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Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Kuwait’s my business

What’s Kuwait missing - The list

Local Spotlight

Traffic deportation: Get real!

By John P Hayes

By Muna Al-Fuzai local@kuwaittimes.net

“W

hich franchise would you bring to Kuwait?” That’s the question I’m asked most often by people who want to buy franchises. “What’s missing in our market?” people want to know. My list is too long for this column, so here’s my short list.

Dairy Queen.

It was here years ago and failed. But it didn’t fail because consumers disliked the product. It failed due to poor management. This market thrives on frozen yogurt and ice cream - so why not frozen custard? It’s low in fat and calories and it’s been one of the most satisfying treats in America since the 1950s. I got hooked to DQ as a child, and wherever I go in the world today, I look for that brand. When I discovered DQ in Oman a few months ago, I was almost moved!

Kuwait needs DQ, but it will take some convincing to bring it here again because the DQ folks are wary of the market. Surely there’s a convincing management team that would do well with this brand.

ANOTHER BURGER FRANCHISE? For a country that’s crazy about burgers, why not Wendy’s? That brand also was here years ago, and failed, but not because of the product. A savvy management team could quickly build multiple units in Kuwait and own a profitable business. By the way, Wendy’s frozen dessert is called the Frosty. When I can’t find a DQ, I look for Wendy’s! I rarely eat hamburgers, but I enjoy Wendy’s chili and salads. Smoothie King. It’s good for the diet, or so they say. I like Smoothie King’s fresh blended fruit and protein based smoothies.

The franchise requires small units that could easily pop up across Kuwait.

YOU LIKE WINGS? Who doesn’t like chicken wings? That’s why Kuwait needs Wingstop. This hugely successful American brand would like to develop in Kuwait, and throughout the Middle East, and the right management team can grab this opportunity. Wingstop prepares chicken wings in 10 different flavors - I’m hungry right now for Lemon Pepper, or Jersey Mike’s! People in New Jersey know good food, and that’s where this sub sandwich franchise began in the late 1950s. It’s not the largest sub franchise, but it’s one of the oldest, and

it has an extraordinary taste profile. I like it because the meats are always fresh, not stored, and sliced in front of you.

NON-FOOD FRANCHISES Lest you think I think Kuwait only needs more food franchises, think again. Here are some non-food franchises that ought to be in Kuwait. With the number of events that occur daily in Kuwait, there’s demand for Plan Ahead Events, which specializes in meeting and event management, but also includes trade shows, exhibitions and incentive travel. It’s a low-cost franchise that doesn’t require a storefront. There are numerous business coaching franchises including Action Coach, Executive Forums, and The Alternative Board. For people who like to sell and influence others, business coaching is profitable and satisfying. And we need more of it in Kuwait.

TEACH KIDS ENGINEERING As engineering continues to trend in Kuwait, Bricks 4 Kidz might be a perfect match. This franchise teaches principles of engineering to kids between the ages of three and 13 using LEGO bricks. Other children’s educational franchises would work here, too, including Drama Kids International, Computer Tots, and Sylvan Learning, one of America’s leading educational franchises.

Many local businesses are looking for branding opportunities using products of all types from coffee cups to t-shirts to umbrellas.

Those businesses could use EmbroidMe, another well-established American brand with international locations - perhaps eventually to include Kuwait. The list goes on, but enough for now. Actually, I don’t really like the question all that much because what I think Kuwait needs doesn’t necessarily matter. If you’re going to buy a franchise it’s most important to know if you’re a good fit for franchising and most people are not. In a future column I’ll tell you why.

Dr John P Hayes wrote the first book about how to buy a franchise in 1986 and since then has worked with more than 100 franchised brands internationally. He is the Head of Business Administration at GUST where he teaches marketing. Contact Dr Hayes at questions@hayesworldwide.com, or via Twitter @drjohnhayes.

muna@kuwaittimes.net

W

hen I first read about it, thinking of it as just a news item, I thought it was a joke. I honestly did not know if it was true or false. I have not seen or read any document to ascertain whether this piece of information was anything else, except what had appeared in the newspapers. So if any one has any additional information, please feel free to share. Now, today I really want to discuss this idea which I have never seen in any other country. Does any other country do this?

I don’t think I know of any. I keep wondering who is making all this calls, and why. If there is indeed any need to reduce the number of expats here, then this is not the right way to do it. If this country doesn’t want more expats, then better not let them come in the first place.

Don’t give them residency and work permit instead of keeping an eye on them and catching them and forcing them to leave, all because someone committed a traffic violation which could be a minor offence. Don’t humiliate people because they are expats. You have enough rules already for people of various nationalities. I personally don’t see how these ideas can be justified. How can such an idea be even sensible or logical?

Any law that ordains to deport expats for traffic violations is the most unjustified law. If anyone threatens someone’s life or causes death, I can understand that that person will have to go to jail and then deported. However, using traffic violations as an excuse for deporting people is something I cannot make my peace with. If any of us were to and stay in a country and were to be caught for committing a traffic violation, and the authorities were to sent us back home on that account, we would call it a most unfair act. Then why don’t we see the situation in case of others similarly? How are we any better? I hope that this was just a piece of false news, meant only to elicit people’s comments. It just can’t be true.

In my view

Not in Kuwait

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

W

hen I see the main headlines in the newspapers, including those about electricity power cuts, deportation of a million expats in 10 years, the jumbo sized mistake with Dow Chemicals, huge delays in plans to make Kuwait green ever since the times of late Sheikh Jabber Al Ahmad Al Sabbah, expats facing problems with residency permits, choc-abloc parking spaces near complexes, I go numb sometimes. My entire thinking process comes to a grinding halt. I am just too overwhelmed.

Definitely, we all have an image of a Kuwait evolving into a better and more developed country. We all think one day it will be more advanced and there will be no daily difficulties that cause stress. I know the public

sector is all about controlling the services and state’s affairs concerning the citizens, the expats and the country. These include public health, defense, interior communications and education etc. I really do not want to be negative but it is just that first we must stick to promote effective measures against corruption. Only then will we be considered a country to reckon with.

We cannot just keep talking about corruption and visa problems. We also need to remember that public happiness is fading away, something that is underlined by the fact that citizens take a flight to run away on any holiday, even if it is a national day. Also, the expats have increasing concerns when they see or hear about any sudden decisions that disturb them when they

plan to live and stay in this preferred home away from home.

The public happiness must be a priority. I will feel happy as a citizen and as an expat if I am emotionally feeling good, and not disturbed. I must feel positive and satisfied at being in Kuwait. I want to tell myself that I made a good choice in my life. It is about coming back with a smile, not feeling sick or an unwanted burden. All kinds of monitoring and record keeping must be aimed towards this end. Moreover, we must make sure that such happiness is for real and not faked or transient.

Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

In my view

Jolie good decision

By Priyanka Saligram

priyankasaligram@kuwaittimes.net

A

ngelina Jolie is always in the news for usually all the right reasons - unlike a Lohan or Kardashian. And this time she really, like really, has become an icon for inspiration. Jolie wrote a brutally honest op-ed in the New York Times called ‘My Medical Choice’, and revealed that she underwent a double mastectomy (removal of tissues from both the breasts) to prevent breast cancer. She candidly spoke of losing her mother at the age of 56 and always had to explain to her kids in the best possible way that they weren’t going to lose her. But that was before she got tested and came to know that she had inherited a faulty gene. Doctors estimated that she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

This was the point she decided to take things into her own hands and opt for the preventative surgery. Now after the surgery, the risk has been slashed to 5 percent and she can get a good night’s sleep. Breast cancer alone kills 458,000 people each year, according the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. But tell that to the birds. We live in a world where looks are pretty much everything in life. If you aren’t born gorgeous, no sweat.

That’s what plastic surgeons are around for.

Who has the time or the patience to focus on health and fitness when all it takes is a simple lipo or silicone implants to go from flab to fab? Hollywood and almost every film industry - or any industry that caters to glamour - has a reputation for selling movie-star good-looks to the Average Joe, or should I say Jane? While some are born with great genes, the rest of them believe that the only way to get noticed or be successful and get ahead in life is by buying a new nose or a bigger rack or a smaller waistline.

This wasn’t the case a decade ago. People - I like to believe - had more integrity. More attention was paid to personality, skills, intelligence, commitment and other big words. The world wasn’t brainwashed into paying attention to magazine-cover looks on a daily basis. People weren’t banking solely on their physical appearance to sell themselves - unless of course, they were working in the oldest profession in the world, but then again, that’s a different matter altogether.

At a point in time where health has taken a backseat and there’s more focus on getting our bodies altered to look like somebody else’s, it’s extremely refreshing to see someone as iconic as Angelina Jolie speak about her decision to prevent cancer by getting her breast tissues removed. It’s easily the most treasured feature of a woman’s body but Jolie said “I do not feel any less of a woman; I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my feminity”.

One would have expected someone of her stature to be more paranoid about safeguarding their image as one of the sexiest women in the world. For heaven’s sake, thousands of women are climbing over each other every day to get that coveted title by getting every centimeter of their bodies altered - probably to the extent where if they die a gruesome death, nobody would be able to recognize them, not even by their dental records, since in all likelihood, that’s also fake.

Miss Jolie, you may be an actress, a director, UN ambassador, a philanthropist and a hundred other things. But all that’s secondary. First, you’re a woman and then a mother.

Your decision to undergo the surgery will convince other women in the world to focus on health first and beauty next.

More importantly, it’s a rude awakener that any woman could be susceptible to cancer. The only weapon here is awareness.

Getting tested for genetic probability of any cancer - breast, uterine, or ovarian - and then doing the right thing by keeping the family and loved ones in mind, is a good lesson to take away here.

Her bravery will save many lives.

MORNING NIGHTMARE: A traffic jam in Salmiya during school hours as parents stop along the road to drop their kids.

— Photo by Yasser AlZayyat

Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

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Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Which insurance covers a misplaced nose?

By Nawara Fattahova

H

ave you seen the after-image of a woman who has undergone plastic surgery that has misplaced her nose terribly? Well, that happens when the doctor performing the operation is not an expert and the patient very often needs a follow-up operation, which could be costly. Who foots the bill in such cases? There have been cases of surgeries going wrong and causing irreversible damage

and insurance companies shy away from taking any part of it.

Ahmad, who works with a popular insurance company in Kuwait, says that no company in Kuwait or abroad covers plastic surgeries.

According to him, health insurance only covers necessary health treatment, and plastic surgery is not considered a serious health problem which the patient needs. He said, “Even if the plastic surgery was connected to health problems, such as some weight loss surgeries to

address obesity, it is still not covered. Even the plastic surgeries that are needed after serious accidents are not covered.”

Attorney Labeed Abdal advised patients to always choose a well-known doctor with a good reputation to avoid any potential complications. “The plastic surgery must be a decision made after a full review of the operation that the patient will go through. The patient should consider the qualifications of the surgeon, whether he is professionally licensed, and not to opt for the cheapest clinic,” he told the Kuwait Times yesterday.

“Insurance is one of the factors that can help avoid any professional negligence which sometimes may take place during the surgery or

the recovery period if proper procedures are not done,” he added.

He also said plastic surgery options were available locally and in neighboring markets at a cheaper price but these could be very dangerous for the patients. “Any professional, or rather unprofessional mistakes, in carrying out these procedures may affect any part of the body instead of producing the desired result, and could become a reason for misery after surgery.

While making a choice, people must remember that are not in a zoo and if they want to look beautiful, there is no option except going to the right doctor,” explained Labeed. Insurance is definitely a must. “Insurance will help those individuals who undergo an operation that could lead to suffering or could be associated with terrible surgery that can leave ruined their faces, bodies, or hair. An insurance decision that has to be in favor of the patient in case anything was to go terribly wrong or negative,” he concluded.

Getting fit in Kuwait

By Catherine Joanna

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ou may have noticed the surge in the opportunities for sports granted to women lately. With the recent launch of sports leagues for women in basketball and table tennis, and clubs offering training for women in football, Kuwait is indeed demonstrating how the position of women is improving and there are more prospects emerging for women.

“We are taking baby steps towards progress,” Sheikha Naima AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the chairwoman of the Kuwait Women Sports Federation, said in a recent statement to the media. “As with any society that is religiously strict, we need to test the waters and take small steps. Everyone in Kuwait now values sports. You see people walking and jogging every day. There is this increasing interest in sports in general.”

I have always fancied prioritizing and programming my daily schedule to slip in a few hours of physical sport and fitness every day. In fact, a recent discussion with friends revealed that women of all ages and backgrounds in Kuwait have constantly aspired to involve in sports leagues and other programs that promote sports activities. However, they find many impediments in accomplishing this.

As women, we juggle a lot of things, having to handle household jobs, family relationships, timings and work-load at the office or other institutions and social life. Consequently, taking care of one’s physical health usually takes the backseat. Besides, women are generally dissuaded from participating in sporting activities most likely due to the patriarchal tradition in Kuwait. One way that women can find time to fit in a few hours of exercise is by programming our priorities. Create a schedule that generates plenty of time for all your chores and alter it in such a way to fit in a few hours for physical activity.

The peak traffic hours naturally do not merge well into the daily lives of anyone, let alone working women. Neither do the location of the sports clubs or the “unpredictability factor” that is very prominent in Kuwaiti culture. It is hardly uncommon to suddenly cancel an appointment or postpone an event or take a rain-check. The lifestyle in Kuwait invariably demands flexible timings.

Additionally, women are also limited by stringent rules when it comes to their outfit, so they cannot be seen by men while exercising in sweat pants. The inflexible, rigid hardliners therefore demote sports as they feel that it may advocate immoral behavior and uniforms inappropriately revealing female bodies. We need to defend our causes and promote them vigorously to achieve better opportunities for women.

Kuwait provides various sports facilities through the Kuwait Women’s Sports Association. Also, there are several gyms, clubs and fitness studios that promote aerobics and other workouts. These are spread out across the country and make available different hours of the day exclusively for women. There also are various Yoga and meditation clubs open around Kuwait, as well as teams that practice Yoga outdoors, early in the morning. There also are various clubs that offer other forms of sports such as martial arts, and pilates. However, the most accessible form of exercise is an early morning jog.

There is a major change in trend regarding the participation of women in fitness. It is now taken very seriously and while heading out for an early morning jog, I find that it is very common to notice working women, plugged into music, on their way to a gym or involving themselves in intense cardio work outs. This is a very encouraging sight and today’s society should support sport activities for women and evolve into a society that is more pro-women. We can spread awareness about the importance of physical exercise by setting up neighborhood watches and discussions about creating more opportunities for women.

Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Woodworking businesses bend to readymade products

By Ben Garcia

try as a place where all traditions thrive, more the old to modern.

Having been in the business for more than a decade in Kuwait, he knows the taste of Kuwaitis when it comes to furniture. “I have been in this company for 16 years and I know the job well. I know what our customers want,” said Aaalam. “Some Kuwaitis have a sophisticated taste when it comes to furniture. They want a touch of tradition, so we usually mix the modern and the traditional designs,” he added. His company deals only with designs and giving these finishing touches. The paint job and burnishing of the furniture is done at another woodworking shop.

“What we do is design and assembling of furniture only. For adding the finishing touches such as paint and burnishing, we give out the work to another shop. We only have a license to assemble and do the design work, and stick to that because it is a lot of hard work,” he admitted. By definition, woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood. Wood that is used in this furniture business is as per the cus-

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our chairs, cabinets and beds could be from this woodworking company in Shuwaikh. They make furniture customized as per your wishes. If want a personalized design, all you need to do is to show a model or a picture of the kind of furniture you want, and they will make it for you. They only need photographs or samples of design on the basis of which they mould the piece of furniture. An artist draws the design on a piece of cardboard and carving experts then bring it to reality using a specific kind of wood as per your preference.

The products are readied in a few days’ time, depending on the quantity of your orders. Now, wood is not easily obtainable in Kuwait. It is imported from Europe, South East Asia or even from as far as the Americas.

Mohammad Musrhid Aalam, a woodworking expert at the Al-Jazira Golden Furniture in Shuwiakh, spoke about the state of woodworking business in Kuwait currently, notwithstanding the growing competition in the readymade furniture business. Aaalam admitted that the woodworking business in Kuwait suffered because of the rising demand for readymade products.

“We are not only flooded with readymade products but also with companies dealing in furniture. Dajeej is not the only place to buy furniture. Now one has hundreds of places where people can buy furniture of their choice. Often, this furniture is even cheaper than the rates at which we offer the same,” he admitted. Dajeej is located in Farwaniya, a few kilometers meters away from the airport.

It is home to several companies that sell readymade furniture, from sofas, to beds to chairs and tables.

“Daleej was once home of readymade furniture products, but nowadays there are several companies that sell furniture such as Ikea, Home Center, The One, Midas, which are taking away much of our business. Earlier, these companies’ furniture could not be found in Kuwait. So, the indigenously run businesses, not only mine but many woodworking businesses, were very lucrative, but not anymore,” he disclosed. However, businesses as his company’s are still surviving, thanks to few Kuwaitis who want their coun-

tomer’s request. The type of wood you choose determines the beauty and strength of the finished product.

