2 May 2013

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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8Assembly 12 approves 27 laws20on Saudi tweeter gets 5 years jail for insulting Amir

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By B Izzak conspiracy theories

KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday passed a law to enable the government to control prices in some cases in a bid to broaden consumer protection methods amid criticism by MPs of the monopoly system that still exists in the country. MPs also overwhelmingly passed a second law to encourage foreign investment inflow into Kuwait and a third legislation giving social and children allowance to Kuwaiti female employees married to nonKuwaitis provided their husbands do not get it.

The law for supervising commodities and limiting the prices of certain commodities when needed was passed in the first reading as MPs demanded a twoweek period to introduce some amendments before approving it in the second and final round. The law gives the government the required authority to prevent cheating and artificial increase in prices of commodities, especially essential consumer commodities.

MPs however said the law is not sufficient to provide complete protection to consumers. MP Khaled AlAdwah said the value of the dinar is slipping and prices in Kuwait are higher than in neighbouring Gulf states, which is evidence that there is no sufficient supervision over prices. MP Taher Al-Failakawi said Kuwait’s market and economy “are not entirely free as we claim” because customs do not allow anyone to import a commodity that has an agent in Kuwait, saying if a citizens buys a vehicle from Saudi Arabia, for example, the agent in Kuwait normally refuses to carry out maintenance or repairs. These practices are in breach of the constitution and the law, he said.

Continued on Page 3

May Day

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

Y

esterday the whole world celebrated what’s called Labour Day. In many countries this day is referred to as May Day. You might wonder what the origin of the idea was. I read that it started in the first years of 1800 during the Industrial Revolution. Each country has claimed that they initiated the first Labour Day. It does not matter who was first. The idea to dedicate a day to labourers and workers is great. The idea in the past helped regulate shorter work hours for labourers. Through the years it has become stronger with the support of labour unions. This resulted in greater benefits for the labour forces which many of us are enjoying in many different countries today.

I do not know why usually this day is accompanied by many marches where groups of people express their thoughts in placards which they carry around. I have no idea if this day has started to lose it glamour with time. Does it mean anything to workers besides being a day off and people gathering with their families outdoors? In my opinion, maybe Labour Day is respected in the West and not so much in the Third World which has been grasped by high unemployment and poverty. Does the Third World give a damn for Labour Day? Many such countries employ young children. Do they observe May Day? This day could be a mayday, mayday call for help for the Third World and not the May Day of the West.

Of course in the Third World we are not even taking a day off on Labour Day When I say the Third Work I talk about the Middle East and the Gulf countries. Especially in the Gulf where we have so many holidays, we do not need to add another holiday to the list. India celebrates this day. Bless the Japanese.

For them it is just a day off. In India and Pakistan, they hold marches. It is a very big day in China too.

I hope that day will remind people about the struggles of workers and how to enhance their lives and that it will still be celebrated with the true meaning of Labour Day and not just become something like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s day. Labour Day is not about exchanges of presents.

It is about remembering and appreciating those around us who build our houses, handle our bank accounts, take care of our children and prepare the food we buy and eat.

I hope next year we will take the initiative to celebrate this day with all the expats in Kuwait with more tolerance and appreciation.

Have a good day!

SANTIAGO, Chile: Demonstrators clash with the police during a May Day march yesterday. — AFP

May Day protests against austerity, ‘slave labour’ MADRID: Tens of thousands of angry protesters staged traditional May Day rallies in several countries of the crisiswracked eurozone yesterday, as fury erupted at demonstrations in Bangladesh after a deadly building collapse.

Although numbers were lower than in previous years, thousands took to the streets in Spain, some brandishing flags reading “6,202,700”, a reference to the record number out of work in the recession-hit country. “This austerity is ruining and killing us,” read one banner in Madrid, blasting the unpopular German-led policy of squeezing budgets in response to the eurozone’s three-year debt crisis.

Meanwhile, a strike in Greece stopped ferry services and disrupted public transport in Athens as workers marched against austerity in a country whose jobless rate is also around 27 percent. Waving brightly coloured protest flags, nearly 13,000 people answered the call of unions and leftist groups to rally in the country, facing its sixth year of recession and making painful job cuts in efforts to appease international creditors.” We only feel insecurity. There is no motive for us to study, nothing is certain,” 21-year-old student Giorgos Tavoularis told AFP. Unemployment has reached a staggering 59 percent among Greece’s under-25s.

In France, where unemployment has also hit a record high of 3.2 million people, the National Front party of extreme rightist Marine Le Pen, which also traditionally

3 more held over Boston bombings BOSTON/WASHINGTON: US authorities yesterday charged three men with interfering with the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing, accusing two students from Kazakhstan of hiding a laptop computer and backpack belonging to one of the suspected bombers. The third man, a US citizen named Robel Phillipos, was charged with making false statements to investigators. The three were described as friends of surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. They were not charged with direct involvement in the April 15 Marathon bombings, which killed three people and injured 264.

Authorities charged the two Kazakhs, Azamat Tazhayakov, 19 and Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, with conspiring to obstruct justice by disposing of a backpack containing fireworks they found in Tsarnaev’s dorm room. Tsarnaev, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, is being held at a prison hospital where he is recovering from wounds sustained in a gun battle with police. His older brother, Tamerlan, died in the gunfight.

According to court papers unsealed yester-

day, the three men admitted to investigators that they had removed Tsarnaev’s backpack from his dorm room on April 18 - the day that investigators released photos of the Tsarnaev brothers, saying they were suspects in the bombing. Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov decided to “get rid of” the backpack, as well as a laptop computer and fireworks, after seeing reports that suggested their friend was one of the bombers, the criminal complaint said.

After seeing Tsarnaev’s photo in TV news reports on the bombing investigation, Kadyrbayev texted the younger Tsarnaev to say that he resembled the suspect, according to the complaint. Tsarnaev’s response included the phrase “lol” and “you better not text me”, as well as “come to my room and take whatever you want”, according to court papers. Tsarnaev’s roommate let the three new suspects into his room, where they found a backpack including fireworks that had been emptied of explosive powder. They decided to remove the backpack to help their friend “avoid trouble”, according to court papers. — Reuters

marches on May 1, called for a light of hope in a France “locked in the darkness of Europe”. France “is sinking into an absurd policy of endless austerity ... because it’s about always saying yes to Brussels, to Berlin of course, and to financial moguls in all circumstances,” she said.

Pope Francis used a private mass in his residence to mark May Day, urging political leaders to fight unemployment in a sweeping critique of “selfish profit” which he said “goes against God”. He slammed as “slave labour” conditions in the Bangladesh factory that collapsed last week killing more than 400 workers, with employees paid just €38 ($50) a month. In Dhaka, protesters held red banners and flags chanting “Hang the Killers, Hang the Factory Owners” after the devastating collapse of the garment factory, as rescuers warned the final toll could surpass 500.

Police put the number of protesters at the main rally at more than 20,000, and there were smaller-scale protests elsewhere in the Bangladeshi capital and in other cities.

In Turkey’s biggest city Istanbul, police fired tear gas and water cannon at stone-throwing protesters trying to gather for a banned demonstration. More than 30 people, mostly police, were injured and 72 arrests were made as fighting erupted in three neighbourhoods leading to Taksim Square - a traditional hub for leftist May Day protests - where the authorities had blocked off the streets. — AFP (See Page 21)

Turkmen president falls from horse, state media silent MOSCOW: Turkmenistan’s equestrian-mad President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov suffered a spectacular fall from his horse after a race, according to Internet videos, but state media in the isolated ex-Soviet state maintained a rigid silence on the incident.

Berdymukhamedov suffered the fall seconds after he won a kilometre-long horse race in Ashgabat on his favourite mount Berkarar (The Powerful) at an annual horse festival on Sunday celebrating the elite Turkmen Akhal-Teke breed. The videos show a man identified as the president and dressed in traditional riding robes being thrown to the ground as the horse appears to stutter just after crossing the finishing line.

The figure lies motionless face down in the race track sands for several seconds before dozens of black-suited security officials run from the stands and hide him from view. Eventually a van appears and takes him away. The video goes on to show a figure resembling Berdymukhamedov later waving to the applauding crowd in an apparent bid to show all is well.

Turkmenistan state media this week reported in great detail on the president’s victory in the horse race, which won him a cash prize of $11 million, all of which he donated to an official horse fund.

Government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan devoted four pages to his victory in a report headlined “The Striving of the Nation, The Striving of the Leader”, with six giant pictures of the president in national costume. But there was no mention of the president’s potentially serious mishap in the press or on television.

The race was shown on state television, but the footage cuts abruptly just after the finish. — AFP

Saudi flash floods kill 16 RIYADH: Sixteen people have died and three more are missing in Saudi Arabia after downpours caused flash floods in several areas of the desert kingdom, the civil defence authorities said yesterday. Two others died in flash floods in neighbouring Oman, local media reported, as cloudbursts swept across most Gulf countries. The official Saudi SPA state news agency quoted a civil defence statement as saying people died in several areas including in the capital Riyadh, Baha in the south, Hail in the north and in the west.

Earlier yesterday, the kingdom said 13 people had died and four were missing but later the civil defence statement updated the toll saying “the number of dead bodies retrieved until midday has risen to 16”. It urged people to avoid wadi valleys and plains that have been flooded by heavy rainfall that began on Friday. Television footage showed 4X4 cars stuck in the middle of wadis and people clinging to a tree to escape fast-flowing floodwaters.

The vast Arabian Peninsula country has not experienced such a high volume of rainfall for 25 years. But around 10 people were killed in 2011 when flooding swept through the western city of Jeddah, where 123 people also perished in floods in 2009. The inability of Jeddah’s infrastructure to drain off flood waters and uncontrolled construction in and around the city were blamed at the time for the high number of victims. — AFP

RIYADH: Vehicles drive on a flooded street in the north of the Saudi capital yesterday. — AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LOCAL

Increase in expats’ public services fees ‘necessary’ ‘A burden on the state’ KUWAIT: The government has sent a draft law to the parliament stipulating an increase in fees collected from expatriate residents for using public services in Kuwait, a senior state official said in statements reported yesterday by the local press. Minister of Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah further indicated that the proposal is currently under review primarily to ensure it was in keeping with the constitution.

“The state pays KD6 billion to subsidize public services, including electricity and water, while only KD2 billion of it is the average share of Kuwaitis,” he told a gathering of third constituency women voters at MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi’s dewaniya on Monday night. He also termed the remaining KD4 billion, a cost which supposedly the government bears for services used by expatriates, “a burden on the state.”

Al-Sabah, who is also the State Minister for Municipality Affairs, added that similar steps have been adopted in the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council states to increase the state revenue from expatriates.

“Unfortunately, Kuwait’s law prohibits the government from increasing the fees unilaterally,” he said, referring to regulations which stipulate that such decisions must be passed by the parliament before becoming effective.

The minister’s statement is the latest turn in the government’s efforts seen targeted at the country’s expatriate community which comprises two thirds of the population, including a Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor announcement to deport 100,000 foreigners annually as part of a ‘demographic balance restoration plan’; the details of which are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, Undersecretary Assistant for Traffic Affairs in the Interior Ministry, Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali, announced that 213 expats were deported in the past few days for committing ‘grave’ traffic violations.

In this regard, Al-Ali told Al-Rai on Tuesday that deportations only happen in cases where people have a record of repeated violations.

“An expatriate who commits the same violation over and over again must be deported in the public interest,” he said, calling a person in

this case as “abnormal” and “untreatable.”

According to the ministry, the violations warranting deportation include driving without a driver’s license, jumping the red traffic light for a second time, using private vehicles to carry passengers and exceeding speed limits by 40 km. Al-Ali refuted the notion that the recent deportations were connected to the MSAL’s plan mentioned above.

Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra Al-Rashidi had indicated that the annual deportation plan, through which the government hopes to deport a million foreigners in ten years, is chiefly going to target ‘marginal labor forces’ or workers who usually accept menial jobs and often live without valid visas.

Such workers are often the victim of visa traffickers who exploit loopholes in the ministry’s system to release work permits in the name of fake companies or nonexistent job openings, and then sell them to unskilled labor forces looking for a chance to work in the oil-rich Gulf region. The system is based on the kafala (sponsorship of foreign workers) program which is often criticized by international

organizations for human right violations recorded in Kuwait and the entire region.

On a related note, Al-Rai reported yesterday that the social affairs and interior ministries are studying the possibility of creating an ‘amnesty period’ during the summer to allow illegal residents to leave Kuwait or obtain a new visa without paying the cumulative fines. Anonymous sources were quoted in the report as saying that the project depends on the two ministries’ ability to “plug some loopholes” which could make violators irresponsive to it.

“For example, we cannot expect Bengalese nationals staying illegally in Kuwait to leave when they know that they will be banned by law in this case from ever returning to Kuwait,” one source explained. “There are violators who become stuck in Kuwait due to circumstances in their home countries combined with regulations that prevent them from issuing a residency in Kuwait. Legal obstacles in similar cases need to be removed before an amnesty period is announced,” the source added.

Municipality inspections in Fahaheel

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Ahmadi governorate municipality branch has conducted a surprise inspection of bakeries and restaurants in Fahaheel area that supply meals to schools.

Municipality branch director Fahad AlDughaim stated that he recommended strict monitoring of companies and restaurants that supply meals to Ahmadi governorate schools. He also conducted weekly meetings with the inspectors in order to ensure that all necessary steps were taken.

Based on the instructions of the branch

manager during the weekly meetings, foodstuff supervisor Jaza Al-Deehani said, a plan was made to monitor companies and restaurants supplying meals to the schools. Jameel Al-Hjailan, a member of an educational activities committee, worked in coordination with a number of inspectors in order to inspect restaurants, collect food samples and send them to the Ministry of Health (MOH) labs.

The aim of the campaign is to protect the health of students. A list of schools was prepared so that training could be provided to their food suppliers on how to store food items in a safe way and maintain their quality.

The campaign resulted in the sending of 10 samples to MOH labs. Three suppliers were found whose health documents had expired.

One of them said the staff concerned were on leave and therefore could not be contacted for the time being.

Meanwhile, Kuwait municipality continued its surprise inspection campaign to check the vendors and thus keep protected the citizens and the expats from a health point of view.

The Farwaniya municipality branch carried out several campaigns in the governorate at Reqie, Al-Ardiya, Al-Farwaniya and Khaitan.

The campaign resulted in confiscation of 394 CDs and 89 citations, of which 59 citations were handed out to vendors and 30 for blocking roads. A total of six kgs of used clothes and shoes were confiscated. The inspectors also confiscated four half lorry loads of vegetables and fruits besides some subsidized food supplies, including six bags of rice, each weighing two kgs, three gallons of cooking oil and six tins of milk powder.

Municipality officials called upon citizens and expats to call the hot line number 139 which operates round the clock to lodge any complaint.

Kuwait ‘a land of culture’ DOHA: “Kuwait is a land of culture and literature that taught us a lot,” said Qatar’s Minister of Culture Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari at the State Prize for the Literature of Children ceremony. The winning children book “Solomon (PBUH) and the Smart Ant” by Kuwaiti writer Omaymah Abdulaziz Al-Essa reflects unique cultural creativity of Kuwaitis, Al-Kuwari said after the State Prize’s fourth session that took place at the Qatar National Theatre.

“The State Prize for Literature of Children is not only for Qatar, but for all Arabs and in particular, for our people in the Gulf,” noted Al-Kuwari, expressing his happiness over the winning of Al-Essa. Al-Kuwari called on all Kuwaitis to participate at the cultural and artistic events in Qatar, adding “we all need each other’s support, because together, we can do a lot.” He stressed that the prize aims at encouraging Arab writers to produce more literary works in order to elevate level of intellectuality among Arab children. The prize is distributed to all Arab ministries as well as Arab societies concerned with childhood, he added.

The prize this year has altered the readable product into a visual and an audible one, the culture minister said, indicating that the play “The Cave of Luck” written by Abdu Othman Mohammad and directed by the young Kuwaiti director Yousef Al-Hashash was performed at the ceremony. Kuwaiti Ambassador to Qatar Salman Al-Haifi stressed the importance of paying more attention to intellectuality as it has a significant impact in building and developing nations. The ambassador expressed his pride over Kuwait’s wins during a short period of time, which emphasizes that the Kuwaiti citizen has a solid intellectual foundation from which he/she can be creative in all fields.

Kuwait, GCC countries and Arabs are proud of the winnings of Al-Essa, Saud Al-Sanousi of the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) on his novel “The Bamboo Stalk” and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) that won the Sheikh Zayed Award for Publishing and Techniques of Culture. He said he was keen on attending the honoring ceremony of Al-Essa as he congratulated her over this prestigious award, which was a result of her considerable efforts. —KUNA

No Safaa-Rola verbal exchange KUWAIT: Member of Parliament Safaa Al-Hashim denied that there were differences or that any verbal exchange took place between her and minister Rola Dashti. She said both of them discussed the issue of the strike of “planning” employees, and she asked her to respond to their demands.

She said Minister Rola has invited her to her office next Sunday to see what her plans were. She said that Rola used Article 184 of the internal rules repeatedly to postpone investigation committees’ requests during the National Assembly session on Tuesday. She said this made her wonder and say: “We are fed-up with this record.” She said by this she meant postponement.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LOCAL

Fauchon opens new flagship store Major developments last year

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Fauchon launched its fourth branch in Kuwait yesterday at Prestige, The Avenues. Samy Vischel, Area Manager of Fauchon Middle East said this branch may well end up winning the best cafe restaurant worldwide award by Fauchon Paris for this year. He also expected it to emerge as No 1 in sales. While consolidating its position in traditional markets in Europe and Asia, Fauchon is focusing on the Middle East with a new flagship store just being opened in Kuwait. Kuwait plays a major role

Boutiqueat at Crowne Plaza Hotel, followed by additional branches in 2007 at the luxurious Salhiya Complex and in 2010 in the exclusive 360 Mall where it was awarded in 2012 as “ Best cafe/restaurant” by the Mall, as well as the prestigious award from Fauchon Paris of “Best F&B outlet.”

Fauchon Kuwait witnessed major developments in 2012-13 when it saw the launch of its high end “Events & Catering department” offering catering services of the highest quality for all types and sizes of events. Fauchon Catering has also gone to the next

KUWAIT: The Fauchon Cafe and Restaurant at Prestige, The Avenues. in Fauchon’s strategy of expansion in the Middle East. This journey began with the opening of the first branch in Qatar in 1994, followed by two stores in Cairo, and eventually making its Kuwaiti debut in 2004. It currently has four stores in prime locations around the country.

Created in 1886, Fauchon is renowned for contemporary luxury cuisine, and is internationally recognized for its pursuit of excellence and the creation of unique combinations of flavor. Fauchon, the Ambassador for French Culinar y Culture worldwide, owned by Michel Ducros, joined forces with the Buk hamseen Group (Al Houda Hotels and Tourism) in 2004 to enter the Kuwaiti market, with the opening of the first outlet as the classic Salon de the & Gourmet Chocolate

level by being the only and exclusive caterer of the new Al Baraka Grand Ballroom, which currently stands as the largest and most prestigious Ballroom in the country.

Today the new flagship store in Avenues Mall- Prestige, which is Kuwait’s latest luxury shopping center, has opened its doors as a Cafe-restaurant combined with a Gourmet Boutique. With its central kitchen and pastry lab, Fauchon provides its esteemed customers with the company ’s key fresh French gourmet products for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including Fauchon’s famous pastries, with its signature Èclairs and macaroons. The store also offers a wide range of confectionary, fine groceries, per fumed teas and chocolates including the new “Choc, Made in F” collection.

In 2011-2012, Fauchon retail sales reached Euro 169 million, from which 70% is made internationally through more than 450 sales outlets, including 51 branded stores in more than 50 countries.

Fauchon Kuwait, with its high standard of services, has captured the loyalty and trust of high-end clientele in the county and is now looking for ward to new expansion plans within the country in the near future.

“Launching in Prestige, Avenues is matching our standard and will help capture our VIP clientele, mostly Kuwaiti ladies, and because we have a lot of ladies, also men who want to please the ladies,” Samy Vischel told the Kuwait Times yesterday.

Fauchon’s first shop in Kuwait was launched in 2004. “Our partner Abu Khamseen continues this development. We have many future projects also in Kuwait, so our expansion is not over. Nothing is planned in terms of dates. We opened about 10 flagship stores in the last two years, in Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, Qatar, and others. We also have new projects coming soon including Bahrain, Oman and in KSA with two flagship stores, one in Jeddah and the other in Riyadh, which should open by the end of 2013,” he added.

“We are always expanding and changing the products. We have a new pastry every six months, and occasional cakes on Christmas, Ramadan and Valentine’s Day. Basically, if you visited our shop every month, you will find something new. The new menu is coming in June, and also new chocolate is coming in November. We like to listen to our clients and to mix cultures, to bring taste in the Middle East as far cakes and pastries are concerned and also in case of our chocolates. So we launched chocolate with rose and cardamom flavors, also a pastry in saffron flavor, and for Ramadan one with pistachio and Ashta. Our menu is changed ever y six months,” he further said.

Fauchon has a variety of more than 2000 products in Fauchon Paris. “ We can cater to their requests. Our head office is in Dubai. We have staff which travels

all over the region to train our franchisees, to give support and to stay closer to our customers. We have to understand the mindset of the Middle East and Kuwait where people adopt our products. And to follow-up on the quality of the brand which is our main target. We are always profiting from the quality, service and excellence, as we have only fresh products in the kitchen. Every day we make the food fresh, and nothing is frozen, so we have to control the quality,” stressed Vischel. “ Thanks to Chef Thierr y, we ensure the best quality, as he is working for Fauchon Kuwait for more than three years now. He is working with all the branches in Kuwait, and also closely working with the chefs in Dubai, who are more into development and training. Our staff is a mix of different nationalities, and all our top executives and top management are from France. The raw material flour and chocolate are from France. We also use products that we can find locally. We have the best ingredients,” he pointed out.

“Last year the Fauchon at 360 Mall won the award for best cafÈ restaurant worldwide in 2012 by the Fauchon Paris. I believe that in 2013 Fauchon Avenue has good chance to win the award.

According to sales, this branch will be the best, as we just opened this shop and we see the demand there. This shop exactly reflects the image we want to have all over the world-French Luxur y Food with modern and trendy touch,” he stated.

“We have a large offer from chinaware but our best seller is the chocolate with the tray. Also, there are small gifts for new born baby, wedding etc. In terms of retail and boutique, we are the best shop, and have everything related to French luxury food. We are the best in the market, thanks to our staff and Mr. Jimmy, who is in charge of service training as he has been working with Fauchon for the last nine years. Also I would like to thank Mohammed Bseiso, GM of Al Baraka Grand Ballroom and Fauchon -Paris for the last three years now,” concluded Vischel.

Man killed in Kabd accident

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A car accident at Kabd in between two fences has resulted in the death of a 51-year-old Kuwaiti man on the spot. His body was sent to the medical examiner.

Another car accident, at the 4th R i n g R o a d o p p o s i te Ya r m o u k , resulted in injuries to the right arm of a 23-year- old Kuwaiti woman

a n d t h e h e a d o f a 3 1 - ye a r - o l d Jordanian woman, along with mult i p l e i n j u r i e s to a 3 0 - ye a r - o l d Kuwaiti woman. All were taken to Al-Sabah Hospital.

Meanwhile, an Indian expat fell f ro m a n e l e v a te d a re a a t A l M a h b o u l a , s i t u a te d o p p o s i te Lateefa Mosque. The 27-year-old man broke his left leg as a result and was taken to Al-Adan Hospital.

Elsewhere, a car accident at the Sixth Ring Road opposite Al-Jahra I ndustrial Area caused multiple injuries to a 26-year-old bedoon person, who was then taken to AlJahra Hospital.

A fight broke out at the Friday market in Al-Rai Area, resulting in injuries to the face of a 19-year-old Kuwaiti man. He was later taken to Al-Sabah Hospital.

Number portability still not implemented KUWAIT: Contrary to all promises, the month of April passed without the implementation of cell phone number portability between the three mobile companies (Zain - AlWataniya - Viva). The Communication Minister had promised that the new system would be implemented, but even the last deadline set for the month of April also passed by, and all we heard was a lot of noise without any results.

Meanwhile, many economic observers and those concerned with the communications sector seemed pessimistic towards implementation of the promised facility to retain the same number while changing the service provider. They said such a system would not kick in without the existence of a communications authority to regulate the communication sector. The authority has been an idea in waiting for a long time. The observers said they will not be surprised if the proposed plan of number portability is not achieved even by the end of this year.

KISR-Municipality land dispute KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research has accused the municipality of taking over a piece of land belonging to the institute and giving it to a private company that leased it indirectly.

Minister of Higher Education Nayef Al-Hajraf wrote a letter to the general secretary of the council of ministers, Abdullateef Al-Roudhan, saying that the municipal council had allotted a site - spread over an area of 1 million square metres, near Khor Iskandar - to KISR to conduct experiments on shrimps.

Later, the area allocated was reduced to 217,000 square metres, as per a municipal council decision.

Based on that, the institute signed a lease agreement with state property administration, which operates under the Ministry of Finance, on

the allocated piece of land.

Since then, the institute continued to pay the rent, as per that contract. Later, the institute was surprised to note that municipal council had deducted 72,000 square metres from the land and given it to a private fishing company for fish farming purposes.

That is because the institute had not given up the land. The company’s contract with state property administration is valid until August 2014.

However, the company did not carry out its activities at the site and instead subleased the site to communication companies. In order to get the land back, KISR wrote to the municipal council and Kuwait municipality, but has received no answer yet.

Assembly approves laws on...

Continued from Page 1 MP Yacoub Al-Sane said the legislation deals with monitoring prices and does not talk about monopoly, and accordingly is incomplete.

MP Adnan Abdulsamad described the law as very important but said the problem in Kuwait lies in the lack of competition because of monopoly by influential cartels and the fact that the anti-trust (competition) law is not implemented. The Assembly also passed a law that would compensate Kuwaiti women married to foreign spouses for social and children allowances although the government clearly

said it will not accept the law. A majority of MPs described the law as just and fair but some others like MP Nawaf Al-Fuzai said the law encourages Kuwaiti women to marr y foreigners. The government failed to delay the debate and approval of the law but MPs rejected the attempt. Later, the Assembly rejected another attempt to remove the children’s allowance from the law.

The Assembly rejected a proposal to hold a special debate on statements by senior ruling family member Sheikh Ahmad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the son of the late Amir about tribes and the current political crisis in Kuwait. The Assembly

meets today in a special session to study the problem of unemployment in Kuwait and the measures taken by the government to face the problem.

In another development, the criminal court yesterday sentenced Saudi tweeter Abdullah Al-Mutairi to five years in prison in absentia over charges that he insulted HH the Amir and undermined his authorities. The court also ordered him to be deported after serving the jail term which Mutairi can object to whenever he faces the court. In addition, he can appeal the ruling to the court of appeals and the supreme court, whose verdicts are final.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait took part in the ninth annual job exhibition organized by the American University of Kuwait during the final week of April.

NA approves bill on encouragement of direct investments in Kuwait KUWAIT: Kuwait’s National Assembly approved at its regular supplementary meeting yesterday a bill on the encouragement of direct investments in the country.

The first reading saw the approval of 43 out of 46 MPs attending the session - one rejection and the abstention of two MPs. According to the explanatory memorandum of the bill as stated in the report of the Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, the first article stated the definition of terms and phrases contained in the draft law, while Article II states establishment of a Kuwait-based Commission which enjoys a legal personality to be attached to the Minister of Commerce and Industry to be called (direct investment promotion authority).

Article III identified targets under which the authority shall exercise its functions, while Article IV included the terms of reference enabling the authority to achieve its goals.

Article V defines the way the Board of Directors of the Authority is formed so as to be chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry and membership of four representatives of the ministries and government bodies.

Article VII deals with the rules to prevent

conflicts of interest in the administration of the Commission and Article VIII stipulates that the Council has all the powers necessar y to achieve the objectives of the Commission.

Article X states that the body shall have an attached budget with its fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year of the state.

Article 11 states that the Council of Ministers be tasked with identifying a list of direct investments that are not subject to the provisions of this law and has the right to update them in light of the public policy of the state and according to plans proposed by the Board of Directors of the Authority in this regard.

Article 12 identified cases of investment subject to the provisions of this law so as to be through an investment entity, while Article 13 states that the bylaws must indicate the rules and procedures for the submission and registration requests to obtain the appropriate license in the cases provided for in this law.

Article 16 stipulates that the decision to reject the license application must be written and reasoned while Article 17 calls for the establishment of the unified window comprising authorized officials from the relevant governmental bodies. —KUNA

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwaiti footballer admits relationship with minor Serviceman held for damaging cars KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti footballer was detained after he admitted involvement in a sexual relationship with a minor who reportedly left her home country to come and meet him in Kuwait. The arrest happened on Tuesday, four days after a Dutch national reported his 17-year-old sister as missing in Kuwait after she arrived here on April 21, according to investigations carried out by authorities in Amsterdam. The complainant was reportedly escorted to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station soon after arriving at the Kuwait International Airport to look for his missing sister.

Detectives eventually found the girl, who is of an Arab descent, inside a Salmiya apartment. She admitted that she was staying with her Kuwaiti boyfriend and said she had decided to leave her family and her home country to be with that man. The man in question was identified as a 29-year-old athlete who is also a member of Kuwait’s national football team. He was put behind bars after admitting that he and the underage girl had a sexual relationship. Authorities reportedly handed over the girl to the Dutch embassy which was preparing to send her back home. The suspect was charged with defilement of a minor, and currently remains in custody pending legal procedures.

Work mishap A construction worker was killed in a work place accident reported on Tuesday but preliminary investigations indicated no foul play was involved. The 50-year-old Egyptian man was pronounced dead on the scene - an under construction building in Hawally. His co-workers said that he lost balance while working at the top floor and fell to the ground. The body was taken to the coroner after investigators examined the scene. A case was filed. (Rai) Maid kidnapped Search is on for a domestic worker who disappeared and later said in a phone call that she has been kidnapped. The housemaid’s employer filed a case at the Taima police station after receiving a call from the domestic worker’s recruitment office where the victim reportedly called. The woman repor tedly said that she was abducted by two dark-skinned men. The call was soon disconnected. Police tried to call back the same number but the phone

was out of the coverage area. Detectives are currently trying to locate the woman and reveal the mystery behind her disappearance. (Rai) Serviceman held A military serviceman was being held pending investigations into why he habitually vandalized cars parked in his neighborhood. Rumaithiya police had launched investigations after receiving 21 complaints from local residents who reported that their vehicles were being damaged.

They arrested a man on Monday morning who was seen vandalizing luxury cars using a screwdriver, while dressed in a military suit. The man admitted to damaging 25 luxury cars in total, but failed to provide an explanation for his actions. He was held and will be sent to the Public Prosecution to face charges.

Meanwhile, Hawally police arrested three teenagers who confessed to damaging many cars in Jabriya. The juveniles, all of them Iranians, were caught red-handed while targeting a luxury vehicle that was being monitored at a public parking lot.

The three admitted to stealing various items from the cars they broke into. They were referred to the juveniles prosecution department for further action.

Illegal residents Thirty four people were arrested during a crackdown on illegal residents carried out on Tuesday in Farwaniya and Khaitan.

The detainees, who were arrested for multiple violations of labor and residency laws, were referred to the proper authorities in order to be deported. In the meantime, Salmiya police arrested 32 people in a similar crackdown carried out simultaneously in the area.

TEC Chess Championship concluded KUWAIT: The 2nd annual TEC Chess Championship concluded on Monday at the Yachts Club following a ceremony where top finalists were rewarded.

More than a hundred competitors from different age groups and representing 14 countries participated in the event that was organized by the Touristic Enterprises Company in cooperation with the Kuwait Mind Sports Club.

Badr Al-Hajri was crowned as the tournament’s champion and handed a KD250 ‘First Place’ prize. Mohammad Ahmad finished second and received a KD200 ‘Second Place’ prize, followed by Mohammad AlYaghshi who was rewarded with a KD150 prize. Ahmad Taha and Akram Ahmad were rewarded KD100 and KD50 after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

The organizers also rewarded the top three finalists in the women’s competition, Nadiya Cesar, Zubaiyda Saif and Suad Al-Kandari, with KD50 prize each, and the top five finalists in the junior’s competition.

Search for thief Search is on for a man believed to be behind many instances of mugging while impersonating as a police officer. The suspect, identified as an unemployed stateless resident, had escaped on foot following a car chase in Salmiya. The chase began after he ignored police’s orders to pull over. Officers searched the car that he left behind, and found a police suit, 20 civil IDs, a number of valuable items believed to be stolen property, as well as items usually used in robbery. Investigations are ongoing.

Cultural Office offers bedoon health insurance KUWAIT: Fire fighters from Hawally and technical rescue center rushed to Jabriya yesterday after they received a report about a young girl whose hand had gotten stuck in a water sewage trap cover. Firemen had to rush the girl to Mubarak Hospital as a precautionary measure, where they cut away the metal piece and succeeded in releasing the girl’s hand without causing any injury to the girl. —Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

AMMAN: Kuwait’s Cultural Attache to Jordan Mohammad Al-Thefiri and the CEO of Public Services Company Bader Muneef Al-Enizi signed a memorandum of understanding according to which the company would cover costs of health insurance offered to illegal residents (bedoon) with scholarships from

Kuwait to study in Jordan. Dr AlThefiri said following the signing of the memorandum said the PSC is responsible for any financial costs of the health insurance for bedoon students in Jordan, similar to a previously signed memorandum including bedoon students in Egypt.

He emphasized importance of

such a memorandum and its great positive impact on the educational progress of the bedoon students.

This reflects the distinguished role Kuwait plays in supporting education in the country and abroad through public and governmental institutions, he affirmed.

Kuwaiti Cultural Office in Jordan

is exerting all possible efforts in favor of success of the initiative by collecting the data about bedoon students, and continuously contacting and informing them about locations and appointments of their medical follow-ups, in coordination with the Kuwaiti Health Office in Jordan.— KUNA

Kuwait donates to UN office in East Jerusalem GEVEVA: Head of Kuwait’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Ambassador Dharar Al-Razouqi has announced that part of Kuwait’s donation to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) will be directed to the United Nations Office in East Jerusalem.

“Kuwait aims, through this move, to send a clear message about the need to strengthen the UN presence in East Jerusalem to help desperate Palestinians and enforce the UN resolutions,” Razouqi said yesterday after a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

He unveiled that Pillay admitted that the Israeli government is taking no serious steps to respect and improve human rights situation in the occupied Arab territories.

“But we still hope the UNCHR would help in tackling various problems there such as helping freeze construction of illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land,” Razouqi said.

He went on to say that “the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is well aware that the Israeli violations of human rights in the occupied territories impose a real threat to regional stability and it tirelessly presses Israel to implement all relevant UN resolutions including the execution of two-state solution”.

Razouqi also revealed that the UNCHR has not received yet any official response from Israel about its periodical human rights review report. He pointed out that Kuwait and other Arab members in the UNCHR are coordinating stances and waiting for the Israeli respond to the UN demand.

Razzouqi revealed that the Arab countries have announced next October as a deadline for UN-Israel negotiations about the later’s human rights report.

“If the deadline was not respected, the UNCHR Board has to take decisive measures” he stressed.

Israel became the first country to withhold cooperation from a United Nations review of its human rights practices last June. In response, the UN Human Right Council decided by consensus that its President, Remigiusz Henczel of Poland, should try to persuade Israel to resume cooperation with the review, with an eye on rescheduling Israel’s review at the latest in November. — KUNA

LOCAL

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

Zain honors Kuwait media

KUWAIT: Zain celebratory ceremony in progress at the Sahara Golf Club resort. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, held a celebratory ceremony at the Sahara Golf Club resort on Tuesday to honor all Kuwaiti based media for their continuous support and role in strengthening social and economic development within Kuwait and across the region.

During the ceremony, Zain highlighted the unwritten partnership between decision-makers and those responsible for broadcasting media messages, to achieve sustainable development. The company also recognized the tremendous support it has received from media in covering its fascinating journey over the years across the region in attaining enormous value creation for shareholders and for bringing world class and pioneering telecommunication services, not only in Kuwait but across two continents.

Commenting during the event, Omar Al-Omar, Zain Kuwait’s CEO said: “Media are Zain’s thrust that drives the company to provide dynamic telecommunication services to our customers. We consider media and press a key partner to the success we have achieved so far and we look forward for further cooperation in the future.” Al-

Omar took the opportunity to explain that the company will continue its pledge towards being the first and preferred provider in the mobile communications sector within Kuwait. It is worth mentioning that Zain was the first telecommunications company founded in the region in the field of mobile communications services in 1983, and in 1994 the company achieved a historic achievement then when it became the first operator to launch the GSM service on a commercial scale in the region. Since Zain Kuwait is considered the main driver of the Zain Group in Middle East and North Africa, the company in Kuwait still holds leadership in the market through its advanced network, which currently operates with the fourth-generation technology.

Furthermore, the company stated that due to decisive marketing plans that have been conducted in Kuwait, Zain was able to enhance its competitiveness and enhance the growth of its customer base, by expanding its customer base by 7% during the year 2012 to reach 2.3 million customers. The company attributed the growth of its customer base to the launch of a range of new smartphone devices like: iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S generations, Sony, and HTC.

Also contributing to the growth in customer base was the recent launch of 4G technology (LTE) and promoting devices with 4G LTE compatible operations, as well as other promotional offers such as Wiyana Gate, Zain Teen, Premier League, BlackBerry in the box, hybrids virtual private networks (“Hybrid VPN”) and 8 gigabytes. The company considered that the launch of the 4G LTE network is a significant benchmark in the journey of the company in the fourth quarter of 2012, whereby Zain’s network managed to cover 1765 stations.

It is worth noting that Zain customers enjoy an advanced call center service through the company’s dedicated call center on (107). The call center gathers professional call agents who respond to customer calls within 3 to 4 seconds and responds to customers enquiries or requests in only two minutes. Moving forward, Zain Kuwait seeks to achieve two key strategic objectives, namely: consistently exceed customer expectations in all points of contact, and the enhancement of the company’s data network through its recently launched 4G LTE technology, that will enhance the user experience.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LOCAL the column

Letters to Badrya

The challenges of change

Treat expats with dignity badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

By Fouad Al-Obaid

Fouadlobaid@kuwaittimes.net Twitter:@fouadalobaid

C

hange is perhaps the toughest thing a person can do, especially when we find ourselves addicted to certain habits that may, or may not be in our very best interest.

Change is a process that is necessary, one that is preferable to spearhead, rather than to end up being in a race you did not sign up for. On the political level, the changes happening in the region, in light of the presumed use of Sarin gas in Syria, are bringing home a very dangerous WMD cocktail. When coupled with the Bushehr nuclear reactor situated in an area known for its seismic fault lines, you have a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen. On a personal level, change is something natural. We all began as toddlers and some of us may very well come to blow their 100th birthday candles. We go into different stages, some in predictable cycles, others are for us to find and deal with as we go. Some people nevertheless, believe that Karma is out to get them that they are always on the receiving end of changes happening around them. In the work place, a change of management may lead to a radical change in the modus operandi in that given company/ministry. When such happens there are only two practical options; to remain idle and hope that the wind blowing will dissipate like the rain on a summer day, the smart will come to understand the opportunity that is presenting itself on their shore, and will work arduously to forward their own agenda.

Fear usually is the biggest barrier to a person bandwagon on the wave of change, for the security of the status quo may fool the person into believing that their limit are pre-set, and that even dreaming of grandeur is ludicrous! Incidentally, I recall a friend who was teasing a mutual acquaintance about his lack of dreams, poking him by telling him that even while in the la-la land of dreams, he is unable to conceive of bliss! Such people tend to be working against their very interest.

The discrepancy between the individual and the State are minor, for the State is a collective of individuals that share certain commonalities, just like individuals that understand the value of change and are able to ride its wave; States likewise go through cycles, those that will rise in the 21st century may not be those that we suspect. States that will understand, and perfect the dual art of asymmetric politics, and warfare will be those that will lead in their vicinity; and will emerge as the global leaders of tomorrow. Size in this context does not matter; it becomes a game of competitive advantage that begins with a competent human resource pool along with the availability present or future of financial surplus.

Change is the natural evolution of our days, months, and years, at the individual and state level, it becomes important to define and place under the right parameters the changes we want to see. To conclude, I would like to both laud and encourage the multiple area initiatives to clean, and to renovate public spaces within the areas by local Kuwaitis proud in their own ability to bring about positive change. You can see and follow their activities on Instagram on the following pages; @SurraME @MishrefME @QurtobaME to name a few active ones...

kuwait digest

Cancer patients ......a long story

By Dr. Khaled Ahmed Al-Saleh

C

ancer patients and I have come a long way since I specialized in cancer treatment. I have been seeing cancer patients for thirty years now, and have memories about some of them deeply engraved in my heart. Some of my patients managed to overcome their disease and returned to normal life forgetting all about their dilemmas and considering it an old story, one that they do not wish to recall. Some continued to live with the disease well into their later years till they passed away. Some passed the tests and won the reward for their ‘patience’. Some discovered the real essence of people surrounding them and found that some people who they had never noticed turned out to be true friends while some friends turned out to be real enemies.

Some wished they had been richer so that they could spend more on their treatment while others felt greatly depressed and miserable as their fortunes failed to help them heal or even console them in their solitude.

Some were visited by everybody out of love, respect and admiration including friends and foes while others were abandoned and rejected even by close friends.

In case of some, children were ready at all times to be of service while others’ offspring stopped visiting them even once in a blue moon. Some realized the true meaning of parents supporting them in distress and taking away their grief by their beatific smiles that would disappear as soon as they exited the hospital on their way out. At the same time, others again started neglecting their parents after being cured. Some lived in isolation even after they were cured, while others loved life even more and started enjoying it

although their cases were worsening. Some brought the medical staff great joy while others treated everybody badly.

Some had managed to bring up their offspring to be strong while facing various ordeals and became role models for them, while others only ended up training them to become annoyed. Some realized the worth of life and afterlife, thanks to their experience, while others lost sight of both.

There were patients who would ask us to diagnose, understand and deal with their diseases on a daily basis. I can frankly say that I only came to know them this close in recent years though I have known them for years. Who said cancer patients were so demanding! It is us who are giving and offering them so little.

Who said that they are nervous and itchy? It is us who do not know how to smile before them. Who said they were too depressed? It is us who do not socialize with them or listen to them. Who said they do not want to be treated in Kuwait?

It is us who do not provide them with enough proper medical service and time. We, the doctors and the entire medical and nursing staff, have not been close enough for the cancer patients. We did not listen, understood or did enough to help them. We were too busy, we are too busy.

It is high time everybody stopped yelling the word “cancer” in panic; it is high time we understood those patients. It is high time patients’ families learnt enough about this disease and how to support their kin to overcome it. There are many stories about people who succeeded in doing this in Kuwait. It is time everyone realized and was reassured that cancer treatment in Kuwait was good. —Al-Watan

Dear Badrya, I read your commentaries all the time and they are wonderful since you tell it like it is. As regards the expats, I interview/screen them daily for entry to a US base in Kuwait and, man do I come across some interesting stories, to say the least? Some are just broken hearted about living and working in Kuwait, but do so to support their families living elsewhere. I have been told stories such as expats being slapped, spit on, soda pop thrown at them, to outright aggravated assault. Most of them tell me they will file a police report for more serious crimes, but hardly get to hear from the police for deposition in their criminal case. I have even been told stories about how some expats simply do not go out of their residence during I ndependence Day because of fear of mistreatment.

I am a retired police commander with 26 years of police ser vice and this is unconscionable. My question to you is this: do you think this behaviour is random or is this the norm? Is there any state run program to educate people about how to treat each other with respect and dignity? Do you think this behaviour towards expats can change? Expat should be treated with respect and dignity as they have a right to live a good quality life like anyone else living in Kuwait.

Thank you for your great writings, it would be an absolute honour to meet you one day, just to shake your hand and thank you for your gifted writings and the way that you think and approach things. I salute you, Badrya.

Keep up the great work and remember this: “Never give up, never give in.”

Have a Great Day! With much respect, Steve.....

“Semper Fi” Dear Ms.Badrya , Gratitude.

I have just finished reading the article you wrote in the Kuwait Times. I want to tell you how much I appreciated your clearly written and thought-provoking article.

Thank you for your thorough research and clear writing.

Krish

In my view

Cementing ties with Turkey

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

T

here is a lot of talk going around in Kuwait about the market slowing down, salaries being delayed, and debtors’ payments not being credited. Sometimes, the delay in payments is happening even in the case of government contracts or by the contracting parties abroad. No one can deny the effect of the international financial crisis which is hitting business everywhere.

We are blessed in the GCC region, given that serious work is happening and our region’s leaders are keeping an eye on the threats that could reach us.

There is always that threat of war that becomes pronounced from time to time. Then, there is the issue of electricity shortages and water supply shortage.

I am proud of and glad at the wisdom of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Aahmad Al-Sabah, when he, thanks to his talent and diplomatic experience, was able to ensure internal stability in Kuwait.

Indeed, he had to grapple with many complex factors and ensured the supremacy of the rule of law, given the former MPs’ opposition or the external conditions which were no less hazardous.

The move to confirm that this existing parliament will continue is a positive sign that many international investors were waiting for.

One can see a regular flow of new local legislations supporting many international agreements aimed at protecting and promoting investments and even preventing double taxation.

The last important visit of His Highness the Amir to Turkey was just an example of strengthening the ties between the two countries, especially when Turkey stood by us strongly at a time when we were fighting to get back our freedom after a brutal invasion.

Obtaining the actual signatures of parties for eight agreements and MOAs for boosting relations with one important regional player in areas like aviation, education, health, culture and investment will surely improve mutual relationship.

We do need more such achievements and similar understanding with many more countries as we do have real good friends and allies in the international community.

Moreover, we definitely want to see our good friends with our warmest season greetings in our diwaniyas soon, especially since the holy month of Ramadan is approaching fast.

Such ties will surely help strengthen the bridges between great nations and will lead to everlasting stability, peace and security for all.

Dear Ms. Badrya, Good afternoon!

I often read your articles as you write on very topical issues. I appreciate you for your guts as you make direct observations and comments which are true. Bravo! Keep going.

I refer to your article on “Military Atmosphere” published yesterday, April 29. I am a law abiding person by nature as I have undergone the coveted military training back in India.

I have been in Kuwait for the past 19 years, working in senior managerial positions in reputed international organisations. I have been driving for the past 40 years, in India, Kuwait and European countries. I have even taken part in official car rallies and adventure drives. Despite my long driving experience, I am now terrified with the way the traffic rules are going to be implemented. It is true that not everyone is jumping the red signal for fun. Sometimes, it can happen even ‘accidently’ or as you rightly said “to save ourselves from the speeding car behind.’ It has happened with me once or twice in these 19 years in Kuwait.

To contain the traffic problems by getting rid of the expats is not a practical solution. Instead, the city should be further developed and unoccupied areas should be developed to reduce the density of population. The current situation is the result of unplanned construction of buildings, especially housing complexes, two/three storied buildings being replaced with eight/ten storied buildings.

Though it ends up increasing the number of flats, it does not lead to an increase in the infrastructure such as roads, parking space, drainage, etc. This results in high density of traffic on the roads, resulting in traffic congestion. Definitely, those expats without legal residence permit should be evicted from the country. However, the recent actions have created a sense of insecurity and fear amongst the expats.

This will lead to a vicious cycle. The expats have minimized their spending. Many business houses are experiencing a dip in the business.

This will result in cutting down on manpower and unemployment. The situation will only worsen further.

Yes, we should certainly encourage employment of Kuwaiti nationals. I have tried to employ young nationals in organisations, but failed because of their attitudes. They should be moulded from a young age to take up employment and to work like anyone else instead of living on state support.

I wish those in authority will reconsider their decisions and come out with fair and practical decisions for the overall growth of our state, Kuwait, and set an example for other states.

Best regards, Zac (Zachariah Joseph)

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

Knox mulls return to Italy, book launched

Bolivia president expels US government aid agency Page 10

Page 9

DAMASCUS: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, President Bashar Assad, center right, visits the Umayyad Electrical Station on May Day, a day after a powerful bomb hit the capital in Damascus, Syria, yesterday. — AP

Rebel gains in southern Syria Jordan plays ambivalent role in conflict AMMAN: The growing power of Islamist fighters in southern Syria is causing alarm in neighbouring Jordan, which backs rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad but fears those linked to al Qaeda.

Similar concerns among Syria’s other neighbours, including Turkey and Israel, are complicating an already disjointed world response to the bloody turmoil at the heart of the Middle East.

Jordan has allowed limited US military training of rebels on its territory. Some other fighters have crossed from the kingdom into Syria, although others, especially Islamists, have been intercepted and even put on trial.

