one of Hollywood’s most famous couples since starring in a reality television show, “ The Osbournes”, alongside two of their children, Jack and Kelly, which gave an insight into their family life in Beverly Hills. Sharon Osbourne, 60, is a regular panellist on U.S. reality TV talent show “America’s Got Talent” and played out a battle with colon cancer in public. —Reuters

he Jackie Robinson movie “42” not only won the box office with a $27 million debut this weekend, it joined some exclusive company when audiences gave it an “A+” CinemaScore. Only 29 movies have earned that grade since the Las Vegas-based polling firm began asking moviegoers to grade the films they’d just seen back in 1999, according to CinemaScore research analyst Harold Mintz.

This year’s Oscar Best Picture winner “Argo” got one. So did “The Avengers,” “King’s Speech,” “Titanic” and “A Few Good Men” and “Toy Story 2.” They’re not all big hits: “Soul Surfer” and “Tangled” were crowd-pleasers of the highest order, too.

Also on the list are “The Help,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Remember the Titans,” “Antoine Fisher” and “The Blind Side.”

Those are all inspirational and ultimately uplifting takes on race relations in America, as is “42,” the story of Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier in 1947. “Race relations is always a story that’s worth taking on, and if done correctly, can lead to Hollywood gold,” Exhibitor Relations vice-president and senior analyst Jeff Bock told TheWrap Monday. “The time-tested formula of “odd man out” plays awfully well when racially motivated, and that, combined with an inspirational sports drama is the stuff of legends.”

When it comes to the box office, the “A+” typically signals a long, solid run ahead - and that should be the case with “42,” a passion project of Legendary Pictures chief executive Thomas Tull, who produced the $38 million movie. It was written and directed by Bruce Helgeland, the veteran writer behind “LA Confidential,” and “Mystic River.” Chadwick Boseman stars as Robinson, and Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the Dodgers executive who signed him.

“Films geared towards older crowds, like the game of baseball itself, are often slow burners at the box office,” Bock said.

Eighty-three percent of the “42” audience was over 25 years of age, with 45 percent between 25 and 49. Older moviegoers, like African-Americans, are under-served when it comes to film options, and “42” touches both those bases.

Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., which is releasing “42,” thinks it will have a significant shelf life. “The word of mouth on this film will be great,” he said, “and there are not a lot of adult-themed movies out there right now.” The romantic comedy “Big Wedding” opens in two weeks, and “The Great Gatsby” is due on May 10 - but that’s about it.

Younger moviegoers typically drive movie openings, with older audiences catching up with the films in time. This one could work in reverse, with younger moviegoers warming to the family-friendly PG-13-rated tale in the next few weeks.

Marketing that plays up Jay-Z’s :”Brooklyn We Go Hard” from the film’s soundtrack is designed to help with that. If older crowds continue to show up and younger moviegoers step up to the plate, “42” just might hit $100 million.

For the record, CinemaScores aren’t typical grades. People go to movies on the night they open because they’re excited about the film. So anything below a B is considered a bad score, and a C is terrible and box-office poison, unless it’s a horror film. In terms of CinemaScores, either the studios have been on a bit of a run or the audiences are grading on a curve.

Four other current movies have gone to the head of the class, at least in the eyes of the audience: “The Croods” (A), “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (A-), “Olympus Has Fallen” (A-) and “Tyler Perry’s Temptation” (A-). — Reuters

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File photo shows Sam Beam performing with Iron & Wine at the Newport Folk Festival. — AP

am Beam, the South Carolina-born musician who releases music as Iron & Wine, first made his mark with sparsely arranged, mostly acoustic tunes. Listening to his fifth album “Ghost on Ghost,” one could not be faulted for believing it to be the work of a completely different artist. The song arrangements are lush, filled with exquisite horns, crisp funky snare drums, backing vocals, a variety of natural keyboard sounds, and even pedal steel and vibraphone.

Yet Beam has managed to retain that same heartfelt, soulful feeling that brought him so much attention more than a decade ago when he started. The album opens with “Caught in the Briars,” a swinging three-minute ditty, with a charming acoustic guitar line, some lovely organ fills and a horn arrangement that would fit in the finest Van Morrison tune. It’s a hell of an opener.