Many varieties of wood are available, and each has its own properties. “Mostly Kuwaitis like mahogany, cherry, cedar and fir. These are hard woods and that is why these are preferred,” he added. Traditionally, Kuwaitis replace furniture at least once every two years, but those who are wealthy replace their furniture every year. The discarded furniture pieces land up in the Friday market.

“That is why, you can buy a recycled piece of furniture in Kuwait easily and at reasonable rates, all thanks to the tradition of changing their entire household setting every year,” he added.

— Photos by Ben Garcia

Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Abu Ghaith’s lawyer could end up in jail NEW YORK: Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law has hired a new lawyer to defend him in the trial he faces in the United States, and the appointment stirred some controversy in the court on Wednesday. Suleiman Abu Ghaith, who appeared in a video September 12, 2001 with the Al-Qaeda leader claiming responsibility for the deadly 9/11 strikes on US targets, is accused of conspiring to kill Americans. He has pleaded not guilty. Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan set a January 7, 2014 date to start his trial. The 47-year-old Kuwaiti could be sentenced to life in prison if he is convicted.

Meanwhile, a US judge has warned Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law that a lawyer he hired to represent him on charges he conspired to kill Americans could end up in prison himself.

US District Judge Lewis A Kaplan told Sulaiman Abu Ghaith that he could cause himself problems by choosing attorney Stanley Cohen to defend him against charges that he conspired against Americans in his role as Al-Qaeda’s chief spokesman. Cohen was indicted last year in Syracuse, New York, on federal charges that he failed to file individual and corporate tax returns between 2005 and 2010 and committed other tax-related violations. A federal prosecutor in Manhattan told Kaplan that additional charges may be filed against Cohen.

Kaplan asked Abu Ghaith a series of questions designed to make sure the 47 year-old defendant understood the hazards of rejecting three public defenders to have Cohen and another attorney represent him. The judge said he wanted to make clear to Abu Ghaith that Cohen “has interests that are potentially in conflict with your own.” He also told him it was “quite possibly ill advised” for a defendant to proceed with an attorney who faces criminal charges himself, and he noted that Cohen might not be able to obtain security clearance from the government to view classified materials necessary to prepare for trial.

Abu Ghaith insisted he wanted Cohen to represent him after his brother in Kuwait hired the veteran civil rights attorney. “I understood he’s very enthusiastic about this case,” Abu Ghaith told Kaplan. “I thank you very much but I’ve made my decision.” The judge set a hearing for next week to further explore the legal issue. He told the government to submit legal papers explaining its position on whether Abu Ghaith can be represented by Cohen and whether his understanding of his rights was sufficient to switch lawyers. Abu Ghaith has pleaded not guilty to charges that he urged the death of Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Prosecutors say evidence against Abu Ghaith includes a widely circulated video of him in early October 2001 sitting with bin Laden and current Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri and another in which he calls on every Muslim to join the fight against the United States, declaring that “jihad is a duty.” —Agencies

41 nations participate in Hormuz maneuvers US-led navies press Gulf maneuvers amid Iran tensions ABOARD USS PONCE: Divers leap from a helicopter into the Gulf’s choppy waters to destroy a mine, while a US marine fires at a floating target, as forces from 41 countries gathered for naval maneuvers facing Iran’s shores. The mine-sweeping exercise is being held close to the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic mouth of the Gulf that Iran has repeatedly threatened to block if attacked over its disputed nuclear program.

The US Navy’s 5th fleet invited a group of journalists to attend part of the 25-day exercises which conclude on May 30. This operation is “purely defensive” and targets no particular country, said Vice-Admiral John Miller, commander of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. But Tehran warned against “provocations” last week as the US-led forces prepared for the exercise in the Gulf.

“All those present must be careful not to carry out provocative actions,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast. A total of 35 ships are in the Gulf for the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX), including the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport that has been modified to act as a floating base for mine-sweeping operations.

Also present are the USS Ardent, a mine countermeasures ship, Britain’s RFA Cardigan Bay landing ship, 18 Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and 6,500 naval personnel. During the exercise, divers scaled down ropes from Seahawk helicopters near floating mines, stuck explosives to the devices and detonated them remotely.

For underwater mines, the UUVs, remotely controlled from the “war room” aboard the USS Ponce, were sent to place an explosive device next to the

ARABIAN SEA: US Navy personnel check a Blackhawk helicopter as it sits on the deck of USS Ponce, an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB), somewhere in the Arabian Sea on the second day of the biggest mine countermeasures exercise in the Arabian Gulf. — AFP mine to take it out. IMCMEX “is about increasing our capabilities working with our international partners... A defensive exercise in nature,” said Lieutenant Commander Peter Abbott aboard USS Ardent.

He said that in addition to mine countermeasures, the exercise this year included maritime infrastructure protection, as well as protection for oil platforms in the Gulf.

Alongside the US navy, forces from Britain, France and Germany and several Arab countries are taking part. “For this exercise, the French presence is more important than last year,” said Captain Frederic Benon, adding that the French navy sent a ship and divers for the manoeuvres. Abbott stressed the need

for the exercise by pointing out that waterways should be protected from attempts to block maritime traffic. The task is particularly significant in the case of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of global oil shipped by sea passes.

“International Waters need to remain open,” Abbott said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is tasked with blocking the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a conflict, but has never been called upon to do it. But in an apparent response to the exercise, Iran launched its own mine-sweeping exercise east of the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman, state Fars news agency said last week, adding that Iranian naval forces unveiled a “modern anti-mine” system. — AFP

Kuwait showcases its IT experience GENEVA: Kuwait’s experience and success in the sector of information technology were promoted at an exhibition of the World Summit Information Society where the Kuwaiti pavilion attracted a large number of visitors. Nadia Abul-Aziz Al-Suraye’, in charge of the administrative affairs and human resources of the Central Agency for Information Technology, said in a statement to KUNA that the national section at the fair “succeeded in presenting Kuwait’s experience and level of catching up with tremendous development in the realms of information technology and communications, not only at the local and Gulf levels, but also at the international level.”

Kuwaiti personnel have succeeded not only in masterminding operation of rapidly developing technologies and applications but also employing them for equally serving the state and citizens, as well in making some innovations in the field, said Al-Suraye’. Visitors of the Kuwaiti pavilion at the exhibition were briefed about the national advancement in employment of modern IT technologies, she said, affirming necessity of involvement in such international events to add to the national experience in the sector.

Kuwait had won award by the international event for top electronic personnel recruitment. — KUNA

25th Raft Race kicks off KUWAIT: Kuwait’s 25th Raft Race kicks off today at 2:30 pm, the marketing manager At Al-Jazeera Recreational Projects Co Mohammed Al-Enezi said, noting that

this year’s race would be special due to the participation of a large number of sponsors and good preparations.

Al-Enezi added that the famous pro-

gram presenter, Mustafa Al-Najjar would comment on the race in addition to DJ, songs, TV coverage by KTV and other channels.

Local FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Kuwait bars expats from morning treatment Activists slam Kuwait ‘racist’ move KUWAIT: Kuwait is to bar foreigners from attending public hospitals in the mornings, local media reported yesterday, in a decision activists labeled as “racist”. The decision comes after complaints in parliament of Kuwaiti patients having to wait for treatment at public health facilities because of the large number of expatriates. Health Minister Mohammad Al-Haifi, who is also a sur-

geon, ordered that the outpatient clinics at the public hospital in Jahra, west of Kuwait City, will only receive Kuwaiti patients in the morning from June 1.

Foreign residents will be able to receive treatment in the evenings, said the decision published in Kuwaiti media yesterday. Kuwait is home to 2.6 million foreigners, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Egypt and

Syria, and 1.2 million native Kuwaitis.

The new system will be applied at the clinics at Jahra hospital for six months on a “trial basis before its application at other (government) hospitals”.

Kuwait provides free medical services to citizens but expats must pay an annual fee of $175 each besides paying reduced charges for certain procedures like x-ray.

Activists in the oil-rich Gulf state condemned the move, and opposition lawyer and writer Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem described it as “racial segregation” on Twitter.

Similar restrictions are in place at other government agencies such as the traffic department, which handles applications from Kuwaitis only in the morning. — AFP

Kuwait Airways to buy 25 jets, inks deal with Airbus Airbus favored over Boeing due to price

By Nawara Fattahova and agencies

KUWAIT: Doctors perform rare cardiac surgeries at Adan hospital

Adan Hospital using new approach to heart surgery KUWAIT: A team of surgeons from Adan Hospital have just operated on five heart patients using valve-replacement methods in Kuwait, said the hospital director Dr Marzouq Al-Azmi yesterday. He said the heart valve replacements had not been done in Kuwait before, noting that these replacements work just as well as natural ones the patients were born with. Assisting in the five operations was head of heart operations in Canada’s McGill University.

Adan hospital has recently opened its car-

diac surgery unit with assistance from the Canadian university, said Dr Al-Azmi, adding that the hospital is currently adopting a new procedure in receiving urgent medical cases, where the seriousness of a case determines its attention by physicians on duty not its position in the cue line as was the practice previously. While he decried the unavoidability of having crowded emergency rooms at hospitals worldwide, he said he was doing his best at Adan to alleviate crowdedness at its emergency services. —KUNA

Rights group blasts Kuwait proposed tough media law KUWAIT: Human Rights Watch said yesterday a proposed media law by Kuwait would increase state control and curtail the right to free speech, as authorities suspended a popular talk show program on a pro-opposition television channel. The draft law breaches international standards protecting free speech as it would give the information ministry excessive power, the New York-based HRW said in a statement.

The draft legislation, which proposes a 10year jail term on religious offences and a fine of over $1 million for offending the ruler, was approved by the cabinet last month but was later frozen by the prime minister to allow further consultation. “Any press law should promote free speech and the free flow of informa-

tion so essential to any democratic society, not throttle reporting and debate,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW said.

“The government should use the consultation period the prime minister announced to radically revise the draft and transform it into a law that protects and promotes free speech,” she said. The government’s submission of the draft law came during a crackdown on free speech, HRW said. In recent months, the government has prosecuted opposition politicians, online activists and journalists on charges such as “offending the emir.”HRW’s criticism came as the information ministry suspended a popular program titled “Talk Shawk” presented by opposition journalist Mohammad Al-Washeehi on Al-Youm satellite channel. —AFP

KUWAIT: State-owned Kuwait Airways said it had signed an initial agreement with Airbus to buy 25 new aircraft and take an option on 10 more in the biggest overhaul of its fleet since the 1990 Iraqi invasion. The order for the new planes would include 15 A320neo narrowbody jets and 10 of Airbus’s new A350-900 XWB, Chairman Sami Al-Nisf told a news conference yesterday.

“We signed a letter of acceptance with Airbus,” he said, adding that this was the step before signing a memorandum of understanding with Airbus within the next couple of weeks. He declined to give a value for the order. The airline expects Airbus, owned by aerospace and defense group EADS, to start delivering the aircraft in 2019.

A source said on Monday that Kuwait Airways would pay around 850 million dinars ($2.98 billion) for 25 new planes. Such an order would be worth $4.38 billion at list prices, but aircraft are often sold at a discount.

The airline judged Airbus’s offer the most attractive based on price and technical specifications in a tender that included Boeing and Bombardier, the source said. The airline wants to take out of service 11 jets from its old fleet of 17, in which the planes’ average age is 18 years. The options are for five more A320neo and five more A350-900 XWB, Nisf said. He added that under the deal, which has government approval, the airline would also lease a further 22 Airbus jets.

The company is in talks with local and international banks for part of the financing.

Airbus is confident the A350, Europe’s response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, can make its maiden flight in the summer, it said earlier this week. The Kuwait Airways order comes months after the Gulf Arab state was awarded $500 million by Iraqi Airways for damage caused when former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces seized aircraft and parts, ending a two-decade row over compensation.

Meanwhile, MP Saad Al-Bous has accused the KAC of buying aircrafts at a price far expensive than the market price. The Board of Directors of the KAC held a press conference yesterday at the KAC premises to clarify the incorrect statements made by Al-Bous.

“Al-Bous claimed that the KAC is buying Airbus 340 for KD 60 million while the market price is KD 42.300 million, and Airbus 320 for KD 16.5 million while it should cost KD 14.9 million. However, these figures are not correct as the KAC bought the A340 for KD

40 million and the A320 for KD 12 million,” Sami Al-Nasif, Chairman of the KAC, said at the conference.

The reason behind this accusation may be personal. “The company owned by MP AlBous, in which he is the GM, had previously submitted an offer to sell and rent aircrafts for the KAC. After reviewing the offer, the expert committee felt the price quoted by him was much higher than the market price.

Also, the KAC decided to deal directly with the factory producing airplanes, which provided the best price, quality, and other packages including training the staff and maintenance services, among others,” added AlNasif.

The KAC signed a letter of acceptance with Airbus to buy a new fleet of different airplanes. “According to the agreement, KAC will buy 25 new aircrafts including 15 A320 NEO and 10 A350 XWB, in addition to 10 optional jets. These aircrafts will be received in 2019/2020, and will be brand-new with top of the line technology meeting European requirements. Also, in order to save more, we decided to narrow down the variety and thus, we are dealing with Airbus and chose two models. Besides, this is a decision that was also related to maintenance and training the pilots,” he further said, without mentioning the exact price as that remains confidential.

Before these jets are received, KAC will have new sparingly used aircrafts joining the fleet. “The KAC will be renting 22 new and used planes for eight years till we receive the newly ordered airplanes. Two of them will join the fleet in July 2013, while the rest will be added later. These and the other expected airplanes will help save a huge sum of money due to the new fuel saving technology. The A320NEO will save 15 percent due to fuel efficiency, as this jet will use KD 35,786,215 per year for fuel, compared to the old A320 that is using KD 42,101,430 worth of fuel per year. This would mean a saving of about KD 7 million per year. Multiply this with 15, the number of jets in service, and the amount will be more than KD 100 million annually,” explained Al-Nasif.

KAC is in talks with local and international banks for partially financing the deal.

According to Amani Al-Bloushi, Administrative and Financial Consultant of the KAC, the company’s losses will be paid for by the government and the agreement for the new fleet will be financed through a certified loan. “The board of director set aside KD 900 million as the debts of KAC,” she noted.

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Obama takes up arms against sea of scandal

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15 killed in Kabul NATO convoy blast

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Weakening cyclone leaves relief in wake

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WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama (second right) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan (left) hold a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House yesterday. — AFP

Obama, Erdogan meet on Syria Turkish prez seeks ‘no-fly zone’, arms for rebel groups WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama met Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday as world leaders scramble to find a way to ease Bashar Al-Assad from power and end Syria’s bloody civil war. The talks came a day before another key player in the drama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, was to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and after UN members voted to condemn an “escalation” by Assad’s forces. In a sign of personal respect for Erdogan, and in recognition of Turkey’s crucial role, Obama planned to host him at a private dinner after their talks and a joint White House press conference.

Obama has made strenuous efforts to court the Turkish leader, and used his personal connection to end a standoff between Turkey and America’s other key regional ally Israel at the end of March. But, while Obama and Erdogan agree that Assad must be ousted to end the slaughter, their approaches are different and there are signs of frustration in Ankara at Obama’s cautious approach towards the Syrian rebels. Obama has balked at providing arms and ammunition to the guerrillas, fearing they could fall into the hands of extremist elements linked to Al-Qaeda, and is now pinning hopes on a peace conference jointly organized by Russia.

“Everyone in the international community is very much concerned, worried about the radical

elements,” a Turkish official said on condition of anonymity. “We are of course concerned more than anyone else, being a neighbor of Syria - but the way to deal with that problem is not withholding your support. Not doing anything is not a solution.” Obama has said that Washington has a moral and national security incentive to stop the killing, but has demanded more evidence to stand up reports that Syrian forces have used chemical weapons, crossing a US red line. Turkey also seems skeptical that the peace conference Washington is planning with Assad’s ally Moscow will produce the kind of road map to a political transition - while keeping Syria intact - that Washington wants. “We have to be ... realistic and very careful as to not turn this into an open ended process which would give the opportunity to the regime to gain time and to continue its campaign of violence,” the official said.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, of the German Marshall Fund of the United States office in Turkey, told AFP Erdogan would ask Obama to enforce a “nofly zone” in Syria and to start directly arming rebel groups. Obama has resisted both requests before. Enforcing a no-fly zone would require him to deploy US forces into combat in the Middle East once again, after he ran for re-election boasting of having ended the US role in Iraq. “There is frustration, both among the gov-

ernment but also among the Turkish public. The expectation in Turkey was very high that the United States would intervene militarily somehow,” the Turkish official said. “The line in Turkey was wait for the (US) elections - once he is reelected, Obama will move against the Assad regime. It didn’t happen.”