Eighteen months ago, Jordan’s King Abdullah was the first Arab leader to urge Assad to step aside, but he used a visit to Washington last week to voice Jordan’s concern over “militant terrorist organisations” gaining ground along Syria’s southern frontier with the kingdom.

His comments in the Oval Office alongside US President Barack Obama underline fears that

Jordan’s national security is now threatened by Islamists in Syria whose hatred of Assad is matched only by their hostility to the proWestern monarchy.

As a result, senior diplomats in Amman say, Jordan has resisted pressure from Gulf Arab states to step up arms shipments to rebels it believes might one day turn against it.

Jordan is also concerned that Syria, which is widely believed to possess chemical weapons, might lash out in reprisal for any heightened Jordanian support for insurgents.

“The fire will not stop at our border and everybody knows that Jordan is as exposed as Syria,” Assad said two weeks ago in an interview which depicted al Qaeda as a security concern for both countries - a message which resonated with many Jordanians.

Syria’s rebel Nusra Front, one of the deadliest forces fighting to topple Assad, declared its allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahri earlier this month, formally cementing an alliance with

460 people killed in bloody month for Iraq BAGHDAD: Violence in Iraq rose sharply in April, killing 460 people, according to AFP figures, as May started off with attacks that left 13 people dead yesterday, including six police and four anti-Qaeda fighters.

The majority of the April deaths came during a wave of unrest that began near the end of the month when security forces moved on Sunni anti-government protesters in north Iraq, sparking clashes that killed 53 people.

Dozens more people died in subsequent violence that included revenge attacks on security forces, raising fears of a return to the all-out sectarian conflict that cost tens of thousands of lives in Iraq from 2006 to 2008.

It was the deadliest violence so far linked to protests that broke out in Sunni areas of Shiite-majority Iraq more than four months ago. The protesters have called for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, to quit, and railed against authorities for allegedly targeting their community with wrongful detentions and accusations of involvement in terrorism.

Unrest in April also wounded 1,219 people, according to the AFP figures, which are based on reports from security and medical sources. Among the dead in April were 54 police, 53 soldiers, 14 Sahwa anti-Qaeda militiamen, and two members of the Kurdish security forces.

The wounded included 171 police, 76 soldiers, eight Sahwa fighters and five Kurdish security forces members. The majority of the rest of those killed and wounded in April were civilians, although the figures also include some gunmen who died or were injured in clashes with security forces. In March, 271 people were killed and 906 wounded in violence, though those figures only included security forces and civilians. The month of May began with more deadly attacks. A suicide bomber targeted Sahwa militiamen who were gathering to receive their pay in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, killing four Sahwa fighters and a high-ranking police officer, police and a doctor said. The Sahwa, which means ìAwakeningî in Arabic, are made up of Sunni Arab tribesmen who joined forces with the US military against Al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping turn the tide against the insurgency.

They are regarded as traitors by Sunni militants and frequently targeted in attacks. A car bomb in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, killed three police on Wednesday, while another in the capital left three people dead, and gunmen killed two police near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, security and medical officials said.—AFP

a group which has targeted Jordan in the past.

At the same time, Nusra Front fighters and other rebels have opened a new battlefront in southern Syria, a move which Assad blamed on the infiltration of thousands of militants from Jordan, seizing military posts and swathes of land. “The security threat comes from the Nusra Front and the radical Islamic groups - if they win and are stationed on the Jordanian border, that causes problems from the army’s perspective,” said retired Jordanian Major-General Fayez Dwairi.

Jordanian officials, who asked not to be identified, said limited security cooperation with Damascus was continuing.

As well as the danger of fighting spilling over its border from Syria’s southern province of Deraa, Amman faces the familiar threat of young Jordanians joining a regional conflict and then returning home, battle-hardened and radicalised. Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi travelled to Afghanistan in the 1980s and also

fought in Iraq, from where he was believed to have planned attacks on hotels in Amman which killed dozens of people in November 2005. With the Syrian border just 75 miles (120 km) from Amman, the conflict in Jordan’s northern neigbour is much closer to Abdullah’s capital than the turmoil in Iraq ever was. So although Jordan has allowed the training of rebels on its territory and permitted some Gulf-funded arms shipments into Syria, it has rebuffed pressure to send larger consignments into the war zone, according to diplomats.

“Jordan national strategic interests come first and before any Gulf agenda,” said a senior security official who asked not to be named, singling out Qatar for what he said was a flawed policy of empowering the Muslim Brotherhood, a longtime adversary of Jordan’s monarchy.

The Brotherhood’s political wing in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, has taken part in protests calling for political reform and denouncing subsidy cuts in the resource-poor kingdom,

which relies on Gulf grants to narrow its gaping budget deficit.

Publicly, Jordan says it remains neutral in the conflict. Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour has even denied in parliament that Jordan hosts rebel training programmes - contradicting accounts from rebels and diplomats - and said the kingdom opposed any military intervention to overthrow Assad.

Jordan’s jitters were illustrated last month, rebels say, when it warned them not to seize the main Nasib border crossing. They said Jordanian forces also detained and interrogated local weapons smugglers to curb the flow of small arms into Deraa.

Shortly afterwards Washington announced it would send an Army headquarters unit - which could theoretically command combat troops.

Jordan has also beefed up its military capability on the border and requested U.S. Patriot batteries to protect it from any retaliatory missile attack from Assad’s forces.— Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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

Youth voice hope for change in Palestinian politics RAMALLAH: Far from the children who beg for change from idling cars and the teenagers who hurl rocks at armed Israeli troops, a different spectacle of Palestinian youth is playing out in the ballroom of a luxury Ramallah hotel.

Young contestants are gathered for a taping of “The President”, a game show that aims to select a “new leader” for the Palestinians based on their views on the pressing political issues of the day. The panel of judges is made up of top officials and businessmen.

Bleak Palestinian realities mean whatever comes out of the contest to be “The President” will have only symbolic significance. The winner will be “ambassador for a day” at one of the Palestinian missions in Europe, among other prizes.

But it’s a rare chance for a frustrated and marginalized generation to air their views. Hanan Ashrawi, a veteran of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), asks a contestant in the Gaza Strip, on which Israel has imposed a tight blockade, about the smuggling of goods from neighbouring Egypt.

“What about the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, what would you do about that?” she asked of the trade, which bypasses both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

“Well, the goods going through them create an illicit economy which isn’t taxed and take away government rev-

enue,” answers Jihad al-Jaabari, who is taking part in the show via a remote connection from Gaza.

“Do you speak Hebrew?” an Arab member of the Israeli legislature, Ahmed Tibi, chimes in.

“No...but it’s important to learn the enemy’s language,” Jaabari replies, eliciting slight smiles from the judges. Almost a third of the 4.2 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are between 15 and 29 years old, and a third of this youth bulge have no jobs and scant opportunity to challenge their own ageing leaders, let alone Israel’s occupation, beyond taking to the streets.

After the Islamist Hamas party’s surprise 2006 electoral win, the Palestinian parliament has not met for six years and fresh elections are long overdue.

Following a brief civil war with President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah in 2007, Hamas now rules over Gaza while Abbas’ Palestinian Authority governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Abbas, 78, has outstayed his mandate by four years and has no clear rival or successor after Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned this month.

In the meantime, real wages have declined by around 8 percent since 2006 and a third of Palestinian homes do not have secure, reliable access to food, the United Nations says.

Youth despair of ever having control

over their futures. “We’re a people under occupation. We feel failure while hunger and unemployment rise. We see corruption and foreign aid distracting our leaders,” contestant Maher al-Komi, 25, from the West Bank city of Hebron, told Reuters.

“I have a degree in media but I work in a corner store. I hope my speaking on this show will make those in charge realize the problems of youth and make changes,” he said.

While Palestinian politics may be in a moribund condition at the national level, the paralysis has not stifled youthful debate, however. The main university of Nablus in the West Bank was a riot of yellow and green flags, the colours of Fatah and Hamas, on the day of the student council elections last week.

Fatah’s “Martyrs” bloc and “Muslim Palestine” led by Hamas were the two main contenders to lead the 22,000member student body, with Hamas taking part for the first time in six years.

Both candidates made similar campaign promises about student loans, Internet access and better classroom conditions, but it was ultimately a popularity contest along party lines. In the end, Hamas barely lost out to its rival in a ballot widely seen as a barometer of the Palestinian popular mood.

The real platforms of Fatah and Hamas are poles apart, conceded

Libya gunmen press siege of ministries TRIPOLI: Gunmen demanding the sacking of former officials from the ousted regime of Moamer Kadhafi were yesterday still surrounding the foreign and justice ministries in the Libyan capital.

Vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers blockaded the justice ministry building, several kilometres (miles) from the city centre, where traffic flowed smoothly on the May Day holiday.

Militiamen also showed no sign of lifting the siege of the foreign ministry, which they first encircled on Sunday.

“The siege of the foreign and justice ministries is continuing and will go on until our demands are completely satisfied,” Aymen Mohammed Abudeina, a member of a group committed to ensuring the exclusion of former Kadhafi officials from public life, told AFP. On Tuesday, the justice ministry dismissed the idea of using force to break the siege, saying that the government preferred to “let wisdom prevail.” The militiamen who had been surrounding the foreign ministry extended their siege to the justice ministry

on Tuesday to press for the expulsion of former regime officials from government posts.

The same groups briefly occupied the finance ministry on Monday, and angry policemen invaded the interior ministry twice, on Monday and Tuesday, to demand higher pay and promotions.

On Sunday, former rebels briefly blockaded the headquarters of Libyan national television, although broadcasts were not interrupted. They had previously been responsible for security at the building.

The General National Congress (GNC), Libya’s highest political authority, has been studying proposals for a law that would see top figures from the Kadhafi regime sacked from their posts.

The proposals have caused a stir among Libya’s political elite, as several senior officials in the current administration could be affected by such a law.

Under increasing pressure from demonstration, the GNC said on Monday that it was suspending plenary sessions until Sunday. It said the delay was needed to give political blocs in the GNC time to examine the bill to reach a compromise on the law. —AFP

Bassem Sati, 24, as he milled around the campus with a bandana of Hamas’s trademark green over his shoulders.

Fatah officials in recent years explored the idea of creating a vice-presidency under Abbas, hoping to avoid having to devolve power to the Hamas speaker of parliament, as per Palestinian law, if something should happen to the ageing president.

The drive was ultimately dropped.

Most Palestinians feel the split in their leadership has distracted them from the real struggle - coming up with a national strategy to confront Israel’s occupation.

“We hope the will of the youth will bring Fatah and Hamas together. Of course, we want Fatah’s focus on negotiations to give ground to our choice of resistance,” Sati said.

“An uprising will give us suffering and attacks from the Israelis, but we need it to gain our freedom, and we are ready to sacrifice,” he added. Mervat Abu Hijleh, sporting a T-shirt and Fatah’s black and white chequered headscarf around her neck, said school elections provided an example of the healthy competition that could revive flat-lining national politics.

“We see how old officials are, how little action is being taken and we see the need for change. We, the youth in this vote, are that change, and the different parties can at least agree on that,” she said.

Nearly three quarters of young people from Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank are not affiliated with any party and say the factions have not earned their trust, according to a survey of 1,851 people aged 15 to 29 published this year by the Sharek Youth Forum, a local non-governmental organisation.

Almost two-thirds believe a combination of Israel’s policies and internal politics will doom efforts to establish a Palestinian state. But a slim majority also said they believed Palestinian youth have the ability to bring about change.

It’s unclear how much longer they can retain that optimism, however.

Despite the ambition and enthusiasm on display on the set of “The President”, a different reality is the rule on the Palestinian street.

Local people gathered at a mosque in the town of al-Ram in March were attending the funeral of a resident who medics said was killed by an Israeli teargas round fired into his taxi during clashes between soldiers and youths.

As the corpse was carried toward the cemetery, a young man in a soccer jersey wrapped a shawl over his face so only his eyes were visible. He and his friends were preparing again for a street battle, trading rocks for Israeli soldiers’ bullets.

“If I die, good, I welcome that. I would be dying for our martyr and our people,” he said. — Reuters

Root of Palestinian conflict ‘not territorial’: Netanyahu Peace could provide framework for future deal JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that an Israeli withdrawal would not bring peace with the Palestinians because the heart of the conflict was their refusal to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.

His remarks came a day after the Arab League announced moves to revive and modify its 2002 peace initiative, drawing praise from Washington and from Israel’s chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni but no official response from the Israeli government.

“The root of the conflict is not territorial. It started a long time before 1967,” Netanyahu said in a meeting with foreign ministry officials, referring to the year Israel seized Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem during the Six-Day War. “You saw what happened when we left the Gaza Strip. We evacuated the last settlers and what did we get?

Missiles,” he said of Israel’s withdrawal of all troops and settlers from the coastal enclave in 2005.

“The Palestinians’ lack of will to recognise the state of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people is the root of the conflict,” he said, in remarks communicated by a senior government source.

The Saudi-led proposal, which offers full diplomatic ties with the Arab world in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from land occupied in 1967, now includes a reference to the principle of mutually agreed land swaps, in a move hailed by Washington as “a very big step for-

ward.” But Netanyahu has categorically ruled out any withdrawal to the “indefensible” 1967 lines, and yesterday said such a move would not solve the conflict, which was not about land but about “the very existence of a Jewish state,” the source said.

“If we reach a peace agreement I want to know that the conflict will not continue. That there won’t be any more Palestinian claims afterwards,” Netanyahu told the diplomats. “The root of the conflict is Acre, Jaffa and Ashkelon and you need to say it. You don’t need to apologise. You need to say the truth,” he told them.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is engaged in efforts to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, believes the Arab Peace Initiative could provide a framework for a future peace deal.

Speaking to Haaretz, two foreign ministry sources who attended the meeting quoted Netanyahu as saying the demand to recognise Israel as a Jewish state was not a condition for the start of talks, but rather for their conclusion.

“Until the Palestinians recognise our right to exist as a national stateno matter what the borders-and until they declare that the conflict is over, there will not be peace,” they quoted him as saying.

Earlier, a cabinet minister considered close to Netanyahu ruled out any acceptance of the 1967 lines as the starting point for negotiations. “If Israel agrees to come to the negotiating table while accepting in advance that talks would be held on the basis

of the 1967 lines, there wouldn’t be very much to negotiate about,” said Gilad Erdan, a member of the security cabinet. “We cannot start negotiations after agreeing in advance to give up everything,” he told public radio. n”I hope that Abu Mazen doesn’t think that Israel will give up its positions and agree to hand over all the land where we believe we have a right to settle,” he added, referring to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Israel hopes the principle of land swaps will allow it to retain the large blocs where most settlers live, while the Palestinians would be compensated by receiving territory currently under Israeli sovereignty.

Israeli opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich hailed as “important” the Arab League’s move, saying on public radio it could “allow a restart of negotiations.”

She urged Netanyahu to respond to the initiative as laid out on Tuesday

by Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim, saying that even if the initiative failed, it would still win Israel points in the court of international public opinion.

She also said her Labour party would consider entering government if any of the more hardline coalition partners, such as Jewish Home which opposes a Palestinian state, threatened to bolt over a renewal of serious talks. “If we get close to an agreement and Jewish Home threatens to leave Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, we would positively consider the possibility of taking its place,” she said. —AFP

British premier to press UAE president on ‘torture’ claims LONDON: The UAE president was to face questions from Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday over allegations that three British men jailed in Dubai were tortured.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed alNahyan, head of state of the United Arab Emirates, will hold talks with Cameron at his Downing Street office on the second day of a two-day state visit to Britain. Cameron has said he wants a “proper, independent investigation” into the allegations of police mistreatment.

The three Londoners in their 20s, jailed for four years each on drugs charges, were subjected to beatings and electric shocks, campaigners have claimed. “The point I will make today is that we think there needs to be a proper, independent investigation into these allegations of what happened,” Cameron told ITV television.

“That is the first step really of working out what needs to happen next.”

He said Britain had a “very good relationship” with the UAE. “We have very deep economic and trading relations and we have also got over 100,000 British people who choose to live in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. “So our countries are very close but nothing should be off limits in these discussions.”

The mother of one of the men, Grant Cameron, welcomed the prime minister’s intervention but said she hoped he would go further in the talks. “I would like him to go one step further and see whether he can ask Sheikh Khalifa, if it’s appropriate, to expedite any pardons that are going to be given to the boys,” Tracy

LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron (L) greets Emirati President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan (R) at 10 Downing Street in Central London yesterday. The UAE president was to face questions from Prime Minister David Cameron over allegations that three British men jailed in Dubai were tortured. — AFP

Cameron said. She said the case had been a “catastrophic” experience for the families of the three young men, but was “very confident” progress could be made.

Yesterday Sheikh Khalifa will also visit Westminster Abbey for a short private tour along with Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son. He was to lay a wreath at its tomb of the unknown warrior.

The president was then to visit Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, the queen’s oldest son and the heir to the throne. Britain and the UAE on Wednesday announced £1 million ($1.6 million, 1.2 million euros) each in funding to

help Somalia tackle sexual violence.

Britain, which is hosting this year’s Group of Eight summit, is making combating sexual violence in conflict zones a priority. It will also be raised at a major London conference on Somalia on Tuesday. Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said: “Through this contribution, the UAE is delighted to be able to support the Somali government in its efforts to protect and empower women.” At the start of the visit on Tuesday, Sheikh Khalifa sat alongside the queen for a ceremonial carriage procession to Windsor Castle, west of London, where a state luncheon was held.— AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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

Nigeria pledges justice as pressure over killings grows Human rights watch urges inquiry into killings

NEW YORK: This April 9, 2013 photo released by ABC shows Amanda Knox, left, speaking during a taped interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in New York. In March, Italy’s highest criminal court overturned Knox’s acquittal in the 2007 murder of a British student and ordered a new trial. — AP

Knox mulls return to Italy, book launched LOS ANGELES: Amanda Knox may return to Italy for a murder retrial, she said as she launched a memoir Tuesday about her nightmare, including frank details about sex, drugs and her harrowing time behind bars.

In interviews to promote the book-which also recounts how she considered suicide in jailshe said she hoped her slain former roommate Meredith Kercher’s family would read it, although she has had no contact with them.

“It matters to me what Meredith’s family thinks ... I really hope that the Kerchers read my book. And they don’t have to believe me. I have no right to demand anything of anyone. But I hope they try,” she told USA Today.

“I want them to know, their grief has my every respect, has the respect of my family,” she added to ABC television, in her first television interview since her release two years ago. The American student and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were sentenced to 26 years and 25 years in prison for the killing of Kercher six years ago, allegedly in a drug-fuelled sex attack.

She was acquitted on appeal and released in 2011, returning to her native Seattle. But in March Italian authorities overturned that judgment, and ordered the 25-year-old to stand trial again. Although most legal analysts expect Knox to be tried again in absentia following the decision, the former student told USA Today in an interview she was “considering” returning to Italy. “My lawyers have said that I don’t have to and that I don’t need to. I’m still considering it, to be honest,” she was quoted as saying when asked if she planned to return to Italy.

“It’s scary, the thought. But it’s also important for me to say, ‘This is not just happening far away from and doesn’t matter to me.’

“So, somehow, I feel it’s important for me to convey that. And if my presence is what is necessary to convey that, then I’ll go.” Knox has launched a publicity blitz in the United States to promote her autobiography “Waiting to be Heard” for which she was reportedly paid a $3.8 million advance.

In the 480-page book, she describes her early life in Seattle and her decision to take a year out to live in the small Italian city of Perugia to learn Italian language and culture.

She is open about her attitude to sex, and how it was changing as she headed overseas.

She had had sex with four men before her departure. “I left for Italy having decided I needed to change that. For me, sex was emotional, and I didn’t want it to be anymore. “I hated feeling dependent on anyone else. I wanted sex to be about empowerment and pleasure, not about ‘Does this person like me? Will he still like me tomorrow?’,” she said.

She moved in with two Italian girls and Kercher, who was also a foreign student, and led an easy-going life with a group of boys who lived downstairs in the same house.

“Around our house, marijuana was as common as pasta,” she wrote, while describing in detail a number of sexual encounters before she met Sollecito, a week before the murder.

She also recounted the day Kercher’s body was found, how police rapidly became suspicious. In one early interrogation she reported being slapped around the head while being told “Stop lying!” Knox was eventually charged, tried and sent to jail-where she described repeated sexual harassment and detailed thoughts of suicide, for example in the shower, where “steam would fog up the guard’s viewing window.” —AFP

BAGA: Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan promised yesterday to punish any soldier found guilty of misconduct during a deadly raid on a suspected Islamist hideout after a rights group said satellite pictures had raised concerns of a cover-up.

Scores of houses were destroyed in the fishing village on the shores of Lake Chad raided by troops from Nigeria, Niger and Chad searching for Islamist militants, and there were 22 fresh graves, a Reuters reporter who visited said.

Residents said there were more graves in other areas but the military prevented journalists from reaching the alleged sites.

Nigerian forces have long been criticised over their heavy handed tactics against Boko Haram, a radical group fighting to revive an Islamic caliphate in religiously-mixed Nigeria that is seen as the main security threat to Africa’s top oil producer.

But reports that close to 200 people may have died in one of the most violent clashes with the shadowy sect since it launched its uprising in 2009 have shocked Nigerians and prompted calls from politicians and human rights groups for an investigation.

Islamic scholar Madu Ibrahim said he was sitting in the courtyard of his thatched home when Nigerian soldiers came and set fire to it.

Soon afterwards explosions went off and there was automatic gunfire from inside his neighbour’s house.

“The soldiers told me to get out so I ran into the bush,” he said, recounting the raid on April 16 on Baga. For five days he hid, scavenging fruits in mangrove swamps before “returning to see what’s left of Baga,” he said, as he gestured towards the blackened husk of his mud-brick house.

“Many people died, including women and children,” he said, adding that he had buried six of his neighbours. In a rare statement admitting the possibility of abuses by his forces, Jonathan said: “Where any kind of misconduct is established, the federal government will not hesitate in ensuring that due sanctions are enforced and that justice is done.”

Soldiers are seldom prosecuted for alleged abuses in the north, which rights groups say include summary executions and spraying people’s homes with bullets.

Western powers, particularly the United States, are heaping pressure on Nigeria to punish soldiers’ abuses, which they fear are driving enraged locals into the arms of violent Islamists seen as a growing threat to

DUBLIN: This Saturday Nov 17, 2012 file photo shows people lighting candles as abortion rights protesters march through central Dublin demanding that Ireland’s government create a law defining when abortions can be performed to save a woman’s life. Ireland’s government has published a long-awaited bill, yesterday, explaining the law on when life-saving abortions can be performed in a country that officially bans the practice. — AP

First year of turmoil for France’s feisty first lady PARIS: Just like her partner the president, Valerie Trierweiler has had to abandon some of her pre-election promises over the course of his first year in office.

A twice-divorced career journalist, Trierweiler arrived at the Elysee Palace declaring she was going to redefine the role of first lady to the point that they’d have to come up with an alternative term.

“I’m more careful now,” she admitted 10 chastening

months later, by which time her career was on hold and her time consumed by the kind of humanitarian work that first ladies specialise in.

In December she was asked by a group of Algerian school children what it was like to France’s premiere dame: “It’s scary at the beginning,” she confessed. “You don’t know what you have to do. But afterwards you learn, like you do at school.”

The contrite, self-effacing tone could not have been more removed from the confident way in which Trierweiler, now 48, unveiled herself to the world during Hollande’s first days in office. An appearance in spiky high heels and a thigh-revealing dress had Britain’s Daily Mail breathlessly exclaiming that she was the real star attraction in the couple, the epitome of the “effortless Parisian chic that makes French women the envy of the world.”

Trierweiler’s personal learning curve was steepened by the Tweetgate scandal that erupted within weeks of that display. Reportedly enraged by Hollande’s support for Segolene Royal, his former partner and the mother of his four children, Trierweiler let fly with a tweet backing a renegade Socialist candidate who was up against Royal in a battle for a parliamentary seat.

The rebel won but Trierweiler lost the de facto immunity she had enjoyed from media scrutiny of her place in Hollande’s complicated domestic set-up. He rebuked her in public and his four children reportedly stopped talking to her.

“It was a mistake that I regret,” Trierweiler confessed four months later. “I had not yet realised that I was no longer a simple citizen.” By then, publishers were falling over themselves to rush out books centred on a woman who had captured the nation’s imagination, if not its heart.

Opinion polls suggest up to two-thirds of French voters have a negative opinion of her, perhaps not surprisingly, as both serious and satirical portrayals tend to depict a tempestuous personality who keeps Hollande on a tight leash and is ferociously jealous of Royal. —AFP

MAIDUGURI: Joint Military Task Force (JTF) patrol the streets of restive northeastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday. Fierce fighting between Nigerian troops and suspected Islamist insurgents, Boko Haram at Baga town in the restive northeastern Nigeria, left dozens of people dead and scores of civilians injured. — AFP

countries across the Sahel.

Nigerian authorities argue civilians are killed in the crossfire because militants use them as human shields. Human Rights Watch (HRW ) said yesterday satellite images revealed “massive destruction of civilian property” in Baga, undermining the army’s claim that only 30 houses were destroyed.

There were 2,275 destroyed buildings, the watchdog said, urging Nigeria to investigate claims by community leaders that more than 180 died-the military maintains a toll of 37.

“The glaring discrepancies between the facts on the ground and statements by senior military officials raise concerns that they tried to cover up military abuses,” it said. Nigeria Human Rights Commission head Anselm Odinkalu on Tuesday opened an investigation into what happened at Baga-a rare move in more than three years of conflict.

On a media trip to Baga late on Tuesday, choreographed by the Nigerian military which had been blocking access to the site for several days, locals said there were more graves. The military declined to allow media access to other alleged sites.

A spokesman for Nigeria’s emergency services coordinator, Manzo Ezekiel, said they

had managed to confirm the existence of 32 individual graves but that villagers had not managed to produce any others-apparently contradicting reports from an opposition senator from the north that he counted 228 graves. The army has labelled that a gross exaggeration.

The Nigerian commander of the Baga raid Brigadier-General Austin Edokpayi said rocket propelled grenade fire by Boko Haram militants set Baga’s houses ablaze, not the army.

“There are no fire fighters in this place,” he added. Whether by militants or the military, Aishatu Bukar fears someone killed her 13year-old boy Abdullahi, who has been missing since they fled on the night of the Baga raid.

“We heard gunshots all over while houses burned,” she said, while her grief-stricken friend, widowed Amina Yagambo, sat in the dir t rocking for ward and cr ying out “Kumande!”, or “Oh God!” in the local Kanuri language.

Jonathan’s statement pledging to probe the killings admitted no wrongdoing, but promised to “end the intolerable threats to national security which have necessitated such confrontations.” — Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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

Immigration debate gives life to annual rallies SAN DIEGO: Social media and text messaging have emerged as indispensable tools for advocates of a sweeping immigration overhaul, but street marches have an enduring allure. Tens of thousands are expected to rally in dozens of cities from New York to Bozeman, Mont., on Wednesday in what has become an annual cry for easing the nation’s immigration laws. The rallies carry a special sense of urgency this year, two weeks after a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would bring many of the estimated 11 million living in the US illegally out of the shadows.

“The invisible become visible on May 1,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, which is organizing

what was expected to be the nation’s largest rally.

The May Day crowds were not expected to approach the massive demonstrations of 2006 and 2007, during the last serious attempt to introduce major changes to the US immigration system.

Despite the large turnouts, many advocates of looser immigration laws felt they were outmaneuvered by opponents who flooded congressional offices with phone calls and faxes at the behest of conservative talk-radio hosts.

Now, immigrant advocacy groups are focusing heavily on calling and writing members of Congress, sometimes targeting specific lawmakers at key moments in the debate. Reform Immigration for America, a network of groups, claims more

than 1.2 million subscribers, including recipients of text messages and Facebook followers. A text-message blast during a key vote in 2010 on legislation to provide legal status to many who came to the country as children resulted in 75,000 phone calls to members of Congress in two days, said Jeff Parcher, communications director for the Center for Community Change, which works on technology-driven advocacy for the network of groups.

A phone blitz targeting Sen. Orrin Hatch produced 100 calls a day to the Utah lawmaker’s office last week, Parcher said. After Hatch was quoted Sunday in The Salt Lake Tribune saying immigration reform couldn’t wait, a message went out to call his office with thanks.

Organizers are also reaching out by email and old-fashioned phone banks.

“The general rule is you keep people on the platform they’re used to,” Parcher said.

“If they’re on Facebook, we’ll ask them to post something to Congress members’ pages.” Gabriel Villalobos, a Spanish-language talk radio host in Phoenix, said many of his callers believe it is the wrong time for marches, fearful that that any unrest could sour public opinion on immigration reform. Those callers advocate instead for a low-key approach of calling members of Congress.

“The mood is much calmer,” said Villalobos, who thinks the marches are still an important show of political force. Salas, whose group is known as CHIRLA, dates the May Day rallies to a labor dispute with

a restaurant in the city’s Koreatown neighborhood that drew several hundred demonstrators in 2000. Crowds grew each year until the House of Representatives passed a tough bill against illegal immigration, sparking a wave of enormous, angry protests from coast to coast in 2006.

The rallies, which coincide with Labor Day in many countries outside the US, often have big showings from labor leaders and elected officials. Aside from Los Angeles, big crowds were expected in New York, Chicago and Milwaukee. At a rally in Salem, Ore., Gov. John Kitzhaber planned to sign legislation to authorize drivers’ licenses to people in the state illegally. With Congress in recess, there were no major demonstrations planned in the nation’s capital. —AP

Ohio to execute man in baby girl’s death ‘Smith took the life of innocent 6-month-old infant’ LUCASVILLE: A man who admitted raping a 6month-old baby but claims he never meant to kill her is set to be executed after his last pleas for mercy failed. Steve Smith is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at the state prison in southern Ohio for the September 1998 killing of his live-in girlfriend’s infant daughter, Autumn Carter.Smith, 46, denied killing Autumn for more than a decade but recently tried to get his sentence reduced to life in prison, arguing that he was too drunk to realize that his assault was killing the baby. The Ohio Parole Board and Gov. John Kasich unanimously turned him down, with the board finding that Smith is among “the worst of the worst.”

“Smith took the life of an innocent 6-monthold infant while using the baby to sexually gratify himself,” the board said in its decision. “It is hard to fathom a crime more repulsive or reprehensible in character.”

Smith’s daughter, sister and niece all plan to witness the execution. They believe he’s innocent despite his admission of guilt and maintain he only admitted to the crime because he’s given up hope after 15 years of prison and has no memory of the assault.

“I know my dad’s innocent,” said 21-year-old Brittney Smith, Smith’s only child. “I do not believe he did this, and you know, he raised all my cousins and my sister before I was even born, and he never did anything (sexually).”Autumn’s mother, grandmother and aunt also plan to wit-

ness Smith’s execution, and feel that it will bring some justice for her killing.

Back on that awful night of September 29, 1998, Autumn’s mother, Kesha Frye, was awoken

by Smith, who she’d lived with for four months.

Steve Smith Smith, extremely drunk and naked, laid a naked and lifeless Autumn on Frye’s bed, according to court records.

Frye rushed the baby and her other 2-year-old daughter to a neighbor’s house and called 911.

Doctors spent more than an hour trying to revive

her before she was pronounced dead. The baby was covered in bruises and welts, had cuts on her forehead, and had severe injuries showing she had been brutally raped, although there was no semen.

At the home, there was no sign of forced entry, and police found a large amount of white cloth that came from Autumn’s diaper strewn about; police found the rest of the diaper in a garbage bin outside, along with 10 empty beer cans and a T-shirt. At the time, Smith told police that he “didn’t do anything.” “I’m not sick like that,” he said. At trial, Smith didn’t testify in his own defense on the advice of his attorneys, even as prosecutors repeatedly referred to him as a “baby raper,” showed pictures of Autumn’s battered body and told jurors that her assault lasted up to a half-hour.

Expert witnesses for Smith said he may have accidentally suffocated the girl within three to five minutes of the assault. The jury found Smith guilty of aggravated murder and sentenced him to die. At an April 2 hearing in which Smith sought to have his death sentence reduced to life in prison, he admitted to the crime and said he didn’t mean to kill Autumn. He told Ohio Parole Board that he was not in his right mind the night of the crime and has to live every day with what he did. He said he was sorry and wished he could ask Autumn for forgiveness. Smith is set to become the 51st inmate put to death in Ohio since it resumed executions in 1999. —AP

Mexico detain drug kingpin’s father-in-law

CARACAS: Opposition lawmaker Maria Corina Machado is escorted by party members as she arrives to her political party’s headquarters before a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday. —AP

Venezuelan lawmakers hurt during punch-up in parliament CARACAS: Fistfights broke out in Venezuela’s parliament on Tuesday, injuring a number of legislators during an angry session linked to the South American nation’s bitter election dispute.

The opposition said seven of its parliamentarians were attacked and hurt when protesting a measure to block them from speaking in the National Assembly over their refusal to recognize President Nicolas Maduro’s April 14 vote victory.

Government legislators blamed their “fascist” rivals for starting the violence, which illustrated the volatile state of politics in the OPEC nation after the death of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez last month.

“We knew the opposition came to provoke violence,” Maduro said of the incident. “This must not be repeated.”

The 50-year-old Maduro, who was Chavez’s chosen successor, defeated opposition candidate Henrique Capriles by 1.5 percentage points.

Capriles, 40, has refused to recognize his victory, alleging that thousands of irregularities occurred and the vote “stolen.”

The vote exposed a nation evenly divided after 14 years of Chavez’s hardline socialist rule.

“They can beat us, jail us, kill us, but we will not sell out our principles,” one of the opposition parliamentarians, Julio Borges, told a local TV station, showing a bruised and bloodied face. “These blows give us more strength.”

One assembly worker, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the trouble began when opposition legislators shouted “fascist” at the National Assembly leader and unfolded a protest banner reading “parliamentary coup.”

Government parliamentarians attacked them.

Laptops and tables were hurled in the ensuing melee, with one legislator hit over the head with a chair, the witness said. Workers later had to show their phones to see if they had photos or videos of

the incident, the assembly employee added.

Government parliamentarian Odalis Monzon said she and some colleagues were attacked and beaten. “Today again I had to defend the commander’s (Chavez’s) legacy,” she said.

The fracas came after the government-controlled assembly passed a measure denying opposition members the right to speak in the chamber until they recognized Maduro as president.

“Until they recognize the authorities, the institutions of the republic, the sovereign will of our people, the opposition deputies will have to go and speak (to the private media) but not here in this National Assembly,” said Diosdado Cabello, the head of parliament.

Both sides accused each other of starting the incident, which took place behind closed doors without media present.

In a video that pro-opposition private TV station Globovision broadcaster said it obtained from a parliamentarian, various assembly members could be seen hitting each other and scuffling to cries of “stop” from others.

In another potential flashpoint for Venezuela, the government and opposition are planning rival marches in Caracas on Wednesday to commemorate May Day. Venezuela has been on edge since the April 14 presidential election. At least eight people died in violent protests the day after the vote. There have been scores of arrests in what the opposition is calling a wave of repression.

Maduro has accused the opposition of planning a coup. Former colonial ruler Spain this week offered to mediate in Venezuela’s political tensions.

But Maduro rejected that. “Stop sticking your noses in Venezuela. Spanish foreign minister, get out, you impertinent man. Venezuela is to be respected,” he said in a speech, referring to Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo. —Reuters

MEXICO CITY: Mexican police arrested the father-inlaw of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman near the US border on Tuesday, delivering a personal blow to the most wanted man in Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

Ines Coronel Barreras, who is suspected of smuggling marijuana to the United States, was captured by federal police in a house in the northern Sonora state “without taking a single shot,” said senior interior ministry official Eduardo Sanchez Hernandez.

The 45-year-old alleged member of the Sinaloa drug cartel was detained alongside four other suspects in the town of Agua Prieta, which borders the US state of Arizona, Sanchez told a news conference.

Police also seized two vehicles, four rifles, one gun and 255 kilograms of marijuana. Sanchez said Coronel was growing marijuana and smuggling it into Arizona.

The government showed a video of the burly, mustachioed Coronel coming off a federal police airplane in handcuffs, wearing a short-sleeve checkered shirt and holding his head down.

One of the four other detainees was identified as Ines Omar Coronel Aispuro, 25, but officials did not say if he was related to Coronel Barreras. The US Treasury Department designated Coronel as a “key operative” of the Sinaloa drug cartel in January, blacklisting him alongside a “senior lieutenant” of Guzman identified as Damaso Lopez Nunez.

The designation bars any US citizen from conducting business with them and freezes any assets they may have in the United States. Coronel is the father of Guzman’s third wife, former beauty queen Emma Coronel Aispuro, who married the drug kingpin in the northern state of Durango in 2007.

She reportedly gave birth to twin girls in California in 2011 but was not detained because there were no charges against her. Coronel’s arrest “is more a personal blow to El Chapo than against his organization,” Raul Benitez Manaut, a security specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), told AFP. Guzman has been in hiding since escaping from a Mexican maximum security prison in 2001. He had been captured in Guatemala in 1993. The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Guzman, who was taken off Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires this year.

Coronel’s arrest came two days before US President Barack Obama visits Mexico for talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto amid a shift in Mexico’s approach to the drug war.

The talks on Thursday come as Pena Nieto, who took office in December, has recalibrated the strategy by focusing on reducing violence and implementing crime prevention programs after more than 70,000 people were killed in the past six years.

His predecessor, Felipe Calderon, deployed thousands of troops to take on the cartels and forged a close relationship with US intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the drug war. Pena Nieto said he would keep soldiers in the streets of Mexico until the levels of violence come down.

Benitez Manaut said the shift has fueled rumors that the intensity of the drug war has come down and that the Mexican government wants to negotiate with drug bosses. With the arrest of Guzman’s father-in-law, “they can demonstrate that it’s not the case,” he added. —AFP

LA PAZ: Bolivian President Evo Morales (R) and his vice-president Alvaro Garcia Linera attend an official meeting celebrating May Day in La Paz yesterday. Morales announced the expulsion of USAID from Bolivia, accusing the US development agency of meddling in the country’s internal affairs. —AFP

Bolivia president expels US government aid agency LA PAZ: President Evo Morales said yesterday he is expelling the US Agency for International Development from Bolivia for allegedly seeking to undermine his leftist government, and complained about the US secretary of state calling the Western Hemisphere the “backyard” of Washington.

Morales did not specify exactly what USAID had done that merited expulsion, but the ABI state news agency said it was “accused of alleged political interference in peasant unions and other social organizations.”

In the past, Morales has accused the agency of funding groups that have opposed his policies, including a lowlands indigenous federation that organized protests against a Morales-backed highway through the TIPNIS rainforest preserve.

In 2008, Morales expelled the US ambassador and agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration for allegedly inciting the opposition. While Morales did not provide evidence Wednesday of alleged USAID meddling, funds channeled through it have been used in Bolivia and its leftist ally Venezuela to support organizations deemed by those governments to be a threat.

As US-Bolivian relations soured and Washington canceled trade preferences, total US foreign aid to the poor, landlocked South American nation have dropped from $100 million in 2008 to $28 million last year, with counter-narcotics and security aid on track to all but disappear in the coming fiscal year in one of the three cocaineproducing nations.

Analyst Kathryn Ledebur of the nonprofit Andean Information Network in Bolivia was not surprised by the expulsion itself but by the fact that Morales took so long to do it after repeated threats, which she believes diminishes its political impact.

“USAID alternative development efforts tied to forced coca eradication provoked his mistrust,” she said of Morales, a longtime coca-growers union leader before his December 2005 election as Bolivia’s first indigenous president.

She said Morales was also upset that USAID money reached lowland regional

governments he accused of trying to overthrow him in 2008. Since US assistance has “dwindled to a trickle,” the financial impact will be limited as well, Ledebur said.

Morales made yesterday’s announcement to a crowd outside the presidential palace during an International Workers’ Day rally and said he was protesting a recent statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry that Latin America is the backyard of the United States.

Kerry said in April 17 testimony to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee that “the Western Hemisphere is our backyard.

It’s critical to us.” He was discussing perceptions in the region that the United States doesn’t pay enough attention to it.

Many Latin Americans, leftists in particular, are sensitive to any U.S. statements that could imply hegemonic designs, especially in light of Washington’s 20th-century history of backing repressive regimes in the Americas.

“The United States does not lack institutions that continue to conspire and that’s why I am using this gathering to announce that we have decided to expel USAID from Bolivia,” Morales told the crowd, turning to his foreign minister, David Choquehuanca and ordering him to inform the US Embassy.

Morales has been especially vocal lately in his rejection of Washington’s support for a full recount of the results of April 14 elections in Venezuela. The annointed heir to the late Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, won that election by fewer than 250,000 votes in balloting that opposition candidate Henrique Capriles was stolen from him.

Chavez and Morales were especially close allies. The Associated Press could not immediately obtain comment from the US Embassy. A spokesman did not answer his phone or respond to email.

Bolivia’ Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled that Morales can run for a third consecutive term, interpreting that 2009 constitution that set a two-term limit as not being retroactive. He won re-election by a landslide in 2009 and his approval rating was 55 percent in a January opinion poll, the latest available. —AP

COHASSET: Republican candidate for the US Senate, Gabriel Gomez, center, celebrates with supporters as he makes his way to the stage to address an audience with a victory speech at a watch party, in Cohasset, Mass., Tuesday.

Gomez won his primary bid for the Republican nomination to contest a US Senate seat, defeating Republican hopefuls Michael Sullivan and Dan Winslow. —AP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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

550 feared dead in Bangladesh Pope slams ‘slave labour’

Three British soldiers killed in Afghan blast LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday that Britain was paying a “very high price” in Afghanistan after three soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb.

Six British soldiers have now been killed this year in Afghanistan, where British casualties have slowed over the past year. Britain has not lost so many soldiers in one incident since six were killed by a similar blast in March last year.

They received immediate medical attention at the scene of the blast in Helmand province on Tuesday and were evacuated by air to Britain’s main Camp Bastion base but could not be saved, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The deaths take the total number of British troops killed by enemy action in Afghanistan over the 400 mark, to 401. “We have paid a very high price for the work we’re doing in Afghanistan,” Cameron told ITV television.

“It is important work because it’s vital that country doesn’t again become a haven for terrorists-ter-

rorists that can threaten us here in the UK. “But today our thoughts should be with the families and friends of those that have suffered.”

The three soldiers from the Royal Highland Fusiliers infantry battalion died when their vehicle was hit on a routine patrol in the district of Nahr-e Saraj.

“Their deaths come as a great loss to all those ser ving in Task Force Helmand,” spokesman Major Richard Morgan said in a state ment. Their families have been told.

Their names will be released in due course. It is the first time since September 2012 that British troops have been k illed by a roadside bomb, which have accounted for many of the British deaths in Afghanistan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Taleban militants frequently use roadside bombs against foreign troops and their Afghan allies.

The deaths brings to 401 the total number of British troops killed as a result of hostile action since operations in Afghanistan began in

October 2001. A total of 444 British troops have lost their lives in the campaign. The MoD said that security in Helmand, a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency, was improving but that it remained a risky and dangerous environment for British troops. Afghan police and soldiers are taking over responsibility for security, but there is growing concern over the war-torn country’s prospects after 2014 when all foreign combat deployments will end.

General Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British army, was asked Wednesday if it was harder to justify the deaths given the fact British forces will soon withdraw from Afghanistan. He told BBC radio: “I t cer tainly makes deaths like these ones more painful as we are close to the end.

“Often those who we are fighting increase their efforts towards the end to try and play up the fact that they have driven us out or to increase their hand in bargaining at the negotiating table subsequently.”—AFP

Truce reached among climbers on Everest KATHMANDU: A truce has been reached between three foreign climbers and Nepalese Sherpa guides who were involved in a fistfight on Mount Everest, officials said yesterday.

Two of the foreigners, however, returned to Nepal’s capital and were undecided if they would quit their climb. Tilak Pandey of the

Mountaineering Department said a truce was reached at base camp between the foreigners - an Italian, a Briton and a Swiss - and the Sherpas on Tuesday. Nima Nuru of Cho-Oyu Trekking, who equipped the expedition, said Swiss climber Ueli Steck and British climber Jonathan Griffith flew to Katmandu by helicopter on

KATHMANDU: In this handout photograph received from Jonathan Griffith yesterday and dated April 27, 2013 climbers Ueli Steck (L) of Switzerland and Simone Moro (R) of Italy, accompanied by British alpine photographer Jonathan Griffith are pictured in a tent immediately after an altercation with Nepalese sherpas took place at the 6,500 metres (21,300 ft) ‘Camp Two’ on Everest. A new account of a brawl on Mount Everest which emerged yesterday said one of the foreign climbers involved had sworn at a group of Nepalese guides and challenged them to a fight. —AFP

Wednesday, and Italian Simone Moro also was planning to return.

Nepalese officials are investigating the fight, which both sides accuse the other of starting. Steck and Griffith refused to talk to reporters in Kathmandu. Sumit Joshi, a mountain guide from Sydney, Australia, said by telephone from the Everest base camp that the argument started when the Sherpa guides, who were fixing ropes and digging a path on the snowy trail above Camp 2, asked the foreign climbers to wait until they were finished. He said the climbers ignored them and started climbing, knocking ice chunks onto the Sherpas below.

The foreign climbers yelled “foul words” during an argument, he said.

On their return to Camp 2 later in the evening, the three climbers were surrounded by 30-40 Sherpas and there was a scuffle and punches were thrown, Joshi said. Other climbers at the camp, located at 6,500 meters (21,300 feet), were able to stop the fight and once the climbers returned to the base camp a truce was reached, he said.

Hundreds of climbers from 32 expeditions and their Sherpa guides and helpers are at the base camp waiting for the window of good weather in May to make their way to the 8,850-meter (29,035 foot) summit.

Spring is considered the best season to climb. Nepal will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Everest later this month. — AP

Pakistan-US alliance takes hits on campaign trail ISLAMABAD: On the campaign trail in Pakistan, candidates boast about their readiness to stand up to Washington and often tout their anti-American credentials. One party leader even claims he would shoot down US drones if he comes to power.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that the government that emerges from next month’s parliamentary election is likely to be more nationalistic and protective of Pakistani sovereignty than its predecessor. As a result, the US may need to work harder to enlist Islamabad’s cooperation, and the new Pakistani government might push for greater limits on unpopular American drone strikes targeting Taleban and al-Qaeda militants in the country. But ultimately, the final say on Pakistan’s stance toward drones and many aspects of the relationship with Washington is in the hands of the country’s powerful army. And even nationalist politicians like former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the leading contender in the election, recognize the need for a U.S. alliance and are unlikely to go too far in disturbing it.

“I think the tagline here is different posturing, same substance” when it comes to the next government’s relationship with the U.S, said Moeed Yusuf, an expert on South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace.

Nevertheless, it’s unclear how long Pakistan’s alliance with the U.S. can remain relatively insulated from antiAmerican sentiment. The May 11 vote is historic because it will mark the first transfer of power between democratically elected governments in a country that has experienced three military coups.

US officials have remained fairly quiet

about the election because they don’t want to be seen as influencing who wins.

But Secretary of State John Kerry has met Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani twice in the last month, underlining the importance of the relationship to Washington. The US needs Pakistan’s help in battling Islamic militants and negotiating an end to the war in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan relies on the US for billions of dollars in aid and also needs American support as it seeks a bailout from the International Monetary Fund to shore up the government’s shaky fiscal situation. The relationship has been severely strained in recent years, especially following the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden near Pakistan’s equivalent of West Point. But it has never broken down completely and has settled into a wary calm over the last year or so. Trust is still in short supply, but both sides recognize they can’t do without each other.

“We have moved into a phase of reduced expectations of each other, which is good,” said Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US “It’s what they call the new normal.”

This pragmatism seems largely set to continue, despite often pointed comments by Sharif and other candidates on the campaign trail. Sharif has criticized the outgoing Pakistan People’s Party for selling out the country’s sovereignty in exchange for U.S. aid and likes to recount how he tested Pakistan’s first nuclear weapon in 1998 despite American pressure.

“We will never accept any foreign pressure,” said Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N party, during a recent campaign speech. “We will have relations

with foreign countries on the basis of mutual respect, dignity and equality.”

Sharif’s party controlled the government of Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, in 2011 when it turned down more than $100 million in US aid following the raid that killed bin Laden. But Lodhi, the former ambassador, said she thought it was unlikely Sharif would give up the more than $1 billion in American aid Pakistan receives annually if he came to power.

Former cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan, who many analysts believe will end up playing a key role in the opposition after the election, has been even more critical of Pakistan’s relationship with the US, saying he would “end the system of American slavery.”

But the manifesto of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, is more tempered, saying “Pakistan will endeavor to have a constructive relationship with the US based on Pakistan’s sovereign national interests and international law, not on aid dependency.”