Ghost on Ghost is a wonderfully, produced and assembled record, propelled with joyous momentum even on tracks with darker lyrics like “Low Light Buddy of Mine.” With each successive album, Beam has been able to gradually expand and layer his sound with taste and dexterity. — AP

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ony Goldwyn will play Shailene Woodley’s father in the big screen adaptation of the best-selling young adult novel “Divergent.” Goldwyn, who menaced Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in “Ghost,” is currently best known for playing a married US president with an obsessive thing for his well-dressed former campaign adviser Kerry Washington in ABC’s “Scandal.”

In divergent, he rounds out a cast that includes Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, Maggie Q and Mekhi Phifer, as well as up-and-coming actors Theo James and Miles Teller. The futuristic action adventure is filming in Chicago. Like Veronica Roth’s bestselling novel, the film is set in a dystopian future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is “divergent” and will never fit into any one group. Her discovery of a conspiracy to destroy all divergents sets the action rolling. The film is a return to the world of young adult film adaptations for Summit Entertainment and its parent company Lionsgate. That milieu has been profitable terrain for the pair, which is responsible for the film versions of “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight.”— Reuters

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An Egyptian shoeshiner works near a gate ornamented with a Star of David in a narrow street, known as the Jewish Street in the old part of Cairo.

Egyptian youth chat outside a Synagogue in the old part of Cairo. — AFP photos

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and director Amir Ramses said it is a case study in what he calls “the marginalization of the other”. Now conflated with the Israeli-Arab conflict, whose beginnings coincided with the Egyptian Jewish community’s decline, the subject of Egypt’s Jewish heritage has been all but suppressed in the country.

“Jews were mixed, whether intentionally or not, in the ArabIsraeli conflict. They were in the grinding mill,” Ramses told AFP. As Ramses found out, even bringing out a documentary on the subject would require a fight. Its screening in several other cinemas was delayed pending the approval of a national security service, Ramses said. When the service finally approved the documentary, Ramses said the culture ministry’s censorship board asked him to introduce it with a disclaimer that it was a work of “fiction”. In the documentary, Ramses interviewed Jews born in Egypt but forced to leave in the decade after the 1948 war. They spoke of peremptory expulsions and a rise of antiSemitism coinciding with the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“It was moving,” said one movie-goer after the show, painter Hani Hussein. A pivotal event for Egyptian Jews was

here was a time when a constellation of Jewish Egyptian stars shone on the country’s arts and music scene, and when streets in Cairo and Alexandria brimmed with Jewish shops. But by the turn of the 21st century, Egypt’s Jews had become a faded memory, their synagogues empty and their old neighborhoods offering scant testimony to a oncethriving community.”There was a play, in the 1950s I think: ‘Hassan, Morcos and Cohen’,” said Magda Haroun, one of Egypt’s few remaining Jews. Hassan is a Muslim name, Morcos a common one among the large minority of Coptic Christians and Cohen is Jewish.

In 2008, a movie entitled only “Hassan and Morcos” was released, on the tragic follies of sectarianism. “People must speak up so it doesn’t just become ‘Hassan’,” Haroun, born in Alexandria in 1952, told AFP. But the chances of running into a Cohen in Cairo or Alexandria are now no more than 200 in 84 million. That is what’s left of a community that once numbered an estimated 80,000 souls.

Community leader Carmen Weinstein herself died on

Saturday at the age of 84, Haroun said, with a new head to be elected after she is buried in Cairo’s Jewish cemetery. When Egypt fought an unsuccessful war along with other Arab states to crush Israel after its founding in 1948, many Egyptian Jews were pressured to leave or expelled outright. The legacy of their community has been examined in an Egyptian-directed documentary called “Jews of Egypt,” which brought a melange of artists, activists and journalists to a screening at an upscale Cairo cinema last month.

The film, which seeks to unearth a facet of that history, starts with street interviews with passers-by on the topic of Jews. “They are enemies of Islam,” a man tells the camera.

Another says: “They were condemned by God.” The documentary flashes back to grainy old footage of a bygone age when the winsome Leila Mourad-a derivation of Mordechai-dominated the silver screen, and Jews were among the leaders of political parties.

The documentary was shot in Egypt and France, where a small community of exiled Egyptian Jews hangs on to its past,

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Opera singer and conductor Placido Domingo of Spain, center, poses for photographers with musician Anna Cardona, left, and opera singer Sarah Power, right, after he received the Freedom of the City of London, during a ceremony at Mansion House in central London yesterday. — AP

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panish opera singer Placido Domingo returned to the London stage this week for his debut in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco”, saying he has no plans to slow down with a packed schedule for the year ahead. Domingo, 72, has spent the past three months performing Verdi in Valencia, Berlin, Vienna and New York and will sing in another six European cities in the next four months.