Erdogan is now under even more domestic pressure on Syria, following deadly attacks in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli that Ankara has blamed on terrorists with links to the Damascus regime. “The president and his team are constantly evaluating the options available in terms of assisting the Syrian people and assisting the Syrian opposition,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “It is our position as of now that our assistance to the Syrian opposition is non-lethal in nature.”

Washington and Moscow have issued a joint call to organize an international peace conference to halt the fighting in Syria, but a vote on Wednesday at the United Nations underscored the bitter divide between them. Russia is a traditional ally of Syria and voted against a motion before the US General Assembly to condemn what Arab and Western powers denounced as Assad’s “escalation” in attacks on civilians. The vote passed despite Russian anger but the number of states backing the motion was only 107, down from 133 when a similar vote was held in

August, suggesting a weakening of international support for Assad’s immediate overthrow.

Russia and China are veto-wielding permanent members of the US Security Council and have stymied Western-led bids to ramp up the pressure on Assad to step down several times during the now three-year-old war. Now, the diplomatic tempo is increasing, with leader shuttling between capitals to try to revive a plan agreed in Geneva last year for a ceasefire followed by the formation of a transitional Syrian government. Putin is likely to press this point in his talks with Ban on Friday at his Black Sea residence in Sochi, southern Russia, and Moscow bitterly opposed Wednesday’s General assembly vote. Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin wrote to all 193 UN members ahead of the vote saying that supporting the resolution would “be a serious blow to all attempts to bring the Syrian sides to the negotiating table.”

Both Russia and Syria’s main regional ally Iran said the vote would embolden the rebel forces fighting Assad’s regime and lead to greater violence, although reports from the battlefield were of loyalist forces advancing. According to rights activists, more than 94,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which erupted in March 2011 when the regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against what started out as a peaceful uprising. — AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Palestinians decry jailhouse informers RAMALLAH: Former Palestinian prisoners are speaking out to warn those still held in Israeli jails about a group of undercover informers seeking to trip them up, who are known as “birds”. The network apparently stretches far and wide, with these “birds” tasked with wheedling out confessions that lead to convictions through a mixture of charm, camaraderie and favours. Often these Palestinians pose as militants jailed for anti-Israeli attacks. Ahmed Azzam, 30, says his first exposure to the “birds” was after several unsuccessful Israeli attempts at interrogating him. “When I was 18, I was arrested by the army and charged with setting fire to an Israeli bus. I was interrogated by the security services but did not confess,” he said. “After three days of interrogation I was taken to a room with other Palestinian prisoners, who started talking to me and getting to know me.

“One said he’d shot at Israeli targets, and another said his brother had been killed, so I thought I was in a room full of revolutionaries,” Azzam said. “I mentioned I was craving sweets, and the next day they got me some,” he said, noting it was a type that it was not possible to get hold of in prison. “They treated me well.” And it worked.

“After this treatment and hearing of their heroics against

the occupation, I told them what I did and how a friend and I burned the bus.” Three days later, he found himself in court where he was convicted and handed a threeyear sentence - all based on what he had said in the “bird room” although none of it was brought up as evidence due to the secretive nature of the system.

Fifty-year-old Musa Hassan, had a similar experience 15 years ago when he was taken to one such cell after 10 days of interrogation over his alleged affiliation with a Palestinian militant group. “When you go into the cell, the men approach you and introduce themselves as members of Fatah or Hamas,” he told AFP. “I already knew about the bird rooms, or ‘rooms of shame’ as they’re also known, so I told them I hadn’t done anything and had been wrongly accused,” he said. But based on a confession by another member of his group, Hassan was given a two-year sentence.

Lawyers acknowledge birds are widely used to great effect by Israel, although the evidence gleaned from them rarely comes up directly in court. “Birds exist in Israeli prisons and are deployed among the prisoners,” said Jawad Boulos, legal counsel for the Ramallah-based Prisoners Club. Israel “doesn’t usually use confessions

given to the birds in court, but rather uses them to take them into interrogation again and question them about their admissions, and then get official confessions.”

The birds’ charm offensive, however, is not always guaranteed to get results. And three months ago, Palestinian officials blamed the far more serious incident of the death of an inmate in detention on the use of “bird rooms” by Israel. Arafat Jaradat, 30, died very suddenly in an Israeli jail in late February following several days of interrogation over stone throwing, with a Palestinian minister alleging he had been tortured to death, despite Israeli accounts of an apparent heart attack.

But his lawyer Kamil Sabbagh says his death occurred while he was in a bird room. “It seems that Jaradat was transferred from Jalame detention centre to a special section for birds and died there,” he said in a statement. “There was no acknowledgement he was taken there and no official recognition of the existence of the birds section,” Sabbagh said in a separate report on the same incident. “But the majority of Palestinian prisoners who’ve been through interrogation have gone there and know it well, and often they confess there,” he charged. — AFP

Sinai militants abduct 7 Egyptian security men Morsi holds crisis talks over kidnappings

A supporter of Samer Al-Issawi, a Palestinian prisoner who is on a hunger strike, is arrested by Israeli police as he demonstrates outside the Magistrate’s Court which to rule on Issawi’s case, yesterday.—AFP

Iraq market attacks, shootings kill 17 BAGHDAD: At least 17 people were killed by bombs in markets in Baghdad and attacks in northern Iraq yesterday, police said, adding to a surge of sectarian-tinged violence in the past four weeks. Attacks on Sunni and Shiite mosques, security forces and tribal leaders have mushroomed since security forces raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk a month ago, igniting clashes and fuelling worries of a slide back into all-out sectarian war. Iraq has grown more volatile as the civil war in neighbouring Syria strains fragile relations between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims. Tensions are now at their highest since the last US troops pulled out at the end of 2011.

Tthree car bombs exploded in busy markets in eastern and northeastern Shiite districts of the Iraqi capital, killing at least 14 people and wounding 26, police said. “When the explosion happened, it was chaos. People were running everywhere to evacuate the victims. I saw two bakery labourers who were completely burned,” said Hussein Mahdi, a shop owner at the scene of a blast in Sadr City. In a separate incident, assailants with silenced weapons shot dead a prominent Sunni tribal leader in his car in southern Baghdad and seriously wounded his driver, police said. In the northern city of Mosul, a suicide car bomber attacked a military checkpoint, killing two soldiers and wounding three, and a separate car bomb wounded two soldiers on patrol.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest violence, which followed bombings that killed more than 35 people in Baghdad and the north on Wednesday. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq’s bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. The Iraqi government is embroiled in power struggles between majority Shiites, Sunnis and ethnic Kurds. Minority Sunnis, who lost their dominance when the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, have been protesting for months against Shiite Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. Emboldened by the Sunni-led revolt in Syria, Iraqi Sunni insurgents, some linked to Al-Qaeda, have intensified attacks this year, threatening to drag Iraq back into communal strife. — Reuters

CAIRO: Suspected militants in Egypt’s Sinai abducted seven security personnel as they headed to Cairo for holidays early yesterday, security officials said. It was the first such kidnapping of security forces in the lawless peninsula. The officials said masked gunmen ambushed two taxis at gunpoint outside the city of el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai governorate, fleeing with five policemen and one border guard captive. None of those abducted were in uniform, officials said, and one of the policemen was on holiday.

The taxi drivers reported that a seventh member of the security forces was also kidnapped, but authorities said they are still trying to identify him.

Four of the policemen work in the Rafah border terminal leading to the Gaza Strip, and one was in a riot police unit deployed in Sinai. The border guard was a member of the military.

Criminals and Islamic militant groups have exploited a security vacuum that developed in the Sinai since the 2011 uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Security officials say the kidnapping was carried out by militant groups known to the authorities who are hiding in North Sinai’s rugged mountains. Two officials said the kidnapping came after the mother of an imprisoned militant said that her son was tortured in detention, causing his eyesight to fail. The imprisoned militant is held on charges of attacking a police station in the early days after Mubarak’s ouster.

The officials said authorities were sending the family to visit their son in prison again and provide him with necessary medical attention in a bid to defuse anger over his treatment, and secure the safety of the captive security personnel. The officials said contact was established with the kidnappers, but refused to elaborate further. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not

CAIRO: Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi (right) meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace yesterday. — AFP

authorized to discuss the new instructions with the media.

Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported that negotiations with the kidnappers were underway through mediators, but also didn’t elaborate.

MENA said President Mohamed Morsi held an emergency meeting with the defense and interior ministers to discuss the kidnapping. In a statement, his office said the presidency was closely following the developments in the case. The security officials said forces in the Sinai were on high alert, particularly along the border with the Gaza Strip. Movement was restricted for the multinational forces stationed in Sinai since the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979, the officials added.

The volatile northern Sinai, where militants often target police stations and security forces, borders Hamasruled Gaza as well as Israel. In August 2012, militants attacked soldiers near the border with Gaza, killing 16 of

them in what was the most brazen militant attack on Egypt’s military by in modern history. The perpetrators remain unidentified.

Complicating the situation is a longtime resentment by local tribes toward the central government, which they accuse of discrimination, neglect, and police brutality. Tribal Bedouins have briefly kidnapped foreigners to use them as bargaining chips with authorities, urging them to release imprisoned relatives. Drugs, immigrants and arms are smuggled through the mountainous terrain.

Morsi had pledged to restore security to the peninsula. Officials from the presidency at one point negotiated with locals to ease off on the crackdown and the pursuit of fugitives. In exchange, locals were to refrain from attacks on authorities or cross-border raids on Israel. The US has repeatedly discussed the situation in Sinai with Egyptian authorities and offered security and border control advice. —AP

International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

French school survives in war-rattled Damascus DAMASCUS: Angered over Bashar Al-Assad’s brutal repression of peaceful protests in Syria two years ago, Paris closed its embassy in Damascus, virtually cutting off the lifeline to the capital’s once-thriving French school. But tenacious parents and staff, driven by their love for French culture and despite financial hardship, have kept the Charles de Gaulle school open, and children continue to study their grammar despite encroaching war.

Charles de Gaulle is still operating thanks to its financial reserves and to the tuition parents are able to pay, although 40 children of dual French-Syrian nationality do receive financial aid. The school, which follows the French national curriculum, once enrolled 900 students from kindergarten through high school.

But its numbers have plunged. Barely 200 students now attend classes, said Zina Farra, who heads the management committee at the school, which has a staff of 80. “We are responsible for keeping the school alive, because we are deeply attached to French culture and we do not want to break our links with France,” she added.

Syria was once part of the Ottoman Empire, which broke up after it came out on the losing side in World War I. In 1920, France took over rule of the country under a League of Nations mandate. The country gained its independence in 1946, but the love of everything French continued to be a part of many peo-

ple’s everyday life. The current situation has infuriated some members of staff, such as first grade teacher Marie-Helene Saleh who has worked at the school for 30 years. “I condemn France’s attitude towards this school. From one day to the next, my country cut its financial assistance, and we lost French teachers who were part of our team,” said Saleh as she picked out books for her pupils in the school library. “The school lives on, because we have students who trusted France and its school system. I am here mainly for them and for their parents, who continue to support the school,” she added.

Dimitri Argherinos, who teaches literature at the secondary level hails the tenacity of Syrian parents who are helping to keep the school alive. “What is amazing is the parents’ stubborn willingness to keep the school going, despite the difficulties Syria is going through,” said Argherinos. “I am Greek, but I admire French culture and literature,” he said, taking a break from teaching the classic works of Stendhal and Maupassant.

The school is located in Mazzeh, an upscale neighbourhood in western Damascus that is home to embassies and government buildings and has not been spared deadly violence. On April 29, a car bomb exploded in Mazzeh targeting the car of Prime Minister Wael Al-Halqi, who escaped unscathed but whose bodyguards were killed. Outside the school heavy

DAMASCUS: Students take notes during a French literature class at the Lycee Charles De Gaulle French school in the Syrian capital on May 9, 2013. — AFP machinegun fire crackles in the distance, but it doesn’t seem to faze the students in Argherinos’ class. “When we are here (at school) we are in another world,” said 15-yearold Doreen Hamoui.

France, in addition to closing its embassy in Damascus,” has also shut the French Cultural Centre and the French Centre for Near Eastern

Video shows Syrian rebels executing 11 Troops repel rebel attack on Aleppo prison BEIRUT: A video published yesterday showed fighters of the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front in Syria executed 11 men they accused of taking part in massacres

by President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces.

The film is believed to be from eastern Deir al-Zor province and dates from some time in 2012, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group. The Observatory’s head, Rami Abdelrahman, said the Nusra Front has recently been releasing several videos of their past operations. He said the man seen executing the prisoners in the video - a Nusra commander - had been killed in March 2013 in battles with local tribes in the province.

The footage shows the commander, his face covered in a black balaclava, shooting each prisoner in the back of the head as they kneeled, blindfolded and lined up in a row in the sand. “The sharia court for the eastern region in Deir al-Zor has sentenced to death these apostate soldiers that committed massacres against our brothers and families in Syria,” the executioner said on the video. Islamist militants with black flags shouted “God is great” as each man was shot. The executioner returned to some victims, firing more bullets into them to make sure they were dead.

Videos of executions and torture have become increasingly common in Syria, where more than 94,000 people have been killed in a conflict now in its third year, according to the Britishbased Observatory, which has a network

of activists in Syria. Such videos posted online are hard to verify due to government restrictions on access for independent media. The Nusra video is the second video to be published in the past two days showing executions by fighters who say they are from AlQaeda-linked groups. A video issued on Wednesday from the northern province of Raqqa, which is controlled by Islamist rebels, showed three blindfolded men sitting on the curb of a central roundabout before being shot in the head with a pistol. A man speaking in the video said the executions were revenge for killings in the coastal town of Banias two weeks ago. Photos and videos of

the alleged Banias massacre showed dozens of mutilated bodies, many of them children, lying in the streets.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels withdrew from a prison in the northern city of Aleppo yesterday after heavy fighting with government troops, the Observatory said, as it more than doubled its tally of deaths from sectarian killings in Banias earlier this month. It raised the death toll from the May 3 sectarian killings in the coastal city to 145 from 62. Activists said at the time that troops and pro-government gunmen stormed the predominantly Sunni Muslim neighborhood of Ras Nabeh and killed dozens. —Agencies

An image grab taken on Wednesday from an undated shows a member of the jihadist group Al-Nusra Front shooting blindfolded supporters of the Syrian regime at an undisclosed location in eastern Syria. — AFP

Studies. But the school council manager Farra is committed to carrying on. “Registration is open for next year, and even if we only have 10 students, we won’t close the school,” she said. In the meantime a former headmaster who retired in Syria was asked to take charge of the school, which follows the French school curriculum. —AFP

Jalili says nuclear talks ‘long, useful’ ISTANBUL: Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said yesterday that nuclear talks with the EU’S foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton were “long and useful” and that both sides have decided to continue the discussions. “Last night, as Lady Ashton said, we had long, useful talks,” Jalili said in Istanbul.

“We had the chance to go into details. We decided to continue working and keep on our talks.” Ashton called the talks “useful” in a statement on Wednesday and said it was time to “reflect on how to go to the next stage of the process”.

The two top negotiators were meeting for the first time since fruitless discussions between Iran and six major powers - the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany in April over Tehran’s controversial nuclear ambitions. That round in Almaty, Kazakhstan, had ended with Ashton saying the two sides remained “far apart” despite the six powers known as P5+1 having sweetSaeed Jalili ened an earlier offer. But Jalili said yesterday that “our proposals in Almaty were very good”.

He pointed out that the world powers had said they wanted to negotiate within the group before responding to Tehran’s offers. “We hope they will agree to those proposals. We hope they will turn our proposal for cooperation into an opportunity,” Jalili said, without elaborating. Jalili said Iran was “ready to continue the talks any time” but insisted that Tehran’s right to peaceful uranium enrichment “should be recognised”.

Enriched uranium is at the heart of the international community’s concerns because it can be used to make a nuclear bomb, as well as for energy production. The UN Security Council has passed multiple resolutions calling on Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment, imposing several rounds of sanctions on the Islamic republic. Additional US and EU sanctions last year began to cause major economic problems by targeting the Persian Gulf country’s vital oil sector and financial system. Jalili said the world powers were proposing a “step by step” approach in the nuclear talks. But he noted that Tehran wants any concessions it makes to be reciprocated by the West, particularly with regards to easing sanctions. —AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Anger over East German ‘human guinea pigs’ BERLIN: Germany is confronting another chapter from its past - allegations that Western drug companies used more than 50,000 people in the former communist East as “human guinea pigs” in 1980s medical trials. News magazine Spiegel this week reported that a who’s who of big German, Swiss and US pharmaceutical companies made deals with the dictatorship to test medicines, sometimes without the knowledge of the patients. Several people were known to have died during trials, and some tests involved infants and delirious alcoholics, said the report on the agreements with the police state that collapsed with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

Major drugs companies, some of which have taken over other firms in corporate mergers since, insist they stuck to the standards and laws of the times. But calls have grown for full transparency into the agreements overseen by the State Security (Stasi) secret police to earn the communist state tens of millions in hard-currency Deutschmarks. “It was a nasty German-German deal” in which profits were made on both sides of the Berlin Wall, Stasi Archives Commissioner Roland Jahn, who was a dissident-journalist in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), told the Zeit weekly yesterday. “I am not surprised that medical tests were carried out in the GDR that didn’t meet the standards of democratic countries. The dictatorship was capable of a lot.”