Pakistan’s relationship with the US and foreign policy in general - has been less of a focus in the election than domestic issues, such as corruption, pervasive energy shortages and stuttering economic growth.

Lodhi believes this is because the US has said it is largely pulling out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and is seeking a peace settlement with the Taleban - a move long advocated by the Pakistani government and supported by the main contenders in the election.

“That has helped to take the edge off negative sentiment in Pakistan which we saw in the last couple of years against the United States,” Lodhi said. —AP

DHAKA: Bangladesh rescuers said yesterday at least 550 people likely died in the collapse of a garment factory complex last week as the pope condemned the use of “slave labour” in the local clothing industry.

As bulldozers and cranes worked to remove the rubble of the eightstorey building on the outskirts of Dhaka, a senior army officer said the number of confirmed dead stood at 411 while around 140 people were still missing.

The impoverished nation’s worst industrial accident, which has focused attention on hazardous conditions in Bangladesh’s factories making Western labels, brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the capital’s streets.

Workers holding red banners shouted “Hang the killers, Hang the Factory Owners!” during a May Day rally that was largely peaceful unlike larger and more violent protests staged since last Wednesday’s disaster. At the Vatican in a private mass, Pope Francis weighed into the controversy, speaking out against labour conditions in Bangladesh that have been decried by campaigners. “A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was ‘Living on 38 euros a month’. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour,” the pope was quoted by Vatican Radio as saying.

In fact, wages are even lower, with the legal minimum salary routinely paid to employees only 38 dollars (29 euros) a month for a six-day week with 10-hour shifts. The Bangladesh government faces growing foreign pressure to take action to improve conditions in the garment industry, with the collapse at the Rana Plaza factory complex only the latest in a string of deadly disasters.

A textile factory blaze last November claimed 111 lives, and there have been widespread accusations that safety standards are both too lax and rarely enforced in the $20billion sector. The European Union said late Tuesday that it would look at steps to promote better practices after a host of European retailers including Primark, Benetton and

Mango admitted using factories in the collapsed building.

Nearly 60 percent of Bangladesh’s garments are shipped to the European Union free of duties and tariffs, giving the 27-nation bloc a huge say over workplace safety issues in Bangladesh. Anger in Bangladesh remains palpable and the demonstrations on Wednesday again saw demands for the building owner and four factory bosses who have been arrested to face execution. They have

4,500 garment factories have been closed since last Wednesday, a major blow for the economy which depends on garments for 80 percent of its exports.

At a government graveyard in the capital, 2,000 people looked on as 32 bodies unclaimed by relatives were buried in an unmarked mass grave close to the graves of victims from the November factory fire.

In a dramatic moment, the sister of one victim identified her sibling’s

DHAKA: Bangladeshi activists shout slogans and wave flags during a procession to mark May Day or International Workers Day in Dhaka yesterday. Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis joined May Day protests yesterday to demand the execution of textile bosses over the collapse of a factory complex, as rescuers warned the final toll could be more than 500. — AFP been charged with death due to negligence. “We want the severest punishment possible for those responsible for this tragedy,” Kamrul Anam, head of the Bangladesh Textile and Garments Workers League, told AFP. “The government should hang the building proprietor and the factory owners. We want justice for these murders,” said Liakot Khan, another of those taking part in the Dhaka protest, which echoed to the sound of drums and horns.

Police put the number of protesters at the main Dhaka rally at over 20,000, and there were smaller protests elsewhere in the capital and in other cities. Many of the country’s

body minutes before it was to be lowered into the ground. She took the body away to be buried separately by the family.

At least 411 people have been confirmed dead since the building collapse on April 24, army spokesman Lieutenant Mir Rabbi told AFP. More than 2,430 people have been rescued alive. Speaking to parliament Tuesday night, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had urged employees to return to work and criticised reported attacks on some factories. “I would like to tell the workers to keep their head cool, keep mills and factories operative, otherwise you will end up losing your jobs,” she said. — AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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

S Korea sees progress on factory row with North SEOUL: South Korea said yesterday it was edging towards a deal with North Korea to ensure the return of the remaining workers at a joint industrial zone that has become a casualty of military tensions.

The last South Korean workers had all been due to return from the North on Monday but seven remained to settle unresolved issues such as unpaid taxes and wages for North Korean workers, believed to amount to millions of dollars.

“Differences are being narrowed even if the pace is slower than we expected,” a

spokesman for the South’s Unification Ministry told reporters. He said the South Koreans had remained at the Kaesong industrial complex “voluntarily” to resolve the issues at the North’s request, downplaying fears they might be held hostage.

The complex-built 10 kilometres (six miles) north of the tense border in 2004 — was once a rare symbol of interKorean cooperation but now faces the possibility of permanent closure. Seoul last week ordered all remaining South Koreans to leave after Pyongyang

banned entry by southerners, pulled out all its own 53,000 workers and rejected the South’s call for talks on the impasse.

Tension has been high since the North, angered by fresh UN sanctions sparked by its nuclear test in February and South-US military drills, issued a series of apocalyptic threats of a nuclear war against Seoul and Washington.

South Korean companies with interests at Kaesong have expressed shock at the sudden withdrawal. The North ignored a plea by South Korean business-

men to visit the joint industrial zone on Tuesday for talks on its future.

Established in 2004, Kaesong is a crucial hard currency source for the impoverished North, through taxes and revenues, and from its cut of worker wages.

The project was born out of the “Sunshine Policy” of inter-Korean conciliation initiated in the late 1990s by South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung.

“We’re not dealing with the issue of Kaesong simply from the perspective of economic gains,” the Unification Ministry

spokesman said. “It plays roles in the future of inter-Korean relations and peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula.

“Our position is that Kaesong industrial district should be continuously maintained and developed.” Pyongyang has blamed Seoul for the deadlock. “All Koreans will never forgive the (South’s government) if it allows the Kaesong complex to collapse,” the North’s government newspaper, Minju Joson, said in an editorial on Tuesday. —AFP

One dead, 9 hurt after new anti-Muslim riots in Myanmar Myanmar Muslims face uncertain future after attack OAKKAN: Religious violence that saw mobs attack mosques and torch homes left at least one dead in central Myanmar, officials said yesterday, as anti-Muslim unrest crept closer to the commercial hub Yangon.

A Muslim woman was among those being held after authorities said she accidentally bumped into a

in the latest attacks, according to a local government official, who asked not to be named.

“A 29 year old man died of his injuries and nine others were also hurt during yesterday’s violence,” he told AFP, adding that calm had been restored. He said 18 people were arrested over their involvement in

lagers ran away. We were scared and didn’t resist. They destroyed until they were satisfied,” Soe Myint, 48, a Muslim, told AFP. The mosque was seriously damaged and around 10 homes burned, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. “Even we were threatened to be killed. We are also scared. We

YANGON: Muslim people gather near their house in Okkan where fresh anti-Muslim violence broke out, 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday. Hundreds of rampaging Buddhists armed with bricks on Tuesday, stormed a clutch of Muslim villages in the country’s latest outbreak of anti-Muslim violence. —AP young monk in the street on Tuesday sparking rioting in the small town of Oakkan, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Yangon.

Myanmar is in the grip of acute religious tension after a wave of unrest in March that saw monks and Buddhist mobs attack Muslim areas in violence that spread towards the country’s main city.

Two mosques and more than 80 homes in four villages around Oakkan were damaged or destroyed

the unrest and Win Win Sein, the woman who had knocked into the novice monk, was also being held, although he did not give a reason for her detention.

Terrified villagers of both faiths said police were not there to protect them when a crowd attacked a local mosque on Tuesday evening in Mie Laung Sakhan village, near Oakkan.

“About 200 to 300 people arrived in our village on motorcycles and destroyed the mosque. All the vil-

need security urgently,” Than Soe, a Buddhist, told AFP. A heavy security presence was visible yesterday morning in Oakkan, where some 30 shops in the market had been destroyed and another mosque damaged.

Attacks against Muslims-who make up an estimated four percent of Myanmar’s population-have exposed deep fractures in the formerly junta-run country and cast a shadow over reforms under a quasi-

civilian regime that took power two years ago.

President Thein Sein, who was criticised for waiting days to speak out during the last round of violence, is set to address the nation on Thursday morning, state media reported late yesterday.

At least 43 people were killed and thousands left homeless in March in fighting apparently triggered by a quarrel between a Muslim gold shop owner and Buddhist customers in the central town of Meiktila. Some monks were involved in those clashes, while others are behind a nationalistic campaign calling for a boycott of Muslim-owned shops. Muslim residents in Mie Laung Sakhan were urged to hide as the mob descended on their village.

Win Hlaing said local Buddhists had tried to help their Muslim neighbours. “We have been living together for a long time and have had no problems at all,” the 60-yearold told AFP. Last year around 200 people were killed in clashes in Rakhine state between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya-a minority treated with hostility by many Burmese, who see them as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Human Rights Watch last week accused authorities of being involved in “ethnic cleansing” in Rakhine-a claim rejected by the government. An official probe into the Rakhine unrest this week suggested doubling the security presence in the state, and recommended keeping the communities apart as a temporary measure to prevent further violence. The United Nations yesterday acknowledged the report’s call for an urgent increase in humanitarian aid to the state, where some 140,000 people are in squalid camps and vulnerable to the impending monsoon.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Bertrand Bainvel urged the government to help aid workers access the displaced and “take action against all forms of incitement”. —AFP

Indonesian policewomen wow protesters with Gangnam Style

EAST JAVA: Indonesian policewomen and demonstrators break out into a “Gangnam Style” dance performance while securing a Labour Day rally in front of the city hall of Surabaya in East Java province yesterday. —AFP

SURABAYA: A group of policewomen took an unusual approach to crowd control at a May Day protest in Indonesia yesterday, breaking into a performance of “Gangnam Style” to keep demonstrators happy.

Thousands of protesters in the city of Surabaya in eastern Java cheered with excitement as around 80 female officers did the signature horse-riding dance from South Korean rapper Psy’s global hit.

Some of the 5,000-strong crowd even joined in with the officers, who were wearing standardissue dark police uniforms, sunglasses and caps.

“The crowd went wild. They were so happy, and it was a great feeling to get them excited,” Elly Wahyuningtyas, the top female police officer in the area, told AFP, adding they did the dance twice for around half an hour. “We’d been practising for three days and I think it really helped keep everyone calm and happy.” “They were all so beautiful,” she added proudly. The festive atmosphere was a contrast to other rallies in the country, including one which attracted 55,000 people in Jakarta, where police were faced with angry workers complaining of low salaries and poor working conditions.

Protesters held rallies around the world on Wednesday to call for a better deal for workers.

“Gangnam Style” was a viral sensation on the Internet and in December became the first video to pass a billion views on YouTube. —AFP

PETALING JAYA: Supporters of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim plant flags along a street corner near posters of Prime Minister Najib Razak (back) in Petaling Jaya yesterday. Malaysia’s opposition and clean-polls activists said yesterday the integrity of weekend elections was in doubt after revelations that indelible ink meant to prevent fraud was easily washed off. —AFP

Malaysia’s clean-polls pledge smudged by ink KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition and clean-polls activists said yesterday the integrity of weekend elections was in doubt after revelations that indelible ink meant to prevent fraud was easily washed off.

Pressured by huge demonstrations for free and fair polls in recent years, the country’s long-ruling government is introducing indelible ink in Sunday’s vote, the first in history in which the opposition has a chance of winning power.

But reports have mounted that security personnel who took part in early voting had easily been able to clean off the ink, which is applied to a person’s finger to show they had voted and is supposed to remain visible for at least a week.

“Definitely we are concerned. The whole integrity of the electoral process has come into question,” said veteran opposition politician Lim Kit Siang. “(The Election Commission) should immediately address this problem.

Otherwise it will be a black mark on the commission and undermine the public confidence in the results.”

The Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition that has ruled since independence in 1957 has been under pressure over charges it sought to manipulate the vote through an allegedly biased electoral system.

The opposition has claimed that electoral rolls in some closely fought constituencies

contain huge numbers of unaccounted-for voters and say the government has dragged its feet on addressing such issues.

They also accuse the Electoral Commission of being in Barisan’s pocket. The government has promised a clean election.

But commission officials appeared to acknowledge yesterday that the ink system was not foolproof. Commission secretary Kamaruddin Baria said some officials had failed to shake the bottles before applying the ink, meaning it could be washed off.

“This is the first time (the ink is used). I cannot guarantee anything,” he told AFP, but added that he was “confident” the commission had cleaned up the electoral roll and there would be no multiple voting or other irregularities.

Maria Chin Abdullah, a member of electoral reform group Bersih, said the ink flap “reconfirms our fear” that the government was resisting reforms to stamp out alleged cheating.

The ruling bloc has faced numerous accusations of fraud in past votes, including cases of voters well past 100 years old yet still listed on electoral rolls, massive vote-buying and army officials filling out ballots for soldiers.

Hard-fought campaigning officially got under way on April 20, and police have said more than 1,000 reports of election violence and intimidation have been made. No deaths have yet been announced.—AFP

China’s paper warns against ‘underground’ extravagance BEIJING: China’s top newspaper warned yesterday that some government officials were avoiding new President Xi Jinping’s graft-busting instructions to be frugal by taking banquets and other lavish displays underground, including hiding liquor in water bottles.

Since becoming Communist Party boss in November, and president in March, Xi has made battling pervasive corruption a top theme of his administration, warning the problem is so severe it could threaten the party’s survival.

But despite his repeated admonitions for officials to practice frugality and stop wasting public funds, some people still have not gotten the message or are actively finding ways around it, the party’s main People’s Daily said in a front page commentary. “In some places the use of public money for eating and drinking has switched from high-end hotels to private venues and places of business ... which has become known as ‘low-key luxury,’” the paper said.

Cases had come to light of “saunas in farmhouses” and “maotai being put in mineral water bottles”, the paper said, in reference to the fiery - and expensive - spirit traditionally

drunk at banquets.

“These ways of pulling the wool over people’s eyes is typical of not following instructions and not stopping what is banned,” the commentary added. This phenomenon has reminded the party of the need to strictly enclose power “in the fence of supervision” and “the cage of regulation”, it said. “Such a mechanism must be a long-lasting one, in order to make corruption not only detectable, but also impossible.” While Xi has also attempted to tackle corruption in the armed forces, for example by seeking to dismantle a system of privilege which has allowed the drivers of military vehicles to do as they please on the roads, he has taken few other concrete steps.

There has been little apparent progress to get officials to publicly disclose their assets, and the party has given no indication it will allow the establishment of a fully independent judicial body to tackle corruption. As well, almost no senior officials have been fired or prosecuted for graft since Xi came to power, with the vast majority of cases which have come to light involving lower level officials with little real power. —Reuters

Taleban kill senior peace envoy in south Afghanistan KANDAHAR: Taleban fighters killed a senior member of Afghanistan’s peace council yesterday, officials said, dealing another blow to nascent peace efforts with the insurgency.

President Hamid Karzai formed a 70member High Peace Council in 2010 in a bid to reach a peace settlement with the insurgents, but little has been achieved, with the Taleban saying they will not talk with the Afghan govern-

ment. Malim Shahwali, the council’s chief in the southern province of Helmand, was traveling to the violenceplagued Gereshk district when insurgents ambushed his convoy, said the provincial governor’s spokesman, Omar Zwak.

“First an explosion hit his convoy and then the Taleban gunmen opened fire, killing Malim Shahwali and two bodyguards,” Zwak told Reuters.

Three policemen and an Afghan soldier were wounded, Zwak said.

The attack came a day after three British soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Helmand.

In 2011, a suicide bomber disguised as a peace envoy killed the then chairman of the peace council, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani.

In May last year, gunmen in Kabul assassinated Arsala Rahmani, a former

Taleban minister turned peace negotiator. Helmand, which is the largest producer of opium in Afghanistan, has been the scene of the some of the fiercest fighting between NATO-led foreign forces and their Afghan government allies and the Taleban.

Fear is mounting that Afghanistan could be engulfed in turmoil after the pullout of most NATO combat troops by the end of 2014. A presidential election

is also due that year.

NATO and its partners are training Afghanistan’s 350,000-strong security forces, though questions remain over how well the Afghans will be able to tackle the insurgency.

Last week, the Taleban vowed to start a new campaign of suicide attacks on foreign military bases, diplomatic areas as well as the “Karzai regime” as part of their spring offensive. —Reuters

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

ANALYSIS

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Issues

Shisha makes reappearance in Khartoum

By Ulf Laessing or Sudanese businessman Mohamed Ali the tedium of the evening hours is finally over - his favourite shisha cafe in the capital Khartoum has reopened after a twoyear break. “I come here every day. I love to be here and smoke water pipe with my friends and socialise,” said Ali, sitting at a table in a noisy shisha cafe on the top floor of a hotel. Enormously popular across the Middle East and in North Africa, shisha smoking is frowned upon in conservative Muslim countries such as Sudan or Saudi Arabia on “morality” grounds.

Khartoum city authorities revoked the licences of shisha cafes two years ago after radical preachers said the practice - which involves inhaling flavoured tobacco, or shisha, through a water pipe also known as a hookah or arghila not only damaged the health but also provided unmarried men and women an opportunity to mix. But the realities of the country’s moribund business environment and economy since South Sudan seceded in 2011 mean it is creeping back into daily life. Local authorities have allowed shisha smoking back in “touristic hotels and restaurants”, and they tend to look the other way in some other venues. A few large restaurants have also started to stage live music events that they stopped with the shisha ban because some Islamists deem such performances as “haram”, or forbidden.

The return of the cafes is welcome news for the young Sudanese who complain about the capital’s dull nightlife.

While Cairo’s Nile banks bustle with diners, there are hardly any cafes on the river promenade in Khartoum. The dusty streets are deserted from 11 pm, when most restaurants and the country’s only shopping malls close. “If I don’t have a shisha, I’m unhappy,” said Mohamed Ismail, another smoker in the busy hotel cafe. Hotel owners hope the business of shisha will offset a sharp drop in the occupancy rates since southern secession. The loss of oil reserves has drained the government’s coffers and hit spending on infrastructure, driving away executives from China and other Asian countries who used to do a good business in Sudan. Most Western firms shun Sudan due to US sanctions over its human rights record.

“Demand for rooms is very weak. I’ve been thinking of closing one floor,” said Majid Osman, a lawyer who owns the hotel with the shisha lounge. “We have some 70 people coming every day, spending at least 20 (Sudanese) pounds ($3.20),” said Osman, who has to pay an annual fee of 5,000 pounds for the shisha licence. “There are other places who even sell 500 shishas every night,” he said. Mohamed Ali spends $200 a month there on water pipes alone. Like other regular visitors, the cafe has reserved a personal shisha for him with his name written on it.

But the relaxation of the water pipe ban doesn’t mean Khartoum is not still a very conservative place. Alcohol is banned, and those caught brewing beer at home are flogged. The few tourists who make it to the capital these days would never know from walking Jumhuriya (Republican) street now that this was once the heart of a cosmopolitan capital with a nightlife as vibrant as Dubai or Beirut today. Home to shops selling mainly cheap Chinese goods during the day and deserted and unlit at night, the street was lined in the 60s and 70s with luxury shops selling the latest Italian fashion, delicatessen shops offering French cheese - and bars and nightclubs.

“Here was an ice cream parlour where you would get the same standard like in Europe,” said Omar El Fadli, showing a small stall opposite his restaurant, the Papa Costa. Further down he points to an empty strip of land where once stood a nightclub founded by British colonial rulers who left in 1956. “Life was completely different. It was amazing,” said 56-year-old Fadli, who left in 1974 to study in Cambridge and came back in 2005 when Sudan made peace with the south. “Businesses were booming. We had a large community of expatriates. Greeks, Italians, Armenians, Egyptians, who were mainly running businesses. Even social habits were different,” he said, sitting in his almost empty restaurant. “We had entertainment, parties, weddings which started at midnight and would go until 4 o’clock in the morning.”

His restaurant, founded by Greek merchants in the 1950s initially as a bakery, is one of the few outlets from the old times that still exist on the street. It doesn’t serve alcohol anymore, of course. The booming scene was harshly curbed when late President Jaafar Nimeiri decided to introduce Islamic law in 1983, closing all bars and banning alcohol.

“They took it (the alcohol) by truck loads and dropped it into the Nile,” said Fadli, laughing.

What little was left of the nightlife was snuffed out in the 1989 Islamist revolution of President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, which made Sudan in the 90s a haven for Islamic militants such as Osama bin Laden.— Reuters

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

‘Quiet man’ Kerry’s strategy for peace

By Jo Biddle Secretary of State John Kerry is moving cautiously and smartly towards fresh Middle East peace talks, but deep distrust between all sides means success is far from guaranteed, analysts say. Wresting an important concession from Arab League nations on Monday that land swaps could be on the table in any deal between Israel and the Palestinians, is one sign of a new seriousness to resume the negotiations. But on a path littered by decades of failures and dashed hopes, Kerry needs to tread carefully towards the US-avowed goal of a twostate solution of Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side.

Since taking up his post on Feb 1, the new top US diplomat has plunged into the quagmire of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks which collapsed in late 2010, vowing to pursue “a quiet strategy” to revive them. “Getting them to the table is one thing, keeping them there is another... he clearly wants to figure out some concept to keep them at the table,” Aaron David Miller, vice president of the Wilson Center’s Middle East program, said. Kerry seems to be focusing his efforts on “multiple building blocks,” Miller told AFP, including an effort to boost economic development in the West Bank, a push to bring other Arab nations on board and a bid to ensure Israeli security. “So it’s smart to be creating these building blocks, there’s no question about that. But there will be a moment where someone is going to ask to see a line on a map and there will be the so-called proverbial moment of truth.” On Monday an Arab League delegation met with Kerry far from prying eyes to discuss reviving a decade-old Arab Peace Initiative. Under the original 2002 Saudi-led plan, the League’s 22 members would forge full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for “total withdrawal by Israel to the June 4, 1967 lines” and the establishment of a Palestinian state. But after the talks, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, who headed the delegation, announced the Arab League recognized the need for a “comparable and mutual agreed minor swap of the land” to reflect the changing demographics on the ground.

Kerry hailed the surprise move as a “very big step forward”. “If the Palestinians and Israelis reach a final status agreement between them then - 22 Arab countries and 57 Muslim countries all of them have agreed, number one, that they would consider the conflict ended,” Kerry said. But much remains to be decided, including the size of the land swaps, as well as the most difficult issues such as borders, security, the return of Palestinian refugees and the fate of Jerusalem claimed by both as their capital.

“I would not say it is a major breakthrough,” said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, describing it more as “an expression of goodwill”. “It all depends again on the Israeli positions whether we really see any kind of movement or breakthrough there.” The Arab League pronouncement was initially hailed by Israeli chief negotiator, Tzipi Livni, due to hold talks with Kerry in Washington on Thursday, as “very good news,” although another official was much cooler. And chief Palestinian negotiator

US

Saeb Erakat played down the significance, saying: “This is not something new.”

However, Hussein Ibish, senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, said the statement answered “a long-standing Israeli concern about the Arab Peace Initiative which is that it is a diktat or a ‘take it or leave it offer.’” It shows the API “is a set of ideas that can be worked with. And if there are elements that the Israelis want clarification on, or there are parts of it that need to be expanded or filled in ... that is entirely possible.” While Kerry appeared to be newly empowered to take up the peace process, Ibish cautioned the two sides remained “enormously” far apart.

Miller agreed, arguing it was far from clear if Al-Thani was speaking on behalf of all the Arab League, or indeed exactly what he meant. “Who knows what the lag is going to be between the

statement in Washington... and the realities of recasting the Arab initiative in the Arab League as a whole? Which is why I do not understand why Kerry is crowing about this.” He cautioned the Israelis would have a vastly different interpretation of land swaps, warning about the “Israelis putting their own spin on this” and then “the whole thing is going to be toast before it’s useful and productive.”

There were “very likely to be very discordant positions on borders and security... we’re talking here about months and months of negotiations,” said Miller, who has advised six secretaries of state on Middle East peace. “I don’t think the skepticism about the prospects of an agreement has ever been stronger in the past 20 years,” added Ibish. “On both sides people want it, but I don’t think they’ve ever believed in it less.” — AFP

Letta to juggle demands

By Gildas Le Roux taly’s new coalition government has been cheered by many at home and cautiously welcomed abroad, but faces challenges to its survival, from managing rivalry between the newly united right and left to funding growth-boosting measures. Summing up the widespread hope that Prime Minister Enrico Letta holds the keys to ending Italy’s crisis, Ugo Magri wrote in La Stampa daily that the young and diplomatic premier had received “unanimously favourable” initial reactions. He is “a point of convergence for vast sectors of the political class and society”, Magri said.

While not everyone approves of the deals done to bring the centre-left and right together to break months of political deadlock - the anti-establishment Five Star Movement is in fierce opposition - Magri’s comments captured the general sense of optimism about Letta’s prospects. However, just two days after being sworn in, the 46-year-old leftist moderate attempted to dampen down the enthusiasm, warning Tuesday that the country had “excessive expectations”. “Reading the newspapers this morning I realised we have a big problem; there are excessive expectations compared to the fragility of the situation,” he said.

The eurozone’s third-largest economy is in debt to the tune of some two trillion euros ($2.6 trillion) and fears linger that it could slip back into the eurozone debt crisis. On Monday, Letta announced he would act fast to tackle the social fallout from an austerity policy imposed by his predecessor Mario Monti, but details on specific measures to be taken were thin. One thing he did promise was to suspend a controversial housing tax starting in June. The vow left many wondering how Letta would plug the gap, and if he would sooner or later be forced to back-peddle. The premier, one of the youngest in Europe, has little wrig-

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gle room. Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose protege Angelo Alfano is now deputy prime minister, said his centre-right People of Freedom party “will not support the government” if it does not keep its word on the tax. Billionaire Berlusconi had made abolishing it one of his electoral promises, and Letta can ill afford to alienate the media magnate, who could pull his support and bring the new government down.

Letta has also promised to respect commitments made to the European Union, though his plan is to persuade his European partners to allow him a “margin for manoeuvre” in reigning in Italy’s debt. The aim is to buy more time for the government to balance the budget, giving it room to find the billions of euros needed to finance his plans for better welfare, more jobs and growth. The EU has been outwardly upbeat about Letta’s chances, with Simon O’Connor, economic affairs spokesman, saying the commission had “full confidence in the determination of the new government to reach the objectives fixed for this year. “They have said they are committed to respecting the European objectives within the stability pact,” he said, adding however that it was too early to tell how Italy would do.

Expert Dino Pesole from Italy’s business daily Il Sole 24 Ore described Letta’s road ahead as “a real obstacle course”.

Economics professor Marco Menegatti from Parma University said that “a lot will depend on the government’s ability to persuade the EU that it will respect its engagements, regardless of requests for more time.” The problem with trying to forecast the government’s success in reversing the worst recession the country has seen in 20 years is that “Letta remained fairly vague in his speech, and much is mere hypothesis for now,” he said.

“The real question on everyone’s minds is: where is he going to get the money?” — AFP

Youth voice hope for change in static politics

By Noah Browning ar from the children who beg for change from idling cars and the teenagers who hurl rocks at armed Israeli troops, a different spectacle of Palestinian youth is playing out in the ballroom of a luxury Ramallah hotel. Young contestants are gathered for a taping of “The President”, a game show that aims to select a “new leader” for the Palestinians based on their views on the pressing political issues of the day. The panel of judges is made up of top officials and businessmen. Bleak Palestinian realities mean whatever comes out of the contest to be “The President” will have only symbolic significance. The winner will be “ambassador for a day” at one of the Palestinian missions in Europe, among other prizes.

But it’s a rare chance for a frustrated and marginalized generation to air their views.

Hanan Ashrawi, a veteran of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), asks a contestant in the Gaza Strip, on which Israel has imposed a tight blockade, about the smuggling of goods from neighbouring Egypt.

“What about the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, what would you do about that?” she asked of the trade, which bypasses both Israeli and Palestinian officials. “Well, the goods going through them create an illicit economy which isn’t taxed and take away government revenue,” answers Jihad AlJaabari, who is taking part in the show via a remote connection from Gaza. “Do you speak Hebrew?” an Arab member of the Israeli legislature, Ahmed Tibi, chimes in. “No...but it’s important to learn the enemy’s language,”

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Jaabari replies, eliciting slight smiles from the judges.

Almost a third of the 4.2 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are between 15 and 29 years old, and a third of this youth bulge have no jobs and scant opportunity to challenge their own ageing leaders, let alone Israel’s occupation, beyond taking to the streets. After the Islamist Hamas party ’s surprise 2006 electoral win, the Palestinian parliament has not met for six years and fresh elections are long overdue.

Following a brief civil war with President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah in 2007, Hamas now rules over Gaza while Abbas’ Palestinian Authority governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Abbas, 78, has outstayed his mandate by four years and has no clear rival or successor after Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned this month.

In the meantime, real wages have declined by around 8 percent since 2006 and a third of Palestinian homes do not have secure, reliable access to food, the United Nations says. Youth despair of ever having control over their futures. “We’re a people under occupation. We feel failure while hunger and unemployment rise. We see corruption and foreign aid distracting our leaders,” contestant Maher al-Komi, 25, from the West Bank city of Hebron, told Reuters. “I have a degree in media but I work in a corner store. I hope my speaking on this show will make those in charge realize the problems of youth and make changes,” he said.

While Palestinian politics may be in a moribund condition at the national level, the paralysis has not stifled youthful debate, however. The main university of Nablus in

the West Bank was a riot of yellow and green flags, the colours of Fatah and Hamas, on the day of the student council elections last week. Fatah’s “Martyrs” bloc and “Muslim Palestine” led by Hamas were the two main contenders to lead the 22,000-member student body, with Hamas taking part for the first time in six years.

Both candidates made similar campaign promises about student loans, Internet access and better classroom conditions, but it was ultimately a popularity contest along party lines. In the end, Hamas barely lost out to its rival in a ballot widely seen as a barometer of the Palestinian popular mood. The real platforms of Fatah and Hamas are poles apart, conceded Bassem Sati, 24, as he milled around the campus with a bandana of Hamas’s trademark green over his shoulders.

Fatah officials in recent years explored the idea of creating a vice-presidency under Abbas, hoping to avoid having to devolve power to the Hamas speaker of parliament, as per Palestinian law, if something should happen to the ageing president. The drive was ultimately dropped.

Most Palestinians feel the split in their leadership has distracted them from the real struggle - coming up with a national strategy to confront Israel’s occupation. “We hope the will of the youth will bring Fatah and Hamas together. Of course, we want Fatah’s focus on negotiations to give ground to our choice of resistance,” Sati said. “An uprising will give us suffering and attacks from the Israelis, but we need it to gain our freedom, and we are ready to sacrifice,” he added.

Mervat Abu Hijleh, sporting a T-shirt and Fatah’s black and white chequered headscarf

around her neck, said school elections provided an example of the healthy competition that could revive flat-lining national politics.

“We see how old officials are, how little action is being taken and we see the need for change. We, the youth in this vote, are that change, and the different parties can at least agree on that,” she said.

Nearly three quarters of young people from Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank are not affiliated with any party and say the factions have not earned their trust, according to a survey of 1,851 people aged 15 to 29 published this year by the Sharek Youth Forum, a local non-governmental organisation. Almost two-thirds believe a combination of Israel’s policies and internal politics will doom efforts to establish a Palestinian state. But a slim majority also said they believed Palestinian youth have the ability to bring about change.

It’s unclear how much longer they can retain that optimism, however. Despite the ambition and enthusiasm on display on the set of “The President”, a different reality is the rule on the Palestinian street. Local people gathered at a mosque in the town of al-Ram in March were attending the funeral of a resident who medics said was killed by an Israeli teargas round fired into his taxi during clashes between soldiers and youths. As the corpse was carried toward the cemetery, a young man in a football jersey wrapped a shawl over his face so only his eyes were visible. He and his friends were preparing again for a street battle, trading rocks for Israeli soldiers’ bullets. “If I die, good, I welcome that. I would be dying for our martyr and our people,” he said. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

S P ORT S

Singh cleared of doping TORONTO: Vijay Singh has been cleared of doping by the PGA Tour despite admitting that he used a spray containing elements of a banned substance.

Although he never failed a drugs test, Singh was deemed to have breached golf’s rules on doping when he told Sports Illustrated earlier this year he had used deer antler spray. The spray was found to have contained small extracts of IGF-1, a growth hormone on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances.

The PGA Tour imposed a sanction on Singh following his admission but the Fijian appealed, saying he was unaware the spray contained any banned substances.

He was later cleared when WADA informed the PGA Tour the use of deer antler spray was not prohibited unless a positive test resulted. “Based on this new information, and given WADA’s lead role in interpreting the Prohibited List, the Tour deemed it only fair to no longer treat Mr. Singh’s use of deer antler spray as a violation of the Tour’s anti-doping program,” the PGA said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Since his initial quote was made public, Singh has cooperated with the Tour investigation and has been completely forthcoming and honest.

“While there was no reason to believe that Singh knowingly took a prohibited substance, the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Program clearly states that players are responsible for use of a prohibited substance regardless of intent.”—Reuters

We’re not just the warm-up act, New Zealand tell England LONDON: New Zealand coach Mike Hesson warned England yesterday not to treat his side as the starter before they tuck into the main course of the Ashes series against Australia.

England host New Zealand for two tests, the first at Lord’s starting on May 16 and the second in Leeds on May 24, before playing backto-back Ashes series later this year.

“These are two hugely important test matches for us,” British media quoted Hesson as saying. “We’re making progress as a test side and certainly won’t like to be the entree for the main course later in the season. “England’s record in England in recent times has been outstanding. It’s a tough place to tour and we know that we’ve got to be on the top of our game.”

The tour also includes three one-dayers before the International Cricket Council’s one-day Champions Trophy tournament and ends with two Twenty20 internationals. It comes less than two months after underdogs New Zealand drew a three-test series against England at home, having got to within a wicket of achieving a remarkable 1-0 series victory over the world’s second-ranked side late on the final day. “I’ve tried to forget about that game to be honest, especially the end of it,” Hesson said.

“We felt we dominated but that’s the game. These two tests will be tough in very different conditions. We gained a lot of confidence, but it was a series in isolation and we can’t get carried away.” —Reuters

F1 wary of ‘Vettel effect’ SILVERSTONE: British Formula One Grand Prix organisers are counting on Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button producing the goods in the next few races to boost ticket sales dented by a ‘Vettel effect’. Sebastian Vettel has won the last three championships in succession for Red Bull and the 25-year-old German leads the standings again as the only driver to have won twice in four races so far. McLaren’s Button, the last world champion before Vettel, has finished no higher than fifth this season while Hamilton, the 2008 champion, has had two third places since he moved to Mercedes. Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips said on Wednesday that ticket sales for the June 30 race were down nearly 10 percent on last year, when 297,000 people attended over the three days despite flooded campsites and torrential downpours.

“If you look at the cycle on selling tickets...on the Monday after a grand prix Sunday you tend to see a spike. The weekend we had Lewis on the podium there was a spike and when you see Vettel there is less of a spike,” he told Reuters, referring to demand for tickets for the British Grand Prix. “I think the needle-movers (for sales) are going to be basically ‘not Vettel’. Britain had the biggest crowd of the season last year, with a record race day attendance of 127,000 and more people turning out on a Friday than on a Sunday in some parts of the world where Formula One has no tradition. Eight of the 11 teams are based in Britain, including champions Red Bull, and last year saw seven different winners in the first seven races. —Reuters

Tigers thrash Twins DETROIT: Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder each hit a tworun homer, Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory. Verlander (3-2) allowed a run and five hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

Vance Worley (0-4) gave up six runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings, raising his ERA to 7.22. Cabrera opened the scoring with his fourth homer of the year, and Fielder’s seventh was part of a three-run fifth. Alex Avila also went deep for Detroit.

Tigers pitchers struck out 10 - reaching that mark for the fifth straight game. That equals the longest streak by an American League team since at least 1921. The major league record since then is eight games by the Milwaukee Brewers last August, according to STATS. ATHLETICS 10, ANGELS 6 In Oakland, Yoenis Cespedes drove in four runs, Seth Smith knocked in three with a bases-loaded double and Oakland beat Los Angeles.

One night after outlasting the Angels 10-8 in a 19-inning classic that lasted 61/2 hours, the A’s defeated Los Angeles for the fifth consecutive time this season. Jarrod Parker (1-4) pitched into the seventh for Oakland, which has won 13 straight against AL West teams.

Mike Trout drove in four runs and Mark Trumbo homered for the second straight game for the Angels. Los Angeles fell to 9-17, the worst start in franchise history. The Angels are 0-5 against Oakland for the first time since 1990. Garrett Richards (1-2) gave up seven runs in 5 2-3 innings.

ATLANTA: Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson works in the first inning of the Braves’ baseball game against the Washington Nationals. — AP

Braves pound Nationals ATLANTA: Tim Hudson was a dual threat in his 200th career win, combining with Anthony Varvaro on a three-hitter while adding a homer and a double to lead the Atlanta Braves to an 8-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Hudson (3-1) dominated the Nationals through seven innings, striking out six, walking two and giving up one run. The 37year-old also led off the second with a double to left field off Gio Gonzalez (2-2) and hit a fifth-inning homer off Zach Duke. The Braves won their ninth straight against Washington, dating to last season.

Andrelton Simmons had three hits, including a homer to lead off the first inning for Atlanta. Freddie Freeman had three singles and three RBIs, and Evan Gattis drove in two runs with two hits.

Hudson’s homer was the third of his career and first since June 20, 2011 against Toronto. He became the third active pitcher with 200 wins, joining Andy Pettitte (248) and Roy Halladay (201). Hudson is 200-105 in his career, including 92 wins while with Oakland from 1999-2004. Gonzalez lasted only four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and five walks.

GIANTS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1 In Phoenix, Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer with one out in the top of the ninth to lead San Francisco to a win over Arizona.

Arizona starter Trevor Cahill left after allowing a leadoff single to Angel Pagan, the Giants’ fourth hit against the right-hander. J.J. Putz (2-1) came on for Arizona and struck out Marco Scutaro, and quickly went ahead 0-1 on Sandoval, who sent the next pitch into the stands in right.

It was Putz’s fourth blown save in nine chances. Sandy Rosario (1-0) recorded the last out of the eighth for his first career win, and Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 10th save.

CARDINALS 2, REDS 1 In St. Louis, Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer, Jaime Garcia continued his mastery of Cincinnati with eight strong innings and St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak.

Garcia (3-1) gave up one run on seven hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter. The left-hander improved to 7-0 in eight starts against the Reds at Busch Stadium and is 9-2 overall against them. He retired the last seven batters he faced and recorded 18 ground ball outs. Edward Mujica struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances. Bronson Arroyo (2-3) allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings for the Reds, whose win streak ended at three games.

BREWERS 12, PIRATES 8 In Milwaukee, Rickie Weeks broke out of a season-long slump with a three-run homer and five RBIs to lead Milwaukee over Pittsburgh. Weeks finished with three hits

for the Brewers, who won their ninth straight against Pittsburgh. They improved to 46-7 at Miller Park against the Pirates since the start of 2007.

Andrew McCutchen homered and had four hits for Pittsburgh. After Tom Gorzelanny (1-0) escaped a two-on, noneout jam in the seventh, Yuniesky Betancourt lined his sixth home run of the year off Pirates reliever Bryan Morris (0-1).

Weeks, who began the night batting .167, hit his second homer of the season in the eighth.

DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 2 In Los Angeles, Hyun-Jin Ryu had a career-best 12 strikeouts in six innings and Hanley Ramirez homered in his first start of the season, leading Los Angeles over Colorado.

Carlos Gonzalez gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the first with a homer - but it didn’t last. After giving up the home run to Gonzalez, Ryu (3-1) retired 14 of the next 15 batters he faced. His 12 strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers rookie since Hideo Nomo fanned 13 on Aug. 20, 1995. Ryu, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston Jr. all drove in runs for the Dodgers.

Jorge De La Rosa (2-3) worked four innings for the Rockies, giving up six earned runs on 11 hits with two walks and a strikeout. He fell to 0-8 in his career against the Dodgers.

MARLINS 2, METS 1 In Miami, Juan Pierre scored standing up on a wild pitch with none out in the ninth and Miami came from behind in the final inning for the second consecutive game to beat reeling New York.

Jeremy Hefner (0-3) took a 1-0 lead and a three-hitter into the ninth inning but couldn’t get another out for the Mets, who have dropped six straight games. Hefner had a career-high eight strikeouts and lowered his ERA from 5.14 to 3.72.

An intentional walk loaded the bases before Mets reliever Brandon Lyon’s first pitch to Greg Dobbs was a low breaking ball that got away from Recker, allowing Pierre to score. Ryan Webb (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth to get the win.

PADRES 13, CUBS 7 In Chicago, Carlos Quentin homered and drove in three runs and San Diego battered Edwin Jackson in a win over Chicago.

Edinson Volquez (2-3) worked 5 2-3 innings, allowing four runs while striking out three in his first outing against Chicago while with San Diego. Volquez is 5-0 in seven career starts against the Cubs, including 3-0 at Wrigley Field.

Quentin was 3 for 4 with the home run and two doubles. He is 34 for 101 (.337) with nine homers against the Cubs in his career. Jackson (0-4) went 4 2-3 innings, giving up 11 hits and eight runs. — AP

BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 7 In Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit an upper-deck homer in the fifth inning, then connected for a go-ahead shot in the seventh that sent Toronto over Boston.

The Blue Jays ended a four-game losing streak and avoided the first 18-loss April in club history. David Ortiz homered and drove in four runs for Boston, which had won five in a row and was trying for its first 19-win April.

Mike Carp and Jonny Gomes also connected for the Red Sox, who head into May with the best record in the majors for the 11th time in team history.

Encarnacion’s pair of two-run shots marked the 10th multihomer game of his career and second this season. He has nine home runs this year.

Encarnacion became the 14th player to reach the upper deck in left field at Rogers Centre, tagging starter Jon Lester.

Toronto trailed 7-6 when Encarnacion homered off Junichi Tazawa (2-1). Steve Delabar (2-1) got two outs for the win.

Casey Janssen finished for his seventh save in as many chances.

YANKEES 7, ASTROS 4 In New York, Hiroki Kuroda settled in after a rocky start to pitch four-hit ball through seven innings, Travis Hafner had three RBI singles and New York used small ball to beat Houston.

Lyle Overbay homered for the banged-up Bronx Bombers, who bounced back from a 9-1 loss to the Astros on Monday.

New York took advantage of Phil Humber’s four wild pitches and a couple of close calls at first base to score its first four runs without an extra-base hit.

Kuroda (4-1) threw 67 pitches in the first three innings, putting at least two runners on in each one. But just as he did in his previous start, he got into a better rhythm and retired 14 of his final 15 batters.

The right-hander won his fourth consecutive decision, matching a career best. Mariano Rivera got one out for his 10 straight save to start the season.

Ichiro Suzuki had three of the 15 hits for the Yankees, who put Kevin Youkilis on their star-studded disabled list with a lumbar spine sprain.

Chris Carter hit a two-run homer for Houston and Jose Altuve had a two-run double. Humber (0-6) was lifted after the sixth trailing 4-0.

ROYALS 8, RAYS 2 In Kansas City, James Shields made a stellar first start against his former team and Mike Moustakas hit a two-run homer to lead Kansas City over Tampa Bay. Shields (2-2) allowed a two-run shot to Matt Joyce in the first inning, but only three more hits over the next six. The right-hander struck out seven in the kind of dominant performance that the Royals were hoping for when they acquired him in December.

The Royals trailed 2-1 in the sixth when Moustakas’ first homer of the year gave them the lead. Kansas City added another run to chase starter Alex Cobb (3-2), and three more off reliever Brandon Gomes in the seventh.

The Royals finished 14-10 in April, a dramatic improvement from the 6-15 mark they carried into May a year ago. Tampa Bay dropped to 4-10 on the road.

RANGERS 10, WHITE SOX 6 In Arlington, Yu Darvish overcame a shaky start for his fifth victory in April and Texas backed him with plenty of big hits against Chicago.

Darvish (5-1) struck out nine in six innings, but the game was tied when he threw the last of his 108 pitches. He leads the majors with 58 strikeouts in 38 2-3 innings.

The Rangers scored six times in the sixth to break it open.

Mitch Moreland, who had three hits, delivered a go-ahead double and Adrian Beltre capped the burst with a two-run homer. The bases were loaded when Beltre got to the plate before two wild pitches by Nate Jones allowed two runs.

Nelson Cruz and Jeff Baker homered on consecutive pitches from White Sox starter Jose Quintana. Adam Dunn hit his sixth homer for Chicago. Dewayne Wise, who entered in an 0for-15 slide, was 4 for 4 with a home run after being a late addition to the lineup. Matt Lindstrom (1-2) took the loss.

ORIOLES 7, MARINERS 2 In Seattle, Nate McLouth hit a leadoff homer and Baltimore battered Seattle rookie Brandon Maurer for four runs in the first inning.

Matt Wieters added a two-run double in the first and Chris

DETROIT: Tigers’ Prince Fielder swings on a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins. — AP Dickerson had his first two RBIs of the season with a two-run single in the sixth.

Jason Hammel (4-1) pitched into the sixth inning. A high pitch count ended his night despite a 6-0 lead. Maurer (2-4) lasted four innings, giving up four runs and six hits.

Michael Morse hit his eighth home run for the Mariners.

INTERLEAGUE INDIANS 14, PHILLIES 2 In Cleveland, Ryan Raburn homered twice for the second straight game and Cleveland hit seven home runs in all to rout Philadelphia.

The Indians set a major league high this season for homers in a game. Cleveland has won three in a row, outscoring opponents 335 during that span.

Philadelphia had won three in a row before Roy Halladay (2-3) got tagged for eight runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings. Activated from the disabled list before the game, Delmon Young homered in his first at-bat for the Phillies.

Cleveland’s first five homers were two-run shots. Carlos Santana, Mark Reynolds and Lonnie Chisenhall homered off Halladay, then Raburn and Michael Brantley connected off Chad Durbin.

Raburn and Drew Stubbs hit back-to-back shots in the seventh against Raul Valdes. The Indians fell one homer short of the franchise record.

Given a 12-1 lead in the fifth, Zach McAllister (2-3) coasted. He gave up two runs in seven innings on solo homers by Young and Chase Utley. — AP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

S P ORT S

Daley’s long, hard road to Players Championship CHARLOTTE: Joe Daley learned at rookie orientation that as a PGA Tour member, he had access to the vast TPC network. He was at tour headquarters that week and wasted no time taking advantage of this perk, sneaking out to play the TPC Sawgrass and holing out from the 10th fairway for eagle. That was December 1995. Ben Crenshaw was the Masters champion. Tiger Woods was a two-time US Amateur champion in his second year at Stanford.

Daley could not have imagined it would take him more than 17 years to get back to Sawgrass, and certainly not under these circumstances. He finally returns next week, at 52 the oldest player to make his debut in The Players Championship. “I’ve played a lot of courses between then and now,” Daley said. The most significant course was Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh, where last July he won the Seniors Players Championship by two shots over Tom Lehman to earn a spot in The Players Championship, the tournament with the strongest field and richest purse.

That he never played Sawgrass except for that casual round is not surprising. Daley only had two full years on the PGA Tour. He spent 10 full years in the minors, long enough to play under three umbrella sponsors - Nike Tour, Buy.com Tour and Nationwide Tour. When he turned 50, he had to Monday qualify for Champions Tour events. He finally got his big break with a 66-64 weekend in the Senior PGA Championship to tie for fourth, which make him eligible for the Senior Players.

And here he is. “It’s a lot of years of hard work,

man,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.” To put some of that into perspective, the winner of The Players Championship gets $1.71 million.

That’s nearly as much as Daley’s earnings ($1.96 million) in two decades playing the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and what is now called the Web.com Tour. Other than his two wins in the minor leagues and his one big win on the Champions Tour, the highlights have been limited.

Daley, who didn’t start chasing his dream until he was 32, remembers the first time he played a PGA Tour event. He was a Monday qualifier for the old Anheuser-Busch Classic at Kingsmill, made the cut and wound up getting paired with Curtis Strange in the third round. “I had to remember to breathe on the first tee,” he said.

He was playing in the final round at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1996 when a 20-year-old making his pro debut - Woods - had a hole-in-one. And, in 2000, he became the image of all that can go wrong at Q-school, which even now might be what Daley is remembered for the most. He rapped in a 4-foot par putt that dropped into the bottom of the cup at such an angle that it popped back out. Daley was so stunned that he flung his cap to the ground. He wound up missing his card by one shot. “I’ve had people overseas says, ‘I know you.’ And that happened 12 years ago,” Daley said with a laugh. There are other highlights only Daley would appreciate. Like the time he joined a group that included Woody Austin and Doug Dunakey for a tour into South America, where

Armstrong case could hinge on USPS benefit AUSTIN: Lance Armstrong is facing the federal government in a legal fight with tens of millions of dollars at stake, and a loss could bankrupt the cyclist who until last year ranked among the wealthiest and most popular athletes in the world.