His website bears the motto “If I Rest I Rust” and Domingo said this was how he lived his life with no plans to change. “I have been doing this all of my life and I plan to continue,” he told Reuters backstage on Monday after the first of his four performances of “Nabucco” at London’s Royal Opera House.

Domingo said he enjoyed the challenge of taking on a new role, the 142nd in a career that started in 1959, performing “Nabucco” for the first time as part of Verdi’s 200th anniversary year celebrations. Nabucco, Verdi’s third opera, follows the plight of the Hebrews conquered and exiled from their homeland by Babylonian King Nabucco (based on the biblical King Nebuchadnezzar).

Following the opera’s premiere in Milan in

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1842, Verdi was hailed as one of Italy’s leading composers.

Domingo said it was a complicated part and he had had little time to rehearse before adding it to his recent Verdi baritone lead roles in “Simon Boccanegra” and “Rigoletto”.

“But I am very happy with the way it has gone,” he said. “I feel with every opera that you do, you are looking for the next performance and to improve...It is amazing with all the repertoire that I have (done) that this is my first Nabucco role.”

Critics praised Domingo’s vigorous, baritone performance for bringing alive a production that will be played in cinemas globally on Monday April 29. He will perform the role at the Royal Opera House again on April 20, 23 and 26. “His singing has such expressive beauty that he still commands the stage,” wrote critic Michael Church in The Independent newspaper, urging people to catch the great singer while he is still in his prime.—Reuters

ed Zeppelin, that band that wrote the book on heavy rock, is now helping to rewrite the book on digital publications. Acclaimed rock photographer Neal Preston’s new e-book breaks ground for the genre with interactive video, 80 contact sheets and photos never previously published. Preston followed the band throughout the ‘70s and opened up his vast archive to create a rich, intimate experience with the world of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Sharon Waxman grilled Preston on “Led Zeppelin: Sound and Fury,” which was published on Monday and available on iTunes. You’ve had this archive forever, but you only published many of these photos now. Were you just waiting for the iPad to be born? No. I wasn’t even waiting for computers to be born.

This is the direction that book publishing is taking. It’s a little leap of faith, we’re in uncharted territory here. How so? It differs exponentially from a traditional coffee-table book. The photos look killer on the new iPad with the retina display. It was a way to really give the fans even more of what they so crave - all that behind-the-scenes stuff. In this kind of book you can include so much more-audio captions, video interviews.

You shot that famous photo of Jimmy Page drinking from a Jack Daniels bottle backstage. Do you tell that story? There’s audio caption of taking that photo. Sometimes you remember shooting a picture, sometimes you don’t. I remember that photo. I happened to be sitting to his right in the dressing room; I had a Nikon with a 24mm lens on my lap, and I was going to say something to Jimmy and I saw the bottle move toward his mouth and I picked up the camera, shot one frame, and I don’t know if he even realized I was there shooting it.

Was he upset that you published it? I don’t believe we released that photo initially. I was brought in to work for them.

In 1970 I was 18 and I ended up at press conference to announce that Led Zeppelin had supplanted the Beatles as No. 1 band in the world in a MelodyMaker poll. The reason I was hired was they were notoriously cloistered. Not secretive but with very small inner circle unlike the Stones, when Mick Jagger had 100 people getting his laundry. It was pretty amazing they let any photographer come in and have the run of the store. I was that guy.

How did that come about? Danny Goldberg, their publicist, hired me. I’d done work for the band through Atlantic Records.

He called me up and said: “Pack your bags if you want to go on tour with us.” I got that call in November 1974. January 1975 I was working for them.

What’s so great about these images is you really feel like you’re on stage with those guys. In one of those, Jimmy’s looking right at me, there’s dry ice, you see Robert - during song called “No Quarter.” Right after I shot that he came up to me and started talking to me. Reason I love that photo is that it feels like being on stage with Led Zeppelin. It sucks you right in. Access is the currency I have to trade in. Night after night, day after day, week after week, as a photojournalist, you become invisible. When you become invisible, that’s when you can capture the magic.

the 1954 Lavon Affair, named after then Israeli defense minister Pinhas Lavon, blamed for recruiting Egyptian Jews to bomb Western targets in the country in order to embarrass then president Gamal Abdel Nasser. The plot was uncovered when a defective bomb in a conspirator’s pocket gave out smoke and alerted police, who arrested him.