A senior member of the opposition Greens party Volker

Nigeria begins offensive against Islamist insurgents KANO, Nigeria: More than 2,000 Nigerian troops have begun an offensive to retake territory seized by Islamist insurgents in the remote northeast, some of them raiding camps in a game reserve, a military source told AFP yesterday. The military has launched a sweeping operation to flush out fighters from Boko Haram, a radical group which says it wants to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. The offensive follows an admission by President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram had “taken over” parts of the northeast and declared war against the Nigerian government, prompting him to impose emergency measures in three states.

A military source who requested anonymity told AFP that operations had started in at least one area of Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency. “Our men raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve,” in northern Borno, early on Wednesday, he said. In January, the military stormed Boko Haram training facilities in the same area. The source added that 2,000 troops had been deployed to Borno but declined to comment on the number of forces sent to the two other affected states, Yobe and Adamawa. Army spokesman Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru refused to discuss figures.

Residents in all three states have reported seeing an increased number of military personnel. Zangina Kyarimi, who lives in the remote town of Marti in northern Borno towards the border with Chad, told AFP that “large military teams” arrived late Wednesday. “I saw dozens of military vans and trucks accompanied by tanks,” he said by phone from the town which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold. “We are afraid of what might happen in the coming days. We are thinking of leaving.”

The security forces yesteday told banks to close in the town of Gashua in Yobe state, where suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked the police and a series of buildings on April 26, resident Musa Saminu said. “Around 30 military vans passed through the town...They were heavily armed. Some of them went to the banks and asked them to close down as a precaution,” he told AFP. Red Cross spokesman Nwakpa O Nwakpa said the organisation was prepared to offer relief to civilians impacted by the military operation.

Nigeria’s security forces have been accused of massive rights abuses in campaigns against Boko Haram, which may have amounted to crimes against humanity, according to Human Rights Watch. The US State Department on Wednesday warned that any “heavy-handed” tactics or disregard for human rights during the emergency operations could damage bilateral relations. —AFP

Beck this week demanded a full investigation into what he called “the systematic circumvention of ethical and legal standards in drug trials by pharmaceutical companies in the GDR”. Health Minister Daniel Bahr urged drugs companies to financially support an inquiry, while the Berlin Charite hospital announced it would search its archives to bring clarity.

The commissioner for questions on the former East Germany, Christoph Bergner, on Wednesday said he had “promised financial support” to the Charite project, without mentioning amounts or details. The Spiegel report said some 600 clinical trials, including for blood pressure and depression drugs, were carried out in more than 50 hospitals, according to previously unpublished documents of the East German health ministry, pharmaceutical institute and Stasi.

The German drug industry’s Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies in a statement said the tests met the common standards of the time. “GDR law had requirements for the conduct of clinical studies that were comparable to those of Western countries including the United States,” said its chief executive Birgit Fischer. Several major drugs companies contacted by AFP said they would support an inquiry. Germany’s Bayer said it always applies equal standards in its medical trials worldwide, and that it presumed the GDR had followed its own laws at the time.

A Novartis spokesman said the Swiss group was open to cooperating with an independent research group, provided the transfer of sensitive patient data to third parties complies with legal standards. And a Roche spokesman said the company was completely committed to applying rules and guidelines but pointed out that the “state of knowledge” had changed in the past 30 years.

Critics charge that, even if strict guidelines exist on paper, carrying out drug trials in police states or poor countries means rules may not be enforced, and that even patients informed about the risks may have little choice but to consent. Jahn told the Zeit weekly that “I am not aware that during GDR times anyone looked into whether the tests complied with the rules”. “The State Security was tasked with covering up the drug tests. They were meant to secure the hard-currency deals and prevent disruptions, and for that they set up a spying system. We know that much from the files.”

For East Germany, the millions in profits aimed to “preserve the power” of the regime and “to get the ramshackle health system going”, he said. For victims groups who suffered under the communist regime, the report revived some bitter memories. Rainer Wagner, chairman of the Union of Groups of Victims of Communist Tyranny, said it showed how “leaders of the criminal state the GDR were chasing Western cash and therefore knew no moral scruples”. — AFP

Britain moves closer to EU referendum law Cameron orders all Tory MPs to give full backing LONDON: Britain moved closer to a referendum on Europe after a eurosceptic lawmaker said yesterday that he would put forward legislation backed by Prime Minister David Cameron guaranteeing a vote by 2017. Cameron ordered all Conservative lawmakers to give their full backing to the bill, which the party rushed out earlier this week in a bid to satisfy the increasingly rebellious eurosceptic wing of the party.

Conservative MP James Wharton confirmed he would table the centre-right party’s EU referendum bill in parliament after he came top of a ballot to see which lawmakers may put forward so-called private members’ legislation.

Parliament will now formally debate the draft bill, probably in early July, although under the complex British parliamentary system there is no guarantee that it will reach a vote or become law. In January Cameron vowed to renegotiate Britain’s troubled relationship with the European Union and then hold an in-out referendum by the end of 2017, provided that he wins the next general election in 2015. But disgruntled Conservative eurosceptics want him to enshrine that promise in law before the election to stop any backtracking, as well as to head off the rise of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP). “It is about time that this issue was tackled head-on by parliament,” Wharton told the BBC. He admitted the “arithmetic” of getting it to become law was “difficult” as it will likely be opposed by the Liberal Democrats, the proEU junior partners in Cameron’s coalition government, and by the opposition Labour party. The bill requires a referendum to be held before Dec 31, 2017 on the question: “Do you think that the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union?” Wharton was among the one-third of Conservative lawmakers who voted in

LONDON: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (left) talks with Indian Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram during a bilateral meeting in central London yesterday. — AFP favour of a parliamentary motion on Wednesday night criticising the government for failing to include the referendum in its plans for the coming year. Cameron’s spokesman said the prime minister would give the bill his “full support”. “The prime minister is very happy that James Wharton has taken up the draft legislation published by the Conservative party on Tuesday and he intends to give it the full support of the Conservative party,” the spokesman told reporters.

Labour has accused Cameron of losing control of his party over Europe. The issue has long been toxic for the Conservatives, leading to the downfall of late prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1990 and weakening her successor John Major. The Conservatives are having to rely on Wharton alone to put forward the bill instead of putting it forward themselves as a government bill - because their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats would not

support it. Cameron’s spokesman confirmed that said there would be a “threeline whip” the strictest orders used by parliamentary parties in Britain to enforce discipline - to get Conservative MPs to support it. The earliest that the bill can be debated in parliament is July 5.

British parliamentary rules allow individual legislators to propose legislation, with a ballot held to decide which lawmakers get to do so. However private members bills often sputter out because there is not enough time in parliament to allow them to become law. Cameron survived a vote on Wednesday night on a rebel eurosceptic motion expressing regret that the referendum was not mentioned in last week’s Queen’s Speech, which sets out the coalition’s legislative plans. But a higher than expected number of Tories voted for the motion despite the fact that Cameron had published the draft legislation as they had wished. —AFP

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International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Jury finds Arias eligible for death penalty PHOENIX: An Arizona jury on Wednesday declared Jodi Arias eligible to receive the death penalty for the fatal shooting and stabbing of her ex-boyfriend in 2008, saying that she had acted with extreme cruelty. The jury was due to return to court yesterday to weigh additional evidence in deciding whether to actually sentence Arias to death or to life in prison for killing Travis Alexander, 30. The same jury rejected Arias’ claims of self-defense to convict her last week of the first-degree murder of Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed 27 time, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. The penalty phase of the proceedings moved swiftly on its first day on Wednesday. After prosecution and defense presentations, the jury deliberated for about three hours before deciding Arias was eligible for the death penalty and then recessed for the day. Arias appeared agitated and tearful at times during the proceedings, wiping her eyes and nose with a tissue and mostly keeping her gaze downward. But she kept her composure during the reading of the jury’s verdict finding that she had committed the murder in an “especially cruel” manner.

She had been placed on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward following her conviction a week ago after saying in a television interview that she would prefer the death penalty to life

in prison, but she was returned to her jail cell on Monday. The petite, 32-year-old former waitress from California had sought unsuccessfully to convince the jury during her trial that she acted in self-defense. She admitted

PHOENIX: Jodi Arias reacts during the sentencing phase of her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday. —AP

shooting Alexander, with whom she was having an on-again, off-again affair, but said she opened fire on him with his own pistol after he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.

The lurid circumstances of the case, which went to trial in January and featured graphic testimony, photographs of the blood-sprayed crime scene and a sex tape, became a sensation on cable television news and unfolded in live Internet telecasts of the proceedings. On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on the grisly details of Alexander’s slaying in their bid to cast the crime as especially cruel - a legal standard for aggravating factors that would qualify Arias for the death sentence.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez recounted how Arias attacked Alexander in his own shower, repeatedly stabbing him for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away. Alexander knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said. “Each and every time that blade went into his body, it hurt,” Martinez told the jury. “It was only death that relieved that pain. It was only death that relieved that anguish, and that is especially cruel.” The defense argued that adrenaline

would have prevented Alexander from feeling the pain of the knife blows, thus reducing his suffering. If the bullet wound to his forehead came first, rendering him unconscious in seconds, then Alexander would not have suffered, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi said.

During the trial, Martinez cast Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships. He said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander, a businessman and motivational speaker.

In making his case for premeditated murder, Martinez had accused Arias of bringing the pistol used in the killing, which has not been recovered, with her from California home to the scene of the crime. He said she also rented a car, removed its license plate and bought gasoline cans and fuel to conceal her journey to the Phoenix suburbs to kill Alexander. Martinez said Arias also lied after the killing to deflect any suspicion that she had been involved in his death, leaving a voicemail on Alexander’s cellphone, sending flowers to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story. Nurmi, meanwhile, argued that Arias had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood. —Reuters

Tornadoes tear through Texas towns, killing six Dozens injured as homes destroyed, trees uprooted DALLAS: At least six people were killed and seven were missing after as many as 10 tornadoes ripped through north-central Texas Wednesday evening, leaving a trail of destruction from the worst severe storm outbreak in the United States so far this year. Authorities warned the death toll could rise from the storms, which struck from early evening to around dusk, flattening homes and uprooting trees across at least four counties near the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The hardest hit area was around Granbury, a town of 8,000 people about 56 km southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth.

In Hood County, where Granbury is located, spokesman Tye Bell said seven

people were still missing and at least 45 injured, most from a single subdivision of homes in the town. “The main concern is life safety and finding any victims that still need our help,” Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said at a press conference yesterday. All six of the people confirmed killed were found in Rancho Brazos, a neighborhood of around 110 mostly single family homes on the fringe of Granbury that bore the brunt of the winds, Deeds said. Video of the area showed homes flattened, power lines down and roads blocked by debris in the area. Bulldozers were clearing roads so people could be moved out of their houses. Preliminary reports showed that

CLEBURNE, Texas: Derrek Grisham (left) points out neighborhood damage to storm chaser Travis Schafer after a tornado damaged his mother’s house on Hyde Park Lane at Country Club Rd Wednesday night. —AP

the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Granbury 26 minutes before the twister struck, according to Mark Wiley, emergency response meteorologist at the agency’s Forth Worth office. This is an unusually long lead time as the average warning time is 10 to 12 minutes, he said. Wiley said the rating of the deadly tornado would not be determined until later yesterday, but “it was a strong tornado just based on the damage.”

More severe storms could be coming to Texas, parts of Arkansas and northern Louisiana later on Thursday, said Corey Mead, forecaster at NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

But he said the possible tornadoes would be in northeast Texas, not in the area hit on Wednesday night. Until Wednesday, the tornado season had been unusually mild so far in 2013 after two years of intense activity. The tornado season in the United States typically starts in the Gulf Coast states in the late winter, and then moves north with the warming weather, peaking around May and trailing off by July. Several deadly tornadoes have struck in recent years.

In March 2012, at least 39 people were killed in a chain of tornadoes from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. The following month, at least six people were killed by a twister in an Oklahoma town during a weekend outbreak of dozens of twisters across the Great Plains. In May 2011, a massive tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and damaging or destroying 7,500 homes. —Reuters

LAS VEGAS: O J Simpson removes his glasses as he testifies during an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court Wednesday. —AP

OJ Simpson says didn’t break law LOS ANGELES: Jailed sports star O J Simpson insisted Wednesday he did nothing illegal on the night of a September 2007 casino hotel robbery, and had no idea men with him had guns, as he sought a retrial.

The 65-year-old former American footballer and actor, who did not testify at his 2008 trial, appeared relaxed as he gave a blow-by-blow account of the events of September 13, 2007 in Las Vegas. Simpson, who acknowledged that he had been drinking heavily ahead of the incident, is seeking a retrial on grounds that his longtime lawyer Yale Galanter had botched his defense.

Dressed in a blue prison outfit, Simpson said he did not knowingly break the law on the day he and five associates seized what he believed were his own stolen belongings from two sports memorabilia dealers.

“It was my stuff. I followed what I thought was the law... I didn’t break into anybody’s room, I didn’t beat up anybody, I didn’t try to muscle the guys,” he told the court in Las Vegas. “The guys acknowledged it was my stuff, even though they claimed they didn’t steal it.”

Simpson - famously acquitted for the 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown - said nobody discussed using guns before he and his cohorts - two of whom turned out to be armed - entered the hotel room to reclaim the belongings. “There was no talk about guns at all,” said Simpson, who was shackled at the wrists and ankles when brought into court, although one of the handcuffs was removed while he gave testimony. Simpson is serving nine to 33 years in a Nevada state penitentiary, after being convicted in Oct 2008 of armed robbery, assault and kidnapping over the robbery, which was infamously caught on security camera footage. —AFP

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International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Researchers make embryonic stem cells from skin WASHINGTON: US researchers have reported a breakthrough in stem cell research, describing how they have turned human skin cells into embyronic stem cells for the first time. The method described Wednesday by Oregon State University scientists in the journal Cell, would not likely be able to create human clones, said Shoukhrat Mitalipov, senior scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center.

But it is an important step in research because it does not require the use of embryos in creating the type of stem cell capable of transforming into any other type of cell in the body.

The technique involves transplanting an individual’s DNA into an egg cell that has been stripped of genetic material, a variation of a method called somatic cell

nuclear transfer. “A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different cell types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells,” said Mitalipov. He added that since the reprogrammed cells use genetic material from the patient, there is no concern about transplant rejection. “While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine,” Mitalipov said.

Another advantage of this approach is that it does not use fertilized embryos to obtain stem cells, a technique that raises major ethical issues because the embryo is

Pentagon pledges action after latest sex assault charge WASHINGTON: The US military vowed Wednesday to address a wave of sexual assault cases after a soldier who worked in a rape prevention program was accused of forcing a subordinate into prostitution. The latest revelation marked the second time in a week that a member of the military assigned to work in its sexual assault prevention program had been placed under investigation for alleged sexual crimes. Following the new allegation, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered those working as recruiters and in sex assault prevention efforts to undergo fresh screening and training, his spokesman George Little told reporters. “There is frustration on the part of this secretary,” Little said. “It’s not just about talking about this issue. We have to take action and we have to take action swiftly.” The Pentagon revealed on Tuesday that a US Army sergeant based at Fort Hood in Texas faces allegations of sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, mistreatment of subordinates and pandering - the legal term for pimping. The sergeant, who was not named, was working as a “sexual harassment or assault response and prevention program coordinator” at the huge base and has since been suspended from his duties.

Last week, an Air Force officer in charge of his service’s sexual assault prevention office was arrested near the Pentagon for allegedly assaulting a woman in a parking lot, grabbing her breasts and buttocks.

According to Little, Hagel discussed the sexual assault problem in his weekly meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Both agreed that urgent steps were needed and that anyone guilty of sexual assault had to be held accountable, he said, adding: “The president has made very clear his expectations on this issue.” The embarrassing allegations have put the Pentagon under growing pressure and provided ammunition to lawmakers and activists, who are pushing for major changes to military procedures to stem the problem.

There are growing calls in Congress to change the military’s legal code, which allows commanders to weigh in on criminal cases and even to overturn verdicts or sentences. Hagel has proposed stripping commanders of the authority to toss out a verdict after a trial but had initially opposed more sweeping changes, which could remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command. Little said the Pentagon chief is now ready to consider “all options”. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, has blasted the Pentagon over the issue and demanded an overhaul of its justice system. “It is time to get serious and get to work reforming the military justice system that clearly isn’t working,” the New York lawmaker said in a statement Tuesday. “I believe strongly that to create the kind of real reform that will make a difference we must remove the chain of command from the decision making process for these types of serious offenses.”