Armstrong’s best chance at protecting his personal fortune may rest in convincing a jury the government has already earned plenty from him, regardless of whether he cheated to win the Tour de France and lied to cover it up.

Armstrong is being sued by the US Justice Department to recover at least the $40 million the U.S. Postal Service paid to sponsor his team, claiming Armstrong was “unjustly enriched” by using steroids and other drugs to win the Tour de France seven times.

Armstrong’s legal team says the benefits the Postal Service reaped from putting its name on Armstrong’s jersey was worth far more than that. The Postal Service commissioned four studies that said the contract was worth more than $100 million in worldwide exposure for the agency at a time it was trying to boost its brand. Armstrong could still settle the case before going to trial, which likely would not start until 2014. Previous settlement talks broke down this year. If it goes to trial, experts say the government will likely have an easy time proving Armstrong committed fraud by violating his contract. But proving financial damages could be far more difficult and the stakes are huge because the False Claims Act allows the government to seek triple damages.

“They are going to have to get creative,” said Dallas attorney Michael Orwig, a former federal prosecutor who has handled lawsuits filed under the same statute the government is

using to pursue Armstrong. “They’ve got to know they’ve got a squishy case on damages.”

Paul Scott, an attorney for Floyd Landis, the former Armstrong teammate who brought the whistle-blower lawsuit and would get a cut of any damages awarded, dismissed the argument that the Postal Service wasn’t damaged.

“It was all a fraud,” Scott said. “US Postal would not have paid a dime if they had known the truth.” Armstrong was sued first by Landis, who admits participating with Armstrong in the team doping program. The Justice Department announced in February it would join the case and filed its formal complaint on April 23.

Landis and the government allege Armstrong, Postal Service cycling team director Johan Bruyneel and the team ownership company, Tailwind Sports Inc., committed fraud by engaging in a doping program that was against cycling rules.

Armstrong has publicly admitted doping.

Bruyneel has challenged the US Anti-Doping Agency’s report on the team doping program and is awaiting an arbitration hearing separate from the lawsuit. Ben Vernia, a Washington attorney who specializes in federal whistleblower lawsuits, said Armstrong’s case was unusual because it deals with a government agency that paid for publicity instead of something more tangible like an airplane part or specific service that wasn’t delivered.

“Engine parts are easy to quantify,” Vernia said. “In this case, did (Postal Service) get the benefit of the bargain?” The agency was the lead sponsor for Armstrong’s team from 19982004, a span that included six of Armstrong’s seven Tour victories that have now been stripped away. —AP

the prize money was paid in cash in the back room of a pro shop. He remembers his first U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2000, where he followed an 83 with a 69 and still missed the cut. Looking for a place to play a few years ago when he turned 50, Daley played a developmental tour in Carolina and tied for third while walking and carrying his own bag.

“We still love the journey,” he said. “And it’s been a cool journey.” This much can be said of Daley: He devotes all his energy into whatever he is doing, and it took him awhile to realize that all he wanted was to play golf for a living. He was a walk on for the golf team at Old Dominion and earned his degree in finance. Having spent so much time around country clubs as a kid - first as a caddie, then in the kitchen, later as a waiter - he decided to put his college studies to use.

Daley’s specialty was credit management, a career that was going along fine except that he didn’t have much time to play amateur events. In an era of hostile takeovers, his company was bought and then streamlined. Daley hated the idea of laying off people, so he quit and worked for a small company as a credit manager. “I still wanted to play golf for a living,” he said. “I figured out I needed to be in better shape. So I saved up some money and quit my job in ‘92, got on a flight and flew to Vancouver and qualified for the Canadian Tour. I went broke and went back to Florida.” His wife, Carol, was a teacher. Daley took a job as a banquet waiter at night, allowing him to play, practice and go to the gym in the day. He tried (and failed) Q-school.

He went to South America and South Africa, wherever he could find a place to play. His two years on the PGA Tour (1996 and 1998) brought him career earnings of $155,532 - about what Marcel Siem earned for his tie for 10th in the Texas Open - so he toiled in the minor leagues. If he ever felt like giving up, Daley leaned on a friend in Virginia Beach, Va., an accountant who left a standing offer of a job along with a subtle hint.

“He said, ‘If you ever get tired of that, I’ll put you to work. But there are millions of people who would love to do what you’re doing,’” Daley said. “After every year, I asked my wife, ‘Are you cool with this, honey?’

And she always said yes.” Daley made just over $1 million in all his years in the minor leagues, not much considering all the hotel rooms and the miles he put on four used cars.

He was driven by pure passion. He learned the value of working hard, eating right and getting plenty of rest. He studied other players and was honest about his own shortcomings as a player. For 20 years, he tried to figure out how to get better after every round and every tournament. After winning the Senior Players, he said in his press conference, “I’m my own competition. Have been for years.” Such is the nature of golf, and why Daley loves this game so much. One of the greatest appeals of golf is the process of getting better. It’s what keeps him going even at 52. He knows that a positive attitude and hard work can go a long way, even if he had to wait a long time for it to pay off. — AP

Blues, Blackhawks and Ducks win as NHL playoffs begin ST. LOUIS: St. Louis’ Alex Steen stole the puck from goalie Jonathan Quick behind the net and scored to give the Blues a 2-1 overtime victory over the defending NHL champions, the Los Angeles Kings, as the playoffs got underway on Tuesday.

The Chicago Blackhawks also won 2-1 in overtime, downing the Minnesota Wild, while the Anaheim Ducks won 3-1 over the Detroit Red Wings as all three home teams won.

St. Louis’ Steen scored unassisted on a backhander at 13:26 of overtime, less than a minute after the Blues had been reduced by one man when defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was whistled for high sticking. Steen also scored on a power play in the first period for the Blues, who ended an eight-game losing streak against the team that swept them in the second round last spring.

Quick, last year’s playoff MVP, made 35 saves in regulation, keeping the Kings in it long enough for Justin Williams to score the tying goal with just 31.6 seconds left in regulation, but rued holding the puck long enough for Steen to score the winner. “You try to force it and I tried to give my D-men a little more time with the puck,” Quick said. “I tried to make a good decision and he got a stick on it.” Game 2 of the series will be played today.

“We had a chance to win the game, everybody was focused on doing that,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. “Unfortunately, we gave up what obviously shouldn’t happen, can’t happen.”

In Chicago, Bryan Bickell scored in overtime on a two-on-one rush as the Blackhawks escaped with a narrow victory over Minnesota after a dominant regular season. Goalie Corey Crawford settled down after allowing a weak goal in the opening minutes,

ST. LOUIS: Jonathan Quick No. 32 of the Los Angeles Kings stretches prior to the beginning of overtime against the St. Louis Blues in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. — AFP while Marian Hossa also scored for Chicago. The Blackhawks finally put the game away when Johnny Oduya chipped the puck off the boards to Viktor Stalberg on the right side. Stalberg then dished it to Bickell on the two-on-one rush in front for the winner at 16:35 of overtime. Anaheim veteran Teemu Selanne scored a memorable power-play goal early in the third period to put the hosts in front and the Ducks went on to beat Detroit. Jonas Hiller made 21 saves, Nick Bonino also scored a power-play goal,

and Francois Beauchemin added an empty-netter for the second-seeded Ducks. They hung on in the final minutes of the opener in just their second playoff series in four years. The 42-year-old Selanne came up with yet another huge goal for the Pacific Division champions, putting a perfectly placed one-timer over Jimmy Howard’s shoulder while gliding backward. Howard stopped 24 shots and Daniel Cleary scored on a power play for the Red Wings in their 22nd consecutive postseason appearance. — AP

Int’l Grand Prix a huge success

By Abdellatif Sharaa

3- Shooter/ JAY NEVILLE - Third Place from: UK

KUWAIT: President of the Arab Shooting Federation, vice president of Kuwait Shooting Sport Federation Eng. Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi said, during the closing ceremony of the International Sporting Grand Prix in Kuwait that the tournament enjoyed the participation of well established shooters who came to Kuwait to compete for the honor of winning in the first tournament of its kind in Asia.

He said, we in Kuwait were honored to meet our guests and hope that we succeeded in organizing it the way that all expected, adding that we hope to get the opportunity to organize it again here at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex. Al-Otaibi thanked Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah for his support during the organization of the tournament.

Al-Otaibi congratulated the winners and wished those who missed out success in coming tournaments. Meanwhile Al-Otaibi thanked HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah for their support of the sport of shooting.

Third: Compack Sporting Event Junior category 1- Shooter/ TALAL ALRASHIDI - First Place from: KUWAIT 2- Shooter/ MOHAMMAD ALHAMMLI - Second Place from: KUWAIT Fourth: Compack Sporting event Ladies category 1- Shooter/ AFRAH ADEL - First Place from: KUWAIT 2Shooter/ LAMAN NUSHRANOVA - Second Place from: AZERBIAJAN 3- Shooter/ FOTOUH ADIL - Third Place from: KUWAIT Open category Fifth: Compack sporting Event 1- Shooter/ TALAL ALRASHIDI - First Place from: KUWAIT 2Shooter/ ILHAM MAHMUDOV- Second Place from: AZERBAIJAN 3- Shooter/ JOHN POOL - Third Place from: UK Awarding Ceremony of the sporting grand prix of Kuwait .

First: Sporting Grand Prix Super Veterans category 1- Shooter/ JEAN FRANCOIS PALINKAS - first Place from: FRANCE 2- Shooter/ AMATO PAOLO - Second Place from: ITALY 3- Shooter/ WILLIS BRAIN - third Place from: UK Second: Sporting Grand Prix event Veterans category 1- Shooter/ JOHN POOL - First Place from: UK 2- Shooter/ JAY NEVILLE - Third Place from: UK 3- Shooter/ JOHN SMITH - Second Place from: UK

shooting sport. He said Kuwait shooters showed great skills and their results indicate that. Palinkas concluded by saying that the International Sporting Shooting Federation is looking forward to organize other tournaments in Kuwait, which has one of the best shooting ranges in the world.

Al-Otaibi awards Talal Al-Rashidi Meanwhile President of the International Sporting Shooting Federation Jan Francois Palinkas lauded the good organization of this tournament which is held for the first time in Asia. He also thanked Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud AlSabah and Eng. Duaij Al-Otaibi for the efforts that made the Grand Prix a success. Palinkas gave special thanks to Kuwait referees who performed very well during the tournament although this was the first time for them to officiate such a

1- Shooter/ JEAN FRANCOIS PALINKAS - first Place from: FRANCE 2Shooter/ AMATO PAOLO - Second Place from: ITALY 3Shooter/ WILLIS BRAIN - third Place from: UK

Fourth: Sporting Grand Prix event Ladies category 1- Shooter/ AFRAH ADEL - First Place from: KUWAIT 2- Shooter/ FOTOUH ADIL - Third Place from: KUWAIT 3Shooter/ LAMAN NUSHRANOVA - Second Place from: AZERBIAJAN

Results of the tournament are as follows: First: Compack sporting Super Veterans category

Second: Compack sporting event Veterans category 1- Shooter/ JOHN POOL - First Place from: UK 2- Shooter/ JOHN SMITH - Second Place from: UK

Open category Fifth: Sporting Grand Prix Event 1- Shooter/ Abdullah Alrashidi - First Place from: KUWAIT 2- Shooter/ PETRI KOKKONEN - Second Place from: FINLAND 3- Shooter/ TERO RANTONEN - Third Place from: FINLAND

Al-Otaibi hands Abdallah Al-Rashidi his trophy

Palinkas receives a plaque from Al-Otaibi

Talal Al-Rashidi, Jean Palinkas, Abdullah Rashidi

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

S P ORT S

Russian bank to sponsor Europe-wide students league MOSCOW: Russian basketball officials, impressed by the college game’s huge popularity in the United States, hope to imitate their former Cold War adversaries by creating a Europe-wide student league.

Formed last September with the help of Russia’s second-largest bank VTB, the International Students Basketball League (ISBL) has quickly grown into a top-notch competition, with 26 collegiate teams from the Baltics to the Far East taking part.

“We have teams from Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and even China competing,” ISBL chief and VTB senior vice-president Andrei Peregudov told Reuters in an interview.

“Next season, we’re adding teams from Belarus and Latvia. We hope Finland and Sweden will also take part. We also negotiating with schools from Serbia and Spain about their participation.

“Japan and South Korea have also expressed

interest in joining the ISBL’s division in the Far East.

In all, we think 30 or 32 teams would be an optimal number.”

Officials and business people in several sports, such as soccer, have recently announced plans to create a joint league, bringing neighboring countries together.

In December, several top Russian soccer clubs, including champions Zenit St Petersburg, bigspending Anzhi Makhachkala and CSKA Moscow, unhappy with the way the domestic game is run, unveiled a plan to break away from Russia’s top flight and start a joint venture with neighbouring Ukraine as early as next year. Peregudov said he has a different idea.

“As a bank, as a business, we obviously don’t want just to spend money, we want to get something in return, that’s why we have targeted col-

LOS ANGELES: Caron Butler No. 5 and DeAndre Jordan No. 6 of the Los Angeles Clippers box out against Marc Gasol No. 33 of the Memphis Grizzlies during Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. — AP photos

leges and universities,” he said.

“Students are a young, dynamic group of people, many of whom will become political and business leaders in their respective countries in the future.

We want to be associated with such an audience.”

College basketball is a billion-dollar business in the United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship, culminating with the Final Four, draws thousands of fans, with millions glued to their TV sets.

The ISBL’s inaugural Final Four, staged at the Tallinn University of Technology over the weekend, was a much smaller affair, with the hosts beating the Moscow Academy of Physical Culture in the final in front of a few hundred spectators.

“Well, the NCAA championship is what you call a benchmark for us in terms of a business structure,” said Peregudov, who has a first-hand knowledge of

North American sports after working in Canada for several years.

“I’ve even played basketball in one of Canada’s amateur leagues so I know their model pretty well.

Ours is a bit different. It’s more suited for Europe.

We want the ISBL to resemble basketball’s Euroleague, but for students.”

All of the ISBL’s expenses are covered by VTB and other commercial partners while teams only pay for their travel. The league is also discussing a plan to allow professional players to participate, hoping such a move would significantly improve its level of play.

“We’re not talking about top international players. I don’t think our league would be of much interest to them. But those third-fourth line players who usually spend time warming the bench would get enough playing in our league,” Peregudov said. “Of course, all of them must be active students.” — Reuters

DENVER: Festus Ezeli No. 31 of the Golden State Warriors, Wilson Chandler No. 21 of the Denver Nuggets, Harrison Barnes No. 40 of the Golden State Warriors, Kenneth Faried No. 35 of the Denver Nuggets and Draymond Green No. 23 of the Golden State Warriors battle for rebounding position during Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

Dirty play accusations as Nuggets defeat Warriors DENVER: Accusations of dirty play were exchanged after the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 107-100 on Tuesday to avoid elimination from the NBA playoffs.

Needing a win to stay alive, the Nuggets played tough basketball, with fiery forward Kenneth Faried at the center of the action.

Denver cut the series deficit to 3-2, sending it back to Oakland for Game 6 today. Also Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies won 103-93 at the Los Angeles Clippers to take a 3-2 lead in their series.

Denver slowed down Golden State’s guards, jumpstarted their transition game and got under Andrew Bogut’s skin in Game 5, jumping out to a 22-point lead before weathering the Warriors’ frenetic fourth-quarter rally.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson accused the Nuggets of trying to hurt Stephen Curry, his injured sharpshooter who was just 1 for 7 from long-range and finished with a series-low 15 points.

“Some dirty plays early,” Jackson said. “It’s playoff basketball, that’s all right. We own it. But make no mistake about it, we went up 3-1 playing hard, physical, clean basketball - not trying to hurt anybody.” Jackson mentioned Faried setting some “great screens and some great illegal ones, too.”

“He did his job. Hey, I played with guys like that. They get paid to do that. Dale Davis, Anthony Davis, Charles Oakley. You get paid to do it. So give them credit,” Jackson said. “As an opposing coach, I see it, and I’m trying to protect my guys.”

Jackson complained about one screen in particular on Curry being “a shot at his ankle, clearly.

That can’t be debated.” He added, “I got inside information that some people don’t like that brand of basketball and they clearly didn’t cosign it. They wanted to let me know they have no parts in what was taking place. Let the best team win. And let everybody with the exception of

going down with a freak injury, let everybody leave out of here healthy. That’s not good basketball.” “It’s basketball,” countered Faried. “I try to do the little things my team needs me to do. It’s physical. If you can’t stand the physicality, you shouldn’t be playing.”

Asked about accusations he tried to hurt Curry, Faried said: “That’s intriguing because I think they were purposefully trying to hurt me every play I went for a rebound - the hits, the grab to the throat.” Curry said there were a few plays that went overboard.

“There were a couple, man. Going through the paint minding my own business and they come out of nowhere trying to throw elbows,” he said. “I got a (target) on me, I don’t know what it is, just got to keep playing and do your thing.”

The Nuggets said they were surprised the Warriors were the ones complaining about physical play.

“I’ve taken the hardest hit in the series, Game

1 or 2, when Bogut leaned in to me on a screen.

And I didn’t remember what happened the rest of the game,” Denver’s Andre Iguodala said. “They kind of brought the physicality to the series. And we stopped being the receivers and we’re starting to hit back a little bit. But as far as anybody trying to cheap shot, I don’t condone that myself.

It’s not my game.”

Faried said he’s been beat up all series long.

“I’m surprised tonight I didn’t get my hair pulled like before,” Faried said. “It’s all good. If we’re playing dirty, hey, it’s basketball. We’re just playing physical.” Said Bogut: “It’s the series, it’s physical, whether they’re taking cheap shots or not we need to match that physicality.”

Klay Thompson said “a couple of them could have been cheap shots. I thought Steph got cheat shot one time, he got a bloody nose. It’s not acceptable, but we’ve got to match that. We can’t let it get in our heads, just do what we did in the second half.”

Andre Iguodala had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, Ty Lawson had 19 points and 10 assists and Faried had 13 points and 10 boards. Stephen Curry finished 1 of 7 from 3 and scored 15 for the Warriors. Harrison Barnes led Golden State with 23 points.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Memphis moved within one win of a spot in the next round of the playoffs by beating the LA Clippers 103-93.

Zach Randolph scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies capitalized on Blake Griffin’s ankle injury.

Mike Conley added 20 points for the Grizzlies, who will try to wrap it up Friday at home. The Pacific Division champion Clippers, who won their last seven games of the regular season to clinch home-court advantage for the first two rounds, would force a deciding seventh game on Sunday back at Staples Center if they win in Memphis. Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 35 points, tying a career playoff high. —AP

Afridi blames Misbah for exclusion ISLAMABAD: Shahid Afridi has blamed Pakistan’s oneday cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq for his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, and has vowed to return to the national team.

“It’s the captain’s decision to drop me,” Afridi told the Urdu language Daily Jang yesterday. “It’s no big deal for me if a captain doesn’t want a certain player in the team.” In announcing the squad earlier this week, selectors said Afridi, who has scored 7,201 and taken 348 wickets in ODIs, was left out due to recent poor form in one-day internationals.

He has scored only 161 runs at an average of 17.88 and taken just four wickets at an astonishing cost of 113.75 runs each in the last 12 ODIs. But Afridi refused

to go into his recent statistics. “I am much better than lot of other (Pakistan) players and I know I could play for Pakistan for few more years.” Afridi now plans to prepare for a Twenty20 tournament in England in July where he will represent English county Hampshire.

“I have received lots of text messages from my fans and I am thankful to all of them,” he said. The flamboyant allrounder refused to accept that his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad spelt the end of his career.

“I know I have to work very hard to return to Pakistan team,” he said. “I want to make it clear I don’t want to be burden on the team. I want to represent Pakistan on performance and fitness. “The day I believed I am burden on the team I will quit myself.” — AP

Shahid Afridi

Australia recall Marsh for Champions Trophy Usain Bolt

Bolt to skip Jamaica meet KINGSTON: Six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has been ruled out of Saturday ’s Jamaica International Invitational meeting because of a slight hamstring strain, his agent said on Tuesday.

The 100 and 200 metres world record holder felt tightness in training over the weekend and in consultation with Coach Glen Mills decided not to risk anything at this early stage of the season, agent Ricky Simms told Reuters.

“It’s a small strain and he’s hoping to be OK for next week but you know it’s day by day ... maybe for the two or three days. It just a problem of sprinting,” Simms said in a telephone interview. Asked if the injury was serious, Simms replied: “No. He hopes to be running in Cayman by next week, so it’s what you call a grade one strain, which is you can’t sprint, but you can walk OK. He’s not limping or anything.” Bolt was scheduled to run his first 200 metres of the season against Jamaican Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir and American Wallace Spearmon in the meeting.

His next scheduled race is a 100 metres in the May 8 Cayman Islands meeting. “I am disappointed to miss the Kingston meet as I love running in front of my home crowd in Jamaica,” Bolt said in a statement. “I’m told it is only a grade one strain so hopefully I will be OK soon.”

Bolt started his season in style on March 31 on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach with a 14.42 seconds clocking over 150 metres on the purpose-built track. — Reuters

SYDNEY: Australia recalled all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to the squad for their Champions Trophy defence and named George Bailey as vice captain yesterday.

The 21-year-old Marsh, who played his only one day international in 2011 against South Africa, was rewarded with

LONDON: New Zealand cricket player Kane Williamson smiles during a press conference in London. New Zealand will play a Test series against England starting May 16.—AP a place in the 15-member squad for his strong domestic limited over performance for Western Australia.

“Mitchell’s domestic season was interrupted by (hamstring) injury but there’s no doubt he has the potential to perform strongly at international level,” national

selector John Inverarity said in a statement. Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile and his Western Australia team mate Adam Voges also made it to the squad, who will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against hosts England at Edgbaston on June 8.

Twenty20 captain Bailey was named vice captain, stepping in after all-rounder Shane Watson stepped down from the post last month.

“The NSP (National Selection Panel) has been impressed with George’s leadership when he stepped in to guide the ODI team in Michael’s absence last summer and leadership of the T20 team over the past two seasons,” Inverarity said.

“Given George’s experience and credentials, he was viewed as the ideal person for the role.” Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Moises Henriques were “close to selection”, while paceman Ben Cutting was not considered because of injury concerns, Inverarity said.

Pacemen Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay were recovering well from injury and would join Mitchell Johnson to form the core of the limited-overs bowling group, he said.

“The ICC Champions Trophy is another important step in our aim to get back to the number one ranking,” Inverarity said.

“As the two-time defending champion, the squad has been selected with the aim of winning the tournament ... while also keeping the 2015 ICC World Cup firmly in mind.” — Reuters

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait and Al-Ahli United Bank meet Saturday in the final match to determine the winner of this year’s KBC Bowling Championship. The event takes place at the Cozmo Bowling Center in Salmiya, and is set to be attended by senior Kuwait Banks Club officials as well as representatives of local banks.

18

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

SPORTS Photo of the day

So far so good for NASCAR’s new car CHARLOTTE: The only certainty at the unveiling of NASCAR’s new car was that the Gen-6 was aesthetically pleasing.

The new design looked more like a stock car and returned brand recognition to the manufacturers. Adding driver names to the windshield was a late addition, but a sporty touch.

But if the Gen-6 wasn’t racy, NASCAR’s exhaustive yearlong effort would amount to nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig. Turns out all that hand-wringing was unnecessary.

Through nine races, the on-track action with the Gen-6 is much improved from a year ago, when fans were screaming about how boring NASCAR had become. The races haven’t been perfect, but there’s been no shortage of story lines and few runaway wins.

“I’m telling you, whoever designed this new car, we should kiss ‘em every weekend. It’s creating drama,” Clint Bowyer said after Saturday night’s race at Richmond. “We haven’t seen racing like this in years, since I first started in this sport (in 2004). When you can leave a race track and there’s people in tears because they won, and in tears because they got crashed, that’s what brings us to the race track, that kind of racing and determination and passion.”

The idea behind the Gen-6 was to improve the racing on intermediate tracks, where it was unwatchable at times last year.

NASCAR suffered through a brutal stretch last spring of painfully long green-flag runs with very little side-by-side racing. There were few cautions beyond occasional yellow flags for debris, and a four-race stretch without a multicar accident. The problems were never more glaring than Memorial Day weekend, when just hours after one of the most exciting Indianapolis 500’s in history, NASCAR staged a nearly four-hour snoozefest at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Only nine cars were on the lead lap of the CocaCola 600 when Kasey Kahne beat Denny Hamlin to the finish line by a whopping 4.295 seconds.

The racing hasn’t been so monotonous this year and the statistics back it up after nine races: • There have been 1,203 more green flag passes throughout the field.

• The average margin of victory is .634 seconds, compared to 1.759 seconds last year.

• There are 49.9 percent of the cars finishing on the lead lap this year, up from 38.2 last year.

• The percentage of cars running at the finish of the race is up 3 percent to 83.2.

And, as Bowyer said, the drama has increased immensely. Former teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano crossed paths in the closing laps of the season-opening Daytona 500, and the feud culminated with their whiteknuckled, door-to-door race to the finish in California last month. Each driver was so bent on not losing to the other, they ended up wrecking moments after Kyle Busch slid past them for the victory.

The accident sent Hamlin to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a compression fracture in a vertebra that has sidelined him the last four races.

Injury aside, that’s the racing NASCAR chairman Brian France had in mind when he demanded his senior manage-

ment design a car that could improve the product.

“I have said repeatedly, every minute, that contact, especially late in the race when you are going for a win, that’s not only going to happen - that’s expected,” France said last month. “Both of them did exactly what I think you would do when you really, really want to win. Getting some contact, trying to race extra hard to win the race, that’s what we’re about.”

It was on display again Saturday night at Richmond when a late caution sent the race into overtime for a twolap sprint to the finish. Kevin Harvick rocketed from seventh to first, while Tony Stewart was knocked out of the groove by a hard-charging Kurt Busch, who called the final two laps “a free for all.”

Stewart restarted fifth, was bumped out of the way by Busch, and wound up 18th and angry. “He just rammed right into us there at the end,” Stewart said through a team spokesman.

Logano, who finished third at Richmond and joked several times how pleased he was to not be in the middle of any new drama, praised the new car for improving the action.

“Like Clint said, about every single race has been entertaining and crazy, especially the finishes of them,” Logano said. “I think the car has done a great job. They look awesome, they have put on a good race. So we don’t really have anything to complain about.”

The Gen-6 is 150 pounds lighter than the old car, which makes them a little easier to drive and allows drivers to push a little harder. Changes to the design have helped eliminate the aerodynamic push that limited passing on bigger tracks, almost doubled the rear camber to put more grip in the rear tires and added more down force that has given drivers more confidence to attempt a pass.

“You can be aggressive with the cars,” Harvick said. “Last year, the spoiler was shortened, it’s hard to be aggressive with those cars because they’re so edgy, you don’t have a lot of confidence in racing side-by-side. I feel like I can drive my car in 10 miles deep, do what I have to do on the inside of another car, not worry about spinning out and wrecking.”

The next test is Talladega, where everyone is waiting to see how the car performs. The two-car tandem racing of the last several years was widely panned by fans, and NASCAR eliminated it last year with changes to the rules package.

But the result was a wreckfest last May in which Stewart shredded the product in post-race and suggested a radical tongue-in-cheek change to the racing, making the track “a figure 8. And/or we can stop at halfway, make a break, and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way. Then with 10 to go, we split the field in half and half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards.”

The Gen-6 isn’t guaranteed to eliminate the wrecks that have become a staple of restrictor-plate racing, but it has added a spark everywhere else.

“I think there’s still a few things here and there, whether it be the superspeedways that everybody wants to see how the racing is at Talladega compared to how it was at Daytona,” Harvick said. “There’s still some unanswered questions. But I think all in all, it’s been a huge success so far.” — AP

RICHMOND: Mark Martin (55) trails smoke as David Stremme (30) passes by during the Toyota Owner’s 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race. — AP

Will Gadd ice climbs a mixed route called Fantasy Shower, M7+ in Marble Canyon, British Columbia, Canada. www.redbullcontentpool.com

Ferrer scrapes into last eight OEIRAS: Top seed David Ferrer had to dig deep to reach the quarterfinals at the ATP Portugal Open yesterday finally overcoming Frenchman Eduardo Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

The 31-year-old Spaniard, who was beaten in his opening match at last week’s Barcelona Open, will play Romanian journeyman Victor Hanescu, who accounted for sixthseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

Ferrer, who missed the Monte Carlo Masters after injuring a thigh in the final of the Miami tournament in March, is looking to get some valuable court time prior to the French Open later this month. The Spaniard had looked to be crusing to victory when he led by a set and 4-2 in the second but then lost his concentration.

“I lost that game and the set, In the third it was tough to break him,” he said. “It was a very good match to get through but I certainly have to lift my level for the next round.

Hanescu is a good player even if I’ve beaten him before (he has beaten hom on both occasions they have played). I have to play well.” Ferrer, who has not played here since 2009, took nearly two hours to subdue his feisty French opponent, serving four double-faults and being broken three times.

He was brought in as a late replacement for Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, the holder who could not play at their edition due to a stomach virus.

Despite his recent setbacks, world number four Ferrer stands a formidable 26-6 since the start of the year having won the titles in Auckland (hard) and Buenos Aires (clay) before finishing runner-up to Nadal in Acapulco on clay in February and then losing to Andy Murray in Miami.

In the women’s draw, two-time grand slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova reached her first quarterfinal since the Australian Open when

David Ferrer she beat Kazakh Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 6-4.

Kuznetsova, ranked 45 in the world and a wild card entry, said that while she was happy to win, she was not particularly impressed with how she got through over her rival, who is ranked 117th.

“I was a little lazy at the start, it was an OK win but I’m not so happy about it. I like to play on clay but this court feels a little bit slow,” she said.

The Spanish-trained Russian who now lives in her homeland but says she still needs Spanish-atyle coaching, will play Romina Oprandi, who beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-1, 6-3, in the quarter-finals. Kuznetsova has won all three meetings with the Swiss, but they last played seven years ago. “She’s got a very different game, she doesn’t give you any rhythm,” said the 27-year-old, who won the US Open in 2004 and Roland

Garros five years later. “She’s very unpredictable and I will have to play much better than I did today.”

Three of the four seeds in the women’s singles advanced to the quarter-finals, led by number three Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, coached part-time by former great Martina Hingis.

The Russian beat Spain’s Estrella Cabeza Candela 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Fourth-seed Carla Suarez Navarro came good for Spain, beating former Portugal Open winner Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-4, 6-3 while Estonia’s defending champion Kaia Kanepi upset Romanian fifth seed Sorona Cirstea 6-1, 6-2.

Monica Puig of Puerto Rico ended the 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone’s hopes of a second successful title, after winning in Marrakech last Sunday, as she beat the Italian 6-3, 6-2.— AFP

Preview

Chinese 12-year-old tees up for age record BEIJING: China’s 12-year-old Ye Wocheng will become the European Tour’s youngest ever player when he tees off at the Volvo China Open today, smashing the record set by April’s Masters sensation Guan Tianlang. The two go head-to-head a year after Guan played in his country’s Open in Tianjin aged just 13 years and 177 days, and just three weeks after he finished with the Silver Cup at Augusta National as topplaced amateur.

Ye will be almost a year younger — 12 years and 242 days-when he tees off at Tianjin Binhai Lake Golf Club Thursday in a field that boasts a host of young players and emerging Chinese talent.

“My main aim this week is just to go out there and enjoy it, I don’t really want to think too much about the result,” said Ye, according to a release from OneAsia, who have co-sanctioned the tournament. “This course is very long, and it will play even longer in the wind, but it gives me confidence to know that (my coach) is here to give me tips and advice on how to cope in the conditions. I’m excited about getting started tomorrow.”

South African Branden Grace, 24, who is seeking to become the first player to win the Volvo China Open for a second time, said he was comfortable sharing

the spotlight with the youngsters.

“It’s amazing. I only started playing the game at 11, so I wouldn’t like to think what handicap I was playing off when I was 12,” he said. “I’ll be looking out for (Ye’s) results here this week, as I’m sure will most other people. It’s a great story, great for him and for the game of golf in general.” Guan made the cut at last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but then finished last, and it has been suggested the links-style Tianjin course may prove a bit long for the younger players.

Other products of the Chinese golf boom will also feature, including Bai Zhengkai, 16, thanks to his victory in last year’s Volvo China Junior Match Play Championship.

American teen Jim Liu, who in 2010 became the youngest US Junior Amateur champion at the age of 14, will also tee off, though China’s Andy Zhang, who became the youngest US Open competitor last year at the age of 14, withdrew through injury. Should Ye, who earned his spot by winning a qualifying tournament in March, make the cut, he will easily outdo Hong Kong’s Jason Hak, who became the youngest player to reach the weekend rounds of a European Tour event, aged 14 and 304 days, at the 2008 Hong Kong Open. — AFP

‘Retired’ Loeb all out to hinder Ogier’s title charge PARIS: France’s ‘retired’ rally maestro Sebastien Loeb dips back into the world rally championship this weekend, the nine-time world champion aiming to maintain his iron-like grip on the Rally of Argentina. The Citroen DS3 driver has won every edition of this South American leg of the championship since 2005, and his presence in the line-up adds spice to a field headed by compatriot Sebastien Ogier. Ogier heads the 2013 driver standings after shrugging off a debilitating virus to notch up his third win of the season in the Rally of Portugal last time out. That lifted the Volkswagen driver up to 102 points, with Citroen rival Mikko Hirvonen in second on 48 points. Loeb, who is only competing in four rallies ahead of his switch to the touring car championships with debutants Citroen in 2014, is lying third on 43 points, despite missing the last two rallies.. The 39year-old believes his lack of recent seat time in his DS3 will put him at a disadvantage on the Argentine gravel roads.

“Apart from one day of testing, I haven’t driven on gravel since the 2012 Rally of Spain,” he told wrc.com. “ So I don’t know what sort of feeling I’ll have on the first few stages in Argentina. I think that you can lose your rhythm pretty quickly, and that’s why I’m cautious about my chances.

“There’s no denying the fact that I have pretty much moved on from rallying and am now focused on the future. “This reduced programme

is a good way to continue to compete for CitroÎn in 2013, but I’m not as well prepared as (teammates) Mikko (Hirvonen), Dani (Sordi) and the other guys. We’ll see what happens when we get our helmets on...” Ogier says he is more intent on extending his lead in the overall standings with a first ever win in Argentina than beating his archrival. He said: “After the three victories, we obviously want to continue where we left off and, ide-

Sebastien Loeb in action in this file photo

ally, defend our lead in the championship until the end of the season. For now, however, we would be happy with another podium.”

“I am looking forward to the duel with Sebastien. We had a great battle in Sweden, and it will be anything but easy again here. However, my main focus is on my rivals in the World Championship.” The Rally of Argentina runs from today to Saturday. — AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

S P ORT S

Welsh regions concerned by football resurgence LONDON: Next season’s English Premier League will feature two Welsh clubs for the first time in the top flight’s 125-year history but the achievements of Swansea City and Cardiff City have sparked fears for the future of rugby union in the sport’s south Wales heartland.

Everywhere you look in English football, Welsh clubs and players are making inroads. Swansea are the League Cup champions. Cardiff are back in England’s top division after a 51-year absence. The Premier League’s most lauded individual player, Gareth Bale, is a Welshman.

Further down the English football pyramid, Welsh clubs Newport County and Wrexham are preparing to contest the Conference National play-off final for the right to join the ranks of England’s 92 professional Football

League clubs.

Even the much maligned national team are on the up, having leapt 22 places to 49th in the latest FIFA ranking.

But while the nation’s football fans jubilate, Wales’ cash-strapped rugby clubs are feeling the pinch. Cardiff are expected to quadruple their revenue to around £80 million ($124 million, 95 million euros) next season, as the Premier League clubs savour the first chunks of a new television deal worth more than £5 billion over three seasons.

In stark contrast, the city’s professional rugby team, Cardiff Blues, must respect a £3.5 million salary cap. With glamour teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool due to visit the Cardiff City Stadium next season, the Bluebirds can also expect a spike in the number of fans attending their games,

Preview

COBHAM: Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta (front right) and Fernando Torres (front center) during a training session at their training ground ahead of their Europa League semifinal second leg soccer match against Basel today. — AP

Dropouts Chelsea, Benfica target Amsterdam Arena LONDON: Chelsea’s relentless march towards either more European glory or an heroic, battle-weary failure, continues today when they face FC Basel with the final of the Europa League beckoning.

The Londoners, like Benfica who face Fenerbahce in the other semi-final, were eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage, but both dropouts could yet meet in the final at the Amsterdam Arena on May 15.

Chelsea are well-placed after a 2-1 victory in Switzerland but Benfica trail their Turkish opponents 1-0. Victory in the Europa League would not have been either club’s target at the start of the season but it now offers redemption at the end of long and punishing road.

Chelsea, the outgoing European Champions, will be playing their 11th match in 33 days against the Swiss champions at Stamford Bridge.

Unless their tired limbs finally decide that enough is enough, they look set to book their place in the final and give interim coach Rafa Benitez the chance of a glorious exit.

Benitez has managed to rotate his squad and keep it fresh to challenge for both European honours and a place in the top four of the Premier League and a return to the Champions League.

A header from Victor Moses and a free kick from David Luiz deep in stoppage time gave Chelsea victory last week after Fabian Schaer’s 87th-minute penalty for Basel.

Murat Yakin’s men are attempting to become the first Swiss team to win a competitive match in England since 1995 - a run of 18 games without a win.

Basel have already enjoyed success against a London side though this season having knocked Tottenham Hotspur out of the competition on penalties in the quarterfinals after drawing 2-2 in London and 2-2 at home. However, nothing less than an unlikely win will keep alive their chance of becoming the first Swiss team to reach a European final.

Thursday’s match will be their 20th in Europe this season, a run which started in the second qualifying round of the Champions League away to Flora Tallinn in July.

“It’s nice to win domestic leagues and cups but to qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League is fantastic,” said coach Yakin. “The players are aware that we can trouble every opponent we face. We’re happy with what we’ve achieved so far and everything else is a bonus.”

Benfica are still widely regarded as one of Europe’s top clubs but it is 51 years since they

last won a European trophy, lifting the second of their successive European Cups in 1962.

Their coach Jorge Jesus is likely to opt for the in-form Argentine duo of Enzo Perez and Nicolas Gaitan in midfield to help break down Fenerbahce after a surprising punt on rarely picked 33-year-old playmaker Pablo Aimar and teenager Andre Gomes did not pay off in the first leg.

Jesus blamed the 1-0 defeat in Istanbul on the juggling act he must perform to rest key players and keep the squad fit as they chase a memorable treble consisting of a Portuguese league and cup double and the Europa League.

Like Chelsea, Benfica are facing a burn-out scenario. “Fatigue is our problem. We are fighting on all fronts,” he said.

The rotation policy paid dividends on Monday in a rousing 2-1 league win at Maritimo that kept Benfica four points clear at the top with three matches to play meaning they could be crowned champions next week. Although Dutch winger Ola John is suspended, the Eagles fancy their chances in front of their fans. “Some important players were missing and we lacked our usual passing precision,” Uruguay right back Maxi Pereira said about the first leg which Fenerbahce won with a second-half header from Egemen Korkmaz. “Benfica have overturned worse results. We strongly believe we can reach the final,” he added. Fenerbahce, bidding to become the second Turkish side to win a European trophy after their arch-rivals Galatasaray lifted the UEFA Cup in 2000, will be without suspended midfielder Mehmet Topal, suspended striker Pierre Webo and exChelsea midfielder Raul Meireles, who is injured.

Fenerbahce could have taken a bigger lead to Lisbon but for Cristian Baroni firing a first-half penalty against a post last week, and that miss could yet come back to haunt them at the Stadium of Light. — Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Europe League Chelsea v Basel Al Jazeera Sport +5 Benfica v Fenerbahce Al Jazeera Sport +4

22:05 22:05

LISBON: Fenerbahce’s Slovakia’s forward Miroslav Stoch (left) and teammates train at Luz Stadium on the eve of their second leg half-final Europa League football match against Benfica.— AFP

which could spell bad news for the Blues.

Rugby side the Ospreys reported a sharp decline in attendances when neighbours Swansea were promoted to the Premier League and the football teams’ gates already dwarf those of their rugby counterparts.

Cardiff City’s average home crowd this season is close to 22,500, while the Blues attract an average of only 7,880 fans to each game.

Meanwhile, at the Liberty Stadium that Swansea share with the Ospreys, attendances fluctuate by up to 10,000 depending on whether the footballers or the rugby players are in town.

With the Premier League’s superstar players now set to make twice as many visits to south Wales next season, former Wales rugby captain Mike Hall believes

it will only get harder for the four regional rugby teams to compete.

“There’s only so much money around in the economy, in south Wales especially,” Hall told the BBC. “When you decide to spend your pound, are you going to watch (Robin) van Persie, ( Wayne) Rooney and (Frank) Lampard, or are you going to watch regional rugby in empty stadiums?”

Complicating matters for the rugby teams is the fact that a lack of funding has led to a steady exodus of leading Welsh players leaving the country in pursuit of bigger contracts elsewhere.

Wales wing George North is the most high-profile recent player to leave, having agreed to swap Scarlets for English Premiership side Northampton Saints on a three-year deal despite the best efforts of the Llanelli-based club to keep

him. North followed in the footsteps of international team-mates Jamie Roberts and Dan Lydiate, who have both left Welsh clubs to play in France’s lucrative Top 14 championship, where Wales trio Mike Phillips, James Hook and Luke Charteris already ply their trade.

The North case crystallised concerns about the financial health of Welsh rugby, prompting the Welsh Rugby Union ( WRU) to urge the regional clubs to sanction the introduction of central contracts in a bid to keep Wales’ star players within the country’s borders.

In the international arena, Wales continue to thrive, triumphing in the Six Nations and contributing 15 players to the British and Irish Lions squad for their tour of Australia in a month’s time but at a regional level, football’s gains may prove to be rugby’s loss.—AFP

Vote-buying, abuse claims overshadow Asian vote KUALA LUMPUR: Asia’s troubled football body elects a new leader today after a bitter campaign dominated by claims and counterclaims of outside interference, and even allegations of rights abuses.

Two years after vote-buying accusations prompted the eventual downfall of former president Mohamed bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is at risk of new controversy as delegates gather to choose his successor.

All three candidates for the presidency have been accused, at some point, of either corruption or allowing outside powers to meddle in the vote, tempering hopes of a new era of openness and transparency.

Accusations, denials and counter-claims have flown thick and fast in recent days, lending a testy atmosphere to proceedings as representatives of the AFC’s 46 members meet at a five-star hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

If the battle has been hard-fought, it’s because the stakes are high: the AFC, the world’s biggest football confederation, has significant revenues and influence across a vast region stretching from the Middle East to Oceania.

In an indication of the vote’s profile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was instrumental in the spectacular fall of Hammam, is one of the prominent personalities in the Malaysian capital.

Three candidates are in the running to complete bin Hammam’s current term, which

ends in 2015. The Qatari stepped down last year after allegations of bribery and financial wrongdoing, and is barred from football activities.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is the favorite. But the Bahraini royal has been on the defensive over vote-buying allegations and claims that he oversaw the arrest of footballers during a crackdown on prodemocracy protests.

Sheikh Salman has also hit back over comments, by disgraced former FIFA vice president Jack Warner, that he paid a British journalist to launch a smear campaign against bin Hammam when he challenged for the presidency in 2009.

The UAE’s Yousef Al Serkal is also confident about his chances, and has been perhaps the most persuasive about cleaning up Asian football after vowing to reveal his allowances and launch a “whistle-blower” anti-corruption scheme.

However, Al Serk al is a friend of bin Hammam, a connection which will worry some voters-especially after an accusation this week, by an ally of Sheikh Salman, that the Qatari businessman was meddling in the election.

Worawi Makudi of Thailand, a longstanding but controversial presence on the Asian scene, is the third contender. Worawi, who has faced down corruption accusations in the past, is also a bin Hammam ally.

Saudi Arabia’s Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej, considered an outsider, withdrew from the

race late yesterday after earlier saying he did not want to dilute the Arab vote.

Chinese press speculated that the shock decision of caretaker leader Zhang Jilong not to stand was taken by the country’s sports administration, in order to maintain OCA support for keeping badminton and table tennis in the Olympics.

Three Bahrain-focused human rights groups have urged FIFA to block Sheikh Salman’s candidacy and investigate claims he took part in a purge of players and officials who were arrested and abused.

Sheikh Salman is also standing against Qatar’s Hassan Al Thawadi for a seat on FIFA’s executive committee, with Australia’s Moya Dodd an uncontested candidate to become the AFC’s mandatory female vice president.

Dodd, North Korea’s Han Un-Gyong and Palestinian candidate Susan Shalabi Molano are also vying for two female seats on the AFC’s executive committee.

Whoever wins the battle for the presidency will face a difficult task in uniting the diverse body after the divisive election campaign, and in initiating reforms during the truncated term before the next election in 2015. “ The member associations are split not in half, but in several par ts,” a source close to Zhang warned AFP in February, when he revealed that the Chinese interim leader would not contest the vote. He added: “ The elec tion itself could be not only a split of the votes, but also a split of the hearts.”—AFP

Mourinho return ‘not my business’ — Benitez LONDON: Interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez yesterday refused to be drawn on speculation that Jose Mourinho is poised to return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season to replace him in the dug-out.

Mourinho is expected to leave Real Madrid at the end of the current campaign and dropped a hint that he could go back to his former club after Madrid were eliminated from the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

The Portuguese, who won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups during his three-year stint at Chelsea, said: “I know I am loved by the clubs (in England), especially one.”

Benitez has accepted that he will leave Chelsea when his temporary contract expires at the end of the season, but he was reluctant to address rumours about the identity of his successor when questioned yesterday.

Speaking ahead of the return leg of his side’s Europa League semi-final with Swiss side FC Basel, Benitez said: “It’s not my business.

I have to concentrate on my business, which is with Basel tomorrow.” On Mourinho’s comments, he added: “Each one has his way-my way is to concentrate on the next game, and that’s it.”

Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata also shied away from discussing the probability of Mourinho’s arrival, but he did give his backing to Benitez, who has faced protests from some of the club’s fans since he was appointed in November.

“It’s not the players’ business right now,” said the Spaniard. “We have so many important things still to come. We just have to be focused on what we’re playing for, which is a very important trophy for the club, to finish third in the league so the club can qualify for the Champions League, and that’s all I can say right now.”

He added: “It’s tricky. It doesn’t depend on me. All I can say is that we’re working really, really well with Rafa, and that’s the truth for me.” Chelsea take a 2-1 lead into

Thursday ’s game at Stamford Bridge, after David Luiz’s injurytime free-kick secured victory in the first leg at St Jakob-Park last week.

The London club are bidding to add a first Europa League crown to the maiden Champions League title they won last season, but Benitez says Basel’s pedigree means they cannot afford to look too far ahead. “Obviously, as a manager you want to win every trophy you can, so we have an opportunity, but my concern is that we’ll be thinking we’re in the final, but it’s not the case,” he said.

“We play against a very good team, a team that scores goals away. Everyone has to realise it will be difficult. First of all we have to win and after we can think about the final.”

Chelsea will be without leftback Ashley Cole due to suspension, but Benitez reported no fresh injury concerns.

Basel, meanwhile, will give striker Marco Streller a fitness test on the morning of the game after he sustained a thigh muscle injury. The Swiss Super League leaders have never won in nine previous visits to England and are still awaiting their first away win in this season’s competition.

However, having seen his side eliminate Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the quarter-finals, coach Murat Yakin says Basel are confident they can secure the win they need to reach the final.

“I don’t hold much store by statistics,” he said. “What I want is for us to play good, fresh football here. Chelsea are very good defensively and in attack, but our team has very good qualities and we showed that against Tottenham. A good start is very important for us.

“Every game is different and we know we’re playing against Chelsea, who are the Champions League winners and have two top players in every position.

“But we’ll play with confidence and who knows? Maybe we can achieve a small wonder and quali- SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho reacts in this file photo. —AFP fy for the final.”—AFP

Dirty play accusations as Nuggets defeat Warriors

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

17

Ferrer scrapes into last eight

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Vote-buying, abuse claims overshadow Asian vote Page 19

SPAIN: Barcelona defender Gerard Pique (left) and Bayern's Mario Mandzukic of Croatia collide during the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match. —AP

Bayern humiliate Barca again Cruise into all-German CL final BARCELONA: Bayern Munich cruised into their third Champions League final in four years as a 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou yesterday gave them an incredible 7-0 aggregate semi-final victory.

The absence of Lionel Messi from the Barca starting line-up almost eradicated any hope of an unlikely comeback before the game had even begun, but Bayern showed their 4-0 first-leg win last week had been no fluke with a display of controlled dominance.