The final straw came two years later, when Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt after Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, in which British and French investors held major shares.

Most of Egypt’s Jews were forced to leave. Magda Haroun recalls that her father, famed lawyer Shehata Haroun, volunteered to sign up with the Egyptian army, but when security officials showed up at their house they had come to arrest him.

Decades later, she says slurs against Jews have become commonplace, in classrooms and on the street. “But we won’t leave,” she insists. “This is our country.” — AFP

Did the band approve the photos in book? No, the band was not part of this book, though they received it and I understand they like it very much. This was a different platform, and a new one, and one that hasn’t really been exploited in terms of this kind of book, this kind of band. This book is $9.99 - it’s inexpensive compared to a coffee-table book. Is this the world photographers live in now? It’s a digital book. You can’t have tactile experience with it. However, this is the way publishing is going. There are two things that I hope people get out of this book. One is for the fans, it’s a total wet dream. It’s right up the vein.

To get the contact proof sheet - you start to see photo-

graphically how I think. They can hear the stories they wouldn’t hear unless they were up in my house having dinner. And I hope fans get a sense of how much of myself I’ve put into this book. I’m very proud of my writing. Stevie Nicks did my intro, because back in the day, she was the first person who sat and looked at a stack of my prints, and said, “You’ve got to do a book.” — Reuters

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ustralia’s tiny town of Wee Waa, better known for cotton than music, will be the launch site for Grammyaward winning French electro duo Daft Punk’s next album “Random Access Memories”, from which the music will stream live to the world next month. In a clash of cultures, Daft Punk, known for its use of disguises, particularly ornate robot costumes, while in public or performing, will screen their latest video at the 79th Wee Waa Regional Show, a fair with a long tradition of wood chopping, pick-up trucks and cowboy hats and boots.

Daft Punk will not appear in person at the May 17 album launch, but 4,000 tickets were sold in 13 minutes for the event at Wee Waa, 570 kms (355 miles) northwest of Sydney. Sony Music Entertainment Australia said the event will be streamed live online to an international audience but declined to give further details, including why Wee Waa, Aboriginal for “fire for roasting”, was chosen as the album launch venue. —Reuters

Damon Lindelof, left, co-writer and co-producer of the forthcoming film ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ joins cast members, left to right, John Cho, Alice Eve, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine to answer questions about the film at CinemaCon 2013ís Opening Night Presentation from Paramount Pictures at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. —AP

Documentary on Egypt’s Jews restores faded memories

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Visitors look at a sculpture entitled “Mask II, 2002” by Australian artist Ron Mueck during the opening day for his exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris, yesterday. The exhibition will run till September 29, 2013. — AP

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An Emirati guide describes an untitled piece by American artist Cy Twombly.

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he Louvre Abu Dhabi gallery yesterday unveiled more than 130 artworks from the museum’s first permanent collection, ranging from paintings by Picasso and Mondrian to Islamic miniatures. “In this exhibition, we have the chance to demonstrate the universal aspect by putting in parallel sculptures or paintings from different civilizations from a similar period of time,” senior project manager Celine Hullo Pouyat. Ancient sections of the holy Muslim book, the Koran, stand alongside a 16th century statue of “Christ Showing His Wounds” and a Torah at the exhibition which will open to the public on April 22.

“There are no red lines in this exhibition,” said Olivier Gabet, deputy head of the curatorial department in charge of decorative arts at the Agence France-Museums. Among the famous pieces is Picasso’s “Portrait of a Lady”, Edouard Manet’s “The Gypsy” and works by Paul Gauguin, Rene Magritte, Cy Twombly and Paul Klee.

A giant billboard announces the 2015 opening of the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre construction site in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.

Oil-rich Gulf emirate Abu Dhabi has paid around $1.3 billion to use the Louvre name for 30 years and to tap the renowned Paris museum for artworks and expertise during this period. The deal stirred a debate in the French art world, with critics saying the Louvre is selling its soul as they questioned Abu Dhabi’s treatment of dissidents and immigrant workers employed in the construction of the project. The Abu Dhabi Louvre building was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.

Abu Dhabi has launched an ambitious development plan, Abu Dhabi 2030, aimed at modernizing the emirate and diversifying its economy. Despite the global financial crisis and its severe impact on neighboring Dubai, construction has continued in Abu Dhabi, although at a much slower pace than planned. The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi was delayed by three years. — AFP

A journalist takes a picture with her mobile of “Portrait of a Lady” (From Right), a painting by Pablo Ruiz Picasso and “The Subjected Reader”, a painting by Rene Magritte.