Senior military officers have been accused of failing to recognize the gravity of the problem and the US Air Force’s chief, General Mark Welsh, came under heavy criticism over his remarks at a hearing last week. Welsh told lawmakers sexual assaults in the ranks reflected a wider societal problem, saying troops were influenced by a “hookup” culture among young people. But the Pentagon distanced itself from his comments. “It really doesn’t matter if our (sexual assault) rates are similar to that of the rest of society, quite frankly,” Little said when asked about the remarks. “We must hold ourselves to a higher standard, and that’s what the American people demand.” —AFP

destroyed. Since the birth of the sheep Dolly in 1996 in the United Kingdom, the first cloned animal, researchers have cloned some 20 species including goats and rabbits, but never monkeys or primates whose biologies and reproduction is more complex. Years of research on monkey cells using the same technique have not successfully produced any monkey clones.

Since the human cells used in the study appeared even more fragile, researchers said it was unlikely that clones could be made. “While nuclear transfer breakthroughs often lead to a public discussion about the ethics of human cloning, this is not our focus, nor do we believe our findings might be used by others to advance the possibility of human reproductive

cloning,” they said.

Scientists hope that stem cell research will offer new pathways in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and blindness.

Nonetheless, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops warned that other researchers will use the new technique to try to clone people. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston said this way of making embryos will be taken up by people who want to produce cloned children as “copies” of other people. “Whether used for one purpose or the other, human cloning treats human beings as products, manufactured to order to suit other people’s wishes.” He added, “A technical advance in human cloning is not progress for humanity but its opposite,” he said in a statement. —AFP

Obama takes up arms against sea of scandal Acting head of the IRS sacked WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama launched a multipronged counterattack Wednesday at Republicans who had painted a trio of alleged scandals as flagrant evidence of abuses of power and cover-ups. Obama seized the initiative after days of incoming fire over the assault on a US mission in Libya, the targeting of conservative groups by tax officials and a Justice Department trawl of reporters’ phone records.

On a day of high drama, the White House released 100 pages of emails which it said debunked Republican charges that it had covered up the true circumstances of last year’s Benghazi attack, which killed four Americans.

Then, Obama sacked the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service and pledged full cooperation with Congress over claims that the agency had unfairly investigated right-wing groups hostile to his White House. And he also backed a “reporter shield” bill designed to strengthen the rights of journalists to protect sources, as a firestorm intensified over the government’s seizure of Associated Press reporters’ call logs. The president sought to portray himself as decisive and with nothing to hide, as he sought to sweep away several days of political wobbles which left his administration under siege.

After meeting senior Treasury aides, Obama appeared in the East Room of the White House just in time for evening news bulletins to announce the acting head of the IRS, Steven Miller, was out. “Given the controversy surrounding this audit, it’s important to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward,” Obama said. The president, who has dismissed Republican attempts to link him to the scandal at the independent agency, also pledged to work directly with Congress as it carries out oversight into the matter. Obama said that abuses, revealed by a report by a government watchdog released on Tuesday, were “inexcusable”. “Americans have a right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it,” Obama said, after meeting top Treasury Department officials.

The document release showed the development of the administration’s narrative in the frantic days after the Benghazi attack on Sept 11 last year, which killed US ambassador Chris Stevens. Many Republican lawmakers and pundits have alleged that Obama’s aides engaged in

a cover up to disguise the involvement of Islamic extremists in the attack and to head off damage to his re-election campaign. The correspondence details a spirited debate between top US officials in several agencies about how to publicly describe the attack, and its causes, in talking points for members of Congress and the press.

But it appears to show that the CIA, and not senior White House or State Department officials, took the lead in developing the talking points and in omitting key information about possible action by extremists. CIA Deputy

terparts in other agencies that due to an ongoing criminal investigation, no public assessments should be made into who was responsible. The White House also backed legislation to strengthen journalists’ rights to protect sources, after government agents secretly collected AP phone records in an apparent search for national security leakers. “The president has long supported media shield legislation in the Senate, during the 2008 campaign, and as president,” spokesman Jay Carney said.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama speaks on the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday. —AP Director Michael Morell is seen removing references to Al-Qaeda, and Libya-based extremists linked to the group, from the talking points, later used by US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice on television. The correspondence also appears to suggest that officials erred on the side of caution on the question of whether the attack was planned and carried out by extremists.

In one email, a CIA official warns his coun-

reintroduced his shield proposal, said the bill would require prosecutors to prove to a judge that information sought would “prevent or mitigate an act of terrorism or harm to national security”. Obama’s actions may improve his political position as he seeks to build traction for top second term initiatives like immigration reform and implementing his health care law, but Republicans are unlikely to be placated. —AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Bangladesh garment hub to reopen after unrest DHAKA: Bangladesh garment manufacturers said yesterday they would reopen hundreds of factories in a hub outside Dhaka, days after they were shuttered due to unrest over the country’s worst industrial tragedy. The manufacturers Monday announced the shutdown of the factories in the Ashulia industrial area after two weeks of protests over the death of 1,127 garment workers in the collapse of a nine story complex. “We’ve decided to reopen the factories from Friday,” Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said after meeting government and labour representatives.

The association, which represents the country’s 4,500 garment factories, took the decision after the government assured it of

the “highest security” for the plants, Azim told AFP. “We met the home and labour ministers and representatives from the workers today. They assured the highest security for our factories,” he said. There has been virtually no work at Ashulia, home to several hundred garment factories, since the deadly collapse of the garment factory complex near the hub that highlighted appalling safety conditions in the sector.

“We incurred losses of at least $150 million due to labour unrest in the past two weeks,” Azim said. Police said tens of thousands of workers joined the protests and dozens of factories and vehicles were vandalised.

Most of Bangladesh’s top garment factories, which make clothing for a string of major Western retailers including Walmart,

H&M, Tesco, Inditex and Carrefour, are based at Ashulia. Angry workers have also demanded a big rise in their minimum monthly wage, which was fixed at $38 in Nov 2010, prompting Pope Francis to compare the pay to that of “slave labour”. The government last week set up a panel to raise the salaries of the three million garment workers and has approved changes in labour laws, making it easier for them to form unions.

The announcement of the factory reopening plans came as Swiss-based labour umbrella groups Industrial Global Union and UNI Global Union praised top retailers for joining their drive to make Bangladesh’s garment factories safer. “This accord is a turning point. We are putting in place rules that mark the end of the race to

15 killed in Kabul NATO convoy blast Six Americans among dead KABUL: A suicide bomber in a car attacked a convoy of foreign troops in Kabul yesterday, killing at least 15 people including six Americans, Afghan and foreign officials said, in one of the worst attacks in the Afghan capital in months. Forty people were wounded in the blast at around 8 a.m.

(0330 GMT) during the morning rush-hour.

It caused heavy damage to mud-built houses in the vicinity. The Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group, which is allied with the Taleban, claimed responsibility For the attack on the two-vehicle convoy. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the bomber killed two of its members and four civilian contractors. It declined to give nationalities. But two senior officials, one Afghan and the other from ISAF, said the two ISAF soldiers and four contractors were all American.

Afghan officials said nine Afghan civilians were killed, including two children.

“Some of the dead civilians were badly burnt and cannot be recognised,” Kaneshka Baktash, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, told Reuters. Helicopters buzzed over Kabul’s diplomatic area after the attack and sirens whined. “We were in our home drinking tea when the we heard a blast and our windows shattered, the glass wounded all of us,” Zohra, a wounded girl who only gave her first name, said from a hospital bed. Her head was wrapped in a bandage.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing, while ISAF said the insurgents’ claim of responsibility “proves that innocent lives are meaningless next to their own selfish aims”. “Terrorists detonated an explosives-packed (Toyota) Corolla car near a convoy of foreign forces,” Hashmat Stanikzai, the Kabul police spokesman, told AFP. Police added that at least 10 houses had been severely damaged. “I was at home when I heard a terrible explosion and our whole building shook,” Mustafa, a witness, told AFP. “All our windows are shattered. I rushed outside to bring my little brothers

KABUL: An Afghan man directs his children away from the scene where a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy yesterday. — AP and sisters from school. I saw five or six people covered in blood who were being taken away in police vehicles.”

A Hezb-e-Islami spokesman told Reuters US military advisers were the targets. “We planned this attack for over a week,” the spokesman, Haroon Zarghoun, said by telephone. Last year, in a similar attack, the group killed seven South African and Russian pilots on their way to work in Kabul.

Hezb-e-Islami, which means Islamic Party, is a radical militant group which shares some of the anti-foreigner, anti-government aims of the Taleban.

But the political wing of the group, founded by warlord and former anti-Soviet fighter Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has been in exploratory talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a peace deal to end the 12-year war. The National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, says it thwarts a large number of attacks on the capital on a weekly basis.

The last suicide bomb attack in Kabul was in March, when a man blew himself up at a Defence Ministry gate, killing nine Afghans, during a visit by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. — Agencies

the bottom in the global supply chain,” Philip Jennings, UNI Global Union’s general secretary, said in a statement. The full list of deal signatories released yesterday included: H&M, Inditex, C&A, PVH, Tchibo, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, El Corte Ingles, and Mango.

The agreement binds retailers to hold independent building and fire safety inspections and pay for repairs. US groups Walmart and Gap have not joined the agreement. Walmart, however, has undertaken to inspect all 279 of its Bangladeshi suppliers and publish the results, while Gap has underlined it launched its own drive last October. Bangladesh is the world’s second-biggest apparel maker and the $20 billion industry accounts for up to 80 percent of annual exports. — AFP

21, including 8 Japanese, hurt in Nepal crash KATHMANDU: Twenty-one people were hurt, including eight Japanese tourists, when a small plane skidded off a Nepal airport runway yesterday and plunged into a river, police said.

All 21 people aboard the Nepal Airlines Twin Otter aircraft were injured, five seriously, police spokesman Keshav Adhikari said.

The plane’s brakes failed and it crashed into the Kali Gandaki river in the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal’s northwest, Adhikari said. “At 8:30 am (0245 GMT), the plane was landing at Jomsom airport in Mustang district when its brakes failed. Half of the aircraft’s body is in the water and the other half is on the river bank,” Adhikari told AFP. “Five people, including a pilot, have been seriously injured. They are being airlifted to Pokhara for further treatment,” he said, referring to the resort town where the flight originated. The plane carried three crew members and 18 passengers.

Eight passengers were Japanese tourists en route to Jomsom, an airport town near Muktinath, a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site at the foot of the Thorong La Himalayan mountain pass while the rest on board were Nepalese, police said.

Nepal has a poor road network and tourists, pilgrims and professional climbers often rely on the country’s 16 domestic airlines and 49 airports to reach remote areas but its aviation sector has a bad safety record. Last year, a passenger plane crashed at the same Jomsom airport, killing 15 people including 13 Indian tourists. Six people survived the crash.

Inexperienced pilots, poor management and slack regulation are jeopardising air travellers’ lives in Nepal, aviation experts have warned in the wake of recent flight accidents. — AFP

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International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Cambodia shoe factory collapse kills three

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia: Cambodian rescue team and soldiers look for workers after a factory collapsed in this provinc, some 50 kilometers west of Phnom Penh yesterday. —AFP

Malaysian couple jailed for starving maid to death KUALA LUMPUR: A court yesterday sentenced a Malaysian couple to 24 years in jail for starving their Cambodian maid to death, one of many such abuse cases straining ties between the country and its neighbours. Hardware store owners Soh Chew Tong, 44, and his wife Chin Chui Ling, 42, were found guilty of culpable homicide at a high court in the northern state of Penang, said prosecutor Tan Guat Cheng.

The prison term will run from the day of their arrest in April last year, shortly after their maid Mey Sichan was found dead by paramedics. She weighed just 26 kg and had bruises on her body. Police said she died from acute gastritis and ulcers likely caused by lack of food over a long period. The 23-yearold had been working for the family for eight months.

High court judge Zamani Rahim was quoted by local media as saying the case had damaged Malaysia’s image, scaring away other domestic workers. The evidence showed the maid was denied food over a long period, he said. “In totality, the deceased did not receive enough food and had sustained injuries that were inflicted over time,” Zamani said.

The couple initially were charged with murder, which carries the death penalty in Malaysia. But the charge was reduced to culpable homicide punishable by a maximum 30 years in jail, Tan said. The couple’s lawyer could not immediately be reached.

Cases of abuse of domestic workers, who come from poorer regional countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia, have frequently surfaced in Malaysia. It is heavily dependent on foreigners as domestic helpers as locals shun the work. “It should be a lesson for all other employers. One of the violations that are increasing is deprivation of food... as a form of punishment. This is worrying,” said Glorene Das, an official with migrant labour rights organisation Tenaganita.

In response to a series of abuse cases, Cambodia stopped sending its citizens as domestic workers to Malaysia in late 2011, while Indonesia for years suspended sending maids.

Malaysia has promised to improve their welfare and protection, including giving them one day off a week. But activists say the hundreds of thousands of women remain vulnerable to sexual abuse, overwork and exploitation. They say many maids, who live with the families where they work, still do not get a day off and many are not allowed to leave the home.

Tan, the prosecutor in the case of the Cambodian maid, told AFP she was not confined to her employers’ home.

There was no explanation in court as to why she did not leave to buy food or seek help. Malaysian labour laws do not cover domestic workers. Activists say that while some 200,000 women work in Malaysia legally, many more have been smuggled into the country. —AFP

PHNOM PENH: Three people were killed when the ceiling of a warehouse fell in at a shoe factory in Cambodia, a government minister said yesterday, adding to concern about safety standards at Asian factories producing clothes cheaply for Western consumers. Cambodia has seen a rush of investment in recent years, especially into the shoe and garment sector, with Western and Asian firms attracted by its lowcost labour. The International Monetary Fund says garments account for about 80 percent of the Southeast Asian country’s exports.

Ith Sam Heng, minister of social affairs, told Reuters another six people had been injured in the incident at the plant in the Kong Pisei district of Kampong Speu province, 50 km west of the capital, Phnom Penh. “We will investigate the case and we will take measures against those involved,” he said, meaning anyone who might be held responsible for poor safety standards. He said no one remained trapped inside the building. Earlier, a trade union member at the factory had said six people had died in the collapse, which happened at around 7 am (2400 GMT on Wednesday). The shoe factory,

owned by Wing Star Shoes Co Ltd, a Taiwan company, employed about 7,000 people but only about 100 worked in the single-storey warehouse, according to staff. Work at the plant stopped after the accident. A Reuters reporter saw footwear bearing the name “Asics” scattered around the damaged warehouse, where a bulldozer was clearing away rubble. A spokeswoman for Japanese sportswear maker Asics Corp said the factory made running shoes for it. “Our prayers go out to the families of those who have died,” she said.

Asics relies on sports shoes for about twothirds of its sales, which amounted to 57.33 billion yen ($560 million) company-wide in the year to March 31, 2013. Strikes over pay and poor working conditions are common in the sector in Cambodia, also home to numerous factories producing clothing cheaply for Western retailers. Ngeth Phat, 29, who was among those rescued yesterday, said Wing Star had been open for little more than a year but there had already been two strikes by workers over poor working conditions and low wages she put at $80 a month. —Reuters

Weakening cyclone leaves relief in wake Mahasen buffets Bangladesh coast, 11 dead CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh: A cyclone slammed into the Bangladesh coast on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of a million people, but fears of devastating damage eased when the storm weakened as it moved over land. Authorities breathed a sigh of relief after Cyclone Mahasen, which was packing winds of 100 km an hour when it powered into the low-lying southeastern coast, lost much of its punch after making landfall. “We’re lucky,” Shamsuddun Ahmed, deputy head of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told AFP, adding it was not a severe cyclone and had been downgraded to a tropical depression.

But at least 11 people were killed by drowning and falling trees, officials said, while tens of thousands of mud, tin and straw-built homes were flattened by pounding rains and flooding. A million people spent the night in 3,000 cyclone shelters, schools and colleges along Bangladesh’s winding long coastline which is home to 30 million people, Chittagong district administrator Mohammad Abdullah told AFP. “The number of casualties were minimum because of our preparations,” disaster management minister Mahmud Ali told reporters in the capital.

Jahangir Alam, 22, carried his paralysed mother to the third floor of a Chittagong school that became a makeshift shelter.

“We didn’t want to take any risk,” he said.

Chan Mia, 50, who brought his family of seven to the same shelter, said the main worry was over storm surges “that can sweep the village within minutes”. Rain and strong winds also lashed neighbouring Myanmar’s northwest coast, home to tens of thousands of displaced Muslim Rohingya, but the country was largely spared the brunt of the storm.

About 50 Rohingya from Myanmar went missing after their boat capsized Monday as they tried to escape the oncoming storm. Of

the one million evacuated in Bangladesh, 600,000 were in the Chittagong region, Abdullah said, adding many now have moved back to their villages. Mohammad Mehrajuddin, a government official in southern Nijhum Dwip island, said many villagers there had refused to move to shelters for fear their cattle would be stolen. There was a similar reluctance to move among the

Than Win, 38, was among those who stayed to guard his tent. “Some of the IDPs do not trust the authorities,” he said. “They worry they will be kept elsewhere and will never be able to come back.”