Arjen Robben opened the scoring for the visitors with a trademark left-foot strike just after halftime before a Gerard Pique own-goal and Thomas Mueller’s header in the final 20 minutes ensured Bayern booked their place in an all-German final

against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on May 25 in some style.

Afterwards Pique admitted it was one of the most difficult nights he has had in his five years at the club. “Perhaps it was the bitterest night I have had at Barcelona,” he told Spanish Canal Plus television. “We tried but they scored a goal very early in the second half and this left us broken. The last 25 minutes were very difficult.” For Robben meanwhile it was unconfined joy as he aims to make amends at Wembley for missing a penalty that could have won Bayern the trophy on home soil against Chelsea last season.

“That’s history - 4-0 at home and then 3-0 here, we should be proud of that and enjoy it. Now we have to win this thing,” he told Sky Germany. “We

have so much quality in the team that we can win games like these, in this manner.” Already without Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba through injury and suspension respectively, Barca were handed another huge blow before kick-off as the persistence of a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Paris SaintGermain forced Messi to start on the bench.

Without their talisman, Barca started tentatively and only a desperate sliding challenge from Pique prevented Robben from having a clear shot on goal after he galloped clear down the left on 11 minutes. Pique had to be alert again seven minutes later as he again slid in to deny Philipp Lahm at the end of a wonderful Bayern move.

Pedro finally forced Manuel Neuer into a save

on 23 minutes with a long-range effort that the German number one turned round the post and Xavi then had the hosts’ best chance of the first period as he hooked over on the volley after Cesc Fabregas had chested the ball down inside the area. However, Barca were still out of sorts with a number of uncharacteristically long balls failing to find their target and another weak effort from distance by Adriano was the only other effort they managed on goal before the break.

It only took three minutes after the restart for Bayern to completely wipe away any lingering doubts they would be travelling to London for the final when Robben collected a raking crossfield pass from David Alaba, cut inside Adriano onto his favoured left foot and buried a rasping drive past

Victor Valdes into the far corner.

Robben ought to have had a second moments later as another quick Bayern break caught Barca outnumbered at the back, but this time the former Real Madrid man couldn’t get the required touch to Franck Ribery’s cross and the ball dribbled wide.

But further pain was inflicted upon the hosts 18 minutes from time when a beautiful pass from Luis Gustavo played in Ribery down the left and his cross was sliced into his own net by Pique.

And four minutes later it was 3-0 on the night as more terrific play from Ribery saw him burst past Alex Song and dink a lovely ball to the far post for Mueller to head home his third goal of the tie. — AFP

Extra scrutiny at Kentucky Derby LOUISVILLE: The small camera attached to the helmet of Rudy Rodriguez belongs to a video outlet looking to capture his viewpoint from atop Kentucky Derby contender Vyjack.

The four cameras positioned in Vyjack’s stall at Churchill Downs are there to keep an extra watch on the gelding trained by Rodriguez. He was forced to accept the surveillance as a condition ordered by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in exchange for getting a trainer’s license to run Vyjack in Saturday’s big race.

“Being in the Derby is an amazing accomplishment for me,” said Rodriguez, who turns 41 on Wednesday, when 24-hour security for all 20 Derby horses was set to begin.

The extra scrutiny for Vyjack was the result of a string of disciplinary issues involving Rodriguez during his career as a New York-based trainer, jockey and exercise rider. Kentucky racing officials ordered him to appear at the hearing two weeks ago. “I don’t think it was right, but you got to respect what the rulings are,” he said.

Last month, a filly trained by Rodriguez tested positive at New York’s Aqueduct for a high level of Banamine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is legal for horses but must be below an allowable limit on race day. It was the third time in the last year that one of his horses tested positive for excessive levels of the drug.

Rodriguez recently served a 20-day suspension for two earlier overages of Banamine. The third overage considerably higher than the others - is being investigated and could result in further penalties. “We’re lucky that Kentucky gave me the opportunity to be here,” he said. Rodriguez went out on his own as a trainer three years ago after working for father-son trainers Richard Dutrow Sr. and Rick Jr., and the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel.

Kentucky officials were interested in Rodriguez’s tenure as an employee of the younger Dutrow, who is currently serving a 10-year suspension from New York racing officials for multiple rules violations. Some of Dutrow’s clients moved their horses to Rodriguez.

“I don’t let nobody ruin this moment for me. I got nothing to hide,” Rodriguez said. “We’re trying to play everything by the rules.”

He’s got the support of Vyjack’s owner David Wilkenfeld, who named the gelding using a combination of his parents’ names Vivian and Jack.

Also in Rodriguez’s corner is Eclipse Award-winning trainer Dale Romans. They first met in 2008 when Rodriguez exercised horses for the trainer in Dubai.

Romans served as a character witness for Rodriguez at the Kentucky hearing.

“He’s a very good man,” he said. “I thank him a lot for supporting me.” Rodriguez is about as hands-on as many trainers get, whether it’s riding Vyjack during his morning workouts, staying aboard for his cooling out

LOUISVILLE: Trainer Rudy Rodriguez watches Kentucky Derby hopeful Vyjack get a bath after a workout at Churchill Downs. — AP trips around the barn or helping bathe the gelding before, he was in the background at major races workafterward. He holds the reins in his right hand while ing for the Dutrows and Frankel.

“Rudy is kind of a laidback guy,” said Garrett Gomez, reaching around with his left to massage Vyjack’s rump who will ride Vyjack. “There are some loose vibes going as they circle the stalls in the barn.

“I love to be around horses,” he said, refusing to let on.” Vyjack is 4 of 5 in his brief career, with his only loss the extra scrutiny cloud his upbeat disposition. “I’m in coming to undefeated Verrazano in the Wood the place where every trainer in the world wants to be. Memorial. Vyjack finished third that day, and will take on his rival again Saturday in the Derby. “I’m glad we How can you not be happy?”

Rodriguez calls Vyjack the best horse of his 80-head got the one loss out of the way,” Wilkenfeld said. “We’re stable. Although he’s never saddled a Derby horse here to win the big one.” — AP

Business

Gulf Arab banks seek to expand regionally Page 22 Inflation spikes as Qatar gears for spending spree Page 25

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

Lufthansa, workers’ union settle dispute

OSN opens new flagship showroom in Kuwait Page 22

Page 23

ISTANBUL: A protestor uses a slingshot during clashes with police at a May Day demonstration yesterday in Istanbul. Several people were injured as Turkish riot police used water canons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who defied a May Day ban on demonstrations. (Inset) Protesters chant slogans as they stand at the windows of the DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey) building yesterday. — AFP

Workers reject austerity, ‘slave labor’ News

in brief

World growth still too slow to generate jobs NEW DELHI: The world economy is still not growing fast enough to generate jobs for tens of millions who have become unemployed but it is strengthening gradually, a top IMF official said yesterday. While global growth is seen at 3.3 percent in 2013 and an even better four percent next year, this masks significant divergence in prospects, said Naoyuki Shinohara, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. The world is seeing a “three-speed” global recovery without “enough growth to generate jobs for the millions who have fallen into unemployment over the past five years”, Shinohara told a gathering of diplomats and business people. Creating jobs must be “an overarching issue” as it goes to the heart of the global economic crisis that is “falling disproportionately on young people”, he emphasized in a speech in New Delhi coinciding with May Day. Qatar’s QIB rules out sukuk issues DOHA: Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), the Gulf state’s largest sharia-compliant lender by assets, is not expecting to issue more Islamic bonds before 2014, its chief executive said yesterday. “I don’t think it will be needed; there seems to be enough liquidity currently,” Bassel Gamal told reporters at a conference in the Qatari capital. QIB, whose biggest shareholder is the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, last tapped the market with a $750 million five-year sukuk in October as part of its $1.5 billion sukuk program. Qatari banks remain very liquid, but much of this cash is held in local riyals with lenders keen for dollar funding to service a number of infrastructure projects in the pipeline ahead of the country hosting the 2022 football World Cup. Investor demand for sukuk issuance is also high and not satisfied by a significant lack of supply, meaning sharia-compliant debt offerings from Gulf entities are normally well supported.

Groups agree to develop big downtown complex DUBAI: The Meydan Group and the Sobha Group, two conglomerates in Dubai, said yesterday they had agreed to form a joint venture to develop a major leisure, retail and residential complex adjacent to the city’s downtown area. The complex will be built on 4 million square meters of land, the companies said in a statement without revealing a timeline, financing plans or other details.

The complex is to be a cornerstone of a huge urban development project announced last November by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, who said at the time that plans included the largest shopping mall in the world, a park 30 percent bigger than Hyde Park in London, and over 100 hotels.

May Day strike, protests rock Europe JAKARTA: Tens of thousands of low-paid workers took to the streets on May Day to demand higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions a week after a Bangladesh garment factory building collapse killed hundreds - a grim reminder of how lax safety regulations make going to work a danger in many poor countries.

Laborers in Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines and elsewhere marched and chanted en masse yesterday, sounding complaints about being squeezed by big business amid the surging cost of living. Asia is the manufacturing ground for many of the world’s largest multinational companies.

Thousands of garment factory workers in Bangladesh also paraded through the streets screaming for safeguards to be put in place and for the owner of the collapsed building to be sentenced to death.

In Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous country, tens of thousands of workers rallied for higher pay and an end to the practice of outsourcing jobs to contract workers, among other demands. Some also carried banners and protested against a proposed plan for the government to slash fuel subsidies that have kept the country’s pump prices among the cheapest in the region. A day earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the country can no longer afford to pay to keep fuel prices low, given a growing budget deficit.

The government is trying to iron out a plan that would help offset the increase among the poor who would be most affected by it. Most factory workers earn about $120 a month. In 2011, the subsidy bill ran close to $20 billion, the same amount the government plans to spend on infrastructure this year. In the Philippines, an estimated 8,000 workers marched in the capital, Manila, to also demand better pay and regular jobs instead of contractual work.

“Wage increase, increase!” members of a

coalition of workers’ groups chanted while holding steamers that also called for lower food and utility prices. “Trash contractualization.” Some workers rallied outside the US Embassy, torching a wooden painting stamped with the words “low wages” and “union busting” that depicted Philippine President Benigno Aquino III as a lackey of President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Taiwanese workers also protested a government reform plan to cut pension payouts to solve worsening fiscal problems, saying the payout cuts reflect a longstanding government policy to bolster economic growth at the expense of workers’ benefits and compromised workplace safety.

Analysts say the poor income level has forced many young Taiwanese to share housing with their parents and delay marriages. In Cambodia, more than 5,000 garment workers marched in Phnom Penh, demanding better working conditions and a salary increase from $80 to $150 a month. About a half million people work in the country’s $4.6 billion garment industry that makes brand name clothes for many US and European retailers.

The garment industry has come under fire since an illegally built eight-story building collapsed last week in Bangladesh, bringing down five garment factories and killing more than 400 people. The collapse followed a garment factory fire in November when 112 people died. A loud procession of workers wound through central Dhaka, waving the national flag and chanting “direct action!” and “death penalty!” while one participant vowed the deaths would not be in vain. “My brother has died. My sister has died. Their blood will not be valueless.”

ACROSS EUROPE Workers hit by lower living standards and record high unemployment staged May Day protests across Europe yesterday, hoping to

persuade euro zone governments of the case for easing austerity measures and boosting growth. Thousands of protesters marched in Madrid, snaking up the Gran Via central shopping street, waving flags and carrying placards reading “austerity ruins and kills” and “reforms are robbery”.

“The future of Spain looks terrible, we’re going backwards with this government,” said former civil servant Alicia Candelas, 54, who has been without a job for two years. The Spanish economy has shrunk for seven consecutive quarters, and unemployment stands at a record 27 percent. There had “never been a May 1 with more reason to take to the streets”, said Candido Mendez, head of UGT, one of two main unions that called on workers and the unemployed to join more than 80 demonstrations across the country.

Trains and ferries were cancelled in Greece, and bank and hospital staff walked off the job after the main public and private sector unions there called a 24-hour strike, the latest in a string of protests in a country in its sixth year of recession. About 1,000 police officers were deployed in Athens, but the demonstration passed off peacefully, with about 5,000 striking workers, pensioners and students marching to parliament holding banners reading: “We won’t become slaves, take to the streets!”.

Earlier, hundreds of protesters affiliated with the Communist KKE party raised their arms in a clenched fist salute on Syntagma Square, scene of violent clashes between police and protesters during previous protests. “The economy won’t be resurrected by the bankrupt banks and the corrupt political system but by the workers and their fight,” Alexis Tsipras, leader of the anti-bailout Syriza party, told protesters.

AUSTERITY VS GROWTH Four heavily indebted euro zone countries - Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus - have

received sovereign bailouts. With little or no sign of growth in the euro-zone, the European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates to a record low 0.5 percent at its policy meeting today. But analysts say that alone will do little to lift the euro zone out of recession, and several governments are now openly discussing policies to try to boost growth. Italy’s new Prime Minister Enrico Letta told Germany on Tuesday that his government would meet its budget commitments but expected Europe to drop its austerity mantra and do more to lift growth.

Pope Francis made a May Day appeal for governments to tackle unemployment, as “work is fundamental to the dignity of a person”. “I think of how many, and not just young people, are unemployed, many times due to a purely economic conception of society, which seeks selfish profit, beyond the parameters of social justice,” he told tens of thousands of people packed into St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience. Traditional May Day marches were also taking place outside the euro zone. In Russia, about 1.5 million people were expected to take part in parades, a fraction of the millions that used to march in Soviet times.

In Istanbul, Turk ish riot police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds gathering for a rally on what has become a traditional labor holiday. A Reuters photographer said at least six people were injured in the clashes. Thousands of police were stationed across the city centre to block access to the main Taksim square. Authorities often use force to prevent the rally in the city centre, having this year denied trade unions permission to march on Taksim, saying construction work there would make it too dangerous. Two officers were wounded by stones and metal objects thrown at police lines, state-run TRT television said.—Agencies

Turkish Airlines bans lipstick on hostesses

Air-passenger traffic increases 5.9 percent GENEVA: The globe’s air-passenger traffic rose by a solid 5.9 percent in March compared with a year ago, fuelled by strong performances in emerging markets, the International Air Transport Association said yesterday.

“Strong demand for air travel is consistent with improving business conditions,” IATA chief Tony Tyler said in a statement. “Performance, however, has been uneven.

Mature markets are seeing relatively little growth while emerging markets continue to show a robust expansion.” Part of the rise may be attributable to traffic related to the Easter holiday, which occurred in March this year versus April 2012, IATA underlined. But it said that the seasonally-adjusted trend continued to show strong growth, with demand expanding at an 8.0-percent annualized rate in the six months since October 2012.

ATHENS: Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration yesterday. — AFP

ANKARA: Turkish Airlines has banned air hostesses from wearing brightly-colored lipsticks such as red or pink , a move which has sparked fierce debate as the government is accused of tr ying to Islamize the country, local media reported yesterday. Numerous women posted pictures of themselves wearing bright red lipstick on social media websites to protest at the measure, part of a new aesthetics code for stewardesses working for Turkey’s main airline. The lipstick ban is the latest in a string of conservative measures adopted by the airline, which have sparked the ire of fiercely secular Turks. “ This measure is an act of perversion.

How else could you describe it?” said Gursel Tekin, vice-president of the main opposition party CHP. Turkish Airlines defended the ban, saying in a statement Tuesday that “simple make-up, immaculate and in pastel colors, is preferred for staff working in the serv-

ice sector.” In recent months the booming airline - 49 percent state-owned-has also stopped ser ving alcohol on internal flights. In February, images of proposed new uniforms for flight attendants bringing in ankle-length dresses and Ottomanstyle fez caps were criticized as too conservative. The skirts of Turkish Airlines stewardesses once came in far above the knee.

However the more conservative new uniforms have not been adopted. Prime Minister Recep Tayyin Erdogan’s Islamistrooted Justice and Development Party, in power for over a decade, is often accused of creeping efforts to coerce the country to be more conser vative and pious.

Turkey is a fiercely secular state, despite being a majority Muslim country. Under Erdogan’s rule headscarves-banned in public institutions-have become more visible in public places and alcohol bans are more widespread.—AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

BUSINESS

OSN opens new flagship showroom in Kuwait Pay TV network bolsters regional footprint growth. The Kuwait customer base is one of the best for us in the region as we appeal to a cross section of the community with our English and Arabic language content. We are rapidly growing in Egypt as well,” Butorac said.

According to the Arab Media Outlook Report 2011-15, pay-TV penetration is set to grow significantly in Kuwait led by the high disposable incomes of residents.

OSN is drawing on this robust growth opportunity through the new showroom, which opens doors to the most soughtafter TV entertainment.

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: OSN, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, yesterday opened its flagship state-ofthe-art showroom in Kuwait, further strengthening its regional footprint.

David Butorac, CEO of OSN, inaugurated the new showroom in Dajeej by cutting the ceremonial ribbon in the presence of Amal Rhali, OSN Country Sales Director, Mahdi Al-Jumah, General Manager, OSN Kuwait and a host of guests and media persons.

“Kuwait is one of our fastest growing markets in the MENA region with a large segment of discerning television viewers who demand high quality entertainment across multiple platforms,” Butorac said after the inaugural ceremony. Talking to Kuwait Times, Butorac said OSN recorded a healthy 24 percent growth in its subscriber base last year in Kuwait. “The opening of the brand new showroom in Dajeej is an important part of our growth strategy across Kuwait. It also reflects our continued commitment to provide Kuwait residents a world-class premium entertainment with the highest standards of service,” he said.

The showroom focuses on a new TV viewing experience with features including a home theatre area, sales and customer service centre, as well as a specially designed demo area for OSN’s new technology including OSN Play and OSN Plus HD. OSN currently has six key locations across Kuwait including Marina Mall, Avenues Mall and Al-Fanar Mall with over 400 retail touch points across the region.

Customers can experience firsthand the pioneering OSN Plus HD, the region’s first 3D, HD, Internet enabled satellite receiver and recorder. With a terabyte storage capacity, viewers get access to a vast library of on-demand content at the touch of a button. Visitors can also explore OSN Play, the region’s first online TV platform, an ideal fit for Kuwait which has one of the region’s highest Internet penetration rates of over 74 percent. With OSN Play, viewers can watch their favorite TV on-the-go anytime, anywhere on multiple devices including their laptop, the iPad or Android tablets.

OSN is the ultimate destination for the

KUWAIT: David Butorac cuts the ribbon to inaugurate OSN’s new flagship showroom in Dajeej yesterday. Amal Rhali, OSN Country Sales Director and Mahdi AlJumah, General Manager, OSN Kuwait look on. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

widest choice of brand new premium Western, Arabic and Filipino entertainment in the Middle East and Africa. OSN is the home of 100 channels filled with great value entertainment, offering viewers in the MENA region exclusive access to the latest blockbuster movies, top-rated series, sports, documentaries, news, kids’ entertainment and live talk shows. The movie offering includes over 100 uncut and uninterrupted movie premieres a month so viewers can watch them the way they were meant to be watched.

EXPANSION “We continue to aggressively expand

our business across the region particularly Kuwait through new retail touch-points that bring us closer to our customers and provide an enriched experience. We conceive that the continuation of our expansion in the region is a very important factor for the company’s growth. The showroom in Dajeej will provide an opportunity for all of our customers to come and share the OSN experience,” he explained.

The biggest economic markets for OSN in the MENA region are Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “Though Kuwait market is not numerically the biggest, it is definitely one of the growing markets for OSN and the core market for its future

COMPETITION When asked how OSN is faring in an increasingly competitive market, Butorac said competition in pay TV industry is changing dramatically. “I don’t see digital media as a competition. I see it as an opportunity. OSN is working clearly with very advanced technology platforms in the region today. “As a matter of fact, we encourage competition as it widens the choices of the consumers whether it is television or newspapers in digital forms.

Since there are different means of distribution, we ensure the very best in terms of content and technology,” he said.

“With the new set-top box, which is connected to the Internet as well as to a satellite, we can provide consumers with a wide choice and the best in content.

We offer our content on a range of devices such as televisions, PCs, tablets and smartphones etc. So we continue to be ahead of our competitors with a cutting edge technology and the quality of content. With pay-TV, we can offer a premium that the region has not seen before,” he explained. OSN expects to see accelerated growth throughout 2013 which is expected to continue in 201415. “We are very proud that we are rapidly becoming the biggest broadcaster in the region,” he said.

Strategic partnership Giving a snapshot of the strategic partnership OSN has reached with global technology players, Butorac said, “We work closely with our technology partners such as Samsung and Apple to provide the very best choice to the consumers. We are trying to be appealing to

as many people as possible because the medium is changing,” he said. “Indeed, OSN has a very strong strategic partnership with Samsung. We not only provide content on mobile phones, but also on Samsung smart TVs. There is an OSN application already resident on the box.

We work with Samsung on galaxy tablets and a range of smartphones. Similarly OSN application is available on all iOS devices,” he said.

“Yesterday, we launched a new product called ‘OSN TV Guide’, which is available in App Store. You can download OSN TV guide in four colors with four interactivity,” he pointed out. “We will continue to invest millions of dollars to maintain the technological advantage and the leadership,” he added.

OSN has around 400 locations in the region and over 900 staff to deliver high quality of customer service, he informed.

OSN boasts the most comprehensive portfolio of exclusive rights from all the major studios including Warner Brothers, Paramount, Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM, Universal and DreamWorks and offers access to the world’s leading television brands including Disney channel, Sky News, Discovery Network and Nat Geo. As the leader in innovation, OSN has changed the TV viewing experience by bringing quality entertainment through 36 High Definition channels and is currently the only network offering a full HD bouquet of channels as well as 3D entertainment in the region. OSN was the first to launch the DVR, the OSN Showbox HD; the regions first online TV platform, OSN Play; the regions first 3D, HD, internet enabled satellite receiver and recorder, OSN Plus HD and the region’s first VOD service, OSN on Demand offering viewers the opportunity to watch over 1,000 movies and 52 latest seasons of the top series, all available in full HD quality and Dolby Digital sound.

September 2012 saw the launch of OSN’s first rewards program, OSN Privileges, offering subscribers money can’t buy experiences, special offers and premium prizes all year round. The OSN platform is owned and operated by Panther Media Group Limited, a company registered in DIFC, and is owned by Mawarid Group Limited and KIPCO.

Gulf Arab banks seek to expand regionally Intense competition, high liquidity prompt move DUBAI: For years, Dubai’s top bank Emirates NBD (ENBD) relied on its home base and cosy relationship with leading government-related entities in the emirate to drive profit growth.

That strategy underwent an abrupt shift late in 2012 when the bank agreed to buy the Egyptian operations of French lender BNP Paribas for $500 million, securing a foothold in Egypt and diversifying a business hit hard by debt problems at the Dubai state-linked firms it banked heavily.

“If you want to be a truly regional bank, you need to be in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates,” said Chief Executive Rick Pudner on a recent results call, adding that the bank’s plans to grow by acquisitions would continue even after his departure at the end of this year. ENBD is among a growing list of banks in

the Gulf Arab region which, flush with liquidity and backed by sound capital bases, are reviving mergers and acquisitions in the financial sector an industry which until last year had seen little action since the 2008 credit crisis. Deals worth nearly $6 billion were agreed by finance firms in 2012, a substantial jump from $800 million in 2011 and accounting for 27 percent of overall activity in the Middle East last year, according to Thomson Reuters data. The sector was only slightly behind telecommunications, which led the way with 30 percent of activity. The resurgence of financial M&A looks set to continue this year as eager buyers are met by willing sellers.

“Pressure to reduce risky portfolio assets and deleveraging requirements of Western banks have been key factors for the increased activity we have seen in the financial sector,” said Wadih

Boueiz, a managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and co-head of the US lender’s corporate and investment banking for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). “That’s a theme which is likely to continue, especially if the European situation does not improve.”

CATALYSTS Heightened deal activity has been driven by disposals from Western financial institutions under pressure to raise capital levels in the post-credit crunch regulatory clampdown.

Political turmoil triggered by Arab Spring uprisings has accentuated the desire to exit such non-core assets, reducing valuations and creating rare opportunities for well-capitalized Gulf names to expand into neighboring countries at good prices. “Egypt has historically

been a very difficult market to enter due to a lack of new licences issued and the prohibitively high valuations,” said Nabil Lahham, partner at Perella Weinberg Partners, which advised ENBD on its Egyptian acquisition.

Egyptian deals in the past were often done between four and six times book value but valuations were now closer to the levels normally seen in the Middle East, he said.

Qatar National Bank’s (QNB) $2 billion purchase of Societe Generale’s Egyptian unit, one of the largest financial deals in MENA in 2012, came at two times book value. Bankers expect more deals to follow, in Egypt and elsewhere.

Top of the list are Credit Agricole’s 61 percent stake in Credit Agricole Egypt and Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo’s 70 percent stake in Bank of Alexandria. No formal process has begun for

either sale. “The larger the country, particularly in terms of population, the greater the attraction for retail banks to be present. So Egypt, for example, with a population of around 80 million, is a compelling opportunity for some banks,” said Klaus Froehlich, Morgan Stanley’s MENA investment banking head. In Turkey, a 75 percent stake in small lender Tekstilbank has been put on the block by parent GSD Holding with interest seen mainly from Gulf Arab lenders.

Bankers are also awaiting the announcement of a mandate for the sale of National Bank of Greece’s Turkish arm Finansbank, one of the best-run banks in the country, despite the Greek lender saying it was in no rush to sell. Turkey’s growth prospects and cultural affinity with the region has made it one of the

top destinations for Gulf banks to expand. Net interest margins at Turkish lenders are above the 4 percent level, higher than 2.8-2.9 percent for Gulf-based banks, according to BofA’s Boueiz. “Banks in the region are keen to deploy capital in markets that have higher returns and growth prospects,” he said. This makes Europe and the United States much less attractive for Gulf banks. “You aren’t going to see the rescue deals of 2007-8, where you saw Gulf money go into the likes of Citi,” said Richard Rollinshaw, partner at PwC, pointing to the big losses suffered by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority on its capital injection into the US lender. “When everything cleans itself out in places like Spain, they may look at it but only when there’s clarity on the downside risk.” —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 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2841000 .4338920 .3707360 .3043390 .2795430 .0497330 .0443660 .2963730 .0365940 .2291130 .0029600 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0773800 .7538810 .0000000 .0757800 .7382100 .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.917 5.294 2.892 2.246 3.297 231.870 36.748 3.651 6.927

.2880000 .4470000 .3760000 .3170000 .2920000 .3020000 .0069000 .0035000 .0778990 .7589480 .4110000 .0770000 .7440150 .0440000 .2862000 .4370990 .3734770 .3065880 .2816100 .0501010 .0446940 .2985640 .0368650 .2308060 .0028810 .0052870 .0022880 .0029190 .0036810 .0779520 .7594530 .4048090 .0763400 .7436660 .0069870

Thai Baht Malaysian ringgit Irani Riyal Irani Riyal

Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

9.728 94.221 0.271 0.273

740.69 78.59 76.02

743.000 78.500 76.400

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd GCC COUNTRIES 76.084 78.395 741.070 757.810 77.690

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.950 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.618 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.331 Tunisian Dinar 177.970 Jordanian Dinar 402.291 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.914 Syrian Lier 3.100 Morocco Dirham 34.238 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 285.200 Euro 374.750 Sterling Pound 443.340 Canadian dollar 282.940 Turkish lira 158.720 Swiss Franc 306.010 US Dollar Buying 284.000 GOLD 298.000 150.000 77.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL DRAFT 299.45 285.97 306.21 376.06 284.60 444.81 2.98 3.675 5.263 2.245 3.313 2.896 77.55 757.78 40.62 405.45

Selling Rate 284.600 286.245 443.135 372.160 306.715 753.485 77.465 78.120 75.855 401.190 40.535 2.245 5.298 2.887 3.650 6.913 698.135 3.920 10.160 4.065 3.355 93.880

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

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

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

SELL CASH 298.000 285.000 307.000 374.500 285.500 449.000 3.300 3.720 5.450 2.430 3.400 2.953 78.000 756.800 40.500 410.000

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 0.4354216 0.0061368 0.0462032 0.3697939 0.0453316 0.4325910 0.0398503 0.3013612 Australasia 0.2850898 0.2362269 0.0001112 America 0.2757363 0.0001482 0.2825000 Asia 0.0036053 0.0031575 0.0450535 0.0164433

SELLDRAFT 0.4444216 0.0181368 0.0512032 0.3772939 0.0505316 0.4400910 0.0448503 0.3083612 0.2970898 0.2462269 0.0001112 0.2847363 0.0001662 0.2846500 0.0036603 0.0033875 0.0500535 0.0195433

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 0.0341291 0.0052226 0.0000243 0.0028429 0.0028434 0.0033451 0.0887016 0.0031568 0.0028636 0.0064636 0.0000727 0.2270163 0.0022045 0.0093245 Arab 0.7486136 0.0389769 0.0128685 0.1481701 0.0000792 0.0001731 0.3959095 1.0000000 0.0001746 0.0221506 0.0012088 0.7283396 0.0775310 0.0753733 0.0462820 0.0031761 0.1762745 0.0760724 0.0012840

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) 284.200 377.050 444.200 284.550 2.950 5.287 40.535 2.242 3.650 6.917 2.892 757.000 77.475 76.000

0.0000502 0.0372291 0.0052866 0.0000294 0.0038429 0.0030234 0.0035751 0.0957016 0.0033568 0.0029036 0.0069336 0.0000757 0.2330163 0.0022465 0.0099245 0.7571136 0.0410069 0.0193685 0.1499601 0.0000797 0.0002331 0.4034095 1.0000000 0.0001946 0.0461506 0.0018438 0.7393396 0.0783140 0.0760133 0.0468320 0.0033961 0.1822745 0.0775224 0.0013840

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

BUSINESS

Syria investors flock to Damascus bourse to protect savings Turnover quadruples; Leap of faith in post-conflict Syria AMMAN: Syrian investor Khaleel Tohmeh is on a buying spree in the Damascus stock market, pinning his hopes on a long-term recovery of a bourse that has seen about two-thirds of its capitalization wiped out by the two-year-old civil war. “I am finding shares very attractive at these levels and cannot find another place to put my money, even if it will be two years before I can benefit,” said Tohmeh, speaking by telephone from his Damascus office. “Whatever the timing, the market will rise much faster than it fell.” For the last few weeks, the stock market, with a capitalization of about $1 billion at the Syrian pound’s beatendown exchange rate, has boomed. After hitting a record low of 768 points on Jan. 7, the main market index jumped nearly 20 percent in the space of a month to rise above 900 points on April 24. It closed Tuesday at 897 points, compared to around 1,500 in March 2011, before the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad began.

Average daily trading turnover has climbed to between 15 and 20 million pounds ($200,000) from around 4 million pounds in 2012. “I don’t think we will get back to the bottom we saw, in

which some shares had lost 40 percent of their book value. It will go up,” said Tohmeh, head of GTASCO, an investment firm whose buying has helped to fuel the bull run in equities.

DAMAGE Syria’s stock exchange, which began operating in March 2009 as part of efforts to liberalize the economy, has 22 listed companies; 12 are banks, most of them majority-owned subsidiaries of foreign banks from Lebanon and the Gulf. There are six listed insurance firms, as well as industrials and service companies. Perversely, damage to the economy from the civil war now appears to be contributing to the stock market’s partial recovery.

The Syrian pound has lost about 60 percent of its value against the US dollar in two years; many wealthy Syrians have been unwilling or unable to move all their money out of the country. Some see the stock market as a chance to protect their capital against currency depreciation. Equities are also being used as a hedge against inflation, which has risen to at least 60 percent, according to independent economists.

Inflation can benefit some companies

by allowing them to raise prices.

“There are no longer any speculators entering the market - now most of the investors who enter eye long-term investments,” said Mohammed Halwani, chief broker at the brokerage arm of Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi, the largest brokerage among eight licensed firms.

“People are looking at higher inflation and the Syrian pound will be losing its value. It’s a way to hedge against the depreciation. Investors now prefer a stock to the pound.”

Bank shares are a preferred target of investors because the banks are generally well capitalized and backed by strategic par tners; for example, International Bank for Trade and Finance is a subsidiary of Jordan’s Housing Bank.

Another leading stock is Qatar National Bank of Syria (QNBS), a subsidiary of Qatar National Bank ; in a strange accommodation of business and political interests, it has continued to operate even though Qatar is publicly supporting rebels fighting Assad.

Shares in QNBS and other privately owned banks have jumped between 20 and 30 percent in the last month; QNBS closed Tuesday at 97.75 pounds, against levels above 150 pounds in early 2011.

“If you have your money in Syrian pounds, they could disappear if the situation worsens, but at least here you have a chance for upside, because you are investing in a bank share with assets, a strong client base etcetera,” said one Syrian financial analyst who requested anonymity because of political sensitivities. Many of Syria’s medium-sized companies, such as insurers, are obliged by law to keep part of their capital in local currency, and they have bought shares instead of depositing their cash in banks to be eroded by inflation, brokers said.

FORTUNES OF WAR The fortunes of war in different parts of the country have helped to determine stock prices; although much of the countr y ’s industrial base has been destroyed, other parts have continued operating. Ahlia Vegetable Oil Co, whose plants are in a relatively safe government-controlled area in the city of Hama, has seen its shares rise 35 percent since January. In addition to the stock exchange, there has been brisk trading in the over-the-counter share market, where investors have bought shares in some of the country’s big firms such as Syria’s main mobile telephone

operator, Syria Tel. The war does not appear to have inflicted major damage on the company’s bottom line, perhaps because all parties in the conflict have continued to use its service. Syria Tel, which is owned by a range of private and institutional investors, many of whom are connected to Assad’s regime, said its 2012 net profit climbed 1 percent to 7.5 billion pounds ($60 million). Its shares have gained about 20 percent during the recent rally to around 315 pounds, though they are still half their pre-crisis level of about 630 pounds.

Investing in Syria’s stock market remains a leap of faith: that companies will survive the war, that ownership rights will survive in the economic and political turmoil that may accompany the eventual end of the conflict. But it is a leap that some Syrians are willing to take, in the absence of better options. “This speedy rise has seen new liquidity entering the market,” said Mohammad Al-Ostwani, a broker in ChamCapital financial services firm in Damascus. “For many investors, owning a share in a company is now better than holding a pound that goes up and down.”— Reuters

Gold falls, investors cautious Investors await Federal Reserve statement

HAMBURG: German President Joachim Gauck reacts as he looks out of a cockpit of an Airbus A330 with a Lufthansa logo at a Lufthansa Technology production hall in Hamburg, northern Germany. — AFP

Lufthansa and workers’ union settle pay dispute Pay rise between 3.0-5.2 percent FRANKFURT: German trade union Verdi has agreed a pay deal with Lufthansa for 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff across the airline group, it said yesterday, averting another round of strikes that the union had threatened. Employees of Lufthansa Systems, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Technik will see their pay rise by 4.7 percent, while Lufthansa AG staff will get a rise of 3 percent, in a deal which runs for 26 months and excludes forced lay-offs, Verdi said in a statement.

Lufthansa confirmed that a deal had been reached and said it would contribute to the company’s restructuring efforts. Verdi and Lufthansa had been in talks since the end of February and workers on April 22 virtually grounded the airline with the second strike in a month.

Analysts estimate that walk-out alone cost Lufthansa more than 15 million euros

($20 million). Two weeks ago Lufthansa offered to raise pay by 1.2 percent from October and by a further 0.5 percent a year later, in a deal with no job guarantees. Lufthansa management are currently pushing through a cost-cutting plan d u b b e d S CO R E w h i c h a i m s t o s h e d 3,500 jobs worldwide and increase annual operating profits to 2.3 billion euros by 2015 from 524 million last year. Verdi said yesterday the pay rises would occur in two steps, with Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Technik staff getting a 2.4 percent rise from Aug. 1, 2013 and a further 2.3 percent from Aug. 1, 2014. Lufthansa AG ground crew would receive 1.5 percent rises on both dates, while trainees would see pay rise by 5.2 percent, the union said.

The deal is still subject to the approval of union members by May 14.— Reuters

LONDON: Gold fell yesterday as buying slowed down due to holidays in China and parts of Europe, and as investors waited to see if the US Federal Reserve would stick to its stimulus program to spur the economy. The Fed’s policy-making committee ends its meeting later in the day and is widely expected to keep the current pace of bond buying at $85 billion a month due to recent weak economic data. Gold fell 0.7 percent to $1,466.06 an ounce by 1151 GMT. US gold futures for June delivery were down 0.4 percent to $1,464.00 an ounce. “The market is holding back a little with China and most European countries closed and nobody is going to take the lead ahead of the FOMC and US employment figures, which will be very critical as they will give us fresh direction,” MKS Capital vice president Bernard Sin said.

The dollar eased against a basket of main currencies as investors warily awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, while expectations the European Central Bank will cut interest rates today capped the euro. Accommodative policy is generally seen as supportive for gold, because printing of money tends to be inflationary, but traders noted inflation readings were lower recently. “(Gold) seems to pick up steam either as a result of turmoil in the financial markets or on the back of higher inflation readings, neither of which seem to be prevalent at this particular time,” INTL FCStone said in a note. Investors will also closely watch US non-farm payrolls numbers on Friday. “A slight dovish tilt in the FOMC’s tone would be good for gold, as would a disap-

HONG KONG: Photo shows a US$1198 (9300 HKD) 24 carat gold plated custom-built 16gb iPad on display at customized luxury goods store in Hong Kong. — AFP pointing employment number,” UBS analyst Joni Teves said in a note. “But on the employment front, the risk is that non-farm payrolls are expected to have recovered in April (which) would potentially offset the positive impact of a more cautious FOMC,” she added.

Gold tumbled to $1,321.35 on April 16, its lowest in more than two years, after a drop below $1,500 sparked a selloff that stunned investors and prompted them to further slash holdings of exchange-traded funds. SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest goldbacked exchange-traded fund, said

Deadly bargains: Dhaka disaster puts pressure on fashion stores PARIS: The deadly collapse of a Bangladesh garment factory has piled pressure on Western fashion stores that churn out the season’s hottest looks at cheap prices, many of which are sourced from sweatshops in poor countries. The country’s worst ever industrial disaster, which has left at least 388 dead, comes after deadly fires in other factories and years of concerns over the flouting of safety standards in the bargain-basement clothing industry. Bustling high-street retailers are routinely accused of turning a blind eye and making a fortune off the backs of cheap laborers working in dangerous conditions. A week after the disaster in a suburb of the capital Dhaka, with hundreds still missing under the rubble, the backlash is growing against these brands. Clothing retailers such as Britain’s low-cost retailer Primark and Canada’s Loblaw have offered compensation to victims and their families, but activists have demanded they do more. “International brands must take responsibility for what has happened there,” said Laila Blanch from anti-poverty group War on Want, which has launched an online petition against high street brands Primark, Matalan and Mango.

“They outsourced the production to countries such as Bangladesh and China because of the lowest wages in the world,” she said, accusing them of ignoring “very poor health and safety standards”. The organization has demanded these brands sign the

Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement. “I’ve been in many factories and what I’ve seen is that for instance emergency exits are normally blocked with boxes, are blocked with rubbish from the factory,” said Blanch. “The windows of the factory... there are bars, so basically if there is a fire, workers can’t escape from the windows as well.”

Ineke Zeldenrust from Clean Clothes Campaign backed up these demands, saying brands’ safety proposals in the past had been “insufficient”. “Workers need a structural solution, not a quick fix. The lack of action demonstrated by brands amounts to criminal negligence,” Zeldenrust said. Aid agency Oxfam welcomed the offer by Primark and Loblaw-who were both supplied from the collapsed Rana Plaza complex-to compensate victims. “Other companies who had premises in the building should follow their example,” Oxfam’s Bangladesh country director Gareth Price Jones said in a statement.

Spanish label Mango said it had placed orders for sample items at the factory, while Italian group Benetton has also admitted it had products recently manufactured in the building. Benjamin Martin of PR agency Publicis Consultants told AFP that these companies “can no longer feign surprise” after a November 2012 fire left 111 dead in a Bangladesh factory, which made clothes for the likes of US giant Wal-Mart. “There is clearly a problem of transparency and trace-

SAN FRANCISCO: Protesters stand next to a list of Bangladeshi workers that died in the Tazreen factory fire during a demonstration outside of the Gap Inc headquarters in San Francisco, California. Dozens of protesters staged a demonstration outside of the Gap Inc headquarters demanding that the retail clothing giant improve working conditions in their manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh. — AFP ability in the industry,” said Julie and “Cheap clothes = sweat shops”, Stoll of the French Fair Trade “Primark’s shame” or “Love fashion, Platform, referring to apparent con- hate sweatshops”.

Gareth Jones, who works in fusion among companies as to whether their suppliers were social media, said the offer of compensation by Primark was “a nice involved or not.

The country’s $20-billion (15-bil- gesture, it’s the least they could do lion-euro) garment industry is the really”. Another Londoner, speaking world’s second-biggest after on condition of anonymity, said: “It China’s, and Bangladeshi textile will not be enough to replace the bosses scrambled Monday to loss for these families.... It’s not realassure leading brand names such ly enough, not at all.” However, for as H&M and Gap about safety stan- the fashion-hungry shoppers plydards. On Saturday a handful of ing these stores, dodgy practices by people protested in front of the textile industry “are still not a Primark on London’s Oxford Street, priority”, said a source from a large with placards reading “Never again” European consumers’ union.— AFP

its holdings fell 0.19 percent to 1,078.54 tons on Tuesday, the lowest since September 2009. But gold has recovered more than half of its $225 loss incurred between April 12 and 16, boosted by strong physical demand, especially in top bullion consumers China and India.

PHYSICAL FLOWS SLOW A rush in buying of gold bars after the recent plunge in prices has led to tight physical supply in Asia, but overall trading was quiet this week, with most markets shut for the Labor Day holiday.

Premiums for gold bars were little

changed in Tokyo at up to $1 to the spot London prices, levels last seen in July 2012 before they were revisited two weeks ago, following a surge in physical buying. Other precious metals edged lower, also undermined by slower-thanexpected Chinese manufacturing data for March. Silver fell 1.7 percent to $23.87 an ounce. Platinum dropped 1.5 percent to $1,483.24 an ounce, having reached a twoweek high of $1,522 on Monday.

Palladium was down 1.3 percent to $686.25, having hit a two-week high of $700.72 in the previous session.—Reuters

IRS targets US accounts at the Caribbean bank WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department said that a federal court had authorized the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to seek information on US taxpayers who may have accounts at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB).

In a move resembling a recent IRS inquiry into Americans with Swiss bank accounts, the Justice Department said a court order would let the IRS serve a ‘John Doe’ summons seeking records of FCIB’s US correspondent account at Wells Fargo & Co. A correspondent account is a bank deposit account maintained by one bank for another bank.

The order would allow the IRS to identify US taxpayers with “interests in financial accounts at FCIB and other financial institutions that used FCIB’s Wells Fargo correspondent account,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “Our work here shows our resolve to pursue these cases in all parts of the world, regardless of whether the person hiding money overseas chooses a bank with no offices on US soil,” IRS Acting Commissioner Steven Miller said in a statement. A spokesman for Wells Fargo said the bank would “review the summons and respond as legally required.”

An FCIB spokeswoman said the bank intended to “cooperate with authorities in accordance with the respective laws of all jurisdictions involved” and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. The bank was working with Wells Fargo to understand the court order, she said in a prepared statement. FCIB, based in Barbados, has branches in 18 Caribbean countries. According to its website, the bank was formed in 2002 by Britain’s Barclays Bank and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). In 2006, CIBC

became the bank’s majority shareholder, according to the website.

CIBC did not immediately reply to requests for comment. FCIB does not have US branches but it has a correspondent account in the United States at Wells Fargo, Justice said. The IRS uses ‘John Doe’ summonses to get information on possible tax law breakers whose identities are unknown. “ This John Doe summons directs Wells Fargo to produce records identifying US taxpayers with accounts at FCIB and other banks that used FCIB’s correspondent account,” the statement said.

In a declaration filed to the court, a senior IRS revenue agent said many FCIB customers in the John Doe class may have been under-reporting income, evading income taxes, or otherwise violating the internal revenue laws of the United States.

The FCIB case stemmed from information from 129 customers of the Barbados bank and its predecessor banks who took part in an IRS voluntary disclosure program, the Justice Department said. In a similar case in January 2013, a federal court allowed the IRS to serve a ‘John Doe’ summons on Switzerland’s UBS AG , seeking records of Swiss bank Wegelin & Co’s US correspondent account at UBS. That action was part of a wide-ranging US government effort to crack down on tax avoidance by Americans. Wegelin, Switzerland’s oldest bank, in March agreed to pay nearly $58 million in penalties and said it would shut its doors after admitting to helping wealthy Americans evade taxes. The serving of ‘John Doe’ summons on correspondent accounts is likely to become more common as the government widens its tax inquiries beyond Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, said William Sharp, a lawyer who represents taxpayers.— Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

BUSINESS

Dollar slides; China data hit oil LONDON: The dollar edged to a two-month low yesterday as investors awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting later and brighter-than-expected UK manufacturing data pushed sterling to a 2-1/2 month high. The Markit/CIPS Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 49.8 in April from an upwardly revised 48.6 in March, putting the sector within a whisker of the 50 line that separates growth from contraction.

Economists had expected a much weaker reading of 48.5 and the first rise in the new orders component of the survey since January instilled a tone of optimism into markets. Sterling rose to a new 21/2 month high against the dollar of $1.5591, UK gilts fell and London’s FTSE 100, the only of Europe’s major stock markets not closed for Labor Day, climbed 0.4 percent to move back towards its recent 4-1/2 year high .

Unlike the US, China and the euro zone, UK PMI’s

are the only ones currently heading upwards.

Economists remain decidedly cautious about the country’s near term outlook, however, with sluggish internal growth and a battle to bring down debt levels weighing on the economy. “It’s a relatively decent result,” said Investec economist Philip Shaw.

“The manufacturing sector is still weak - the PMI remains below the 50 break even level - but there is some semblance of stabilization, which could imply a gentle building of recovery momentum across the economy.”

CENTRAL BANKS Wider market attention remained largely on central bank actions though. The Federal Reserve will announce the outcome of its latest meeting at 1800 GMT, while the European Central Bank is expected to cut its interest rates to a new record low of 0.5 percent today. The dollar was on the back foot ahead of the Fed statement and dipped to new

two-month low of 81.596 against a basket of six major currencies as sterling moved upwards. US stock index futures also signaled that the recent rally on Wall Street, which sent the S&P 500 index to its latest record high on Tuesday, was likely to continue though much will depend on the noises coming from the Fed. The central bank is widely expected to maintain its monthly purchases of $85 billion in bonds when the two-day meeting wraps up as it looks to support an economic recovery that is nearly four years old but still too weak for the job market to truly heal. With the central bank’s favored inflation gauge slipping and employment growth faltering, Fed officials could again find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to shift from talk of curbing stimulus to the possibility of doing more. The ECB is also expected to cut rates when it meets in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Thursday but economists are eyeing whether it can do more.—Reuters

BEIJING: A Chinese migrant worker passes by The People’s Bank of China as he heads to a bus station in Beijing yesterday. Manufacturing activity in China slowed slightly in April from the previous month, in a sign of further weakness in the world’s second-biggest economy. — AFP

Kuwait rises above 7,500 points; Emaar slips 1.3% Dubai shrugs off soft Emaar earnings DUBAI: Dubai heavyweight Emaar Properties fell yesterday after reporting a drop in quarterly profit on rising costs, but the overall market recovered from an early slide, suggesting investors’ underlying optimism had not changed. Property developer Emaar reported a worse-than-expected net profit of 556 million dirhams ($151.4 million) in the quarter ended March 31, compared to 606 million dirhams in the same period a year ago. A Reuters poll of six analysts had predicted an average profit of 600 million dirhams.

Emaar shares slipped 1.3 percent in response, but they remain up 48 percent since the end of last year. The profit drop was largely due to higher sales costs, the company said, and revenue rose 16 percent. So investors decided the profit drop made no difference to the bullish outlook for the property sector.

Emaar’s chairman said yesterday that he expected his company’s real estate business to increase drastically.

Dubai’s index shrugged off early losses to end 0.1 percent higher, though gains were smaller than in recent sessions. “As the UAE bellwether, a great deal was expected from Emaar numbers. Whilst solid, there was no upside surprise and some profit-taking has been evident today,” said Julian Bruce, EFGHermes’ director of institutional equity sales.

“This prompted caution from recent buyers in the broader market, and it was good to see the index taking a bit of a breather after recent exuberance.”

KUWAIT CLIMBS Other Gulf markets were mixed yesterday.