Journalists look at a marble statue of “Roman Togatus”, or “The Ortator”.— AFP photos

A journalist takes a picture of a painting by Flemish Baroque painter Jacob Jordaens.

Journalists look at sections of Islam’s Holy Quran, which is believed to originate from the Syrian capital Damascus during the second half of the 13th century.

new no-holds-barred graphic novel biography of Rembrandt strives to fill in the often dark, drunken and erotic gaps in the tragic life of one of the most famous of Dutch artists. “Rembrandt” by comic book artist Typex shows the painter as you’ve never seen him before: cantankerous, obsessive and unfaithful. Rembrandt’s life, 1606-1669, spanned the height of the Golden Age, when the Netherlands was awash with bourgeois and aristocratic money, much of it spent on acquiring art, and the book is both sociological and historical. “High quality art is a sound investment,” dealer Hendrick van Uylenburgh, who helped launch Rembrandt’s career, tells the young artist in the book. “It gives status and prestige.”

“Rembrandt” is being published as his most famous painting, The Night Watch, is moved back into Amsterdam’s revamped Rijksmuseum, which commissioned the book during its 10year renovation. The book features characters from Rembrandt’s life and art, including the main figure in the centre of The Night Watch: black-clad, red-sashed militia leader Captain Frans Banning Cocq. Banning Cocq at one point questions Rembrandt about an 18-year-old Danish girl the artist slept with the night before, who ended up killing her employer with an axe.

Typex, 50, described by Australian singer Nick Cave as “the second greatest Dutch artist” after Rembrandt, wrote and illustrated the book by “squeezing five years into two-and-ahalf years”, with 14-hour workdays, a tempo the obsessive Rembrandt would likely have respected. “I read a bookcase of books about Rembrandt, made a lot of notes, put all the books to one side and got to work,” Typex told AFP. “A lot is not known about Rembrandt.

What’s known are the official papers, the property contracts, marriage and death records.

That’s known, and here and there (there is) a small commentary,” Typex said.

As a result, much of the book is based on anecdotes, but hung on an historically accurate framework of names and dates. The book illuminates the art record of Rembrandt’s life, which literally fades into the obscurity of his increasingly dark self portraits. “You never do paid work any more,” laments Rembrandt’s long-term lover Hendrickje Stoffels, his former maid. “Just one self portrait after another. I’m really worried.” Rembrandt’s wife, his lovers, children and even artistic competitors die, and the artist grows steadily more quarrelsome.

“He had a lot of tragedy, everyone around him died, that’s how it was in those days,” said

A picture shows a reproduction of the front cover of a comic book, published by publishing house SelfMadeHero, by Dutch artist Typex recounting the life of Dutch artist Rembrandt. — AFP

Typex. “But I didn’t want to make just a sad book. Typex notably takes a novel approach to the death of Rembrandt’s common-law wife Stoffels. “I told it all from the perspective of the rat that brings the plague-it’s not at all a sad event for the rat, he gets food and is having the time of his life,” Typex said. Friend and rival painter Jan Lievens keeps popping up, apparently more commercially successful than Rembrandt in the roaring 1660s. “ These are the sixties,” social climber Lievens tells Rembrandt. “People are spoilt. The customer is king. So he thinks.”Rembrandt is shown admiring and then signing in his own name a painting by one of his most gifted students, Carel Fabritius. Fabritius thanks Rembrandt for having signed the painting in his name, a tradition behind much 21st century confusion about which Rembrandts are really his. Florentine grand duke Cosimo de’ Medici is shown arriving in Amsterdam, trying to track down Rembrandt.

“Stupid tourists,” Rembrandt’s daughter Cornelia says at the sight of the grand duke trying to pick up Dutch girls in a scene reminiscent of Amsterdam today. “Tell him that for paintings with pretty girls and bright colours he should look to the print dealer on the corner, not me!” a virtually destitute Rembrandt tells the grand duke. “And now, all of you get out. Piss off out of my house. Capisce?

Arrivederci,” a typically irritable Rembrandt cries. “He was a difficult man, obsessed,” said Typex. “He could have had it easier if he’d been less outspoken, fallen in with the tastes of rich people. But he just didn’t have the social capacity for that.”—AFP