Buddhist-Muslim clashes in the region last year left about 200 people dead and neighbourhoods burned to the ground. In Sittwe, where skies cleared by yesterday

CHITTAGONG: Bangladeshis gather to watch the sea at a beach while Cyclone Mahasen heads towards landfall yesterday. —AFP Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, reflecting a mistrust of security forces and of local Buddhists after communal violence last year.

Myanmar state media said that by Wednesday 70,000 people had been evacuated from the camps and vulnerable villages. Half the residents at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of the Rakhine capital Sittwe appeared to have left overnight, according to AFP journalists who visited yesterday.

afternoon, Myanmar authorities said they would order those most at risk to leave the camps if the situation deteriorated. “But the wind’s not very strong and the rain is not so heavy,” Hla Thein, chief justice of Rakhine state, told AFP. “As there wasn’t much sign of a storm, some people think it’s too much trouble to move.”

Bangladesh and Myanmar have been frequent victims of cyclones that have killed hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades. —AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

China bird flu devastates Shanghai family SHANGHAI: The virus has already killed her mother, and Kelly Gu’s father lies critically ill with H7N9 bird flu in a Shanghai hospital bed - the only couple both infected in China’s outbreak of the disease. As her mother lay dying Gu was urgently summoned back to Shanghai from her doctoral studies in chemistry in France, but she was too late, missing the chance to say goodbye by a day.

In her first interview with Western media, she told AFP she knew her mother was dead when her father, already showing symptoms of fatigue and fever, told her by phone: “It’s just like winning a lottery, it’s a lottery of very bad luck.”

The Gu family’s experience portrays a government-run health system battling a new disease, while sometimes showing a lack of empathy for victims and their kin. The H7N9 strain of bird flu has sickened 130 people in mainland China and killed 35 of them,

according to the latest available national figures. The government and World Health Organization (WHO) have repeatedly said there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, but Gu’s parents could be a rare “family cluster”.

Experts of the US government’s Centers for Disease Control public health agency say such clusters could represent limited spread between people caused by prolonged, unprotected exposure. If the virus were to mutate into a form easily transmissible among humans it could trigger a pandemic. Gu, 26, said her father, who works in a property management office, was sad about his only child living overseas - a fact that may have saved her life. Her mother, a 52-year old housewife she described as an optimist with a knack for technology, was probably infected on her daily trip to market near their home in western Shanghai. She had already

been ill for five days by the time the central government revealed the H7N9 outbreak, going twice to a district-level hospital. The next day, having trouble breathing and suffering from fever, she went to one of Shanghai’s finest hospitals, Huashan.

But the emergency room doctor sent her home, ordering three days rest.

She was dead in two.

Beijing has been praised by the WHO for openness over H7N9, in contrast to its cover-up a decade ago of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which originated in China and killed 800 people globally. But critics question why it took the government three weeks to make an announcement after the first deaths, despite Internet postings describing a mysterious illness at a Shanghai hospital.

And the case of Gu’s parents - she declined to give their full names reflects how the government-run health system struggled in the early

stages. “(The doctor) hadn’t seen the scanning result of my mother’s lung and he hadn’t asked her to take another one. He just judged it was a normal fever and sent her back home,” Gu said. Her mother died on April 3 of acute respiratory distress, and was confirmed to have the H7N9 virus a day later, one of Shanghai’s earliest cases. Her father had started showing symptoms on April 1. There are only two other such “family clusters”, a father and two sons in Shanghai and another father and son in Shandong province. Gu’s father has defied doctors’ expectations by clinging to life, but is under sedation on a respirator and does not respond when she tries to talk with him on a video link. She makes a daily trek to see him at an isolation hospital in southwest Shanghai, where green lawns give it the atmosphere of a country club, and consult with doctors who say there is little they can do. —AFP

Taiwan stages drill as Philippines row rages Manila decries treatment of its envoy

BEIJING: Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras smiles while talking with China’s Premier Li Keqiang during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People yesterday. — AP

Greek leader stresses culture in China talks BEIJING: Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of economically troubled Greece met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday, hailing the contributions to global civilisation of their respective cultures. Samaras was greeted at the Great Hall of the People with military honours that included armed guards, a marching band and a 19-gun salute. Inside the hall, he told Li the two countries share “common culture and values” based on their “ancient civilisations”. “Both our cultures have made significant contributions to the progress of humanity and with regards to language have made great contributions to humanity,” he added, according to an official Chinese translation.

Li said he expected the visit to strengthen relations.

“Your visit to China will be help push forward political trust, real cooperation and cultural ties between Greece and China,” he said. Later, the leaders watched as officials from both nations signed agreements, including some maritime-related ones. Details were not immediately available. Greece has been beset by serious economic and social woes in recent years due to mountains of public debt, forcing it to accept an international bailout. Its economy shrank 6.4 percent in 2012 and has contracted by more than a fifth since 2008. — AFP

ABOARD MAKUNG DESTROYER: Taiwan held a military exercise yesterday in waters near the northern Philippines in response to the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, after rejecting repeated apologies from Manila.

President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated that the Philippines should take formal responsibility for the death of the 65year-old, shot last week by Philippine coastguards who said his vessel intruded into Philippine waters. Amid outrage in the island, Taipei has slapped sanctions on Manila, including a ban on the hiring of new Philippine workers, a travel alert urging Taiwanese not to visit the Philippines and the suspension of high-level exchanges. Manila said it had “gone the extra mile” to try to appease Taipei and expressed concern that a special envoy sent to the island had been rebuffed.

Yesterday Taiwan sent a destroyer, two frigates and four coastguard ships to waters near the Philippines’ Batan island to press its territorial claims in the area, defence authorities said. The ships went as close as 21 nautical miles west of Batan but stayed within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, said Rear Admiral Lee Tung-pao. “The move is aimed to highlight our determination to safeguard sovereignty. The coastguards have vowed to protect our fishermen wherever they are, and we’ll support them,” Lee said.

The fleet did not encounter any Philippine naval or coastguard vessels.

Two Taiwanese Mirage 2000-5 fighters flew over the fleet at low altitude as the warships tested their anti-aircraft capabilities. In Manila, a military spokesman declined to comment on the exercise

and said it was not immediately clear whether the Taiwanese vessels were in international or Philippine waters. The Philippines expressed some indignation at Taiwan’s treatment of its envoy Amadeo R Perez, sent by President Benigno Aquino to apologise personally to the victim’s family.

Perez left Taiwan earlier yesterday after Foreign Minister David Lin and the fisherman’s family refused to meet him. “I came to convey the president’s and the Filipino people’s deep regret and apology over the unfortunate and unintended loss of life,” he told reporters at the airport before his departure. Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda insisted the incident happened in Philippine waters and said the government should not have to “appease” Taiwan. “We have gone the extra mile,” Lacierda told reporters, referring to Aquino sending Perez to

Taipei. “We have acted uprightly and decently as a respectable member of the international community.”

Perez is chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office which handles relations with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties. The Philippines, like most countries, formally recognises China over Taiwan.

Taiwan has deemed it “unacceptable” that the Philippines described the fisherman’s death as unintended. “I do hope they will understand they have to be responsible in the international community. Shooting unarmed and innocent people in the open seas is not an act tolerated by civilised nations,” President Ma said.

Taipei has repeatedly pressed Manila to issue a formal apology by its government, to compensate the fisherman’s family and to apprehend the killer. —AFP

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: An S70-C helicopter takes off from the stern of a Taiwanese Lafayette frigate during exercises off this southern city yesterday. — AP

Business FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

KFC comes to Gaza via underground tunnels

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Japanese economy grew at 3.5% pace Page 21

BRUSSELS: France’s President Francois Hollande addresses the media after a meeting with EU Commissioners at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (Inset) People eat take away food as they have a break, in the business district of La Defense, Paris. France’s economy has fallen back into recession, spelling trouble for the region. — AP

Hollande’s headache worsens France slips into second recession PARIS: President Francois Hollande’s nagging headache to reboot the French economy has turned into a migraine as the economy slipped into its second recession in four years, fuelling speculation of an impending cabinet reshuffle. Having just marked his first year as French president, Hollande’s ambition to reverse the trend of soaring unemployment is now deemed an impossible task by many economists who say the government’s efforts to create more jobs will at best limit the damage.

The national statistics agency, INSEE, said Wednesday the eurozone’s second-largest economy fell into recession-two consecutive quarters of contraction-in the first three months of the year with the economy shrinking by 0.2 percent, just as the euro-zone posted its sixth straight quarter of economic contraction. The French opposition was quick to pounce on the news, with ex-prime minister Francois Fillon of the right-wing UMP blaming the recession on Socialist government inaction since Hollande took power.

“Francois Hollande’s government stopped all reforms, cancelled them, and did not replace them with any real initiative for competitiveness,” Fillon told news website lopinion.fr. But Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici insisted that the recession was “not a surprise” and was “largely due to the environment in the euro-zone”. He also maintained the government’s promise of stemming the rise in

unemployment by the end of the year.

The government’s woes come after Hollande last week for the first time hinted at a reshuffle of ministers and with speculation intensifying after Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Tuesday said the finance ministry lacked a proper “boss” to coordinate economic policy. In March, the number of unemployed French jobseekers reached a record-high, hitting 3.224 million. “Reversing the curve by the end of the year is a mission impossible,” said Mathieu Plane, an economist at the French Economic Observatory at the Sciences Po university.

Plane said that although the government might be able to produce one month of good news by applying a raft of measures to boost employment, “an exit from the crisis is not in sight”. “The only way to limit the damage is to offer part-time unemployment,” referring to policies that allow employers to retain staff by reducing their hours. The March jobless data was a real set-back for Hollande who in September gave himself one year to reverse the curve. In late December, he moved the goalposts, saying the trend would be bucked by the end of this year.

“Clearly when Francois Hollande said ‘the trend will be reversed at the end of the year’ he had in mind that activity could resume before the end of the year, something which seems complicated. In

no region in the world are we seeing an activity pick-up, and Europe isn’t very robust,” said Philippe Waechter, an economist at Natixis investment bank. To curb unemployment, economists estimate that France needs annual growth of around 1.5 percent.

But on Wednesday, the president told a press conference in Brussels: “It is likely that there will be zero growth in 2013”. He nonetheless added: “It is my view that we are past the worst.”

Earlier in the day, Moscovici had said in Paris that a tiny economic expansion of 0.1 percent was still expected this year. Hollande’s government still expects a slight decline in jobless figures in the last quarter owing in large part to a gradual recovery of global activity.

Hollande met European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso and other commissioners in Brussels for talks on boosting eurozone growth and France’s efforts to reach EU deficit limits of less than three percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The EU has signaled it will likely give France an extra two years, to 2015, to bring its deficit back under 3.0 percent of GDP, although Paris will be obliged to undertake reforms in return. Yesterday, Hollande is to give a wide-ranging press conference when he is expected to sum up his first year as president and respond to questions about a cabinet reshuffle. — AFP

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KFC comes to Gaza via underground tunnels GAZA: Junk-food starved Gazans can now order Kentucky Fried Chicken to go thanks to a new smuggling service which brings takeout from Egypt via a network of underground tunnels. It’s not exactly “fast”-taking several hours to arrive, with the Palestinian delivery company behind it charging hefty prices to cover the cost of fuel and transport.

“Last chance to order for the Thursday 6:00 pm delivery is Wednesday night,” says the Yamama delivery firm on its Facebook page. Yamama then orders the meals, about 30 on a typical run, from the KFC out-

let in the Egyptian city of El-Arish, some 40 kilometers away. “We place the order with the restaurant in El-Arish, then drive it in a car to the Egyptian side of Rafah,” said Yamama director Khalil Al-Ifranji. “Someone takes it from there through the tunnels to (Gazan) Rafah. They then drive it to our headquarters (in Gaza City).”

Motorbikes then deliver the food, with the entire process taking three to four hours. Fast food is just the latest trend for smugglers seeking to turn a buck by bringing in hard-to-get products to the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli block-

ade since 2007. Tight restrictions on Gazans entering Egypt mean those with a craving for chicken cooked to Colonel’s Secret Recipe can’t just pop over the border and pick up a bucket.

Instead, some residents seem quite happy to shell out 130 shekels ($35/27 euros) for just 20 pieces of fried chicken-double what it costs in El-Arish. There are no international fast food chains in Gaza. “There are many orders,” said Ifranji. “People can’t travel regularly, and those who’ve tried this food really miss it. Those who haven’t, dream of it.” For Iyad Jaber, it’s a great idea.

Weak euro data, central bank support bolster dollar, shares European shares dip but still near multi-year highs LONDON: Weak data fanned expectations yesterday of more central bank action in Europe, keeping yield-hungry investors focused on the region’s stock markets and the dollar near a six-week high against the euro.

With most markets trading in narrow ranges,

84.10 hit in July 2012. “The euro is being caught in the crossfire here. The dollar’s strength is going to be the dominant story of the second half of the year,” Chris Turner, head of FX Strategy at ING said.

Expectations of more central bank stimulus

BEIJING: A man rides a bicycle as a boy holds balloons on a road in Beijing yesterday. Inflation in China accelerated to 2.4 percent yearon-year last month, official data showed. —AFP the dollar rose 0.1 percent against the euro to around $1.2870, having hit a six-week high of $1.2843 on Wednesday.

It gained 0.3 percent against the yen to 102.57 after the Bank of Japan’s efforts to reflate the economy via a massive stimulus program were endorsed by unexpectedly strong growth data from Tokyo. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was up 0.1 percent at 83.93, just shy of the multi-year peak of

in the euro-zone reinforced by data showing annual inflation was a below-target 1.2 percent in April - kept shares near multi-year highs. MSCI’s world equity index was down 0.1 percent, close to its best levels since mid-2008 after gains of nearly 11 percent this year. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.2 percent at 1,243.50, also near a five-year peak.

“Markets have rallied hard recently and in a

low interest rate environment and with quantitative easing measures in place, equities are still the place to be,” Jawaid Afsar, sales trader at SecurEquity, said. The sharp drop in annual euro-zone consumer inflation was led by lower world oil prices, but the data also highlighted how households are not spending and companies are not investing, dampening hopes for a recovery a day after data showed the eurozone was mired in its longest ever recession.

The main German bond futures contract was 6 ticks higher at 144.78 after the inflation data.

JAPAN STIMULATED Earlier MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.3 percent and the Nikkei index in Tokyo ended down 1 percent after Japan’s economy grew 0.9 percent in the first quarter. The index hit a 5-1/2-year high earlier in the session and is up a hefty 44 percent for the year to date. The growth rate was the quickest pace in a year and the economic stimulus program launched by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the central bank.

“There’s now proof that Abenomics is working and that the economy is on a solid footing.” said Yoshiki Shinke, senior economist, Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo.

The growth in the world third largest economy contrasts with the ongoing recession in the euro-zone, worries about the health of China’s recovery and follows a surprise drop in US industrial output for April. The uncertain outlook has weighed on commodity markets, which were mostly weaker again yesterday.

Brent crude was down 32 cents to $103.36 a barrel, and US oil was down 53 cents to $93.77, gold dropped to its lowest level in almost a month at $1,374.99 an ounce and iron ore traded near its lowest since December. But copper on the London Metal Exchange edged away from two-week lows to be up 0.13 percent at $7,207.25 a ton. —Reuters

OPEC-style platinum cartel a pipe-dream JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is the Saudi Arabia of platinum with steroids thrown in. But Pretoria could never manipulate the platinum price the way the Middle Eastern kingdom can influence oil’s and talk of a platinum cartel, perhaps along the lines of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is a pipe-dream. The world’s top platinum producers, South Africa and Russia, agreed to attempt to cope with excess supplies of the metal through a memorandum of understanding signed in March during the BRICS emerging market powers meeting in Durban.

South Africa’s Mines Minister Susan Shabangu spoke of “balancing” rather than “controlling the market” while still expressing concern about oversupply and prices.

Confusingly, Russian officials said influencing prices was not the aim. If not, then what would be the ultimate aim of cooperation between the platinum powerhouses, especially if one of the parties’ stated goals is to “balance” the market? This has sparked speculation about how supplies could be reined in to lift prices for the white metal used to build emissionscapping catalytic converters in automobiles.

Talk has ranged from an OPEC-type model to something far more modest, along the lines of marketing cooperation, but getting anything off the ground is unlikely as the crude and platinum industries are like oil and water. For starters, crude production in Saudi Arabia is firmly in the hands of the state through the national oil company Aramco.

Over the past few years, it has been almost alone in OPEC in actually curbing production intentionally as other members have refrained from doing so because of concerns over lost revenue. —Reuters

“Whenever a KFC advert’s on TV, my wife tells me she wants to go to Egypt and have some,” says the 34-year-old civil servant.