Egypt’s market and Bahrain’s bourse were closed, as was much of Asia and Europe, for a Labor Day bank holiday. Kuwait’s measure jumped 1.8 percent to 7,563 points, rising for the ninth straight session. Some said the rise above 7,500 points was technically bullish.

“Over the medium and short terms, the index is moving in an uptrend. A break above this level (7,500) would indicate a continuation of the uptrend,” said a note from NBK Capital.

“The next target is 7,600. We view any pullback to the support levels as a buying opportunity. The medium term target is 8,400.”

Kuwait Projects Co (Kipco) rose 1.2 percent after it said it was on track for double-digit revenue growth this year, although quarterly profit was flat. Several blue chip stocks fell in Saudi Arabia after oil dropped below $101 a barrel yesterday, extending its biggest monthly drop in 11 months, as fresh concerns over economic growth in China weakened the demand outlook. Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) slipped 0.6 percent, weighing on the general index, which ended 0.1 percent lower at 7,175 points. Loss-making telecommunications operator Zain Saudi fell 4.0 percent, adding to losses from the previous session, after it said it had extended the maturity on $3 billion of loans for up to five weeks. It was the latest in a series of extensions since 2011, and investors had been hoping the company would finally be able to put together a new long-term financing package, reducing uncertainty. Qatar Navigation climbed 4.2 percent after posting positive first-quarter results and announcing board agreement for a share buyback program. — Reuters

No end in sight for Fed stimulus; inflation sags WASHINGTON: The Federal Reservoe’s debate over US monetary policy could begin to shift away from the prospect of reducing stimulus toward a discussion about doing more, given the signs of economic weakness and slowing inflation. But policymakers are not there yet. At a twoday meeting that wraps up yesterday, the Fed is widely expected to maintain its monthly purchases of $85 billion in bonds to support an economic recovery that is nearly four years old but still too weak for the job market to truly heal.

With the central bank’s favored inflation gauge slipping and employment growth faltering, Fed officials could again find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to shift from talk of curbing stimulus to the possibility of doing more.

Currently, analysts see the Fed buying a total $1 trillion in Treasury and mortgagebacked securities during the ongoing third round of quantitative easing, known as QE3. Until recently, analysts had believed the Fed would start taking the foot off the accelerator in the second half of the year.

Now, things are looking a bit more shaky. The housing market continues to show signs of strength, with home prices posting their biggest yearly gain since 2006, the year the market began a historic slide that snowballed into a global financial crisis. However, the industrial sector is not quite as perky. Durable goods orders posted their largest drop in seven months in March, while an index of Midwest manufacturing showed an unexpected contraction in the sector for April.

Economic growth did rebound in the first quarter after a dismal end to 2012, but the 2.5 percent annual rate of expansion fell short of economists’ estimates, and economists are already penciling in a weaker second quarter. At the same time, inflation has steadily been coming down. The Fed’s preferred measure of core inflation, which excludes more volatile food and energy costs, rose just 1.1 percent in the year to March. Overall inflation was up just 1 percent, the smallest gain in 3-1/2 years.

The Fed targets inflation of 2 percent.

CHECKING THE TOOLKIT Despite the economy’s softer tone, a wait-and-see attitude seems the most likely approach for now. The Fed is expected to nod to the economy’s disappointing performance when it announces its decision at 2 pm, even as it maintains its course. But if

the economy’s fortunes do not improve, the US central bank may well look for fresh ways to boost its support to the economyincreasing the amount of assets it is buying is just one option.

The Fed could announce an intent to hold the bonds it has bought until maturity instead of selling them when the time comes to tighten monetary policy. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has already raised this as a possibility. US central bankers could also set a lower unemployment threshold to signal when the time might be ripe to finally raise overnight interest rates, which they have held near zero since December 2008. Currently, the threshold stands at 6.5 percent, provided inflation does not threaten to breach 2.5 percent.

Research suggests such “forward guidance” about the future path of interest rates can have a strong impact on current borrowing costs, and one Fed official-Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank-has already suggested lowering the threshold to give the economy a boost. “Forward guidance would be perceived as having lower costs (than bond purchases) by most, I think, and for that reason I think it could be the preferred avenue, especially if more stimulus was projected to be needed for a long period of time,” said Roberto Perli, a partner at Cornerstone Macro in Washington and a former Fed economist.

Analysts generally agree that is a debate for the future, if the Fed even gets there at all. Victor Li, a former regional Fed economist who teaches at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, said employment growth would have to be consistently below the 100,000 jobs per month pace in combination with core inflation of around 1 percent for the Fed to consider a greater easing of monetary policy. “There is just no evidence that this is going to happen.”

Others are less sanguine. Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan’s Gerald Ford School of Public Policy, said the risk that prices will drop persistently, causing further economic damage, cannot be ruled out. “What’s more relevant than the current inflation trend is what this means for forecast inflation,” Wolfers said. “And I think even more relevant than the Fed’s official point estimate for inflation is the probability that deflation looms as a real threat. Inflation rates lower than 1 percent certainly raise a greater risk of deflation.”— Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

BUSINESS

Egyptian Refining Company receives global recognition KUWAIT: Egyptian Refining Company, one of the largest oil and gas projects in Egypt and the region, stands as an example of public-private cooperation and underscores the fundamental attractiveness of the Egyptian market to long-term international investors.

Citadel Capital’s Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), a $3.7 billion greenfield petroleum refining upgrade project in the Greater Cairo Area, received the Infrastructure Journal “Oil & Gas Deal of the Year” and overall “Deal of the Year” awards in April 2013.

The awards underscore the importance of this vital national project and its ability to win substantial international backing despite the economic challenges Egypt presently faces. ERC stands as among the largest-ever project finance transactions in Africa and is one of Egypt’s largest inward investments. The financial close of ERC confirms to international investors and the global community that Egypt is open for business.

The project has received numerous global awards this year prior to the Infrastructure Journal recognition, including Reuters-affiliated Project Finance International’s “Middle East and Africa Petrochemical Deal of the

Year,” Trade Finance Magazine’s “Deal of the Year,” and the International Financial Law Review’s “Project Finance Deal of the Year” for legal advisory on the transaction, bringing its total number of wins for the year to 6 awards thus far. ERC has also been shortlisted for the upcoming 2013 Ai African Infrastructure Investment awards.

ERC is investing US$ 3.7 billion to build a state-of-the-art refinery that will reduce Egypt’s present-day diesel imports by more than half, eliminate approximately 93,000 tons of sulfur emissions annually, and produce over 4.2 million tons of refined products and high-quality oil derivatives per year including 3 million tons of jet fuel and Euro V diesel (the cleanest-burning diesel fuel in the world).

Additionally ERC will produce 700,000 tons of octane-rich petrol fuel that represents more than 70% of Egypt’s current imported volume. ERC will also lead to an estimated US$ 300 million in annual savings and revenues to state coffers, as its contractual agreement states that the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) will purchase all of ERC’s production of high-quality fuel products.

Developed by Citadel Capital

(CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange), the leading investment company in Africa and the Middle East with $9.5 billion in investments under control, ERC is a public-private partnership with the private sector investing alongside the government to address Egypt’s growing demand for octanerich products, namely jet fuel and diesel, that are currently imported in rising quantities. The project aims to address the critical need for national infrastructure development and will create 700 permanent jobs and an additional 10,000 jobs during the construction phase.

“ERC is a key component of Egypt’s energy security and we look forward to seeing the project through to its completion. It is an honor to win recognition from IJ for this landmark project, which would have not been possible without the help of our dedicated inhouse team and advisors, the support of our equity and debt partners and the cooperation of the government and EGPC as well as the people of Mostorod where the refinery will be located,” said Ahmed Heikal, Founder and Chairman of Citadel Capital.

ERC faced substantial international competition for the Infrastructure

Journal Awards, with projects backed by major global industry players and financiers, including some 28 contenders that included major oil & gas and infrastructure projects from across the globe. The awards are the latest in a string of international acknowledgments following the financial close of the landmark deal. “The ERC project weathered many challenges such as the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and the reduced investment appetite in Egypt post January 25 Revolution.

The financial close was only made possible by the strong economic rationale of the project and its benefits to Egypt. ERC is not only a transformative import substitution project, but it will also help improve the air quality in Egypt,” said Heikal. The equity component of the transaction, which reached final close on 14 June 2012 at a total of US$ 1.1 billion, was the largest raising of equity in Egypt since 2007 and the largest in the MENA region in 2012.

In addition to Citadel Capital, investors in the transaction include EGPC, Qatar Petroleum International (QPI), investors from Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and global institutions including the International Finance Corporation, the

Dutch development bank FMO, Germany’s DEG, and the InfraMed Fund. ERC is also supported by a $2.6 billion debt package announced in August 2010 which was arranged by ERC’s financial advisor Societe Generale and supported by ERC’s legal advisors, Shearman & Sterling and Arab Legal Consultants.

The package includes $2.35 billion of senior debt and $225 million of subordinated debt. With the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi serving as the global coordinator, institutions participating in the senior debt package include the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Mitsui & Co, which is part of the contractor consortium building the refinery, and the African Development Bank are providing the subordinated debt financing. Energy is one of five core industries in which Citadel Capital invests across its 15-country footprint, alongside transportation and logistics, agriculture and consumer foods, mining, and cement and construction.

Inflation spikes as Qatar gears for spending spree Small size, dollar peg make Qatar vulnerable

NEW YORK: Job applicants wait in line under rain fall in New York. — AFP

Rebound in job growth eyed; Momentum slow WASHINGTON: US job growth likely accelerated in April, but probably still lacked enough muscle to help the economy head off the blow from deep government budget cuts and higher taxes. Nonfarm payrolls are expected to have increased by 145,000, according to a Reuters survey of economists after stumbling to a nine-month low of 88,000 in March.

While March’s meager job gains probably exaggerated the labor market’s weakness, the expected increase for April would still fall short of the monthly average of 200,000 new jobs for the first two months of this year.

“It’s consistent with the sluggish rate of growth that we have been seeing and expect to see going forward,” said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Labor Department will release the April employment report tomorrow at 8:30 am. The forecast job gains in April should be just enough to hold the unemployment rate at a four-year low of 7.6 percent, though the rate could even fall as older Americans retire and younger people give up the hunt for work in frustration.

The workforce participation rate-the share of working-age Americans who either have a job or are looking for one-hit a 34-year low in March. “We expect the unemployment rate to continue its slow downward trek, reflecting our expectation that shifting demographics and discouraged workers will continue to overcome the number of workers returning to the labor market to seek employment,” said Lewis Alexander, chief economist at Nomura Securities in New York.

“Federal Reserve officials are sure to take note of a slow economy that is unable to produce consistent strong job gains, and discount at least some of the decline in unemployment as being for the ‘wrong’ reasons.”

Fed officials will wrap up a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday and are widely expected to keep purchasing $85 billion in bonds a month to press borrowing costs low-

er and spur a stronger recovery. Their next meeting is in mid-June.

SLUGGISH GROWTH The US economy grew at a moderate 2.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter, but data for March and April has suggested a loss of momentum. Second-quarter growth forecasts range between a 1 percent to 2 percent rate-a slowdown that analysts pin on belttightening in Washington. To slash the budget deficit, lawmakers let a 2 percent payroll tax cut expire at the end of last year and left in place $85 billion in across-the-board government spending cuts, which began to kick in at the beginning of March.

Some economists believe the budget cuts weighed on private job growth in April and may have led to government job cuts.

“Although the government did most of its cost cutting through furloughs, we suspect there were also some outright job cuts,” said Michelle Meyer, a senior economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. “The private sector will likely be impacted. At a minimum, it likely reduced hiring in those industries most closely exposed to the government, such as defense contracting.”

Construction payrolls are expected to have posted gains for an 11th successive month, thanks to a recovering housing market. Manufacturing employment may have snapped back after falling in March for the first time since September. Employment gauges in regional manufacturing surveys were mostly mixed in April. Job gains in the private services sector are expected to have picked up from March’s nine-month low.

Employment could be supported by retail employment, which fell after eight straight months of gains. Government payrolls are expected to have dropped by about 15,000 in April after falling by 7,000 in March.

Government employment in March was weighed down by an 11,700 decline in jobs at the US Postal Service.— Reuters

United Real Estate Company announces $7 million profit KUWAIT: United Real Estate Company (URC), a leading real estate developer in the Middle East, announced their first quarter results yesterday achieving a net profit of $7 million, equivalent to KD2 million, for the three months ending March 31st, 2013. URC’s Gross Profit increased by 169.29% compared to the same period last year reaching $22.179 million (KD6.298 million). Consolidated Assets as of March 2013 was recorded at a total of $1.960 billion (KD556.6 million) an increase of 9.85% compared to the first quarter of 2012.

URC’s operations focus on retail, commercial, hospitality and residential developments, with prominent projects under construction such as Abdali Mall in Jordan, Raouche View at 1090 residential building in Lebanon, Salalah Gardens Mall, Salalah Mall Residences, and Junoot Resort in Oman. KIPCO Tower, the first mixed-use building in Kuwait City, is one of URC’s most recently completed developments, which became operational in Q4 2012.

KIPCO Tower features retail, office and residential segments under one roof with a number of local and international F&B outlets and well-established, prominent businesses occupying several of the office floors.

DOHA: Five years ago, inflation in Qatar soared into the double digits after the tiny country spent heavily on hosting the 2006 Asian Games. Now, with another government spending spree and an even bigger sports event looming, inflation is on the rise again. The country of just 1.9 million people plans to spend about $140 billion to build stadiums, roads, railways, a new airport, a seaport and other infrastructure before it hosts the 2022 soccer World Cup. Spending on that scale could destabilize a much bigger economy. So recent data showing a sharp rise in inflation is unwelcome - and might, if it becomes a trend, threaten the smooth completion of some of the construction projects.

Government officials and company executives insist they have learned from the last inflation debacle and will be able to avoid another one, partly because they have given themselves more time to carry out the construction. “In 2006, we saw a very different situation compared to what we have now. We had to execute all the projects within a tight time frame, and were faced with a very sudden inflow of people into the country,” R. Seetharaman, chief executive of Doha Bank, Qatar’s fifth-largest bank by market value, told Reuters. “Now, we have enough time to execute these projects; it will be done gradually over the next five years. The time frame will help in acting as a stabiliser in preventing inflationary issues.”

BOTTLENECKS Qatar’s inflation rate skyrocketed to a record 15.2 percent in 2008, partly because of a building boom for the Asian Games; logistical problems and bottlenecks, including difficulties in bringing enough building materials into the country, caused costs in the economy to spiral. In a sense, the global financial crisis came to Qatar’s rescue.

Inflation fell rapidly as housing rental prices plummeted in response to the global turmoil, and Qatar actually experienced deflation - falling consumer prices - in 2009 and 2010, underlining how vulnerable the wealthy gas-exporting economy is to global trends.

In the last few months, however, the spectre of high inflation has reappeared. The year-on-year

rate jumped to 3.6 percent in March, from 3.2 percent in February and 2.6 percent in December. A major reason for the rise was a rebound in housing rents, which account for about a third of consumer expenses; they gained 5.5 percent in March. One factor behind the inflation surge appears to be increased government spending on social welfare in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings elsewhere in the region. In September 2011 the Qatari government boosted basic salaries and social benefits for state civilian employees by 60 percent.

Inflation would be higher at present if Qatar had been quicker to get its infrastructure projects into gear after winning the right to host the World Cup nearly 2-1/2 years ago. Partly because of bureaucratic delays, the government has been slower to award contracts than many companies had expected - disappointing many foreign businessmen, but limiting upward pressure on prices.

“The two-year delay has had the effect of controlling inflation,” said Abdulaziz Al-Ghorairi, senior vice president and chief economist at Commercialbank Capital in Doha.

This year, however, infrastructure spending looks set to ramp up in earnest. Plans call for state expenditure to increase 18 percent to 210.6 billion riyals ($57.8 billion) in the 2013/14 fiscal year that started on April 1, and to stay at about this year’s level until 2017, Finance and Economy Minister Youssef Kamal said this month. In January the International Monetary Fund’s mission chief for Qatar told Reuters that the economy’s ability to absorb heavy infrastructure spending was an issue, though he added there were no concerns about the economy overheating for the moment.

DEFENCES One of the government’s defenses against inflation is its ability to regulate prices. In a statement in December, the government said it would use regulatory powers to prevent traders from imposing “unjustified” price hikes on consumers.

In September 2011 the country’s ruling emir directed the Ministry of Business and Trade to establish a committee to monitor prices of goods,

in order to curb arbitrary price increases following that year’s state salary hike. It is not clear, however, whether the committee could if needed introduce widespread price controls or whether they would be effective.

Another weapon against inflation is monetary policy. In March, the central bank introduced quarterly issues of riyal-denominated bonds, giving it a tool to manage excess funds in the banking sector. The central bank governor told Reuters this month that these issues could be adjusted flexibly. Officials and some analysts say such tools will be sufficient to avoid another burst of double-digit inflation in the next few years. “We do foresee inflation going up, but we expect it to remain in the single digits,” Ghorairi said. Others are less sure, given Qatar’s heavy dependence on imports - except for energy, most of the basic goods which it consumes are imported - and the fact that the Qatari riyal is pegged to the US dollar. The peg constrains Qatar’s ability to raise interest rates to fight inflation, and prevents it from appreciating its currency to offset any rise in import costs. “I don’t there is much the central bank can do about the kind of inflation Qatar faces from population growth and projec t spending,” said a Doha-based economist at a major financial institution, declining to be named under briefing rules. “Also, it can’t influence imported inflation because of the dollar peg. If you have a dollar-pegged currency, you’ve effectively abdicated all monetary control to the host country. Effectively we have US monetary policy in Qatar now.”

A burst of inflation could disrupt the infrastructure program by raising the costs and crimping the profit margins of companies building the projects. However, the impact would probably be bearable for Qatar’s affluent population of local citizens, who number only about 250,000 of the total population of 1.9 million. “Who is really damaged by single-digit inflation? Most corporates have cost-of-living adjustments, and people who own assets see the benefit of it,” said Steve Troop, chief executive of Doha-based Bar wa Bank, adding “3.6 percent isn’t the end of the world in a place where people don’t pay tax.”— Reuters

SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY - Mazda technologies redefining the future KUWAIT: Kuwait Automotive Imports Co WLL (Al Shaya & Al Sagar), exclusive distributor of Mazda cars in Kuwait since 1969, is proud to announce that shortly a new-generation SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY will be introduced in some of its models in Kuwait, like New Mazda6. This technology enhances the efficiency of powertrain components - engines and transmissions -, reduces vehicle body weight, improve aerodynamics, etc.

Ashish Tandon, GM of KAICO, explained that the name SKYACTIV has its origins in the term “The SKY is the limit.” and it expresses the spirit that is driving Mazda engineers in their development work. They developed SKYACTIV with a belief in unlimited possibilities. They broke down the boundaries between departments and together, they began to design and develop new technologies from scratch, always aiming to achieve the ideal. “By developing SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY Mazda’s goal was to build cars that do not sacrifice driving pleasure or environmental performance”, stated Mohamed Osman, Mazda

Brand Manager, KAICO. SKYACTIV-G and SKYACTIV-D Highly efficient engines with a world-beating compression ratio is developed in pursuit of ideal combustion. It is forecast that internal combustion engines will still account for a high percentage of powertrains even as far ahead as 2020. But with conventional internal combustion engines some 70 to 80 percent of the energy contained in fuel is lost within a vehicle’s powertrain and fails to be transferred as motive power to its wheels.

One of Mazda’s recent developments towards an ideal engine configuration is the Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine, which offers the combined advantages of both petrol and diesel engines.

In commercializing the rotary engine and through other remarkable technical achievements, Mazda has a history of making the seemingly impossible possible. Now, they have taken on the challenge of pursuing ideal combustion.

As a result, with Mazda SKYACTIV-G and SKYACTIV-D new-generation engines Mazda have attained a world’s best: a compression ratio of 14.0:1 (actual compression ratio varies by product/region) in both the petrol and diesel categories. Thanks to a number of technological breakthroughs, Mazda succeeded in dramatically improving fuel efficiency, power, exhaust gas emissions and other attributes.

SKYACTIV-BODY and SKYACTIV-CHASSIS It has highly rigid body and chassis that achieve outstanding crash safety performance through comprehensive weight reduction technology. Reducing vehicle weight does not simply boost fuel economy; combined with the innovative engines described above, it complements the engine’s performance potential, and vastly

improves the vehicle’s core performance attributes when driving, turning and stopping.

To gain maximum benefit from the complete redesign of its base technologies, Mazda also set itself the challenge of reducing the weight of its vehicles through a process of “comprehensive weight reduction,” which was focused mainly on the next-generation body and chassis. This allinclusive process aimed to achieve a lightweight and highly-rigid body with excellent crash safety performance by pursuing an ideal body structure, adopting new production technologies and substituting new materials.

The optimization of materials and sheet thicknesses was enabled through the use of computer-aided engineering (CAE). Additionally, new production technologies such as weld bonding ultimately helped reduce weight and resulted in better crash safety performance and rigidity.

Chassis was also improved through an optimized suspension structure and mounts. Mazda is confident that SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY will prove itself a pleasant surprise to drivers in Kuwait and all over the world.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

BUSINESS

New Nissan Sentra defies sales expectations DUBAI: The popularity of the new Sentra among Middle East customers has strengthened Nissan’s position as market leader in the highly competitive C segment. Impressively, in the first 50 days of sales, nearly 1,500 Nissan Sentras have been sold, underlining the appeal of the compact sedan which offers spaciousness and comfort usually found in the segment above, as well as spirited 1.6-litre or 1.8litre engines.

The C-segment is the largest single car category in the Middle East with 24 different models currently vying for the top spot, held by the Nissan Sentra. Nissan will now use the strong initial response from the region’s car buyers as a platform on which to build towards an ambitious sales target of 25,000 Sentra sales per year in the GCC region in the next three years.

“Nissan Sentra was launched with the clear intent to reinforce our strong leadership position in the C segment and the

start of sales is living up to our expectations,” said Samir Cherfan, Managing Director, Nissan Middle East. “Since its launch, on average more than one Sentra is sold every hour. This proves customers recognize that we are producing cars of the highest quality, cars that people are buying in ever-increasing numbers.”

“Nissan has a proven record of success in this segment with Sentra being its 13th generation sedan,” continued Samir. “This high-value choice features unexpected spaciousness and many technologies not seen before in cars of this class, along with an ability to over-deliver on the basics.

These qualities have immediately found favor with Middle Eastern customers looking for an aspirational andupscale compact sedan.”

“I recently purchased a brand new Nissan Sentra and was extremely happy.

The all new Sentra is a class apart,” said Rohan Kumar, a proud owner. “Expect

more and pay less. The Nissan Sentra has so much space and is comfortable. I am also connected with all the technologies like Navigation and Bluetooth that the car offers,” he concluded. Scott Dylan another Sentra buyer added: “I commute every day from Sharjah to Jabal Ali and am quite impressed with my Sentra’s fuel consumption. The drive experience itself is enjoyable with comfortable leg space, latest technology, and I now enjoy driving.”

Nissan Sentra is the all-new nameplate in the Middle East’s compact sedan segment but the 13th generation Nissan sedan in its model line globally. It has a seductive design with high-end details such as LED accented headlamps and tail lamps and upscale interior craftsmanship.

Sentra has unexpected spaciousness including class-leading legroom and boot space with class-above convenience including dual zone climate control, intelligent key and rear view camera.

Nigeria faces bumpy road to make the lights work Govt to privatize state electricity firm ABUJA: In an unwanted daily routine lasting 17 years, Phillip Cleatus sits in the dark doorway of his shoemaking shop in Nigeria’s northern city of Kaduna, waiting for the lights to come back on. President Goodluck Jonathan is trying to persuade Cleatus and some 170 million other Nigerians that will soon change.

Yet while his plan to privatize power is creeping forward, it is likely to take decades to end the chronic electricity shortages that are among the main barri-

ers to investment and growth in Africa’s second biggest economy and top oil producer. Nigeria is in the process of breaking up the defunct state power company into 17 private generation and distribution companies and selling them for about $2.5 billion in total, as part of efforts to increase electricity output tenfold over the next seven years.

It might be its most advanced effort yet to end its perennial power shortfall, but progress has been so slow that Jonathan’s targets look far too opti-

ABK’s ‘Ahli Chat’ service in its second popular year KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s ‘Ahli Chat’ service started two years ago, ever since then, it has steadily gained popularity with customers, who are looking for simple and innovative ways to complete their banking transactions. This service was the first of its kind in Kuwait part of an initiative to develop alternate Othman Tawfiqi communication channels that are time saving and convenient to the customers.

Othman Tawfiqi, Head of Alternative Delivery Channels stated, “Since the launch of the ‘Ahli Chat’ service in 2011, the number of customers using it has significantly increased, exceeding the 200% barrier, which indicates it is an incomparable feat that has seen tremen-

dous success with our customers.”

Tawfiqi added, ‘Al Ahli Chat’ service was the first of its kind in Kuwait, which was created and developed to become one of the best communication channels for customers in the local banking sector. ABK management is keen on supporting up gradation of services, investing in modern banking technology backed by trained professionals to provide customers with the kind of premium service expected from Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait.”

He also pointed out that to use ‘Ahli Chat’ all the customer has to do is visit www.eahli.com and register, then chat directly with a customer service officer to answer relevant banking queries. Tawfiqi concluded, “The customers’ increasing frequency to use this service in its second year has validated the quality of service ABK provides. We now look forward to offering more services that contribute to the ease and convenience of our valuable customers.”

mistic. Industry experts believe some improvements will be felt in 2-3 years. If Nigeria gets the lights working it would reduce business costs by up to 40 percent, add 3 percent to GDP and cut the mass unemployment that fuels unrest seen in oil theft in the south and a bloody Islamist insurgency in the north, economists say.

It could also spur a boom in labor intensive areas like manufacturing, food processing, textiles and pharmaceuticals, while opening up the opportunity for new low-cost service industries like the call centers that aided India’s rise. The $13 billion a year that Nigerians spend on diesel, most of which is imported, would be a bill of the past. Power from generators costs more than twice as much as from the grid. “This is killing my business, I lose 45 percent of my annual profit to poor power supply,” Cleatus, 38 said.

GENERATORS A glitzy ceremony hosted by Jonathan last week celebrated the first payment by private companies which are taking over the unbundled state electricity firm and a deal by the World Bank to give an initial $145 million risk guarantee for gas supply. A close look at the private companies which won bids shows a mix of oligarchs and influential figures connected to Nigeria’s political elite, and some recognized technical partners like Siemens and Manila Electric. This has raised some questions about the expected efficiency of the privatization process and what it can deliver, but there are those who argue that effective business in Nigeria is impossible without political connections and patrons.

“Much has been achieved, yet the race will not be over until Nigerians can take electricity supply for granted,” Jonathan told dignitaries and power companies last week at his villa. Electricity capacity had been in steady decline for a decade when Jonathan launched his reform plan in 2010, pledging Nigeria would boost generation from 3,000 megawatts (MW) to 10,000 MW by the end of this year, and 40,000 MW by 2020. —Reuters

Ford records highest ever Mideast Q1 sales Trucks and SUVs lead the surge in sales DUBAI: Ford and Lincoln products reported 14 per cent growth in sales during the first quarter of 2013, registering the highest ever Q1 sales for the Middle East region. The strong boost comes as a result of the continued demand and growing popularity of the latest Ford and Lincoln models coupled with the marked improvements in quality and innovations across the range.

The positive news is also evident in North

America. Ford Motor Company recently announced a pre-tax profit of US$2.1 billion in the first quarter driven by the highest North America profit in more than a decade. Net income was at US$1.6 billion, US$215 million higher during the same period in 2011. In the Middle East, growth was boosted by the surge in sales of trucks and SUVs, up by 30 per cent during the first quarter.

The Ford Edge remains one of the segment leaders with over 70 per cent growth recorded, while Built Ford Tough trucks, the Ford Ranger compact pickup and the F-150 full-size pickup led the strong performance, registering massive increases of 400 per cent and 215 per cent respectively. In fact, the F-Series registered the biggest growth in the segment - a remarkable

achievement and proof of the growing popularity of America’s best-selling truck in the region.

As for the Ford Expedition, the full size utility remains a popular GCC family SUV with about a 10 per cent growth.

Full-size crossover Lincoln MKT followed suit with a 343 per cent increase while Lincoln MKX and Navigator followed closely with gains of 296 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively. The new

Ford passenger cars also scored high in the first quarter with the Taurus flagship model maintaining its pole position as one of the segment leaders and recording an 88 per cent increase.

The legendary muscle car, Mustang, saw a 79 per cent growth, while sales of the Fusion went up by 34 per cent and the new Focus - world’s bestselling nameplate for 2012 hands down - saw a 64 per cent boost.

“We’ve recorded quite a strong start to the year,” said Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director. “Our results so far prove our One Ford plan and strategy are paying off and we remain focused on the business together with our dealers, and work together to bring quality products that Ford and Lincoln customers want, featuring unique innovations and technologies

as well as outstanding value and after-sales support.” Thierry Sabbagh, Ford Middle East’s director of Sales said: “We have grown aggressively across the region thanks to the great new products we’ve rolled out and the continued support from our dealers who are keen on further expanding their network and customer base.

“It is more and more evident that our new generation models are gaining wider ground in the region today as shown by the tremendous growth recorded. Our new product range features award winning segment leaders, and we are confident that these nameplates together with the new products we will launch later this year will continue to drive our regional growth,” Sabbagh added. Iraq posted the highest increase in sales during the first quarter this year, with almost 200 percent thanks to the growing demand for Taurus, Edge, Explorer and Expedition models.

In the GCC, Bahrain commanded the lead with a 65 per cent increase followed by 50 per cent from Oman and 42 percent in Qatar. Saudi Arabia also saw a 16 per cent growth, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait showed strong sales in trucks and SUVs with 17 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively. In the Levant region, Ford and Lincoln sales grew by 38 per cent in Jordan, while they continued the steady growth in Lebanon following the appointment of the new importer-dealer.

EXPANDING IN MIDDLE EAST Ford Middle East and its dealers are closely working on network expansions in the GCC, Levant and Iraq, whether in dealership facilities, service centers and parts distribution outlets.

Currently there are over 60 new Ford and Lincoln sales and service facilities in process region-wide to serve the ever growing customer base.

In terms of service, Ford expects to increase the number of Quick Lane and Quick Parts outlets in the GCC, with 40 branches scheduled to be opened in 2013to help provide a wider reach for customer service and genuine Ford and MotorCraft spare parts. The $53m Middle East Regional Parts Distribution Centre in Jebel Ali, Dubai is already providing the necessary support to the regional customer base and dealerships of Ford and Lincoln in the region.

Kuwait Energy announces increases in revenue and production during Q1 2013 KUWAIT: Kuwait Energy (‘the Company’) one of the fastest growing independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the Middle East yesterday announced an update on its financial and corporate activities during its first quarter.

HIGHLIGHTS revenue up 8.6%, year-on-year, to US$64.0 million (Q1 2012: US$59.0 million) l Q1 production up 24.2% year-on-year, to 21,568 boepd (Q1 2012: 17,370 boepd) l Q1 revenue up 11.6%, quarter-on-quarter, to US$64.0 million (Q4 2012: US$57.4 million) l Q1 production up 7.5%, quarter-onquarter, to 21,568 boepd (Q4 2012: 20,052 boepd) l Significant increase in production primarily due to the contribution from the Company’s newly acquired 15% interest in Block 5, Yemen l Formal completion of acquisition of Jannah Hunt Oil Company (JHOC), Yemen with JHOC’s 15% interest in Block 5 adding c. 5,700 bopd to Kuwait Energy’s production l Contract signed in January 2013 for exploration and development contract for Block 9, Basra, Iraq with effective date of 3 February 2013 l Continued participation in negotiations for Afghanistan Exploration and Production Sharing Contracts, in Blocks I and IV, in second Afghanistan Bid Round l Short term, three month, debt facility established with Kuwait International Bank for US$25 million to fund a part of the Company’s consideration for the JHOC acquisition lYear end reserves audited: l2P reserves recorded as 221.6mmboe; l Working interest contingent risked resources recorded as 48.4mmboe; and l Best estimate of risked prospective resources recorded as 679.6mmboe Sara Akbar, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Energy, commented, “I am pleased to announce another quarter of production and revenue increases. During the first quarter, we formally completed our Yemen acquisition and also signed a contract for new exploration in Iraq. We also increased our daily average working interest production to well over the 20,000 boepd level.

These are very important operational milestones for the Company and 2013looks set to be another very exciting year for Kuwait Energy.”

Q1 PRODUCTION Daily average working interest production (boepd) Country of operations Q1 2013 Q1 2012 Egypt 11,510 12,637 Yemen 5,753 508 Oman 2,829 3,035 l Q1

Kuwait Energy CEO Sara Akbar Russia 838 855 Ukraine 638 317 Total 21,568 17,370 During the quarter, the Company formally completed the acquisition of Jannah Hunt Oil Company (JHOC), a company operating in Yemen, which had a 15% participating interest in Block 5. Block 5 is located in the Marib-Shabwa basin and comprises four oil producing fields. Current total production from this Block is c. 38,000 bopd with Kuwait Energy’s working interest share contributing c. 5,700 bopd.

The Kuwait Energy-led consortium that was awarded the Exploration and Development contract for Block 9 in Basra, Iraq, formally signed the contract in January 2013 with an effective date of 3 February 2013. The contract is valid for a period of 20 years until 2032. The consortium comprises Kuwait Energy and Dragon Oil. Kuwait Energy is the operator of the block with a 70% working interest with Dragon Oil holding the remaining 30%.

The consortium submitted a field exploration plan to the Joint Management Committee on 31 March 2013. Kuwait Energy also continued to participate in negotiations, in the second Afghanistan Bid Round, to finalize the terms of Exploration and Production Sharing Contracts (EPSC) for exploration licences for Block I (Sanduqli) and Block IV (Mazar-iSharif ). Exploration activity is expected to commence soon after the signing of the EPSCs. Financially, by the end of the first quarter, Kuwait Energy had drawn down $50 million of its facility with Abraaj Capital and $50 million with Qatar First Bank to finance near-term development and growth plans. The Company also drew down a further $50 million from its $165 million facility with the International Finance Corporation and Deutsche Bank. A short term facility for three month was established with Kuwait International Bank for $25 million to fund a part of the JHOC (Yemen Block 5) acquisition.

Mas International showcases ‘Batisehir’ project in Istanbul KUWAIT: Mas International established its global presence with the ideal ‘Batisehir’ project providing marketing services and innovative real estate solutions professionally in keeping pace with high-level global ambition and to ensure the strengthening of its competitiveness in the market. This ambition achieved great success when they showcased the modern Islamic world represented in the “Zamzam Tower” in front of the Haram Al-Sharif in Saudi Arabia, with an area of 91.226 square meters and included 1314 suites.

As the ambition and goal was to be a global company, it attained its purpose by making a qualitative leap to maintain its position as a prestigious company in the field of marketing real estate. With a high level of performance, expertise and use of modern media tools and applications for its customers to ensure the continued success and development, MAS International attained the trust and confidence of its customers, in addition to its transparency and credibility as the main criteria and key elements in the progress of each project and upcoming projects as well.

The dream came true in the form of the modern architecture, ‘Batisehir’, which cemented the company’s existence. ‘Batisehir’ in fact, is located in the continent of Europe and specifically in the city of Istanbul, Turkey bounded by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus Strait providing picturesque scenery. The Giant dream project ‘Batisehir’ is all set to be showcased to the rest of the at The Real Estate and

Investment Exhibition, which started on April 29 until May 4, 2013 at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref, hall number 8.

The Regional Director of Sales Salah Al Abdali said, “Turkey is one of the most prominent and promising countries growing into an economic power to be reckoned in addition to supporting international investments. We welcome investments from various business segments who wish to have ownership and partner with this wonderful project. Abdali added that Mas International company in the first place is keen on pleasing its customers and establishing a trusting relationship with them and has been able to achieve success, which lies in the satisfaction and acceptance of their clientele”.

Salah Al Abdali further added that’ Batisehir’ is characterized by its unique and strategic location, since it is located near the subway and close to the largest shopping malls in Istanbul, and its scenic surroundings draw attention at the very first glance, whereby trees, beautiful landscaping and waters which makes the place delightfully beautiful.

Abdali further pointed out that Turkey is a first class tourist destination in addition to its civilization and cultural wealth, climate and geographical location, all these elements which provide investors an increased value in their investments. He also noted that acquisitions in project “Batisehir” is a great investment opportunity distinguished by its appropriate location and price compared to other projects.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

technology

Google Plus racks up followers, but not all are devoted PARIS: When Google launched its social networking service, Google Plus, during the summer of 2011, tens of millions of people clamored to sign up for an account. But within months, critics had panned the new service, pointing to user pages bereft of meaningful content and exchanges. They said the new social site just wasn’t, well, social. It seemed as though Facebook had cornered the market Google was too late to the party.

Perhaps not. According to data released this week by Internet analytics firm GlobalWebIndex, Google Plus is racking up large numbers of new users and continues to outpace Twitter as the world’s number two social network, behind perennial titan Facebook. The reasons behind Google Plus’s growth-it now can boast 359 million active users, up 33 percent from 269 million users at the end of June 2012, according to GlobalWebIndex-are complex and tied to Google’s effort to build a connecting layer across all its services, including search, YouTube, maps and other products. Log into one, and you’ve logged into the lot.

Google itself is tight-lipped about its numbers. Its last released figures were in December, when the search giant said 500 million people had created Google Plus accounts. But of this number, only 135 million were actively posting to Google Plus pages. Millions more were using some of the service’s features, such as clicking the “+1” button to show they liked certain web pages. It remains far behind Facebook, which boasts 701 million active users, according to the report, though Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg last year claimed more than a billion active accounts.

Still, the volume of Google Plus accounts suggests naysayers were too hasty in calling its demise. Like many social networking services, Google Plus has won over a devoted core of users. One such convert is New Zealand photographer Trey Ratcliff, whose picture-centric Google Plus page has nearly five million followers. “It’s nice to pop into Google Plus to discover new things.

WASHINGTON: Photo screen image shows the Google logo in Washington, DC. Google announced it will offer its personal assistant app Google Now to users of Apple devices, stepping up its challenge to its rival’s Siri program. —AFP Facebook is pretty good, but it’s harder to discover new people or have more in-depth discussions around passions,” he said in an email exchange.

Indeed, this may be how Google Plus will find its niche in the crowded social media world: Whereas Facebook is the goto service for connecting friends, Google Plus is more often used to meet strangers who share common interests. Google Plus acknowledged as much last year by adding its “Communities” section, which hosts a diverse mass of groups and lets users join a “hangout” the popular group video service.

“We’re extremely happy with our progress so far, and one of our main goals is to transform the overall Google experience and make all of the services people already love faster, more relevant, and more reliable,” Google said. But some observers remain sceptical that account holders are

doing much on Google Plus, and see it as little more than a tricked-out sign-in service for Google’s products.

Claire Stokoe, who works as social media manager at Mediaworks, a marketing agency in the English city of Newcastle, said she is doubtful Google Plus will ever catch up to Facebook, but she warns clients not to ignore it. “An authoritative Google Plus account is one of the factors that will help you rank high on Google (search results),” she said, noting that a popular Google Plus account was an important criterion in the search algorithm that ranks pages.

But she doesn’t see the service expanding far beyond the business and marketing world-at least for now. “Whoever I ask, everyone has a Facebook account. I don’t know anyone who has a Google Plus account unless they are in the industry, and that’s because they have to,” Stokoe said.

GlobalWebIndex’s latest figures show that

This undated image made available by Google shows ‘Google Now.’ Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple’s iPhone and iPad. —AP while Google Plus is the second-most popular social networking service after Facebook, Twitter is actually growing at a slightly faster clip, increasing from 206 million users at the end of June last year to about 297 million today, a rate of about 44 percent.

The study also found that usage was growing fastest among older people, especially with Twitter, confounding stereotypes that social networking is for the young.

GlobalWebIndex is a London-based firm that tracks Internet users through a series of surveys in 31 countries, with an annual sample size of about 120,000 people. It asks respondents which social platform they have directly contributed to in the last month and said Google itself uses its numbers internally. The study found that Facebook also continued to grow rapidly, at about the same rate as Google Plus.

But the leading social network is also said to be battling “Facebook fatigue” in

some countries, with some users growing bored of the service or else bemoaning its myriad changes to privacy settings and other tweaks, including the growing prevalence of sponsored content. A study by the Pew Research Center in February found that more than half of US Facebook members had taken breaks from the leading social network. While the top reason was they were just too busy, people also cited fatigue with the service.

Judith Catterall, a retired choreographer from Portland, Oregon, said she tried to close her account after getting fed up with changes and a news feed becoming increasingly cluttered with sponsored content. “It’s one of those things where you think ‘OK, I have no control,’ and that may have been the final straw,” she said. But within 10 days of deactivating her account, Catterall was back on Facebook. She missed her friends. —AFP

Dailymotion: France wants Yahoo as an equal partner Orange hunts for investor to develop beyond Europe PARIS: France’s industry minister said yesterday that Yahoo Inc’s plan to buy a majority stake in online video website Dailymotion from France Telecom would not have benefited the two companies. “The minister expressed his desire that a partnership between Yahoo and Orange (France Telecom) be built on an equal basis that would be beneficial to both sides,” Arnaud Montebourg’s office said in a statement.

The minister also said he regretted Yahoo Inc’s decision to abandon plans to buy the stake. Yahoo had been in talks to buy a 75 percent stake in Dailymotion, owned by France Telecom, in a deal that would have valued Europe’s largest video website at $300 million. Yahoo declined to comment. France owns a 27 percent stake in France Telecom

and French government officials had raised concerns that the country would lose control over one of its biggest Internet industry successes if the deal went ahead, two people familiar with the matter said.

A deal with Dailymotion and a non-European partner would have had little impact on employment in France since Dailymotion operates with only about 165 employees.

Montebourg, one of France’s Socialist government’s most outspoken ministers, said he remained committed to attracting foreign investment especially from American firms, which are the biggest investors in the country, but that the investments had to contribute to the recovery of the country.

A spokesman for Orange, part of France Telecom, said discussions were ongoing with several potential

investors as Dailymotion needed to find a partner outside Europe to accelerate its development. He said this could be in the United States or Asia, for example, where Dailymotion needed to expand to ensure its future development. “It is not about finding a new source of funding.”

Dailymotion is the 12th biggest video-sharing website in the world, according to web tracking firm comScore, trailing Google Inc’s YouTube, but with a leading position in Europe.

It gets roughly 120 million unique users per month, more than any other French web company. Last year it broke even and generated 40 million euros in sales. France Telecom has been searching for a partner to boost the site’s development outside Europe, especially the United States.

French government officials and France Telecom executives had sought a compromise in which Yahoo would take a 50 percent stake instead, but Yahoo balked, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Dailymotion, founded in 2005 by two young entrepreneurs has received roughly $68 million in venture capital backing and was bought

by France Telecom in 2011. Online video, which commands higher ad rates than traditional Web content, is increasingly important to Yahoo as it seeks to reverse declines in revenue and visitor traffic. Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who took the reins of the struggling Internet pioneer in July, has so far focused her acquisition efforts on small, mobile start-up companies. — Reuters

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 - delivers ultimate computer protection

This image provide by IBM (International Business Machines) shows a movie poster for the ‘A Boy and His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie.’ —AFP

IBM unveils ‘smallest movie’ using atoms NEW YORK: IBM scientists yesterday unveiled what they called “the world’s smallest movie,” which tracks the movement of atoms magnified 100 million times. The film, “A Boy and His Atom,” depicts a character named Atom who befriends a single atom and follows him on a journey of dancing and bouncing that helps explain the science behind data storage. “Capturing, positioning and shaping atoms to create an original motion picture on the atomic-level is a precise science and entirely novel,” said Andreas Heinrich, a scientist at IBM Research.

“At IBM, researchers don’t just read about science, we do it. This movie is a fun way to share the atomic-scale world while opening up a dialogue with students and others on the new frontiers of math and science.” To make the movie, the atoms were moved with an IBM-invented scanning tunneling microscope, a device which earned its inventors a Nobel Prize.The tool “was the first device that enabled scientists to visualize the world all the way down to single atoms,” said IBM researcher Christopher Lutz.

“It weighs two tons, operates at a temperature of negative 268 degrees Celsius

and magnifies the atomic surface over 100 million times. The ability to control the temperature, pressure and vibrations at exact levels makes our IBM Research lab one of the few places in the world where atoms can be moved with such precision.” The movie was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Smallest Stop Motion Film,” IBM said. The film used a microscope to control a super-sharp needle along a copper surface to attract atoms and molecules and pull them to a precisely specified location on the surface.

IBM said this kind of science is needed to help improve computer data storage as tech firms run into physical limitations using traditional techniques. “Research means asking questions beyond those required to find good short-term engineering solutions to problems,” Heinrich said. “As data creation and consumption continue to get bigger, data storage needs to get smaller, all the way down to the atomic level. We’re applying the same techniques used to come up with new computing architectures and alternative ways to store data to making this movie.” —AFP

KUWAIT: Kaspersky Lab yesterday announced the new version of its premier product for consumer PC protection - Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security. Offering everything users need in a computer security suite, including online banking security, password management, and online backup, Kaspersky PURE 3.0offers maximum protection for users to secure their online activities and digital assets across their home network of PCs. TOTAL SECURITY With 77% of computer users regularly shopping online, according to a study conducted by 0+K Research in 2012, it’s easy to imagine how many transactions occur daily, and how many credit card numbers are at the fingertips of cybercriminals. 70% of phishing emails trick victims into visiting malicious, cleverly-forged websites for the sole purpose of stealing their bank credentials according to the average value received from Kaspersky Security Network during 2012.

In addition, according to the same data, more than 5,000 websites are compromised daily, including popular banking and shopping websites. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 is equipped with a unique and efficient array of technologies to protect its users from any form of cyberattack.

Many people keep their important physical documents, cash, and family memories in fireproof safes in their homes, but what about the information stored on their computers?

Users accumulate similar precious digital assets on their computers over the years - like photos, music, and legal or financial documents. It makes sense to give your digital identity and assets as much protection as possible while browsing online, and to keep backup copies stored for peace of mind. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 acts as a vault, a life-boat, and personal security guard for all things stored and exchanged on users’ PCs. Here are some of the innovative protection technologies found in the new Kaspersky PURE 3.0: Safe Money Cybercriminals are after one thing in the end: money.

The Internet gives these modern con-artists new ways to steal, so Kaspersky PURE 3.0 includes new ways to stay protected. Using new Safe Money technology, Kaspersky PURE 3.0 verifies that all websites requiring banking, payment, or shopping information are genuine, so users aren’t tricked into entering personal information onto a fake website.

By using security certificates and checking website reputation, Safe Money verifies the sites’ authenticity, and

then automatically launches a secure web browser to offer extra protection from online malware. For even more protection, Safe Money also includes anew Secure Keyboard feature, which ensures login information isn’t recorded by key logging software. Secure Keyboard mode will activate automatically when someone opens a bank or payment website or inserts a password on any web page. No other security software offers the same level of protection for their users’ money as Kaspersky Lab, which was awarded MRG Effitas’s Seal of Approval for its airtight financial data security at the end of 2012.

ONLINE PASSWORD MANAGER Passwords are a vital way to control the information that makes up a person’s identity, making it crucial to ensure the strength and complexity of their passwords.

On average, Internet users have at least five passwordprotected accounts that use various combinations of characters and symbols to securely login. Multiple passwords are often difficult to remember and keep organized.

Kaspersky Lab’s online password vault allows users to store all their login information in a single, secure vault, that can be synced across multiple PCs, instead of carrying a list of passwords on a piece of paper, or using the same details for every login. If users are looking to create the most secure passwords they can, the Kaspersky Password Manager will generate an incredibly sophisticated password so they don’t have to, and further save it to the cloud, so memorizing it won’t be necessary.

ONLINE BACKUP With so many critical documents, photos and information stored on users’ computers, it’s important to plan for physical loss, damage or theft of PCs. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 now offers an integrated online backup feature, allowing users to automatically backup their files online via a preliminarily created account on Drop box service. Once the files have been backed up, users will be able to access the files from any computer with an Internet connection.

AUTOMATIC EXPLOIT PREVENTION Many of the software programs we use daily can be easily exploited and turned into an effective entry point for cybercriminals. These common programs, such as Adobe Acrobat, Java, and more, may contain vulnerabilities that have not been fixed by the software creator, or by users who absentmindedly click “ignore” when prompted to install software updates. If these vulnerabilities are left unpatched, cybercriminals can use these holes to gain access to their computer. Kaspersky Lab’s new Automatic

Exploit Prevention technology anticipates and blocks these types of attacks by watching over the programs installed on the PC and monitoring them for abnormal behavior. If the program tries to perform unusual or unauthorized activities, this technology blocks the potentially malicious action.