When his wife heard Yamama advertising its new KFC smuggling service on the radio, she demanded he get some, saying she would wait forever if they saved up for a trip to El-Arish. Yamama launched the service just three weeks ago after several friends came back from El-Arish with a KFC meal and suggested turning it into a business venture. Since then, the number of bulk orders placed by the firm has been steadily climbing, due to popular demand. —AFP

Gold falls for sixth session LONDON: Gold dropped for the sixth consecutive session yesterday, hitting its lowest level in four weeks, on a stronger dollar and battered investor sentiment.

Rallying stocks have also hurt bullion’s appeal as an alternative investment this year, leading funds to generally liquidate their gold positions. Gold fell as much as 1.6 percent to a low of $1,369.29 an ounce and stood at $1,374.46 at 1012 GMT. US gold for June delivery was down 1.6 percent at $1,373.10 an ounce, having hit a low of $1,368.

Traders said the fall below the psychologically significant $1,400 level in the previous session triggered heavy selling and that the metal might retest two-year lows of $1,321.35 hit on April 16. A sixth consecutive daily fall for bullion would be its longest run of losses since March 2009. It has fallen about 16 percent in 2013 after gaining for the past 12 years. “It is possible that we will see further selling. This fall is reminiscent of what we saw about a month ago during a sort of flash crash in gold,” Mitsubishi analyst Jonathan Butler said.

“Investors appear to be tired of gold as a safe haven as they anticipate the end of those loose monetary policies, possibly by the end of this year or maybe early next year, while there also seems to be a return of risk appetite.” The dollar was near a six-week high against the euro and a 4-1/2 year peak against the yen on prospects for more monetary easing in the euro zone and reduced asset buying in the United States, which would undermine the argument for holding gold as a hedge against inflation.

A stronger greenback makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies. The market is now turning its attention towards US inflation data, later in the day, as well as the country’s weekly jobless claims. Gold investment nearly halved in the first quarter as a brighter view of the US economy prompted investors in the West to favour assets such as stocks over bullion, the World Gold Council said yesterday.

Soros Fund Management LLC joined funds including Northern Trust and BlackRock in lowering its investment in the SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed ETF, in the first three months of the year, an SEC filing showed. Holdings in the SPDR fund fell 0.43 percent to 1,047.14 tons on Wednesday; the lowest since March 2009. However, lower gold prices have attracted physical buying in China. The world’s second-largest consumer after India bought a large amount of gold yesterday. Premiums for gold bars rallied to record highs up to $5 an ounce over spot London prices in Hong Kong, China’s main source for gold imports.

In other precious metals, silver was down 1.5 percent to $22.24 an ounce, having earlier touched its lowest level since April 16 at $22.09. The metal fell 6.7 percent this week in its worst weekly performance for a month.

Platinum fell 1.1 percent to $1,468.24 an ounce, but the metal’s premium over gold reached its highest level since August 2011 as South Africa’s production worries continue. Palladium dropped 0.7 percent to $719.22 an ounce. —Reuters

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Business FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Chief executives and the itch to quit LONDON: On approaching his 60th birthday this year, long-serving Tullow Oil boss Aidan Heavey told staff he felt “like two 30 yearolds”. A handful of recent shock departures by 50-something chief executives at European blue chip companies - none of them under any obvious pressure to quit suggest some of his peers either lack that vigor, or want to channel it elsewhere. Peter Voser is giving up one of the world’s most challenging CEO roles at Royal Dutch/Shell next year, before his 55th birthday, in pursuit of a “lifestyle change”.

Swiss engineering group ABB’s 55-year old boss Joe Hogan is also going, for “private reasons”. Pierre-Olivier Beckers, 53, is walking out on Belgian retailer Delhaize , and Paul Walsh, 57, is waving goodbye to drinks multinational Diageo. All four are about average European CEO age. While the rising financial rewards of running a modern multinational have been well publicized, executive recruiters say the pressures of the job have also been ratcheted up in

recent years, and not just because of the tough economic times.

“The reality is it’s grueling. It’s really tough, and there comes a point where you don’t want to do it any more,” said Ian Butcher, who headhunts board-level and senior executives for MWM Consulting. “The quarterly reporting, the governance, the regulatory aspects, it just becomes very wearing - the level of scrutiny, the pace at which things are moving, the short-term nature of how people look at any given situation. Even over the past five years these things have made CEO a tougher position to hold, and the travel that people have to undertake in these jobs - it’s just something they run out of steam on.”

Some recent early retirees, while still well short of traditional retirement age, also got to the top spot early. “They’re still in their early fifties, with energy and a desire to do something, but they want to do something different, something quite significantly different sometimes,” says Butcher. Voser fits that

bill. He has no plans to collect well-paid chairmanships and non-executive directorships, as many ex-CEOs have done in the past.

Former Tesco chief Terry Leahy has also resisted that gravy train since he left two years ago.

As for the early starters, executive search industry professionals point at people like Andrew Witty, the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, who took on the job aged 44 in 2008 and would have to stay in harness for another decade to reach 60 in the role. Blue-chip bosses as young as Witty are still rare, but over a quarter of Europe’s current crop have less than two years in the job, and more than half have less than four, according to data from executive search specialists BoardEx. MEDIAN CEO AGE IS 55 YEARS The BoardEx data, collected for Reuters from 238 companies in the main stock indexes of Germany, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, puts the median CEO age at 55, and the median

tenure at four years. Only 16 percent of the group have held on for 10 years and more.

The longest serving of them is Martin Gilbert of the British fund Aberdeen Asset Management. Though younger, at 57, Gilbert pips the 28.3-year tenure of Tullow’s double thirty year-old Heavey, with 29.8 years at the helm.

There are 17 top European CEOs who have been in the job for less than six months, and the youngest of the 225 in the group for whom ages were available is Vitaly Nesis, 37, who runs Polymetal International, the London-listed Russian precious metals miner.

While the recent spate of quitters are looking for something else to do, there are still some who appear to want nothing but. In the BoardEx group there are four over 70, and the oldest by eight years is Albert Frere, CEO of Group Bruxelles Lambert. Perhaps some linger on for fear that the pension pot is still a little light. Frere will have put such qualms behind him long ago. At 87, he is Belgium’s richest man. —Reuters

Japanese economy grew at 3.5% pace Growth spurt ‘proves Abenomics is working’

TOKYO: People walk on a concourse at a railway station in Tokyo yesterday. Japan said yesterday that its economy grew again in the quarter to March, pointing to a recovery as Tokyo and its hand-picked central bank team set about stoking the world’s third-largest economy. —AFP

Market abuzz as Malaysia’s IPO boom poised to resume KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia was among the world’s IPO leaders last year and the pace looks set to pick up again with tense elections out of the way and expectations that the government will push a reform agenda. Malaysia’s exchange had a banner year for initial public offerings in 2012 as big issues capitalized on a rising share index and perceptions that a government plan to revitalize the economy would spur new investor interest.

Activity cooled in recent months, however, as investors held their breath in the run-up to hard-fought May 5 elections, but the 56-year-old ruling coalition once again retained power, promising policy continuity. “The election may have held things up but a lot of money is still trying to come into this region and Malaysia is seeing good growth and is potentially attractive,” said Gundy Cahyadi, an economist with OCBC bank in Singapore. A flurry of confirmed or rumored IPOs to emerge post-election has caused a buzz in the market. In the biggest so far, IOI Corp., one of Malaysia’s top palmoil producers, said Tuesday it planned to spin off its real-estate holdings in a listing late in the year. Company officials said it could raise $630 million. Among others, AirAsia X-the long-haul arm of successful budget carrier AirAsia-aims to raise up to $300 million in a possible July listing, a source close to the matter told AFP last week. With the European and US economies struggling, the global IPO market largely stalled in 2012 but Malaysia emerged as a bright spot with several major listings led by palm-oil giant Felda Global Ventures’ $3.25 billion IPO last June. —AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 3.5 percent in annual terms in the last quarter, giving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a boost as his government tackles tough reforms needed to ensure a recovery ends more than two decades of malaise. Stronger consumer spending and public works investment coupled with aggressive monetary easing lent oomph to the recovery that began in the last quarter of 2012, when annual growth was 0.3 percent, according to revised data. The preliminary data for January to March showed the world’s third-largest economy grew 0.9 percent on a quarterly basis, the fastest pace in a year, according to figures reported by the Cabinet Office yesterday.

Abe took office in late December after voters fed up with years of economic misery returned his Liberal Democratic Party to power. His policies have helped push share prices to their highest levels in over five years, fueled by strong liquidity and expectations of improved profitability for listed companies.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index slipped 0.4 percent yesterday to close at 15,037.24, falling back on profit taking. But it has gained nearly 75 percent since November in a rally linked to high hopes for Abe’s policies.

“Japan’s healthy-looking GDP data are the first substantial piece of good economic news under the Abe government,” said Julian Jessop, an economist with Capital Economics in London. He said it was unclear how much of the rebound could be attributed to Abe’s policy blend, dubbed “Abenomics,” but that “the government can at least claim some credit for boosting confidence in the economy.” The improvement makes it more likely the government will be able push ahead with pledges to raise sales taxes over the next two years to help improve Japan’s deteriorating fiscal health, said economy minister Akira Amari.

Japan’s public debt is more than twice the

size of the economy and still growing as the government struggles to revamp aging infrastructure, rebuild from the March 2011 tsunami and meet the social welfare needs of its increasingly elderly and shrinking population.

However, top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said the decision on raising taxes would hinge on how the economy performs over the coming months. “Consumer sentiment seems to have recovered,” Suga told reporters. “But at this point we should not be overly optimistic.”

“The Abe administration’s policies are starting to see some results, but we need to achieve economic growth with employment and we will work to achieve this.” Apart from soaring share prices, Japan’s manufacturing and employment showed slight improvements in March, buttressing hopes that the economy may be headed for a moderate recovery. The government yesterday revised upward its estimate for industrial production in March, saying it rose 0.9 percent rather than the earlier-reported 0.2 percent.

A sharp decline in the value of the Japanese yen, brought on both by monetary easing and by expectations of further easing, has helped some exporters and provided a windfall in yen terms for companies repatriating overseas earnings. But it is also raising costs for many companies that depend heavily on imports of natural gas and other commodities. Exports rose 3.8 percent in the first quarter, the first such increase in a year, while consumer spending, which accounts for a hefty 60 percent of total business activity in Japan, climbed 0.9 percent as households bought more cars and other durable goods.

The central bank, which is committed to 2 percent inflation within two years, says it expects a moderate recovery by midyear but has warned that uncertainties in the domestic and global economies could foil those hopes. Abe needs fast results as ammunition in an election for the upper house of parlia-

ment in July, a vote that will determine his Liberal Democratic Party’s chances for pushing through with other policy priorities, such as revision of Japan’s war-renouncing constitution.

Critics of the Abenomics strategy question whether the extra funding pumped into the economy will foster sustainable growth or just push up prices for shares and other assets. Key to the success of the policies will be increased spending by households and corporations, partly due to expectations that prices will rise. So far, increases in spending have been attributed mainly to luxury purchases by share investors splashing out after seeing gains in their portfolios.

Analysts had generally forecast a 2.7 percent to 2.8 percent increase in GDP in January-March and quarterly growth of about 0.7 percent. Much of the growth in the first quarter of the year came from public demand: government spending on reconstruction from Japan’s March 2011 tsunami disaster and other public works. Private demand has been fueled by a recovery in housing investment, which has picked up sharply as purchasers rush to beat the expected increases in sales taxes. The sales tax increase, while needed to help reduce Japan’s massive public debt, will amount to a “major fiscal tightening,” said Jessop.

To keep growth on track, the government will have to carry out fiscal and structural reforms - such as changes in labor, education and tax policies and administrative deregulation - to help improve Japan’s long-term competitiveness and adapt to its aging and shrinking population. In the near term, if companies do not boost wages to help improve household purchasing power, inflationary policies could just discourage consumer spending. Data released Wednesday showed consumer confidence fell slightly in April, though it has improved since late last year.—AP

Business FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Islamic finance ‘needs’ global sharia board KUALA LUMPUR: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB), a Jeddah-based multilateral institution, has called for the creation of a global sharia advisory board that can offer greater uniformity for the Islamic finance industry, its president said yesterday. A centralized format to the supervision of shariacompliant banking products is gaining favor across the globe, as regulators seek to standardize industry practices and improve consumer perceptions.

“IDB and IFSB (Islamic Financial Services Board) should study ways for creating globally acceptable references for the industry for the benefit of all,” IDB president Ahmad

Mohamed Ali said at a conference in Kuala Lumpur.

“This could include striving for the concept of a globally accepted sharia committee or body, which would be able to assist all Islamic financial institutions and bring them in line with a uniform standard.”

Malaysia pioneered the country-level sharia board and in recent months several countries have introduced central boards of their own, including Dubai, Oman, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Countries like Oman have gone as far as imposing term limits on the sharia scholars who are members of these boards, while

also requiring they abide by a code of conduct. Islamic scholars are experts in financial and religious law, but they are not certified or accredited like other professions, so regulators are increasingly developing ways to ensure the hiring of experienced and financially literate scholars.

A global sharia board would also allow the industry to address low penetration rates in majority Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt where the industry’s share of banking assets remains below 10 percent. A global sharia board would provide a more structured approach to the industry,

which has its core markets in the Gulf and Southeast Asia.

“This is very important as it gives a much needed structure to the industry, thus enabling it to be more stable and allowing it to grow further,” Ali added. Ali also called for the IFSB to assist the IDB and its member countries in providing technical assistance, while urging the industry to focus on Islamic microfinance and youth employment. The IFSB is one of the main bodies setting standards globally for Islamic finance, although national financial regulators have the final say on their implementation and enforcement. — Reuters

Vatican Bank to publish its accounts, launches website Bank tries to shed reputation as most secretive bank

QARA ZAGHAN: Afghan miner Morad Ali, 30, stands where he was searching for gold in a mountainside near the village of Qara Zaghan in Baghlan province. — AFP

Afghan gold mine luring modern-day prospectors QARA ZAGHAN: After scrambling up a steep mountainside in north Afghanistan, Morad Ali crouches beside a gap cut in the slope and touches some reddish-brown rock.

“The gold is in here,” he says. Ali was one of generations of local men who used chisels and pickaxes to extract small amounts of gold from the forbidding peaks above the village of Qara Zaghan on the edge of the Hindu Kush mountains. Now a dirt track has been carved up to the spot, and professional surveying is underway as part of efforts to assess how Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth could be exploited as the country seeks a more stable and prosperous future.

“I started mining when I was aged about 12,” said Ali, now in his late thirties. “We would find tiny flakes of gold, or we would crush rocks and then wash the powder to pan out little grains.” Ali’s knowledge of the landscape and its history of small-scale “artisanal” mining is a valuable asset for Afghan Gold and Minerals (AGM), the Afghan-owned company that in 2011 won the license to dig for gold in Qara Zaghan.

“We know from the locals that there is gold and our own studies show good potential-now we need to explore further,” said Dusko Ljubojevic, a South African geologist working for AGM. “Doing the surveying on this type of terrain is like mountaineering, but I am excited. We have only looked at a small part of our license area so far.” —AFP

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican Bank, a centre of scandals for decades, is to launch its own website and publish its annual report in an effort to increase transparency, its new president said.

Ernst von Freyberg told the bank’s employees of the changes, which should be in place by the end of the year, this week, according to Vatican Radio.

He also said the bank, formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) and dubbed the world’s most secretive bank by Forbes magazine, had also hired an auditing firm to make sure it meets international standards against money laundering.

Vatican Radio did not name of the auditing firm. Freyberg was appointed in February to take the place of Ettore Gotti Tedeschi who was fired last May. Gotti Tedeschi said he was dismissed because he wanted more transparency but the board, made up of international financial experts, said he had neglected basic management responsibilities and alienated staff.

His abrupt departure, along with the arrest of Pope Benedict’s butler for stealing confidential papal documents, came during a leaks scandal that shook the Vatican last year and contributed to Benedict’s decision to resign. The Vatican has been trying to shed its image as a murky financial centre since 1982, when Roberto Calvi, known as “God’s Banker” because of his links to the Vatican, was found hanging from London’s Blackfriars Bridge. Calvi was head of the Banco Ambrosiano, then Italy’s largest private bank, which collapsed in a fraudulent bankruptcy. The Vatican bank owned part of the Ambrosiano. In July, a European antimoney laundering committee said the Vatican Bank failed to meet all its standards on fighting money laundering, tax evasion and other financial crimes.

The report by Moneyval, a monitoring group of the 47-nation Council of Europe, found the Vatican had passed only nine of 16 “key and core” aspects of its financial dealings. The Vatican

has vowed to make changes to meet the standards, and its bank will be reviewed again in July. Earlier this month, in another move towards transparency, the Vatican’s internal regulator, its Financial Information Authority (FIA), signed a memo of understanding with FinCen, the US agency that tracks suspicious financial transactions.