PARENTAL CONTROLS Parents aren’t always aware of what children are doing while they’re on the computer, which can be worrisome.

With Kaspersky PURE’s parental controls, users will know their children are completely protected with Kaspersky Lab’s premier security features and filters. Parents can block access to inappropriate websites, set Internet usage time limits, and prevent valuable information from being shared via Facebook and Twitter, such as addresses or credit card numbers. If a child has their own computer, parents can manage and monitor all these Parental Control settings from their own computer via the central management tool. To round out the features included in Kaspersky PURE 3.0, users are able to conveniently manage the security of multiple PCs from one, central computer. Use the PC clean-up tools to keep all of the systems linked to PURE running smoothly, or run virus scans, updates and backups all from one computer.

PROTECTION FROM MODERN CYBERCRIMINALS Kaspersky PURE 3.0 is built on the award-winning foundation of Kaspersky Lab’s premium security technology, which has been praised time and again by a variety of industry experts. Products from Kaspersky Lab’s line of home-user protection participated in more than 50 independent tests in 2012, and achieved a first-place in half of these evaluations. More information on the award results can be found here.

In fact, after winning the prestigious “Product of the Year” award from independent test organization AVComparatives in 2011, Kaspersky Lab again posted the highest score for the second consecutive year. In addition, Dennis Labs, an independent testing facility dedicated to recreating real-world malware situations, tested eight products from leading security companies. Of a possible 300 points, Kaspersky Internet Security 2012scored a near-perfect 298 to claim first place and earned Dennis Lab’s AAA rating, the highest ranking the company gives, and the title of “Best Home Anti-Virus Protection.”The current version, Kaspersky Internet Security 2013, the foundation of PURE 3.0’s security software, offers even better detection of all types of malicious programs, including the most complex samples.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Most greenhouse gas reports wrong World’s 800 biggest firms ranked on emissions transparency

REDMOND: Occupational therapist Sarah Niwa (left) with Mia Beatty, 7 (center) and volunteer Diane Johnson (right) work together during a “hippotherapy” horseback-riding session at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Redmond. — MCT

Riding high: Horses that help disabled SEATTLE: When Christine Beatty watches her daughters ride horseback, she sees things that might not be obvious to others.

“Look at that posture! For me it’s amazing to see how straight she sits,” Beatty said as 7-year-old Mia returned from a trail ride.

Mia, whose cerebral palsy affects both legs and her right arm and hand, wasn’t able to sit up on her own when she first went to the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center two years ago.

Now she sits, crawls, stands and, with the help of therapists and her parents, is taking steps. Beatty also has seen Mia’s 10year-old sister, Megan -who has Down syndrome and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - learn to stay calm and focused, interact with a riding instructor and give verbal commands to a horse Mia and Megan are among the 222 children and adults with disabilities who, with varying degrees of help, ride horses at Little Bit’s new location near Redmond. The nonprofit’s move this month from Woodinville, Wash, to the new Dunmire Stables, on 17 acres, will give it the capacity to serve twice as many riders and shorten its waiting list of up to two years.

Built on the site of a former thoroughbred facility, Little Bit’s new quarters include a large covered arena, stalls for 41 horses, a tack barn, a building with therapy rooms, lounge and office cubicles designed to look like horse stalls. Little Bit won’t be able to increase the number of riders before next year, Executive Director Kathy Alm said, because it must first raise additional operating funds, hire more staff, recruit more volunteers and select and train new horses. The Seattle Police Department recently donated Blaze, a retired police horse, to the center.

Mia’s parents waited more than a year and a half after a physical therapist referred them to Little Bit, the largest therapeutic riding center in the Northwest. “That’s the hard part,” Beatty said. “There’s this thing everyone says is fabulous for your child, everybody’s trying to get you in - and you have to wait.”

Little Bit was founded in 1976 by Margaret Dunlap and riding instructor Debra Powell Adams when they saw that riding seemed to slow the progression of Dunlap’s multiple sclerosis. There isn’t much published research demonstrating or debunking - the effectiveness of horseback therapy, said pediatric neurologist and Little Bit advisory-board member Stephen Glass.

But he has seen “absolutely dramatic” improvement in many children, and the practice has been increasingly accepted by physicians and physical and occupational therapists, Glass said. Some young riders, like Mia, receive what’s called hippotherapy - after “hippo,” the Greek word for horse - in

which the horse’s motion is used by a physical or occupational therapist to achieve specific treatment goals.

Most of the riders at Little Bit - including some who have ridden there 30 years or more - are there for adaptive riding, in which they learn to ride more independently, under the guidance of an instructor.

Many riders, like Megan Beatty, start with hippotherapy and graduate to adaptive riding.

Sue Lamoree began adaptive riding 14 years ago after transverse myelitis put her in a wheelchair and made it more difficult for her to use her hands. When she jokingly told an instructor she wanted to become “a real cowgirl,” he responded, “You can do whatever you put your mind to do.”

After getting over her initial terror of horses, Lamoree learned to love them. She said she has gained a sense of empowerment - and greater strength to drive her van with hand controls. As demand began to outstrip Little Bit’s capacity to take on new riders, its staff and board in 2007 launched an $11 million capital campaign.

The honorary campaign chairs, retired investment-fund manager Mike Dunmire and his wife, Phyllis, contributed $3 million to buy the Redmond, Wash, property.

Retired Major League baseball player John Olerud and his wife, Kelly Olerud, chaired the campaign and made a donation from the Jordan Fund, named after their daughter, who has been a Little Bit rider for years. The Oleruds agreed to help with fundraising, John said, because of the improvement they saw in Jordan, who was born in 2000 with a chromosome abnormality. She began riding at 3, despite her father’s doubts.

“How is that going to work?” he wondered about horseback therapy. “My daughter can’t sit up on her own. How is she going to get up on the back of a horse?” Olerud watched as a therapist and a volunteer held her in place atop a horse, while another volunteer behind the animal controlled its gait with a long line. Soon he saw her core strength improve, and she learned to sit up. Now 12, Jordan is able to walk, but not talk. Lamoree also met her husband, who was a volunteer, at Little Bit. “I had never been married before,” she said.

“I was 50 when we met, and was never sure when I would meet that knight in shining armor. Here he appeared in the horse barn - how perfect.”

Alm, who has run Little Bit since 1999, said she, too, has been lucky. “The powerful connection between human and horse is hard to explain,” Alm said, “but having watched these children and adults with disabilities improve and blossom over the years, it’s hard to deny. “That’s why I feel like I’m the luckiest person in the world, because I get to see that every single day.” —MCT

TEXAS: File photo shows an abandoned baby gorilla from Texas. — AP

Deserted baby gorilla gets human love, care CINCINNATI: An abandoned baby gorilla from Texas has made its debut at the Cincinnati Zoo with some of the people who have served as its primary caregivers.

The 3 month old lowland gorilla is named Gladys Stones. She made her media debut Tuesday in a yard where she’ll spend time over the next month with her human caregivers, climbing trees and getting familiar with being outdoors.

Gladys was born Jan 29 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Her mother rejected her, and she was moved to Cincinnati in February to be paired with a gorilla surrogate mother. A Cincinnati Zoo spokeswoman says about 10 people have been caring for Gladys until one of four gorillas at the zoo is selected to be her surrogate mother and they can be introduced gradually. — AP

LONDON: Most of the world’s largest companies do not report their greenhouse gas emissions fully or correctly and do not have the data independently verified, a study by an environmental research body showed yesterday.

Companies are under pressure worldwide from policymakers, and a public increasingly concerned with green issues, to report the environmental fallout of all activities related to their daily business, from plane journeys to office supplies.

Officials hope the data generated can point to potential energy savings and encourage firms to reduce their emissions, while many companies see it as a way of planning for exposure to long-term costs such as taxes on emissions. But for now London is the only stock exchange that forces all major companies to report in detail and many, particularly in emerg-

ing markets like Russia and across Southeast Asia, have all but ignored the idea. The Environmental Investment Organization (EIO) found that just 37 percent of the world’s 800 largest companies disclosed complete data and correctly adopted the basic principles of emissions reporting.

Only 21 percent had their data externally verified and only one firm, German chemicals producer BASF, reported emissions across its entire value chain, from sources such as business travel, transport, distribution and investments. This transparency placed it at number one in the rankings. “This ought to be a wakeup call for companies. Since the majority of total corporate emissions often come from (value chain) sources, large quantities of emissions are not being accounted for,” said Sam Gill, chief executive of the EIO. “Not only could this be a source of

unmeasured risk for companies but it also means we are not getting the full picture in terms of corporate emissions,” he added. Companies are increasingly measuring and disclosing their environmental performance in their annual reports.

However, the lack of a universally accepted or mandatory standard means both reporting formats and content vary widely.

The rest of the best 10 companies at reporting emissions were telecoms firms such as Canada’s BCE, Singapore Telecom, Spain’s Telefonica, BT Group and Deutsche Telekom, according to the EIO. The bottom 10, with no publicly disclosed emissions data, was made up of mainly Russian and US utilities and oil and gas companies, such as Phillips 66, Lukoil, Edison International and First Energy. The EIO based its findings on the latest publicly available data, which for most companies was from 2011. — Reuters

US allows hunter to import rare black rhinoceros trophy MILWAUKEE: The US is allowing a hunter to bring a slain African black rhinoceros back home, the first time officials have allowed such a trophy to be imported since the animal was listed as endangered in 1980. David K Reinke, 52, killed the rhino in 2009 with the blessing of the Namibian government. He argued that the killing was an act of “conservation hunting” because he was culling an elderly rhino that was unable to reproduce but could still aggressively crowd out fertile rivals. But the decision angers wildlife supporters, who worry it sets a dangerous precedent encouraging trophy hunters to kill endangered animals. Black rhinos are categorized as a critically endangered species, with about 5,000 animals remaining. White rhinos are

considered endangered, and officials estimate about 20,000 are still alive.

“My desire is to help save the rhino through a scientific method approved by the United States and other agencies,” Reinke said. The US government has listed the black rhinoceros as endangered, making it illegal to import the animal, dead or alive, except for scientific purposes or if doing so enhances the species’ survival. Other species of rhino, including the northern white rhinoceros, are protected as well. The Fish and Wildlife Service said last month it granted Reinke’s permit “in recognition of the role that well managed, limited sport hunting plays” in the recovery of the black rhino in Namibia. The country allows five male black rhinos that are too old to reproduce to be

MKUZE: In this photo, a black rhino male and calf are seen in Mkuze, South Africa. — AP

Implants may delay cancer diagnosis PARIS: Breast implants may delay cancer diagnosis in women, said a study yesterday that urged a thorough probe into the potential health risks of this type of cosmetic surgery.

In a review of 12 earlier studies of breast cancer patients, a team of epidemiologists from Canada found that women with implants had a 26 percent higher risk of being diagnosed at a later stage of the disease.

This was possibly because implants cast shadows on mammograms, blocking the view of breast tissue. A separate review of five other studies showed that women with implants also had a 38 percent greater risk of death from breast cancer, said the authors-likely due to the later diagnosis. There was no data to suggest that the implants themselves were a cause of cancer.

“The research published to date suggests that cosmetic breast augmentation adversely affects the survival of women who are subsequently diagnosed as having breast cancer,” wrote the team. But they stressed the findings should be interpreted “with caution” as some of the studies included in the meta-analysis may have had scientific shortcomings.

The studies analysed were all published after 1993, mainly in the United States, Europe and Canada. Commenting on the research, plastic surgeon Fazel Fatah, agreed the findings should be treated with caution. “This paper does raise however the important issue of possible problems with early diagnosis of localised breast cancer in some women who have breast implants due to difficulty with mammography,” he told AFP. Implants did not prevent women from feeling lumps in their own breasts. “Further studies are required to see if other forms of breast scanning, such as MRI, could be preferable to mammography in women who have breast implants,” said Fatah, a former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

Added Britain’s Breast Cancer Campaign: “We need further robust research before we can say that breast implants impact on survival or that these women may benefit from different screening techniques.” An estimated one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives, according to the study.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are about 1.38 million new cases and 458,000 deaths from breast cancer each year-the most common type of cancer among women. Breast implants have been at the centre of a global health scare since French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was found in 2010 to be using substandard industrialgrade silicone gel in manufacturing its prostheses.

An estimated 300,000 women in 65 countries are believed to have received PIP implants, which some health authorities say are twice as likely to rupture as other brandsthough officials said there was no proven cancer risk. The PIP scandal has given rise to several court cases and calls for tougher medical controls. — AFP

shot each year, the service said. The rhino that Reinke shot was 34 years old. The Fish and Wildlife Service says the rhino typically lives 30 to 35 years.

“The removal of limited numbers of males has been shown to contribute to overall population growth in some areas by reducing fighting injuries and deaths among males, decreasing juvenile mortality and shortening calving intervals,” the service said in a statement. All black rhinos in Namibia are marked on their ears so officials can identify them and select which ones are appropriate for hunting. Reinke’s target was Rhino bull No 27, which Namibian officials had monitored since it was brought to Waterberg Plateau National Park in 1981. The Fish and Wildlife Service also noted that Reinke contributed $175,000 into Namibia’s Game Products Trust Fund, which helps support conservation efforts. Wayne Pacelle, the president of The Humane Society of the United States, called Reinke’s arguments self serving. He said big game hunters have a sort of fraternity in which wealthy individuals try to distinguish themselves by killing rare and endangered species, even if they justify the shootings as advancing the causes of preservation.

“There are lots of people who give more than $200,000 a year to help animals, but no one says, ‘I’ll give you the money if you let me shoot one,’” Pacelle said. “I think we should disassociate the notion of giving money to help the rhino, from the act of killing them.” Reinke said he was making sure the black rhino was being entirely used.

He said he left the meat for local church groups and community leaders, and the skin, skull and horn were coming back to the US to be mounted.

He said he planned to enjoy the specimen for several years before eventually donating it to a museum so future generations could appreciate it. The Endangered Species Act would bar him from legally selling the rhino. The Fish and Wildlife Service has an application pending from another hunter who hopes to shoot a black rhinoceros in South Africa this year. The service said it has not yet determined whether that situation would qualify for a permit under the Endangered Species Act. — AP

Morning after pill okay for ages 15 and above WASHINGTON: The US government on Tuesday lowered to 15 the age at which girls can buy the morning after pill without a prescription and said the emergency contraception no longer has to be kept behind pharmacy counters. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration is an attempt to find middle ground just days before a court imposed deadline to lift all age restrictions on the drug.

Today, Plan B One-Step is sold behind pharmacy counters, and buyers must prove they’re 17 or older to buy it without a prescription.

Tuesday’s decision lowers the age limit to 15 and will allow the pill to sit on drugstore shelves next to condoms and spermicidal or other women’s health products. But customers must prove their age at the cash register.

Teva Women’s Health, which maes Plan B, said it would begin over the counter sales in a few months. The question is whether Tuesday’s action settles a larger court fight. Earlier this month, US District Judge Edward Korman of New York blasted the Obama administration for imposing the age-17 limit, saying it had let election year politics trump science and was making it hard for women of any age to obtain the emergency contraception in time. He ordered an end to all age restrictions by Monday, for Plan B and its generic versions.

The FDA said Tuesday’s decision was independent of the court case and wasn’t intended to address it. Technically, the FDA approved Teva’s application to sell Plan B in this manner.

The Justice Department remained mum on whether it planned to appeal Korman’s decision, and the White House had no immediate comment. The women’s group that sued over the age limits said Tuesday’s action is not enough, and it will continue the court fight if necessary. Lowering the age limit “may reduce delays for some young women but it does nothing to address the significant barriers that far too many women of all ages will still find if they arrive at the drugstore without identification,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The FDA said the Plan B One-Step will be packaged with a product code that prompts the cashier to verify a customer’s age. Anyone who can’t provide such proof as a driver’s license, birth certificate or passport wouldn’t be allowed to complete the purchase. In most states, driver’s licenses, the most common

form of identification, are issued at age 16.

Other contraceptive contraception advocates called the move promising. Social conservatives had opposed any efforts to loosen restrictions on sale of the morning, after pill, arguing that it was important for parents and medical professionals to be involved in such decisions involving young girls. The group Concerned Women for America charged that health officials were putting politics and so called progress ahead of the health of children as well as women. Half of US pregnancies every year are unintended, and doctors’ groups say more access to morning after pills could cut those numbers. The pills contain higher doses of regular contraceptives, and if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, can cut the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent.

But it works best if taken in the first 24 hours. The FDA had been poised to lift all age limits and let Plan B sell over the counter in late 2011, when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in an unprecedented move, overruled her own scientists.

Sebelius said some girls as young as 11 are physically capable of bearing children but shouldn’t be able to buy the pregnancy-preventing pill on their own. President Barack Obama supported Sebelius’ move and a spokesman said earlier this month that the president’s position hadn’t changed. The Justice Department could appeal Korman’s ruling and seek a stay. If granted, the appeals process would move through the courts, while Plan B is sold over the counter whenever Teva has the product repackaged to meet FDA’s requirements.

Absent a stay, “we will want to go back to court as quickly as possible and ask the judge to hold them in contempt,” said Janet Crepps, a senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights. The FDA said Tuesday that Teva had provided data proving that girls as young as 15 could understand how Plan B works and use it properly, without the involvement of a health care provider. Teva plans to conduct a consumer-education program, and indicated it is willing to audit whether stores are following the age requirement, the agency said. FDA said its ruling applies only to Plan B One-Step, and not to generic versions of the pill which would remain behind pharmacy counters with the age-17 restriction. — AP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Partner exercise routines more fun than going solo

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hen the alarm goes off at 6 am, getting out of bed and heading to the gym may seem like an impossible task. Good news! Recent studies have found that exercising with a partner boosts motivation - and it’s more fun than doing it alone.

Ivy Ingram Larson, the West Palm Beach, Fla, trainer and star of the “Full Fitness Fusion” DVD, created this partner workout. Larson suggests moving quickly between exercises in order to keep your heart rate elevated.

Repeat the circuit three times.

you should lean forward at the same time while raising your innermost legs up and back. Stretch the leg up and back until your chest, abdomen and innermost legs are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds before returning to an upright position.

Repeat 10 times before turning to face the other way to exercise your other leg.

Arm resistance shoulder toning Facing your partner, stand arm’s length apart. Raise your arms to shoulder level in front of your body at about 45 degrees. Your hands should face the floor. Start by having your partner push your arms down by placing pressure on the back of your hands and wrists. Actively resist your partner’s efforts

Tip-toe squats Face each other with your arms fully extended in front of you, holding hands with your partner. Both should be standing on tiptoes and holding that position for 3 seconds.

Next, both should drop into a chair position by bending your knees, squatting down and pushing your behind backward until your thighs are parallel to the floor. While doing this, you should still be on your tiptoes holding hands. Hold the chair position for 3 seconds before lifting back up to the starting position on your toes. Repeat 10 times.

Medicine ball toss Face your partner while standing 6 feet apart. From a standing position, toss a weighted medicine ball (4 pounds is good for beginners) to your partner, who will catch it while moving into a squat, thighs parallel to the floor. Your partner should toss the ball back to you while rising into a standing position. Each partner should throw and catch the ball 20 times.

Airplanes holding hands Stand at your partner’s side with both hands outstretched to your sides. You should be far enough away from your partner that only your hands are touching. Hold one of your partner’s hands while you both face forward, looking in the same direction. Both of

so that it takes about 3 seconds for your arms to be down at your waist level, and then start raising your arms against your partner’s continued pressure for 3 more seconds until you are back at shoulder level.

Repeat this 10 times before switching positions and letting your partner do 10 repetitions.

Ivy (left) and Andy Larson from Full Fitness Fusion demonstrate the medicine ball toss. - MCT

Single-leg bridge with foot press Lie on the floor on your back in a straight line so that your feet touch your partner’s.

The sole of your right foot should touch the sole of your partner’s left foot. Lift your right foot and your partner’s left foot about 2 feet off the floor. Keep your left leg bent to allow you to push your body off the floor into a

bridge position. Your thigh, abs and chest should form a straight line with your lower back, and your glutes should be off the floor.

Your partner should be doing the same thing using his opposite leg. Keep your right leg engaged by actively pressing into your partner’s left foot as your raise and lower your body from bridge position to floor position 10 times, holding the bridge position for 3 seconds with each repetition. Then switch feet and work the other side 10 times.

Couple’s hamstring and bicep curls Lie on the floor face down. Your partner should kneel on the floor on a mat, rug or towel, just behind your feet and grasp the back of your ankles as you raise your feet toward your back while keeping your knees on the ground. Stop the motion once your lower legs are perpendicular to the floor.

Your partner should actively resist this movement. It should take about 3 seconds for your feet to travel from the floor to the upright position. Once at the top, your partner will start to actively pull your ankles and feet back down to the floor as you resist the effort for 3 more seconds. Your partner should remain kneeling on the floor so biceps and arms are working. Repeat 10 times, then switch. —MCT

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

2nd Lebanese Cultural Bazaar at AUK 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

Greetings

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H

appy 8 birthday to our dear Sheren Nasser.

May you have more candles to blow and wishing you all the best in life. Good health and be a good girl always. Greetings from Dada Tareq, tita Juvy and Baba Nasser and Mama Dalia and from your brother and sister. Samee, Ahmed, Sarah and Heba.

Announcements NAFO ‘Samanwayam’ he 10th anniversary of NAFO Kuwait will be celebrated on May 10 at the American International School Auditorium from 6pm onwards. Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta will inaugurate the event. Former Indian Ambassador to the US and the United Nations T P Sreenivasan and NSS Director Board Member Pandalam Sivankutty will be guests of honor. NAFO will also present an eclectic dance drama ‘Krishna’ which is conceived and choreographed by Padmashri Shobana. She will be accompanied by a 15-member troupe from Kalarpana Chennai and supported

by Oscar winner Rasool Pookkutty. It has voiceovers in English by film personalities such as Irrfan Khan, Konkonasen, Shabaana Azmi, John Abraham, Prakash Raj, Stephen Devassy and P Rajeevan.

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Konkani musical show nited Friends Club - Kuwait presents Kuwait Trio’s Konkani Songit Sanz (a Konkani musical evening) with fun filled comedy and songs, starring: Gracy Rodrigues, Clemmie Pereira, Irene Vaz, Lucy Aranha, Espy Crasto, Bab. Agnel, Katty de Navelim, Salu Faleiro, Gasper Crasto, Braz de Parra, Anthony D’Silva, Agnelo Fernandes, Seby & Seby, Zeferino Mendes, Lopes Bros., Comedian Nelson, Laurente Pereira & Cajetan de SanvordemMichael D’Silva-Mario de Majorda (Kuwait Trio). The show will be held on Friday, 10th May 2013 at 4 pm at the Indian Community School (Senior), Salmiya, Kuwait. Music will be provided by Maestro Shahu.

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KALA-Balakalamela registration alakalamela-2013, the art and cultural competition for Indian students in Kuwait, organized yearly by KALA-Kuwait is scheduled to be conducted on 3 May 2013 at Indian Public school, Salmiya. The completions are open for Indian students from Class 1 to 12 categorized as Sub Juniors (Class 1-4), Juniors (Class 5-8) and Seniors (9-12). The completions will be held for Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Folk Dance, Group Dance, Light Music, Classical Music, Fancy Dress, Elocution (English & Malayalam), Essay (English & Malayalam), Recitation (English & Malayalam) in 6 different stages in the venue. The registrations can be done through schools or directly through KALA web site ‘www.kalaonweb.com’ or directly handed over to any of the nearest KALA-units, or to sent to our e-mail ‘kalabalakalamela@gmail.com’ on or before 20 April 2013.

Indian Frontliners book release, National Integration cultural show

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ndian Frontlinersproudly announces ”Indian Achievers” Part 17 book release Function on 3rd May 2013, at 6 pm Friday at Kuwait Medical Association hall, Jabriya. Satish C. Mehta, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait will grace the Function. The chief guests for the function are the prominent & dynamic Indian Personalities Justice AR. LakshmananFormer Supreme Court Judge and Dr.R. Seetharaman- CEO, Doha Bank Group, Qatar.

Justice Dr. AR. Lakshman Justice Dr. AR. Lakshman, former judge of the Supreme Court of India served the Indian judiciary in various capacities for over four decades. He serves as Judge at Madras High Court, Kerala High Court and then Chief Justice at High Courts of Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and he retired as a Supreme Court Judge in 2007.

He was appointed then as Chairman of the 18th Law Commission of India.

He is a prolific reader and writer who has authored many books in Tamil and English. He is the receipient of numerous awards including “Vijay Shree”, “Dynamic Indian of the Decade”, “Life Time Achievement”. He is a down to earth human being with a booming stature and a pleasing personality.

the Doha Bank, Qatar, who is a dynamic and dashing Indian taking the financial world by storm. He introduced many novel concepts in banking including kick starting driving DOHA Bank mobile ATM vans to people. He works throughout the day with short breaks and his staff is used to his 24 hours round the clock work style, any time, any day from around the Globe.

He is an authority on the economy and finance of Qatar and world at large and his biggest achievement is building the global brand “Doha Bank”. With Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament, Doha Bank is positioned for a spectacular if not superlative growth under double doctorate, Dr. Seetharaman.

The popular Cine &TvArtists Nethran,Jennifer,Swetha, Dharshini&Sujeetha are performing at the National Integration Grand variety entertainment show.

Breakfast Interaction Meeting Indian Frontliners fix a Breakfast Meeting with these Dynamic Stalwarts A.R. Lakshman & Dr R.Seetharaman on the same day Friday 3rd Morning at 9.30 am”Law Maker & Law Breakers!” &”Where Goes World & Indian Economy..?”. All are welcome for the Interaction section.

Dynamic and Dashing Dr. R.Seetharaman Dr. R. Seetharaman is the Group CEO of

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Premier Goal Academy

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he Premier Goal Academy in association with Everton F.C. and under the patronage of British Ambassador, Frank Baker, organised a football festival and Carnival Day at Bayan, involving over 500 young players aged from 3 to 17 years of age.

Participating teams included Everton, Arsenal Academy, Saracens, International Academy, Hawally Pakistan English School and Don Bosco Indian School.

British Ambassador attended the event and presented gifts to all the players, provided by event sponsors Go Sport.

he Lebanese Culture Club (LCC) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) organized its 2nd Annual Lebanese Bazaar. The event took place on the AUK Campus, and was open to the AUK community, friends, and family. The Lebanese Culture Club at AUK is a student club representing the Lebanese community and population of AUK, and aims to promote the country of Lebanon, its culture, and its history to the AUK community, while also serving to educate them by organizing events that are entertaining, educational, and beneficial for students and campus.

This is how the idea of the Lebanese Bazaar was introduced; the desire was to combine all these elements into one major event.

The Lebanese Bazaar included different companies that showcased Lebanese products and services, such as restaurants, shops, artisans, and many more, that had the opportunity to promote and sell their various items. These vendors included Lama Fruits & Produce, Casper &Gambinis, Falafel Nadia, Sandy Snacks, Arzet Lebnan, Let’s Popcorn, Bayt Al-Saboun El-Lebnany, Nazih Cosmetics, Beirut International Exhibitions Company, Buy2Best, and numerous vendors for hand-made accessories, jewelry, crafts, and souvenirs. The Lebanese Culture Club set up a booth that displayed different Lebanese crafts, and created engraved key-chains made of authentic Lebanese cedar wood. The bazaar also included traditional Lebanese music, which played throughout the event, as well as a traditional Lebanese Dabke performance by a group of professional performers.

Student Club President, Mireilleannnous said, “The Lebanese Bazaar is a perfect opportunity for AUK students to get to know the Lebanese culture, as well as the participating companies to promote their services to the public. It’s a mutual benefit!” In addition, there were various displays around campus, such as a Lebanese Wall of Fame, which educated students about famous people around the world who are Lebanese or of Lebanese origins, and a

photo display of famous and historic places that are landmarks in Lebanon. More importantly, there was also a student educational activity involving the Lebanese “Bosta” or mini-bus. This activity involved a display of a mini van with a poster explaining the history and meaning of how the “Bosta” was involved in the “Ain elRammaneh” incident that sparked of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. And, as a sign of symbol of peace, students took turns writing their messages of peace, hope and better future on the van.

Amer El-Assaad, Assistant Director of PR & Marketing at AUK, and Advisor for the Lebanese Culture Club, also commented on the success of the event, saying, “based on the success of last year’s bazaar, which was much smaller, the student club decided to have it again this academic year, but much larger in scale, and with more activities. As the club advisor, I of course supported their decision, and assisted as much as I could with the event.”

The event was sponsored by Yiaco Apollo Medical Center, which served as the official sponsor for the event. Yiaco Apollo Medical Center in Kuwait agreed to come on board as sole sponsors for the Bazaar, to get involved with community outreach, and to promote their services involving the latest and most comprehensive technologies in medical care and beauty services.

Abdulkader Al-Mursal, Marketing Manager of Yaico Medical Center, is also a 2008 graduate of AUK, and saw a perfect opportunity to get involved with AUK again as an alumnus.

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and co-educational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. The language of instruction is English.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy

Sebamed goes Instagram

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e are glad to inform you that we launched our site on instagram.

Follow us on @sebamedkuwait and (hashtag)#sebamedkuwait and send us your shots involving all family members and be the lucky winner of a valuable prize from Sebamed products.

Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. nnnnnnn

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

Al Mulla Exchange takes customers on musical journey of Bollywood

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l Mulla International Exchange organized a nostalgic trip for its customers on a musical journey down the golden era of Bollywood. Aptly titled, Purani Yaadein, the evening comprised of a selection of songs from the 1950 - 1970.

The evening began with addresses by Rajesh Goirala, General Manager of Al Mulla International Exchange, the chief guest HE Satish Mehta, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait and an introduction to the evening by John Simon, Marketing Manager for Al Mulla International Exchange. A talented group of singers supported by a live band, presented songs sung by the playback greats like Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mehmood, Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar among others.

The compere of the show shared interesting backgrounds and snippets on various songs as the singers took the stage. Starting with the

beautifully rendered Mohammed Rafi tune, Suhaani Shaam Dhal Chuki Hai, audiences got a taste of all time classics like Waqt ne Kiya, Rasik Balma, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, Chandan Se Badan and Tera Mera Pyaar Amar, to name just a few.

Video clips of the songs accompanying the live singing on stage brought them to life on the screens. Audiences thoroughly enjoyed themselves clapping, cheering and demanding ‘once more’ as the singers presented one great song after another. .

A soulful rendition of Ae Mere Pyaare Watan added the perfect touch of patriotism to the melodious evening, finally closing the evening with the peppy Ramiayya Vasta Vaiyya sung by all the singers together.

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. nnnnnnn

A three-day seminar on Vedic Maths was held in Carmel School Kuwait from the 26th-29th April 2013 by a pioneer in the field-Mr.Dhaval Bathia,a graduate from Narsee Mongee College. In the course of his studies, magical Vedic techniques fascinated him and led him to share his knowledge with his colleagues. From the age of 17 he held courses on his skills to students, professors and the public at large and is the author of many books. At Carmel, he captured the attention of almost 2000 students from the 3rd-12th grade in 7 sessions with his amazing calculating techniques and memory skills. It was surely a magical mathematical experience.

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature (Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait presents its compliments to Kuwait Times Newspaper, and has the honor to inform the same that the Apostolic Nunciature has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.

Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com nnnnnnn

BSK presents Alice the Musical

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n 15, 16 and 17 April, The British School of Kuwait’s Middle Department was involved in three fantastic performances of the musical version of “Alice in Wonderland”. The storyline was loosely based on the original story.

However the performance included elements of humour and also called upon audience participation. The three evenings were roaring successes, with the students performing to full houses.

The students who participated had worked tirelessly for months beforehand. All of the students thoroughly enjoyed this singing and drama experience and believed it to be extremely beneficial. Aikaterina

Konstantinidou, who played the leading role as Alice, said of her involvement: “I gained lots of selfconfidence and I had lots of fun playing the part.”

Students and staff worked diligently to ensure a brilliant show.

However credit must also go to a number of the Upper Department students who volunteered to work backstage. Ten of the crew of seventeen were students, who saw this as an opportunity to develop their leadership skills as well as to assist the Middle Department students.

All of the students, who participated, whether cast or crew were given ten house points for their efforts.

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, AlQibla 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 Al-Sabah. 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.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

03:15 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 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

Shamwari: A Wild Life World Wild Vet Call Of The Wildman Baboons With Bill Bailey Shamwari: A Wild Life Wildlife SOS The Really Wild Show Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Dogs 101 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Wildest Africa Animal Cops Houston Call Of The Wildman Wildlife SOS RSPCA: On The Frontline SSPCA: On The Wildside Animal Precinct Wildest Africa Baboons With Bill Bailey The Really Wild Show Dogs 101 Weird Creatures With Nick Groomer Has It Monkey Life Rescue Vet Call Of The Wildman Baboons With Bill Bailey Wildest Africa Wildest Islands Wild France Animal Cops Phoenix

03:10 Coastal Kitchen 03:35 Cash In The Attic 04:20 Bargain Hunt 05:05 Britain’s Dream Homes 05:55 Gok’s Fashion Fix 06:45 New Scandinavian Cooking 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 10:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 11:25 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:10 Come Dine With Me 13:00 The Roux Legacy 13:30 New Scandinavian Cooking 13:55 Bargain Hunt 14:40 Cash In The Attic 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 19:10 New Scandinavian Cooking 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

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

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

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 21:25 21:50 22:15 23:05 23:55

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? Looney Tunes Dexter’s Laboratory Tom & Jerry Tales Pink Panther And Pals Moomins

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 12:15 Hero 108 13:05 Mucha Lucha !

13:30 Angelo Rules 14:20 Evil Con Carne 15:10 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: Revenge Of The Island 19:55 Starwars: The Clone Wars 20:20 Ben 10: Omniverse 20:45 Hero 108

03:00 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 11:50 12:45 14:35 15:05 15:30 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:05

Mythbusters Border Security Auction Hunters Baggage Battles How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Sons Of Guns Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Flying Wild Alaska Border Security Auction Hunters Baggage Battles How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Dual Survival Finding Bigfoot Border Security Auction Hunters Baggage Battles Futurecar Flying Wild Alaska Mythbusters Sons Of Guns How Do They Do It? How It’s Made

20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

Auction Hunters Baggage Battles You Have Been Warned Magic Of Science Mythbusters

03:35 Prototype This 04:25 Man-Made Marvels Asia 05:15 Gadget Show - World Tour 05:40 The Tech Show 06:05 Race To Mars 07:00 Space Pioneer 07:50 NASA’s Greatest Missions 08:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 09:05 The Tech Show 09:30 Smash Lab 10:25 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 11:15 Kings Of Construction 12:05 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 13:00 NASA’s Greatest Missions 13:50 Patent Bending 14:20 Gadget Show - World Tour 14:45 The Tech Show 15:10 Space Pioneer 16:00 Punkin Chunkin 2010 16:55 Ecopolis 17:45 Man-Made Marvels Asia 18:35 Race To Mars 19:30 Space Pioneer 20:20 NASA’s Greatest Missions 21:10 Gadget Show - World Tour 21:35 The Tech Show 22:00 Space Pioneer 22:50 The Colony 23:40 Gadget Show - World Tour

03:05 03:55 04:45 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:40 07:10 07:55 08:45 09:35 10:00 11:30 11:40 12:05 12:30 13:20 13:45 14:35 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:30 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

Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Doc McStuffins Suite Life On Deck A.N.T Farm Jessie Good Luck Charlie Austin And Ally Bolt Prankstars Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Good Luck Charlie Jessie Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Toy Story 2 Prankstars 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 Los Angeles Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana

03:15 Handy Manny 03:40 Special Agent Oso 04:00 Timmy Time 04:10 Imagination Movers 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Jungle Junction 05:30 Little Einsteins 05:50 Special Agent Oso 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Higglytown Heroes 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 The Hive 08:10 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh

SEPARATE LIES ON OSN MOVIES FESTIVAL

08:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:05 Zou 09:20 Doc McStuffins 09:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:00 Lilo And Stitch 10:30 Mouk 10:45 Art Attack 11:10 Imagination Movers 11:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 12:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 12:10 Zou 12:25 Doc McStuffins 12:40 Higglytown Heroes 12:55 Timmy Time 13:05 The Hive 13:15 Mouk 13:30 Little Einsteins 13:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 14:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 15:00 The Little Mermaid 15:25 Doc McStuffins 15:40 Higglytown Heroes 15:55 Zou 16:20 Doc McStuffins 16:35 The Hive 16:45 Lilo And Stitch 17:10 Doc McStuffins 17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:05 Mouk 18:35 Zou 19:00 Animated Stories 19:05 Timmy Time 19:15 Pajanimals 19:25 Doc McStuffins 19:35 Zou 19:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:15 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 20:25 Pajanimals 20:35 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 21:00 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 21:25 Pajanimals 21:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

03:15 Style Star 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 Opening Act 10:15 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks 12:05 Khloe And Lamar 13:05 Married To Jonas 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Style Star 15:30 E!es 16:30 Extreme Close-Up 17:00 Chasing The Saturdays 18:00 E! News 19:00 Fashion Police 20:00 E!es 21:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 22:00 Chasing The Saturdays 22:30 E! News 23:30 Chelsea Lately

03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Unique Eats 03:50 Kid In A Candy Store 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 07:50 Unique Eats 08:15 Kid In A Candy Store 08:40 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:30 The Next Iron Chef 10:20 Extra Virgin 11:10 Everyday Italian 11:35 Unwrapped 12:00 Chef Hunter 12:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Extra Virgin 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Symon’s Suppers 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:30 Chopped 21:10 Iron Chef America 22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:50 Unique Sweets 23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Unique Eats 03:50 Kid In A Candy Store 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 07:50 Unique Eats 08:15 Kid In A Candy Store 08:40 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:30 The Next Iron Chef 10:20 Extra Virgin 11:10 Everyday Italian 11:35 Unwrapped 12:00 Chef Hunter 12:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Extra Virgin 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Symon’s Suppers 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:30 Chopped 21:10 Iron Chef America 22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:50 Unique Sweets 23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 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

I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Murder Shift Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Nightmare Next Door Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It

03:00 Newsday 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 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 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 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 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 Hardtalk 18:00 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 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 23:30 Hardtalk

03:30 Banged Up Abroad 04:25 City Chase Rome 05:20 Departures 06:15 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 06:40 Earth Tripping 07:10 Exploring The Vine 07:35 Kimchi Chronicles 08:05 Somewhere In China 09:00 Making Tracks 09:25 Making Tracks 09:55 Banged Up Abroad 10:50 Banged Up Abroad 11:45 City Chase Rome 12:40 Departures 13:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Earth Tripping 14:30 Delinquent Gourmet 14:55 Kimchi Chronicles 15:25 Somewhere In China 16:20 Market Values 16:45 Market Values 17:15 Banged Up Abroad 18:10 Banged Up Abroad 19:05 City Chase Rome 20:00 Delinquent Gourmet 20:30 Kimchi Chronicles 21:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:30 Earth Tripping 22:00 Departures 22:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:20 Market Values 23:50 Travel Madness

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00

Departures Engineering Connections Caught In The Act Pirate Patrol Megastructures World’s Toughest Fixes Somewhere In China Megacities Pirate Patrol Engineering Connections Caught In The Act Pirate Patrol Lockdown

03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

World’s Deadliest Animals World’s Deadliest Wild Mississippi Moray Eels: Alien Empire Man v. Monster World’s Deadliest Animals Ultimate Animal Countdown Freaks & Creeps Wild Case Files The Lion Ranger Fish Warrior Man v. Monster World’s Deadliest Animals Dragon Chronicles Bizarre Dinos Wild Case Files Fish Warrior Man v. Monster World’s Deadliest Animals Dragon Chronicles Bizarre Dinos

THE DECOY BRIDE ON OSN CINEMA

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 PG15 15:45 18:15 20:00 22:00

RoboCop 3-PG15 Season Of The Witch-PG15 True Justice: Brotherhood True Justice: Blood Alley-PG15 Barricade-PG15 True Justice: Brotherhood-

03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Decoy Bride-PG15 Winx-FAM Blank Slate-PG15 The Decoy Bride-PG15 The Vow-PG15 Dangerous Flowers-PG15 Hidden Crimes-PG15 A Separation-PG15 Young Adult-PG15 Cleanskin-18 Husk-18

Kingdom Of Heaven-PG15 Barricade-PG15 Alien-18 Gridlock’d-18

03:00 Breaking In 03:30 Friends 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Til Death 06:00 Arrested Development 06:30 Gary Unmarried 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Seinfeld 08:30 Til Death 09:00 Breaking In 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 10:30 Gary Unmarried 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Arrested Development 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Til Death 13:30 Gary Unmarried 14:00 Friends 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Arrested Development 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Ben And Kate

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

Greek House Of Cards Grey’s Anatomy Supernatural Emmerdale Coronation Street The Closer The Ellen DeGeneres Show Grey’s Anatomy The Americans Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Closer Supernatural Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Closer Touch Bones Castle The Client List Treme

03:45 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 17:45 20:15 22:00

RoboCop 2 RoboCop 3 Season Of The Witch True Justice: Brotherhood True Justice: Blood Alley Barricade True Justice: Brotherhood Kingdom Of Heaven Barricade Alien

04:00 The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom-PG 06:00 Hop-PG 08:00 The First Wives Club-PG

10:00 Ernest Scared Stupid-PG15 12:00 The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom-PG 14:00 In Her Shoes-PG15 16:15 Ernest Scared Stupid-PG15 18:00 Turner & Hooch-PG15 20:00 The Switch-18 22:00 High School-18

03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:00 PG15 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:15

Sleepy Hollow-PG15 Water For Elephants-PG15 Courage-PG15 Separate Lies-PG15 Taken Back: Finding HaleyKings Ransom-PG15 Separate Lies-PG15 Yona Yona Penguin-PG Mr. Nobody-PG15 The Preacher’s Wife-PG15 The Intouchables-U

04:30 Take Shelter-PG15 06:30 B-Girl-PG15 08:00 Into The Wind-PG15 09:00 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 11:00 Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure-FAM 12:30 Ring Of Deceit-PG15 14:15 The Phantom Of The Opera At The Royal Albert Hall-PG15 17:00 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 19:00 Contagion-PG15 21:00 Locked In-PG15 23:00 The Five Year Engagement-18

04:30 Turandot 06:00 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings 08:00 Everyone’s Hero 10:00 Robots 11:30 The Adventures Of Don Quixote 13:00 Crab Island 14:30 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings 16:00 101 Dalmatians (1961) 18:00 Robots 20:00 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter 22:00 Crab Island 23:30 Everyone’s Hero

04:00 Crisis Point-PG15 05:45 The Tree Of Life-PG15 08:00 A View From Here-PG15 10:00 The Big Year-PG 12:00 Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows-PG15 14:15 Rio-FAM 16:00 A View From Here-PG15 18:00 Damsels In Distress-PG15 20:00 Coriolanus-PG15 22:15 Outlaw Country-PG15

03:30 NRL Full Time 04:00 NRL Premiership 06:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 07:00 Snooker World Championship 11:00 Champions Tour Highlights 12:00 Live Snooker World Championship 16:00 NRL Full Time 16:30 Live Snooker World Championship 20:00 Futbol Mundial 20:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 21:00 Live Snooker World Championship

07:00 08:00 10:00 10:30 11:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 19:00 21:00 21:30 22:30 23:30

AFL Premiership Highlights Super Rugby NRL Full Time AFL Premiership Highlights European Challenge Cup Super Rugby PGA Tour Highlights Premier League Darts NHL Inside The PGA Tour Trans World Sport AFL Premiership Highlights Super Rugby

03:00 Super Rugby 05:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 09:00 World Pool Masters 10:00 World Cup Of Pool 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 Top 14 Highlights 12:30 ICC Cricket 360 13:00 Golfing World 14:00 Futbol Mundial 14:30 AFL Premiership Highlights 15:30 World Pool Masters 16:30 World Cup Of Pool 17:30 European Challenge Cup 19:30 Asian Tour Golf Show 20:00 Super League 21:30 Ladies European Tour Highlights 22:30 Champions Tour Highlights 23:30 Golfing World

03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:00 17:30 20:30 22:30 23:30

Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE SmackDown European Le Mans Series UIM Powerboat Champs UFC NHL European Le Mans Series UIM Powerboat Champs

03:45 04:40 05:10 05:35 06:05 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:55 11:55 12:50 13:20 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:25 20:20 21:15 22:10 23:05

Chicagolicious Open House Videofashion News Videofashion Collections Clean House: New York Videofashion News Videofashion News Videofashion Daily Open House Dress My Nest Giuliana & Bill Tia And Tamera Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Videofashion Specials Videofashion Collections Chicagolicious How Do I Look?

How Do I Look?

Built Built Chicagolicious Jerseylicious Giuliana & Bill Giuliana & Bill Kimora: House Of Fab Fashion Police

03:00 Anderson Cooper 360 04:00 Piers Morgan Live 05:00 Quest Means Business 06:00 The Situation Room 07:00 World Sport 07:30 News Special 08:00 World Report 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Inside Africa 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 World One 12:30 Inside The Middle East 13:00 Amanpour 13:30 CNN Newscenter 14:00 Piers Morgan Live 15:00 News Stream 16:00 World Business Today 17:00 International Desk 18:00 Global Exchange 19:00 World Sport 19:30 Inside The Middle East 20:00 International Desk 21:00 Quest Means Business 22:00 Amanpour 22:30 CNN Newscenter 23:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson

Classifieds THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

ACCOMMODATION

Kuwait

SHARQIA-1 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2 TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) SPIDERS (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-3 OBLIVION (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-1 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM

MUHALAB-2 THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM

MUHALAB-3 IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM

FANAR-1 THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-2 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 12:45 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 2:30 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 4:15 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 6:15 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 8:00 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 9:45 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 11:45 PM FANAR-3 THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-1 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (02/05/2013 TO 08/05/2013) THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 5:15 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 7:15 PM WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 9:00 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 11:00 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 12:45 AM MARINA-2 THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG)

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

MARINA-3 TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) AVENUES-1 WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:45 PM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-2 OBLIVION (DIG) 12:45 PM OBLIVION (DIG) 3:15 PM OBLIVION (DIG) 5:45 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 8:15 PM OBLIVION (DIG) 10:30 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 1:15 AM AVENUES-3 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

360ยบ 1 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:15 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

360ยบ 2 FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG) FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

360ยบ 3 EMPEROR (DIG) EMPEROR (DIG) EMPEROR (DIG) EMPEROR (DIG) EMPEROR (DIG) EMPEROR (DIG)

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

AL-KOUT.1 TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D) SPIDERS (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)

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

NO SUN+ TUE+WED AL-KOUT.2 NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 12:45 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 2:45 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 4:45 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 6:30 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 8:30 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 10:15 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 12:15 AM NO SUN+ TUE+WED AL-KOUT.3 OBLIVION (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

Sharing accommodation available for decent single person (male/female) with a separate room with attached bath in Amman Street near roundabout.

Please call 5 pm to 10 pm 66321532. (C 4399) 1-5-2013 Sharing accommodation available for decent bachelor or family non smoking, Amman street, one big room, opposite to Al Rashed Hospital. Contact: 66232356. (C 4395) 28-4-2013

expetional. Email: rosammaantony72@gmail.com (C 4400) 2-5-2013

CHANGE OF NAME BAIRAQ-1 IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-2 WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 12:45 PM THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG) 3:00 PM WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 5:15 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 7:30 PM WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 9:30 PM NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 11:30 PM BAIRAQ-3 THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) OBLIVION (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

PLAZA SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU) SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) NO THU GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)

7:00 PM 10:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM

I, Kamalapuram Basheer, Indian Passport No: K9684632 change my name to Shaikh Basheer Ahmed.

(C 4398) 29-4-2013 FOR SALE For sale car Corolla model 2000, price KD 700/-. Contact: 99017342. (C 4402) 2-5-2013

112 Prayer timings Fajr:

03:41

Shorook

05:07

Duhr:

11:45

Asr:

15:21

Maghrib:

18:24

Isha:

19:47

MATRIMONIAL

Ministry of Interior

27 year Roman Catholic girl, 158cms, BSN MOH invites proposals for a suitable groom - Male nurses

website: www.moi.gov.kw

10:00 PM

No: 15796 LAILA IRON MAN 3 (DIG) NO MON+TUE+WED IRON MAN 3 (DIG) NO MON+TUE+WED IRON MAN 3 (DIG) NO MON+TUE+WED

5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM

AJIAL.1 SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU) SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)

6:45 PM 9:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:45 PM

AJIAL.2 SOODHU KAVVUM (DIG) (TAMIL) SOODHU KAVVUM (DIG) (TAMIL)

6:00 PM 9:00 PM

AJIAL.3 ETHIR NEECHAL (DIG) (TAMIL) FRI+MON ETHIR NEECHAL (DIG) (TAMIL) ETHIR NEECHAL (DIG) (TAMIL)

4:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines BBC QTR JZR JZR SAI THY ETH GFA UAE ETD FDB RBG MSR QTR DHX THY FDB KAC JZR BAW JZR KAC KAC JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE IRA IZG KAC ABY QTR IRA FDB ETD SYR GFA MEA ABY JZR KAC JZR MSC UAE MSR THY KNE KAC QTR FDB KAC SVA JZR KNE KAC KAC

Arrival Flights on Thursday 2/5/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 441 LAHORE 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 69 DUBAI 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 555 ALEXANDRIA 157 LONDON 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 503 LUXOR 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 4161 MASHAD 362 COLOMBO 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 617 AHWAZ 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 341 DAMASCUS 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 121 SHARJAH 165 DUBAI 284 DHAKA 241 AMMAN 403 ASSIUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 672 DUBAI 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 546 ALEXANDRIA 500 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 472 JEDDAH 562 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH

Time 00:05 00:15 00:20 00:40 01:30 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 03:10 03:15 03:15 03:30 04:20 04:35 05:50 06:15 06:20 06:30 06:40 07:25 07:30 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:05 08:25 08:40 08:45 08:45 08:50 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:30 10:10 10:40 10:55 11:25 11:35 12:05 12:35 12:40 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:25 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:15 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:40 15:00

KNE FDB RJA OMA KAC JZR JZR QTR JZR ETD UAE ABY SVA GFA UAL JZR KAC JZR TAR KAC KAC QTR KAC KAC FDB NIA GFA KAC AXB KAC KAC KAC JAI RBG FDB OMA ABY JZR MEA AFG MSC MSR KNE MSC ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA DHX QTR FDB AIC JZR JZR UAL DLH JAI JZR KLM THY

470 8057 640 645 118 535 787 134 125 303 857 127 510 215 982 177 176 777 327 502 542 144 786 104 63 251 219 618 393 774 674 614 572 553 61 647 129 189 402 415 405 618 474 401 229 859 307 136 217 372 146 59 981 239 185 981 636 574 513 411 772

JEDDAH DUBAI AMMAN MUSCAT NEW YORK CAIRO RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN WASHINGTON DC DULLES DUBAI GENEVA/FRANKFURT JEDDAH TUNIS/DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH LONDON DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DOHA KOZHIKODE RIYADH DUBAI BAHRAIN MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT KABUL SOHAG ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI CHENNAI/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI SHARM EL SHEIKH AMSTERDAM/DAMMAM ISTANBUL

15:05 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:10 16:15 16:15 16:25 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:45 17:50 18:00 18:00 18:15 18:25 18:30 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:30 20:45 21:00 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 22:00 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:40 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:20 23:40 23:45

Airlines AIC AXB JAI UAL DLH JZR BBC THY SAI THY ETH UAE FDB RBG MSR ETD QTR QTR FDB GFA JZR THY KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC IRA IZG UAE FDB QTR IRA ETD KAC SYR GFA KAC KAC MEA KAC ABY JZR JZR KAC JZR JZR MSC MSR THY KNE UAE FDB

Departure Flights on Thursday 2/5/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 490 MANGALORE/COCHIN 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 502 LUXOR 44 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 765 SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 70 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 240 AMMAN 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 606 MASHAD 4162 MASHAD 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 616 AHWAZ 302 ABU DHABI 101 LONDON/NEW YORK 342 DAMASCUS 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME/PARIS 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 122 SHARJAH 776 JEDDAH 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 124 BAHRAIN 406 SOHAG 611 CAIRO 767 ISTANBUL 481 TAIF 872 DUBAI 58 DUBAI

Time 00:05 00:15 00:20 00:25 00:30 01:30 01:30 02:20 02:30 02:40 02:45 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:15 04:20 04:25 05:15 06:30 07:00 07:10 07:10 07:20 07:25 08:25 08:25 08:50 09:10 09:25 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 09:50 09:55 10:00 10:10 10:15 10:25 11:10 11:25 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:05 12:25 12:50 13:00 13:20 13:30 13:40 14:00 14:10 14:15 14:15 14:30

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

QTR KAC KNE KAC JZR SVA KAC KNE KAC FDB OMA RJA JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE SVA GFA JZR JZR UAL TAR QTR FDB GFA NIA AXB RBG JAI FDB ABY KAC KAC OMA KAC MEA AFG MSC MSR KNE DHX MSC ETD ALK UAE QTR KAC GFA DHX FDB KAC QTR JZR KAC KAC KAC JZR

141 673 473 617 188 505 773 471 613 8058 646 641 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 511 216 184 266 982 328 145 64 220 252 394 554 571 62 120 331 343 648 351 403 415 404 619 475 171 402 308 230 860 137 301 218 373 60 205 147 554 411 283 415 528

DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH RIYADH JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI MUSCAT AMMAN AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN TUNIS DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM CHENNAI MUSCAT COCHIN BEIRUT JEDDAH ASSIUT ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ALEXANDRIA BANGKOK/MANILA DHAKA KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA ASSIUT

14:55 15:05 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:05 16:35 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:40 18:50 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:00 20:15 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:45 21:50 22:00 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:20 23:40 23:45 23:50 23:55

34

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

stars CROSSWORD 177

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Hit hard and fast when needed, but don’t use up all your ammunition on the first target you see. The essence of exercise is that it should not exhaust you, but should reinvigorate and leave your stronger for the effort.

So it is with life. You can feel temporarily blocked emotionally now. Resistance and challenges from others or from outside situations suggest this is not a good time to try to force your will and desires onto others, as friction is the only likely result. Take some time out from any romantic interactions and just enjoy your own company if possible.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Exploring new ways of expressing your feelings can open up new approaches to personal communication and introduce fresh ways to establish intimacy.

You don’t have to push things to the limit to get noticed, just a touch of the unusual or unique in your responses will turn heads sufficiently to get a second look. You are likely to distance yourself from others now, feeling the need to withdraw and reflect. Your thoughts are inclined to be heavy and pessimistic at this time, so it would be good to realize that you are only seeing part of the picture. This can also be a time of leaving, separating from relationships and choosing a new way.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS

1. Type genus of the Muridae.

4. Liable to sin.

12. An orange-brown antelope of southeast Africa.

15. Electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field.

16. Squeeze together.

17. The month following March and preceding May. 18. (Old Testament) A son of Jacob and forefather of one of the tribes of Israel.

19. Having a broad or rounded end.

20. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

21. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

22. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

24. Relating to the use of or having the nature of an interrogation.

26. A legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body.

28. A republic in northwestern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea. 31. A ductile silvery-white ductile ferromagnetic trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

33. A state in midwestern United States.

34. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

35. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect.

39. A training program to prepare college students to be commissioned officers.

42. A unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilograms.

43. A Muslim or Hindu mendicant monk who is regarded as a holy man.

44. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

45. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

47. A small cake leavened with yeast.

48. Lead someone in the wrong direction.

50. A state of southwestern India.

52. A decree that prohibits something.

53. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles.

56. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

57. Being one more than fifty.

59. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

61. Delivered from danger.

65. Deciduous South African tree having large odd-pinnate leaves and profuse fragrant orange-yellow flowers.

69. A region of central Europe rich in deposits of coal and iron ore.

72. Weapons considered collectively.

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

75. Pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness.

76. Proceed or issue forth, as from a source.

78. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

79. An organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom which in turn is doubly bonded to another carbon atom.

80. Wandering freely.

81. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. Made from residue of grapes or apples after pressing.

2. The chief solid component of mammalian urine.

3. A device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that lets divers breathe under water.

4. A genus of Bothidae.

5. An inactive volcano in Sicily.

6. A hard brittle blue-white multivalent metallic element.

7. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

8. Aromatic bulb used as seasoning.

9. A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at one atmosphere pressure.

10. German physicist who studied cathode rays (1862-1947).

11. The Uralic language spoken by the Yeniseian people.

12. Small deciduous Asiatic tree bearing large red or orange edible astringent fruit.

13. Affording unobstructed entrance and exit.

14. (informal) Exceptionally good.

23. A Dravidian language spoken in southern India.

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

27. Stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings.

29. Disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet.

30. Animal food for browsing or grazing.

32. A member of one of the four divisions of the prehistoric Greeks.

36. Jordan's port.

37. A ribbon used as a decoration.

38. Wild geese.

40. A unit of magnetic flux density equal to one weber per square meter.

41. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.

46. Ratio of the hypotenuse to the opposite side.

49. Enthusiastic approval.

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

54. The act of turning aside suddenly.

55. A Hindu disciple of a swami.

58. Capital of Armenia.

60. A city in northwestern Switzerland.

62. East Indian tree yielding a resin used medicinally and burned as incense.

63. A member of a Turkic people of Uzbekistan and neighboring areas.

64. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

66. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

67. Projectiles to be fired from a gun.

68. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

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

71. God of love and erotic desire.

73. An emotional response that has been acquired by conditioning.

77. A state in east central United States.

You are belligerent, argumentative and impatient now. Disagreements erupt because you aren’t willing to overlook minor irritations as normally as usual.

Confrontations with others may be fruitful if you keep your anger in check. You are highly competitive at this time. A relationship may end or a temporary time out may occur in a relationship today. This is a time to let go of something or someone you once cherished but which no longer has a positive purpose in your life. Conflicts between duty and pleasure, or between the mundane and a yearning for love and emotional satisfaction are likely now.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) There’s a sudden breakthrough in this continuing saga of responsibility versus freedom. The easing of this deadlock creates a welcome sense of relief. It is likely family members will support any major decisions you make at this time. Be prepared to take bold steps to reach your goals in the coming days. Knowing who you want and moving on to win their affection is the opportunity of the day, and who you fall in love or even very like with now may be just the chance you’ve been waiting for. Sharing goals and deciding to mutually go for it will be the best of all possible worlds for everybody, with a minimum of conflict resulting later.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Your health may be like a rollercoaster ride over the next couple of days if you take on too many tasks. Postpone additional projects until you’ve got existing ones finished. You can reserve alot energy like this. Put your intuitive feelers out there before you jump in or commit to anyone right now or you might run into a cold reception. People taking themselves too seriously are probable today, so try not to be one of them. Take it all with the idea and respect that others may be having problems.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Don’t worry about those around you. They can take care of themselves. Focus your energies on solving your own dilemmas, and don’t hesitate to consult those close to you when the quandaries before you seem to be irreparable. 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.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) If someone else offers to pay, don’t be polite, just go along with it. It’s your turn to be treated, and why not? The joy of giving is not complete without a pleased and satisfied recipient, so try being on the receiving end for a while. You’ll most likely make the other person happier and yourself as well. You are inclined to flow along with people and situations, attracting what you need and letting the world come to you. Contentment, emotional well being and harmony prevail in your personal relationships. This is a good time for you to relax, and indulge in your pleasure loving side.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You are capable of forceful, decisive action, and you have the will to carry through on your intentions at this time. Physically, you feel good and your energy is flowing smoothly. Also, your interactions with others are feisty and spirited. you inspire others to take action and group efforts or joint projects are favored. Up and down emotions with energies running high make for uncomfortable moments today, so avoid hasty choices or impulse buying. If tempers flare, just don’t go there, spare yourself and others the hassle. Commitments made now will tend to partake of this atmosphere, so have the patience to wait a little before moving ahead.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today’s energy brings a flurry of monetary activity, perhaps a quick find or mini-crisis, but it passes quickly. Keep its brevity in mind so you don’t lay heavy bets on a passing fancy, unless other longer-range cycles are much in focus with this as trigger. Creativity and a talent for new approaches are the lynch pins to your success, so don’t hold back, let the juices flow. Directions begun today can be the start of great friendships that bring both wealth and love. The energy of love and desire allows for all sorts of pleasantries and can provide the foundations of lots more like it to come, if you allow it to happen. Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy by putting up barriers, try to let them down today.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

CAPRICORN A fast pace, with many letters, phone calls, errands, meetings, or discussions, is on the agenda. You may feel mentally restless, impatient, and overly eager to get your own ideas across. Also, a situation may arise which requires you to say what is on your mind, to make a decision, or to clearly voice your personal opinion on some issue. Today is a good time to express your feelings with conviction, knowing that there will be response in kind. Situations that arise now will have lasting clarity and a quality of self reinvention as they move along, as head and heart are on the same page and will tend to remain that way.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) During this trend you may experience prophetic dreams, psychic phenomena, or the ability to read the minds of others. This is a creative period that will enable you to escape from the harshness and reality of life by indulging yourself in painting, music lessons, dancing, ceramics, or other refined arts. You feel especially attractive or friendly, and the warmth you radiate is noticed and appreciated. Love, relationships, beauty, and pleasure are emphasized now. A new romance or friendship may start or an old or current one may take a new turn for the better. Enjoy your day and look forward to many more like it.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) The Lords of Karma are fast approaching, so be prepared for a time when balance is restored. If you’ve been wondering about the concept of soul mates, you may soon learn the truth about the deeper significance of what it’s all REALLY about. The urge to break away from your normal routine and do something radical may have to be resisted but it shouldn’t be ignored. Perhaps it’s just what you need, but only if you do it with decisiveness and clarity, as you probably won’t be able to take it back. A peek into the unusual can be both entertaining and gratifying.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Sabhan

24742838

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Al-Helaly

22434853

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Al-Faiha

22545051

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Hawally

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Gwyneth Paltrow teams up with Ryan Seacrest T

he ‘Iron Man 3’ actress - who recently launched her second healthy cookbook, ‘It’s All Good’ - is fronting a 10-episode show called ‘Second Chances’ on the AOL On Network, produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, alongside her fitness guru pal Tracy Anderson, during which they will share stories of numerous women who have faced and overcome a variety of obstacles in their lives. AOL announced they signed a deal to premiere the series and issued a statement saying: “Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson spend time with women who’ve overcome hardship, injury, and setbacks to triumph in the face of adversity. “We’ll hear their inspiring stories firsthand, whether fighting back from a career-ending injury or transforming their lives and bodies through diet and exercise.”

‘American Idol’ host Ryan, 38, who already produces a number of reality shows including ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ told Variety.com that he is excited to focus on digital shows. He said: “It’s a new focus for us, in the context of this company.” Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hank Azaria and Nicole Richie have also inked deals with AOL to host other new digital shows. Nicole’s show is based on her Twitter feed and the first episode sees her meeting with a specialist about the possibility of getting her lower back tattoo or ‘Tramp Stamp’ removed.

‘Sex and the City’ star Sarah is producing a docudrama on the New York City Ballet and funnyman Hank is hosting a parenting series called ‘Fatherhood.’

Lindsay Lohan still hasn’t picked a rehab

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he ‘Liz & Dick’ star who was sentenced to 90 days in treatment after pleading “no contest” to charges for lying to police about driving during a car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in California last June must enter a facility today or she will have to appear in court for violating her probation. A source told E! News that the 26-year-old actress still hasn’t made a decision about where she will seek treatment and time is running out for her to “secure admission into a court-approved facility.” The insider said Lindsay will be “required to show up to court on Thursday with her lawyer Mark Heller in Los Angeles,” if she hasn’t registered for a program on or before Thursday, adding: “If Lohan does not comply with the judge’s order that would be a violation of probation that could land her in jail.” Lindsay, who has been looking at rehab clinics in New York, was previously said to be in discussions with website Celebuzz recently to detail her experience for their readers and is due to meet with editors to discuss ideas. Celebuzz consultant A.J. Daulerio recently said: “I’m still waiting for the official grooming session (with Lindsay).” If both parties can agree terms the ‘Scary Movie 5’ star’s first rehab diary post would happen in August after she checks out. An insider said: “She will not be blogging from rehab but she does plan to have her own space on the web where she can talk about her passions. She wants a place to discuss her love of fashion, music, art and her unique sense of style.

She wants to be able to connect to her fans directly.”

Ozzy Osbourne to sober up for daughter’s wedding

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T

he ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star and her partner Kanye West will welcome their first child into the world in July, and have asked friends not to send presents for the new addition to their family, insisting numerous baby registries that have appeared online are all fake. Instead, the couple have asked well-wishers to send donations to the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, close to where Kanye grew up, website TMZ reports. While Kim doesn’t want to receive baby gifts, it was recently claimed she had sent one to Britain’s Duchess Catherine - who was known as Kate Middleton before her marriage and her husband Prince William, as she is a big fan of the royal couple and their first child is due at a similar time to her own. A source said: “When Kim found out the pair had similar due dates, she got incredibly excited. “She had her PA write a kind, warm note to Kate, enclosing a gift for the future heir to the throne and explaining they were both due in July.”

he 64-year-old rocker - who recently admitted he relapsed and has been addicted to prescription drugs for the past 18 months - has promised the ‘Fashion Police’ co-host that he will get his life back on track before she ties the knot with vegetarian chef Matthew Mosshart so he can walk her down the aisle. A source close to the 28-year-old star told gossip website RadarOnline.com: “Kelly’s using a little blackmail to help her father get clean sooner rather than later.

She knows he has to want it, but she thinks a little tough-love encouragement can’t hurt. “Kelly went right for daddy’s heart - she made it clear that she needed him to be present when he walked his little girl down the aisle. Ozzy would never ruin her big day, so he promised Kelly that he would get it together way before her wedding to Matthew. “Ozzy knows better than anyone that he can’t sober up for anyone except himself. “But he says he’s motivated by the fact that Sharon left him and now he’s promised Kelly that he would walk her down the aisle only if he’s clean. Kelly even threatened that if he wasn’t coherent by the time of the wedding that she would have her brother Jack give her away.” Kelly and Matthew, who met at Kate Moss’s wedding to Jamie Hince in July 2011, reportedly got engaged before Christmas. Kelly’s mother Sharon, 60, recently admitted that she “didn’t realise the extent” of her husband’s problems with prescription drugs. However, the mother-of-three insisted she has no plans to walk away from their marriage. She said: “We’re not getting divorced. However, am I happy? No. Am I upset? Yes I am. I’m devastated right now. “It’s a disease that not only hurts the person that has the disease but it hurts the family. It hurts people who love you.

We’re dealing with it. We’ve dealt with worse. We’re dealing with it and this too shall pass.”

Danielle Lloyd expecting a baby boy

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he former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ star - who already has two young children, Archie, two, and 22-month-old Harry with soccer star husband Jamie O’Hara - is expecting a third boy. Although she was initially “upset” when the doctor confirmed they aren’t expecting a girl, she quickly realised the new arrival will be a perfect addition to their family. Writing in her Closer magazine column, she said: “After having two boys, I was really keen for a little girl and as soon as the doctor told me it was a boy, I got very emotional. Jamie smiled and said, ‘Wow! Three boys - it’s going to be amazing!’

But he could tell I was upset. “As soon as I got home, though, and saw my two amazing boys I felt like such a fool and realised there are some people who can’t even have kids so I’m so lucky to have three healthy boys. I just can’t wait to meet my new son now.”

The 29-year-old model has more reason to celebrate as doctors predict she will reach her full term, good news after complications with her last pregnancy. She added: “The doctors also told me they’re confident this pregnancy will go full term. After Harry was born 10 weeks early and had to be put on a ventilator, it’s a huge relief.”

Kim Kardashian doesn’t want baby gifts

Katy Perry’s songs are her ‘lockbox’ of secrets

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he ‘Firework’ singer may not be as obvious when she’s singing about her past boyfriends in her tracks as Taylor Swift, but she does use her songwriting as a way of healing her broken heart and working through her emotions. Katy - who has recently split with John Mayer and was previously married to Russell Brand - said: “Maybe I’m not specific with names, but that’s my lockbox where all my secrets go. Writing is like therapy. “They all [songs] stem from the truth inside of me. I just want songs to be relatable, and to be adopted as someone else’s soundtrack.” Katy, 28, saved her most risquÈ song, ‘I Kissed a Girl’ until she got a big break, because she knew it would be the track to get people talking about her. She is quoted by Britain’s OK! magazine as saying: “I had something to prove, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew I had ‘Hot N Cold’ up my sleeve, and ‘Thinking of You’ and ‘Waking up in Vegas’.

Even if those weren’t going to chart, I was putting out ‘I Kissed a Girl’ first so it would open the most doors.

It was more risquÈ than the other ones, but it would get people talking.” —Bangshowbiz

37

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

A photo shows an empty corridor in the “D-0” art Visitors look at paintings by Croatian painter Edo Murtic. —AFP museum before the opening ceremony of Second Art Biennale in the Bosnian town of Konjic. —AFP

Cold War bunker in Bosnia revived by modern art O bsolete and lifeless for years, a secret anti-nuclear shelter built inside a remote Bosnian mountain during the Cold War for Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito has opened its doors as a modern art space.

“The idea of installing a contemporary art collection in Tito’s bunker is absolutely outstanding and hilarious,” said French artist and gallery owner Pierre Courtin, one of a number of international artists attending the recent opening of an exhibition at the bunker.

The mysterious shelter is certainly a source of inspiration for artists, he said.

“This is not a neutral place.... It has such a physical presence which presents a huge challenge for artists to exhibit in it,” he said. Thirty artists from 19 countries have their works on display in the

huge bunker, which lies near to the southern Bosnian town of Konjic.

The military installation “ARK D-0” was constructed under the highest secrecy measures by Yugoslav army experts from 1953 to 1979. Some $4.5 billion (3.4 billion euros) were reportedly invested in the construction of the shelter, planned as a command centre for Marshal Tito in case of a nuclear attack on Yugoslavia, which fell apart in a series of bloody wars in the 1990s.

It was equipped with rooms and offices for the controversial leaderwhose death in 1980 heralded the bloody breakup of the Yugoslav federation a decade later-and his officers. But Tito died a year after it was finished and never saw his underground hideout.

Horseshoe-shaped, the bunker, dug deep into the rock, is composed of 12

blocks covering a total area of 6,500 square metres (10,800 square feet), and designed to accommodate 350 people.

Now, 30 years after its construction, the memory of the shelter’s Cold War past has come alive again through the works gracing its walls. Photos decorate the long corridors of the underground settlement, while sounds and light-andvideo installations seek to bring the fears of a nuclear attack to life-and give goosebumps to visitors.

Numerous rooms, conference halls and communication centres have been transformed into small, and unique, galleries. “We have chosen artists who felt able to meet specific challenges of this place, which is not a simple gallery and requires patience, ingenuity and vision,” said curator Branko Franceschi.

These latest artworks will join 40 others

put up in the bunker in 2011, paving the way for a permanent collection which can be enriched over the years.

Like the first exhibition two years ago, this one will only stay open for three months, but the hope is for it to open permanently, curators say.

“It is a hybrid of a military and contemporary art museum. Both will be complementary and create a unique synergy,” Franceschi said. For the artists, the Cold War theme is a major draw that allows them to explore feelings of fear and paranoia that are still pertinent today, they say. “This bunker is a monument, a monument to ideological divisions, a divided Europe and a polarised world.... These questions are still relevant because we live in a climate of division and fear nowadays,” said artist Conor McGrady, from Northern Ireland.

Project manager Edo Hozic has played on the long-standing veil of secrecy surrounding the bunker to make its revival a success. “Everyone is attracted to secrets. All bunkers radiate repulsive energy, but it seems that we have been able to change the energy of this vast place whose original reason for existence has no sense nowadays,” he said. But artist Pierre Courtin still thinks producing a work especially for the bunker must be “very difficult” with “all the weight of the past, of history”. His favourite works, he said, are those “that have a feeling of being really made for this place”, pointing at a large mirror shattered onto the ground in one of the corridors-a creation by Italian artist Alfredo Pirri. “This really is a work that can only exist here and cannot be moved,” said Courtin. —AFP

Keith Richards: I don’t own an iPod

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Tyler Clark, 21, from Boston, stretches Catherine Wolfson, 20, from New York, curls her lashes before an Monica Woods, 21, from Mascoutah, before making her third audition to appear audition.

Illinois, auditions for the second time. with The Rockettes at the 2013 Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Tuesday, April 30, 2013 in New York. —AP photos

Dancers audition to appear with Rockettes in NYC

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undreds of young women from around the world are kicking their dance routines into high gear in New York this week in hopes of joining perhaps the most famous dance troupe there is - the Rockettes. The aspiring dancers lined up Tuesday morning on a Manhattan street - getting just 30 seconds each to audition for a chance to be in the 2013 Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Amid noisy rush-hour traffic, their hair was neatly pulled back. Their makeup was perfect, some batting fake eyelashes. And they all wore high-heeled dance shoes.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” said Chelsey Knapper, 22, of Detroit, who didn’t survive last year’s auditions. For this “cattle call” - as the free-for-all lineup is called Knapper and the others were led upstairs into a rehearsal studio to perform a dance routine before a panel of judges. The

quick, precise routine includes a double pirouette and a leg extension.

Those who survive through the end of the week - a good dozen or so - will still have to wait months to find out if they’ll actually be invited to join the holiday show that runs from Nov 8 to Dec 30. Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which produces the show, declined to discuss earnings. But Rockettes reportedly earn about $1,500 a week.

They pay their own expenses to get to New York because, Knapper said, “I’d love to be on the line, it’s my dream.” Groups of dancers waited their turn at either side of the studio. Some wiped beads of nervous sweat off their foreheads, fanning themselves. Others leaned down for sips of bottled water as ceiling fans whirred to keep the space cool. On her third try to become a Rockette, “I just got cut,” said Liz Daniels,

27, of San Diego, Calif. “You get one shot,” she added. “But it’s not disappointing; there’s all kinds of choreography, and that’s how it goes.”

To even audition, prospective Rockettes must be between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10 in stocking feet, and proficient in ballet, tap, and jazz. Directing the whole Christmas spectacular is choreographer Linda Haberman. “I either keep you or cut you,” she said. Whoever survives the cutthroat process will join a troupe of about 80 Rockettes who are “a part of history, an iconic part of New York City,” Haberman said.

Another 40 or so Rockettes go on the road. Prospective Rockette Elizabeth Moran is in her 30s - “that’s older for a Rockette,” she said with a wry smile, explaining her reluctance to give her exact age. “I’ve loved the Rockettes ever since I

was younger,” said Moran, who lives in New York City and works in finance for a Dutch bank.

Knapper, who was taking her second shot at a spot on stage, noted only a select few make the cut. “People spend years trying out,” she said. Her backup plan is medical school. Monica Woods, 21, didn’t last the day, “but I’ll be back, for sure.” “You learn not to take it personally,” said Woods, who is graduating from Fordham University this year.

She comes from Mascoutah, an Illinois community with one traffic light and a population of about 7,000. Signed with a talent agency for musical theater work, she’ll keep auditioning while working at a coffee shop. “Everyone is kind of in the same boat - nervous but trying not to act like you’re nervous,” she said. “You just put on a smile. “I love it, though.” —AP

e’s rock royalty and likes to keep it old-school: Keith Richards says he doesn’t own an iPod. The Rolling Stones guitarist says he isn’t a fan of the ultra-popular music device. “I don’t have an iPod. ... I still use CDs or records actually. Sometimes cassettes. It has much better sound; a much better sound than digital,” he said in a recent interview.

The 69-year-old believes music lovers are “all being shortchanged” with the sound that comes out of an iPod, launched in 2001. “My old lady’s got one. My kids have got them. I say, ‘Look me up this.’ Or, ‘Oh I like that. Check me Keith Richards that,’” he said. “I know what these things can do. I’m not totally anti-them.”

The Rolling Stones’ “50 & Counting Tour” kicks off tomorrow in Los Angeles. The Stones released their self-titled debut in 1964, and while Richards has accepted that the music industry is digitally driven today, he’s not completely OK with it. “They’re sucked into it and they can’t get out of it, nor can we; so is the public,” he said. “There’s something missing there, but it’s the price of the future I guess.” —AP

Korean rapper Psy’s story immortalized in comic book

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he story of South Korean rap sensation Psy’s ascent to global stardom with his megahit “Gangnam Style” has now been immortalized in full colour and with appropriate dramatic flourishes in a comic book. “Fame:Psy”, which went on sale in the United States and South Korea on Wednesday, focuses mainly on what went into making “Gangnam Style,” which catapulted the sunglassed singer with the garish jackets to global fame and became YouTube’s most popular song ever with more than 1.5 billion hits.

“Has he fallen from the sky? Has he risen from the earth?” the comic begins, with illustrations showing Psy - in the suits he made famous in “Gangnam Style” and striking poses from his “Horse Riding Dance” descending from heaven and bursting through the earth. “It was the end of summer, 2012, when a littleknown Asian rapper put his music video on YouTube.

It exploded in popularity,” continues the 26-page tale,

from US publisher Bluewater Productions and South Korean firm “able”.

“His stubby build and dynamic stage presence caught people’s eyes. Psy’s not your typical pop star”.

In similarly breathless prose the comic covers the decade of Psy’s pre-Gangnam career in Korea, the origins of the video and the dance, and the fame that followed, including scenes of a delighted Psy teaching UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon his dance and performing for USPresident Barack Obama.

The comic, which also touches on the less happy parts of Psy’s past such as being charged with possession of marijuana in 2002, includes a guide that shows readers how to do Psy’s dance themselves. It ends with the release of Psy’s second video, “Gentleman”, last month. The video has racked up nearly 260 million YouTube hits after smashing the previous record of first-day views for songs, and hit fifth place on the Billboard Hot 100 last week.—Reuters

‘Australia’s Got Talent’ switches spices

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ne of Australia’s top-rated talent shows has a new spice mix. Geri Halliwell, known as Ginger Spice when she was part of the Spice Girls, has replaced former bandmate Melanie Brown, aka Scary Spice, as a judge on “Australia’s Got Talent”, broadcaster Channel Nine said yesterday. The switch comes after Australia’s Supreme Court blocked Brown’s appearance on the show, ruling she had breached her contract with the rival Seven Network when she attempted to defect to Nine. The court barred Brown from working for any other network until January 2014. Nine bought the rights to “Australia’s Got Talent” late last year after the program was dropped by Seven. “I think shows like this are brilliant and I love the opportunity they give to normal everyday people,” Halliwell said in a statement. —Reuters

Huckleberry sits on the throne after being crowned the winner of the 34th annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest in Des Moines, Iowa. The bulldog is owned by Steven and Stephanie Hein of Norwalk, Iowa. The pageant kicks off the Drake Relays festivities at Drake University where a bulldog is the mascot. —AP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

(Above) Carolina Brid smiles after being crowned Miss Panama 2013 in Panama City.

(Left) Contestants pose during the Miss Panama 2013 beauty pageant in Panama City, early Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

— AP photos

Review

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‘Iron Man 3’ loaded down by heavy metal

n the galaxy of big-screen superheros - a rather glum lot - Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man is the snappy one. He’s the sarcastic, motor-mouthed, preening, self-referential do-gooder, as opposed to all those self-serious crusaders.

No matter how much of a scrap heap of metal-twisting mayhem the franchise piles on (and it’s a lot), Downey’s sheer charm - his unsentimental, offhand yammering - is the only real super power in Marvel’s “Iron Man” trilogy.

“Iron Man 3” follows not just “Iron Man 2” but the boxoffice busting “The Avengers,” in which Tony Stark, a.k.a.

Iron Man, joined forces with other superheros. These global blockbusters are more produced than directed, but it’s nevertheless particularly fitting that Shane Black here inherits the helm from John Favreau, the director of the previous two. Black (the “Lethal Weapon” screenwriter) and Downey last teamed up (before Downey’s career had been fully resurrected) in the wonderfully zippy, deconstructed LA noir “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” “Iron Man 3” begins exactly the same, with Stark in a halting voiceover that he restarts and then gives up on, concluding: “Well, you know who I am.”

Black’s film, more than any other “Iron Man,” is stuffed with this self-aware, winking style. This includes loads of references to “The Avengers,” an experience from which Stark has developed panic attacks and sleep-depriving nightmares. Though the stated cause is the alien battle that concluded “The Avengers,” one suspects it could be Scarlett Johansson’s acting that haunts him.

He is pulled into a confrontation with a terrorist named Mandarin (a bearded Ben Kingsley), who, in hijacked broadcast transmissions, takes credit for public explosions that, in a movie such as this, chafe awkwardly in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. When reporters mob Stark for his response after an explosion puts his friend and

bodyguard (Favreau, looking happily unburdened) in the hospital, Stark swears vengeance and brazenly supplies his home address for a fight. You might think Superman would be the favorite of journalists everywhere, but I suspect it’s Iron Man. Ever since Stark declared his identity at the conclusion of the first “Iron Man,” he’s unique among his more secretive brethren: He’s the superhero who comments. When helicopter missiles collapse Stark’s Malibu estate into the sea, his companion Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is sep-

arated from him, and his damaged computer operator Jarvis (voiced in formal British by Paul Bettany in a manner not unlike the classic butler Jeeves) rockets Stark to Tennessee.

With a damaged suit and grasping at leads on the bombing, Stark has to rebuild himself, which he does with the help of a mop-headed, fatherless boy (an excellent Ty Simpkins). Tennessee isn’t an accidental landing spot, but a preprogrammed flight to a location where Stark begins to learn what’s behind the bombings. Downey and Simpkins

make a good team playing a kind of mock-Spielbergian pair, and it’s the best and most natural part of the movie.

There are good bad guys. Guy Pearce plays Aldrich Killian, an inventor turned military contractor who Stark haphazardly jilted back in his partying years. His connections to the terrorism aren’t immediately clear, but his rise comes from a kind of biological enhancement that makes its users nearly indestructible and, when really angry, breathe fire. The “Iron Man” films have always played in the world of the military industrial complex, one where the guys with the fancy weapons control the world more than politicians. Soldiers, and even terrorists, are merely pawns in a larger corporate battle.

But within “Iron Man 3” is a fight between screwball irony and blockbuster bombast. The script, by Black and Drew Pearce, contains the best dialogue of the series. But the wisecracking begins to feel suffocated under the weight of a whole lot of action, more Iron Man suit changes than Beyonce would even dare, and the lumbering machinations of a plot that closes in on a lengthy oil rig finale as if pulled by magnetic force.

This is the first “Iron Man” in 3-D, and the darkening effect is particularly disappointing for what’s been a brighthued franchise. The action scenes, too, are cut too quickly so that your eye often feels like it’s racing to catch up. The heavy metal action could never sink the irrepressible Downey, but it weighs down the otherwise light joy of “Iron Man 3.” “Iron Man 3,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content. Running time: 130 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. — AP

Jackson’s private life on display in civil trial

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urors in the civil case between Michael Jackson’s mother and concert giant AEG Live got another glimpse of the singer’s private life on Tuesday through the eyes of a paramedic who described the singer’s bedroom and the frantic efforts to revive the King of Pop on the day he died. Many other private moments from the singer’s life will be exposed as the case progresses over the next several months, with witnesses expected to testify about secret medical treatments, lavish spending and tender moments spent with his mother and children.

In the nearly four years since his death, nearly every aspect of Jackson’s life has been explored in court proceedings, documentaries, books and news stories. Still, the negligence case filed by his mother against AEG promises to deliver the most detailed account of the singer’s addiction struggles, including testimony from his ex-wife Debbie Rowe about treatments involving the anesthetic propofol dating back to the 1990s.

Jackson died from a propofol overdose in 2009 while preparing for a series of comeback concerts at AEG’s O2 Arena in London. Katherine Jackson contends AEG didn’t properly investigate the doctor who later administered the fatal dose. The company denies wrongdoing. During opening statements, attorneys framed Jackson’s prescription drug addiction through the prism of his superstar status.

Attorney Brian Panish, who represents Katherine Jackson, said the drug problems worsened when the pop star was under the stress of live performances.

AEG attorney Marvin S Putnam countered that Jackson’s stardom provided a cover to receive multiple, secret medical treatments, many involving propofol. At one point in the proceedings, the harsh

This file photo shows Pop superstar Michael Jackson performing during the halftime show at the Super Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. — AP

portrayal of Jackson’s struggle with addiction led one juror to lean forward and stare at the floor for several moments.

Katherine Jackson and two of the superstar’s children, Prince and Paris, are potential witnesses whose testimony would likely focus heavily on their grieving and losses. Panish played a song Jackson wrote for his children as a montage of photos played during opening statements. He also read a handwritten note from Jackson that his mother framed and has hanging on her wall.

“The only way you can assess damages, is to know what they had,” Panish told jurors Monday before reading the letter and playing “You Are My Life.”

Katherine Jackson dabbed her eyes with a tissue. On Tuesday, she left the courtroom while the paramedic described her son’s condition on the day he died. It may be several days before jurors get another look at Jackson’s softer side. The trial will also feature testimony about Jackson’s troubled finances, with debts that reached nearly $400 million by the time he died.

AEG contends the debts made him desperate to have a successful concert series.

“The private Michael Jackson was like a lot of Americans in the 2000s, spending a lot more than he was making,” Putnam told the jury after describing the singer’s lavish Neverland Ranch, his art collection and other spending.

A Los Angeles police detective who investigated Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, told jurors Tuesday the physician was more than $500,000 in debt and may have been motivated by a large payday for working with Jackson. Detective Orlando Martinez testified that he looked into Murray’s finances searching for a financial motive for his role in Jackson’s death and relied mostly on public records. He turned up that Murray’s Las Vegas home was in foreclosure proceedings, and Murray faced several liens for unpaid child support and other unpaid debts.

The searches led Martinez to conclude that Murray’s financial condition was “severely distressed.”

Martinez said that led him to believe Murray’s actions were motivated by the $150,000 a month he expected to be paid by AEG. “He may break the rules, bend the rules, do whatever he needed to do to get paid,” Martinez said. “It might solve his money problems.”

Murray’s finances were not a factor in the criminal case that ended with his 2011 conviction for administering a fatal dose of propofol to Jackson. Martinez also showed jurors photographs the various medications officers uncovered in Jackson’s bedroom, including several vials of propofol. With the start of testimony Tuesday, the panel was transported by paramedic Richard Senneff into the singer’s bedroom, a place he kept locked and where his propofol treatments were administered out of sight of everyone but Murray. —AP

This image shows Leslie Kritzer (left) and Catherine Cox, in a scene from the Transport Group production of the musical, ‘The Memory Show’. — AP

‘Memory Show’

is poignant musical on loss

T

he words “musical” and “Alzheimer’s disease” aren’t often used together. Yet Sara Cooper’s new work, “The Memory Show,” turns out to be a poignant, sophisticated and often humorous musical about dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. Cooper has written an emotionally layered story about the frustrating effects of the disease on both patient and caregiver, which opened Tuesday night off-Broadway, in a well-done Transport Group production at the Duke on 42nd Street.

Joe Calarco’s direction keeps the two actors moving naturally around the stage, and helps the audience figure out what year the Alzheimer’s patient may think it is. Calarco also connects the audience to the dark humor that Cooper finds even in despairing moments. The book and lyrics by Cooper are enveloped in moodily dissonant music by Zach Redler that reflects the mental confusion of dementia. That dissonance, combined with the way the lyrics are often spoken rather than sung, also mirrors how frequently upset the pair of characters can become with each other. Vadim Feichtner, who conducts a trio of musicians while playing the piano, provides subtle and effective musical direction.

The patient known only as Mother, (a brave performance by Catherine Cox) opens with a comical number about how annoying doctors can be, constantly asking her who the president is.

Then Daughter (Leslie Kritzer) lists the contents of her suitcase for the audience - mostly clothing - but concludes with, “and a sense of impending doom.” At age 31, she’s put her life on hold to move back home to care for her mother, and soon they’re arguing about who’s made the greater sacrifice. The characters are contentious, and both try to

persuade the audience to take their side, when they’re not arguing and getting on each other’s nerves in the way that only family can. Cox is slightly manic as Mother, who knows she’s forgetting things and often confused, but attributes it to “a calcium deficiency.” Yet Cox wears a hint of melancholy behind her gleeful smile, creating a complex portrayal of a woman who’s always been emotionally “difficult” and now finds her past disappearing during a very confusing present.

Kritzer is grounded and wry as the Daughter who patiently - at first - navigates the difficulties of caring for her confused yet combative mother. Kritzer becomes more openly irritable as her character wearies of her mother’s impaired thought processes and prickly barbs. Aside from a humorous but unnecessary number that Kritzer sings to the toilet she’s cleaning, Cooper is strikingly accurate and sensitive in her depiction of words and actions that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in a friend or relative. In the affecting song, “Memory Like an Elephant,”Cox sings “I can’t remember half the things I know I used to know.” At another time, Mother says reflectively, “It’s full of emptiness, this place.”

Brian Prather’s scenic design and Chris Lee’s lighting work harmoniously, especially when family photos lining a hallway light up, then fade away like Mother’s disappearing memories. In the metaphor-laden number “Apple and Tree,” Cooper provides a wrenching examination of how even a loving mother and daughter can remain embattled, with lines like, “ The closer two are/The more unforgiving/So we fight and we spar/That’s the cost of living.” — AP

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

lifestyle

Under the patronage of His Excellency

Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah

Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs

Student Art Competition under the slogan of

Kuwait Beautiful & Green 2013 concludes its activities

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Over 10,000 paintings from various schools in Kuwait were submitted to the Kuwait Times for the ‘2013 Art Competition’ organized by the Kuwait Times under this year’s theme, ‘Keep Kuwait Beautiful and Green’. Over 70 schools from both private and public elementary and high schools participated. The painting contest is being sponsored by Chevron, a Saudibased oil company, along with the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The awards ceremony will be held next week.

“Today’s younger generation needs to be made aware of our environment and how they can help save it from destruction, so we organized this contest under the patronage of Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHmoud Al-Sabah, the Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs,” announced Adnan Saad, the Kuwait Times art competition coordinator.

“The theme of this student art competition is ‘Keep Kuwait Beautiful and Green’, and is meant to raise the level of awareness among the younger generation, especially the importance of protecting the environment,” he added. Each student was provided with a special recyclable sheet of paper (70x90 pristol 240 gm) to draw on, bearing in mind that the subject of the contest was saving the environment, green lands and avoiding human destruction of plants. Paintings were submitted and examined by a panel of judges headed

by Abul Karim Al-Enezi, Svitlana Arndt, Abulazis Arti and Ellen Khabasi. “The judges were all professionallyinclined artists; people with integrity and with passion in the arts and with professional backgrounds,” Adnan noted. “We would like to thank all the schools that participated in the Student Art Competition. We are proud to say that more than 10,000 drawings were distributed to the schools and came back to us with draw-

ings,” Adnan mentioned. Judges were told to select 10 winners for each category and five from children with special needs. Their judging will be based on creativity, as well as the amount of effort and technique used in the drawings. Abul Karim Al-Enezi, the chairman of the board of judges noted, since selecting winners is their responsibility, the amount of time devoted to select the correct winners was considerable. “It took us at least two weeks to finally select the best. We dedicated lots of our time to study and deliberate to select the best paintings. First we selected the best 50, then reduced that to 25, and then 10,” he added. A psychologist by profession and a member of the Kuwait Art Association, Al-Enezi said choosing a winner is difficult, especially if there are thousands of talented students.

“However, if you know and understand the basic principles of painting, judging can be fun and easy. What we are looking for in the paintings are basics pertaining to the theme. The paintings must be about Kuwait, include something about our heritage, green environment and something beautiful. If the drawings contain the things I mentioned, then it could be the winner,” he said. “In fact, we found the winner and we all agreed

that he or she deserved to be the winner amongst thousands submitted,” he said. The challenge, though, was to solve the mystery behind some beautiful paintings that had been submitted. “We received paintings that are so wonderfully created, I would say maybe they are works by professional artists. If we feel that they are not the work of a nine-year old or ten-year old child, we set them aside. Your heart will simply tell the truth. We don’t allow any help from professionals, meaning from parents or from teachers. They can suggest ideas but we discourage parents or professionals from touching their children’s work. Now, there are geniuses though. And in order to confirm or determine their credibility we call them out; we ask parents. We ask teachers. We feel it,” he noted.

A psychologist by profession, Al-Enezi advises children with artistic talents to seek professionals to educate them. “Take drawing courses. Get the training necessary, get more ideas from other people around you,” he advised. Al-Enezi is the current president and chairman of the Kuwait Advertising Union and a member of the Kuwait Journalist Association. He also run his own business in Cairo involved in the production of cartoon

animations. Svitlana Arndt, from Ukraine, another member of the panel of judges, told Kuwait Times that having been part of the panel of judges was a pleasure.

“I see talent thriving in Kuwait. Paintings which we noticed here were all beautiful and I was privileged to see them all with my own eyes. They are quite fantastic drawings and they deserved recognition,” she said.

Svitlana, who graduated from Kiev Pedagogical State University as a Methodologist who specialized in teaching teachers, said participants in the contest were able to remarkably demonstrate and put their ideas onto the paper provided by Kuwait Times. “To balance the colors, the techniques and ideas inside the frame provided by Kuwait Times is quite amazing. Now, an artist is an artist, they have their own instincts about placing things or adding elements in the drawings.

But what I see is their own identity, their creativity and individuality in the drawing,” she said.

Participants of the 2013 Art Competition have been divided into three categories: Elementary (6-8 years and 9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Secondary (15-17 years) and those with special needs. Valuable prizes await winners and at least 10 runners-up in each category. The top five will be given a plaque and valuable prizes, while the remaining five runners-up will receive a certificate and prizes. Participating schools and their art teachers received their official entry sheets and each student selected an environmental subject to paint. The objective is to create awareness about the importance of Kuwait’s fragile environment.

Through the student community, it is hoped that Kuwait’s population could be made more aware of national environmental issues.

Note: The paintings featured here are not necessarily those of the winners.

‘Iron Man 3’ loaded down by heavy metal

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

38

Lahore Fashion Week

Pakistani models present creations by various designers during Lahore Fashion Week, in Lahore, Pakistan.

— AP/AFP photos

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh reopens after facelift A

msterdam’s Van Gogh Museum reopened its doors to the public yesterday with a stunning new display of some of the Dutch master’s greatest works, completing a trio of renovations of the city’s most famous museums. The hanging of Van Gogh’s final 1887-88 “Selfportrait as a painter” moments before reopening to the public was the last task after a seven-month multi-million euro (dollar) facelift. “From today, visitors will be able to view the new exhibition that displays Van Gogh as if they (visitors) were watching over his shoulder” as he painted, museum director Axel Rueger told AFP. “It really shows how Van Gogh developed as an artist and vistors can get into the ‘nitty-gritty’ of his methods in the new exhibition,” he said. The Van Gogh Museum closed its doors for renovations in September last year and some 75 of Van Gogh’s works moved to the Hermitage in Amsterdam, where they attracted some 665,000 visitors. “With the reopening of our museum they’ve come home,” said Rueger. The exhibition also vaunts its hanging of the museum’s own painting from the famous “Sunflowers” series next to one from the same series on loan from London’s National Gallery, for the next three months.

Together with a third painting, “Woman rocking a cra-

dle”, the arrangement is the one said to be favoured by Vincent van Gogh himself. Visitors can now study the artist’s methods in depth, including by peeping through microscopes at some of his canvasses to examine strokes and paint selections. “You will be able to see the hidden treasures on some of the paintings, for instance where Van Gogh painted one painting over another,” Marije Vellekoop, head of collections, research and presentation told AFP. Visitors can also see how restorers worked painstakingly for the last eight years to bring the new exhibition to life. The Van Gogh Museum is located on Amsterdam’s historic Museumplein where many other Dutch art treasures like Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” can also be found at the recently reopened Rijksmuseum. The Van Gogh museum features 200 works, 140 by the Dutch master himself and the rest by contemporary painters.

They include other iconic works such as “The bedroom”, the colourful “Irises”, “The Potato Eaters” and the ominous “Cornfield with crows.” Some of the early visitors on Wednesday-the first of some 1.2 million expected over the next year-were Stellian Ciulacu, 65, and his wife Lucia, 64, from Bucharest. “It’s fantastic that they are back,” Stellian Ciulacu said as he scrutinised the newly-hung “Self-por-

trait”, with his wife taking pictures. “I paint as a hobby and can learn so much from this.”

“I think Van Gogh’s very accessable style is what really appeals to people,” added another early-bird enthusiast Tom Rounds, 31, from London. The Van Gogh Museum is the last of Amsterdam’s three major museums to reopen its doors after extensive refurbishments, underlining the Dutch capital’s status as a top art destination.

Rueger said renovations totalled some 21 million euros (28 million dollars) which were funded party by the museum and partly by the Dutch state.

Earlier this month Dutch queen Beatrix, now Princess Beatrix, reopened the Rijksmuseum to fanfare and fireworks after a decade of refurbishment, while the Stedelijk modern art Museum reopened late last year after a nineyear renovation.

The former queen abdicated Tuesday in favour of her son, Willem-Alexander, and reopening the Rijksmuseum was one of her final jobs as monarch. “We did not expect queen Beatrix’s abdication when we announced the date of own reopening last year. But yes, for us it is of course an added bonus that it was yesterday,” Rueger said with a laugh, referring to the almost one million visitors who The famous painting ‘Sunflowers’ of painter Vincent Van Gogh is back attended the new king’s enthronement. — AFP at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. — AFP