In 2010, Rome magistrates froze 23 million euros ($33 million) held by the IOR in an Italian bank. The Vatican said at the time that its bank was merely transferring its own funds between its own accounts in Italy and Germany.

The money was released in June 2011 but the investigation continues. Pope Francis, who was elected in March to succeed Benedict, could enact a major restructuring of the bank or even eventually decide to close it, Vatican sources have said. The bank primarily handles funds for Vatican departments, Roman Catholic charities and orders of priests and nuns around the world. — Reuters

Singapore Airlines results disappoint SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines Ltd reported weaker-thanexpected full-year results and warned of a deteriorating environment as it struggles to cope with the rapid emergence of Gulf carriers and low cost Asian rivals. SIA is attempting a big strategy overhaul, pushing into the budget airlines segment and expanding its regional network.

State-backed Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are stitching deals, while Gulf states race to become regional hubs linking the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

Asia’s second-biggest airline, which has a market value of $11 billion, said yesterday net income rose nearly 13 percent to S$379 million ($304 million) for the year to March 31, below an average forecast of S$409.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine SmartEstimates. The fourth-quarter profit of S$68.3 million was also below market estimates.

Full-year operating profit fell nearly 20 percent, with the airline blaming persistently high fuel prices and the global economic slowdown. “Yields are likely to remain under pressure amid weak economic sentiment, and revenues will be further diluted if key revenue-generating currencies continue to depreciate against the Singapore dollar,” SIA said in a statement. SIA said the parent airline company and SilkAir were cutting capacity between April and June due to weak markets. SIA’s promotional fares on its mainstay long-haul routes

have helped it boost traffic, but premium class travel, which makes up about 40 percent of revenue, has been hit by businesses cutting spending on travel. “They have competitors who have strong financial backing and are also forming alliances, so it’s getting to be a much tougher space,” said Kristy Fong, investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management, which holds about a 4 percent stake in SIA. “So the question is whether they can really keep that premium, which is sliding. I don’t think it’s an easy one,” Fong said before SIA announced its results. Under Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong, who took charge in January 2011, SIA is relying on a multi-brand strategy and stepping up its exposure to the budget airlines segment. It desperately needs growth: profit fell nearly 70 percent in its previous financial year and margins slumped. Emirates and Qatar are fiercely challenging the company, controlled by Singaporean state investor Temasek, for the title of top luxury carrier as they invest millions in upgrading lounges and enhancing services.

Singapore’s best known brand also faces stiffer competition from Southeast Asian rivals such as Malaysian Airline System Bhd and Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk PT, which are introducing newer aircraft and adding more connections in an attempt to win back some of their nationals who have previously flown via SIA and Singapore. —Reuters

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost.

His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power.

Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world.

A force known as ... the 99!

THE FASCINATING STORY OF THE 99 The Story So Far: Noora and Baseer respond to a call from Hafiz, in Brazil, and encounter a grotesque monster terrorizing people in the Amazon rainforest. But when they try to stop it, the monster disappears. Hafiz identifies it as a giant version

Visit the99kids.com for free games featuring THE 99!

of a Brazilian insect called a treehopper...

THE99FanPage

@THE99Comics

THE99Comics

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

www.the99.org

Opinion FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Polish exports of halal, kosher meat in limbo

By Vanessa Gera

F

or some, it was a barbaric way to treat animals. For others, it was great business. Until January, slaughterhouses across Poland - a deeply Catholic nation were the unlikely venues for the Islamic and Jewish slaughter of animals, which in both religions involves a swift cut to the throat of a conscious animal and death by bleeding.

Millions of euros were being made exporting the halal and kosher meat to countries like Egypt, Iran and Israel, as well as to Muslim and Jewish markets inside Europe.

In a victory for a growing animal rights movement, activists succeeded in getting a ban on such religious slaughter. But with economic decline deepening and exports seen as a possible salvation, the government faces pressure to get the practice reinstated legally - and is scrambling to do so.

Though Poland’s own cuisine is heavy in pork, a meat banned by Jewish and Islamic laws, the country has cut out this niche business for itself in one example of the economic savvy Poland has shown since joining the European Union in 2004. Kosher and halal meat exports have grown between 20 and 30 percent per year in recent years as the largely agricultural country has capitalized on its low labor costs and a reputation for healthy farm animals.

“God gave us good food, good soil and good farm animals, and he gave the Muslim countries what they have under the surface - black gold,” said Mufti Tomasz Miskiewicz, the top Muslim leader in Poland. “There are nations with big populations - like Egypt, the Arab countries, Indonesia - that need this food and don’t have enough cattle to produce enough meat themselves.”

The business has been overseen and encouraged by Poland’s Jewish and Muslim communities, minorities that are very small but with a presence going back many centuries. Polish Jews once made up the world’s largest Jewish population; though nearly wiped out in the Holocaust, the community is growing. Tatars, a Muslim people, also settled here centuries ago, and have been joined recently by Arab diplomats, businessmen and students. The kosher and halal business had boomed until January, when the ban took effect following a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal. Though the actual slaughter was carried out by specially trained Muslim and Jewish officials, the industry also created thousands of supporting jobs for others.

Animal rights activists argue that killing animals without stunning them first causes unnecessary suffering to the animals.

Jewish and Muslim leaders strongly disagree, and insist that their method is actually more humane, in part became it causes the animals to lose consciousness very fast.

They argue that standard industrial slaughter involves pre-stunning that is sometimes not effective, leading to even greater suffering.

Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich,

says Jewish tradition has always been concerned with the welfare of animals, noting, for instance, that it bans hunting and any senseless suffering. “For close to 3,000 years, Jewish slaughter practices have been followed that minimize pain to the animal,” Schudrich said.

Polish meat industry officials are hesitant to take sides on which slaughter method causes more suffering, with their focus firmly on economics. The pro-market government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is also eager to get the business going again and

organization that represents the interests of meat producers.

Choinski said there are no official figures on the financial losses so far, but the number is high: the industry is worth about ‚Ǩ500 million ($650 million) per year to the Polish economy and it has been largely frozen for nearly half a year. About 100,000 tons of kosher or halal beef and 100,000 tons of poultry were exported annually before the ban - making up between 20 and 30 percent of Poland’s beef exports and about 10 percent of poultry exports,

“Poland can’t afford this. Most meat production facilities are in small places without other places for people to work and this is dooming the economic prospects of people,” he said. “But I think there will be a resolution because no government can allow 6,000 people to get laid off during an economic crisis.” For now, business is being picked up by producers in nearby countries, including Latvia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Miskiewicz said.

Bosnia is also working hard to position itself as an exporter of halal products. The

In this photo taken May 13, 2013, Bosnian workers prepare chicken in the ‘Ovako’ chicken factory that produces halal food products near Bosnian town of Visoko, 35 km north of Sarajevo. — AP has recently drafted a law that would reinstate religious slaughter while also adding some new protections for animals. The law’s fate now rests with parliament, which is due to debate and vote on it in the coming weeks. It is expected to pass since the government enjoys majority support in the assembly, but probably not without some heated debate. Lawmakers are under pressure from all sides, including from an animal rights movement that has grown stronger as the ex-communist country grows increasingly Westernized.

In the meantime, industry leaders warn that millions of euros and thousands of jobs could be lost if Poland doesn’t re-legalize religious slaughter soon. “Banning ritual slaughter was a cardinal mistake with huge consequences,” said Witold Choinski, the head of Polskie Mieso, or Polish Meat, an

Choinski said. He says there is currently no production at all of the religiously slaughtered meat, though Miskiewicz and others say there is some small-scale production taking place in a legal gray zone.

Many of the Polish meat facilities which handle kosher and halal meat - usually in addition to traditional slaughter - have had to limit their overall production because of the ban, while major contracts with traders from the Middle East have been suspended, Choinski said.

Poland had been close to sealing major long-term contracts with Saudi Arabia, but these were abandoned because of the unclear legal situation. Meanwhile, many Polish companies that produce halal and kosher meat are on the verge of bankruptcy, and up to 6,000 workers could lose their jobs, he said.

country opened its first halal fair Wednesday in Sarajevo, welcoming representatives of the Islamic world to take a look at Bosnian products. Erdal Trhulj, Bosnia’s regional industry minister, said the halal industry is growing worldwide, and that his country “aims to become a hub for halal industry in this part of Europe.”

The debate surrounding the issue has lacked any overt anti-Jewish or anti-Islamic tones, though religious rights are also pressing concern for the minorities and a government that wants to maintain good ties with them. Miskiewicz says there is a degree of unfairness in banning Jewish and Islamic slaughter when so many Polish Catholics follow a similar practice themselves at Christmas, when carp are slaughtered in homes across the nation without any prestunning. — AP

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013 www.kuwaittimes.net

A lion named Mianga lazys around in the garden of the house of Ales Basista and his girlfriend in the southern Czech village of Stupava, 50 km southeast of Brno, Czech Republic on May 15, 2013. The couple have had the lions living with them since they were small. — AFP

Food FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

A

rabic cuisine is mainly a combination of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian food. It has been affected by the mingling of Arab and non-Arabs over the centuries. European cultures such as the Spanish, Italian, French and Greek also had impact on the Arab cooking. Turkish cuisine had impact on the entire Arab world, Persian and Indian cuisine had impact on the eastern side of the Arabic countries.

You will find most of the time cinnamon, curry powder, fish (in coastal areas), garlic, lamb (or veal), mild to hot sauces, mint, onion, rice, saffron, sesame, yogurt, spices (similar to the Indian cuisine) due to heavy trading between the two regions. Tea, thyme (or oregano), turmeric, variety of fruits (primarily citrus), variety of vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, green beans, zucchini and parsley.

Sharing a meal with others is an old honored tradition in the Arabic World and an expression of hospitality. Formal dinners and celebrations normally include large quantities of lamb (or veal), chicken, rice, stewed vegetables with tomato sauce and dishes seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices. Several other side dishes and salads are included.

Tea is inescapable and is the favorite hot drink and is constantly consumed. Coffee would be included as well. The Middle Eastern diet consists of many ingredients not normally used in the American kitchen, such as lentil soups, fava beans, olive and sesame seed oils, olives, feta cheese, and dates. Some of the Arabic dishes need a lot of preparation time, such as the stuffed grape leaves, stuffed zucchini, green peppers or cabbage.

The common elements in Arabic cooking are the following: Bread which is highly regarded in the Arab world. If anybody notices a scrap of bread on the street, they would pick it up and put on the side where no one can step on it accidentally. Bread is an essential ingredient on the table in the Arabic cuisine. It is used on the side, in salads, or in certain dishes such as the “fatteh�.

Yogurt made from sheep, cow or goat’s milk is used in many ways. One is it is diluted with water as a refreshing drink or drained and thickened as a condiment.

Lamb which is used in most of the Arabic countries, although some countries use veal more than lamb. The most prized dish an Arabic house can serve to their guests is baby lamb stuffed with spiced rice.

The Bedouins use sheep and camel meat too.

Fresh and dried fruits and nuts are widely used.

Example of the fruits and nuts used are; pomegranates, lemons, dates, apples, figs, oranges, apricots, mango, almonds and pistachios.

Rice is a staple in all the Arabic countries. It is cooked in countless ways. It served alongside meat, fish, and stewed vegetables. Wheat is another staple and is used as whole grain, cracked or as flour for bread and a variety of pastries. Bulgur is another favorite grain in some Arabic countries and is used in breakfast in North African countries and cooked similarly to rice in Iraq.

Olive oil is the most common for cooking and dressing. It is produced in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and parts of North Africa. Sesame oil is also used in some countries where olive oil is scarce.

Salads are always available whether at lunch or dinner. They are made with a variety of fresh vegetables and simple fresh dressing of lemon (or lime) juice, salt (and pepper) and olive oil.

Spices are the essence of the Arabic cuisine. The most common spices used include but not limited to; cinnamon, allspice, anise seeds, nutmeg, sumac, cardamom, cloves, cumin, caraway, black pepper, saffron, and turmeric. The Arabs have been long known in history for their spice trade with other countries.

Vegetables are used raw and cooked. A wide variety of vegetables is used. The favorites are eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, okra, green beans and spinach. A

Food FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

variety of fresh and dried beans and legumes is also used such as peas and lentils.

Mazza are side dishes or appetizers that are made of assortment of little tidbits in small plates. They accompany the main dish.

Some of the terminology used in the Arab cuisine are Baba Ghannouj- eggplant puree with sesame butter, hareesi - wheat porridge, mahshi- any stuffed vegetables, mujaddarah- lentil, rice and pasta mixture.

Some popular dishes of the middle east are as follows: Kushari which is a combination of lentils and pasta served with spicy sauce. Melokhia (or Mulukhiyya); is made with crushed leaves of the melokhia (Jew’s Mallow) plant cooked with chicken broth, crushed and fried coriander and garlic. Melokhia could also be served with meat or rabbit instead of chicken. The melokhia is an herb in the larger family of the mint (called from the corchorus plant). It is a rather bitter herb with a natural thickening agent. Fattah made with chicken, rice and creamy yogurt sauce. And of course we must not forget the famous and delicious “Ta’mia” or “Falafel” the spicy patty made from dried beans, a great vegetarian dish. Makes a great sandwich too.

Masgoof is made with fire grilled “shabbout” fish unique to the Tigris River, served with lemon slices.

The masgoof is a traditional Iraqi dish, it is an open cut fish grilled and spiced with salt, pepper and tamarind.

While keeping the skin on, it is then brushed with olive oil. After marinating the fish, it is then placed on wooden sticks and then barbecued on a large flame.

After the fish is well cooked and crispy, it is often sprinkled with the juice of a lemon, ready to be served. Traditional garnishes for Masgoof include chopped onions and tomatoes, as well as the clayoven flatbreads common to Iraq and much of the Middle East.

The “Dolmah” is made with stuffed grape leaves, peppers, eggplant, tomato, onion, zucchini, and cabbage leaves. These vegetables are stuffed with a mixture of minced lamb meat, rice, onions, and parsley.

Kibbeh is the national dish and is eaten in a variety of ways, including raw “Kibbeh Nayeh” made with ground lamb and bulgur. Tabouleh, a salad of chopped parsley, tomatoes and bulgur is a typical side dish well known all around the Middle East and the

world.

Hummus Bi Tahina the famous dip made with chick peas and sesame seed paste (tahina). Everyone loves Hummus. It is the dip that can be served anytime you need a great appetizer, be it with pita bread, or as a vegetable dip. Hummus makes every dinner table more enjoyable because of the flavor that is loved by the young and old alike. It is easy and quick to make, and it is for all seasons.

Harira is basically chicken soup thickened with flour and eggs and flavored with saffron and cinnamon, but the recipes varies for harira from family to family. Shorabat Adas Wa Hummus; is another delicious soup. Mjaddara a side dish of brown lentils with rice and caramelized onions. A fully nutritious meal, Mjaddara is easy to make and very tasty.

Kunafa is a dessert made with shredded pastry and cheese, prepared specifically for festive occasions.

Qatayef, sweet is prepared only during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. You will find stands set up everywhere you go in Palestine with a hot plate where they pour the batter and in seconds you have round qatayef (pan- cakes) which are placed on top of each other and weighed according to the amount you want to buy. As soon as you reach home, you need to separate them and leave them to cool, otherwise they will stick to each other.

Mansaf is a traditional meal in the central West Bank and Naqab region in the southern West Bank,

Gulf States on their way to the Mediterranean states.

Seafood, is used daily in stews or fried. “Kan’ad”, king mackerel, “Hamour”, “Zubaydi”, similar to trout but only exist in the Gulf, “Crab”, “Lobster” and “Shrimp” are also widely used. Rubyian and rice is one example. Makboos Samak is a delicious and rich platter made with fish, lentil, and variety of herbs and spices.

Harees, soaked, dried and crushed wheat kernels (jereesh) cooked with chunks of meat, chopped onions and tomatoes. Custard with cardamom rose water; a traditional custard in The United Arab Emirates, a holiday favorite. Harisa; is a condiment made from crushed hot peppers, garlic, olive oil, caraway seeds ,coriander seeds and salt. It is used almost daily. It is the most important condiment used in Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian cooking.

Harisa comes from the Arabic word for “to break into pieces,” which is done by pounding hot chilies in a mortar. Maraqat al-Safarjal (Quince and Lamb soup); this sweet recipe can be made with prunes or dried apricots instead of the quince. Dried rose petals are traditionally used as a flavoring. This particular combination of lamb and fruit appears to be derived from the Persian cuisine via the Ottoman Turks. Although the Greeks know a similar dish called arni me kithouma.

Brik (Breek), a snack, it is somewhat like a turnover, but different. Like a soufflÈ, it must be served immedi-

having its roots from the Bedouin population of Jordan. It is mostly cooked on occasions such as holidays, weddings, births a large gatherings, or to honour a guest. Mansaf is cooked as a lamb leg or large pieces of lamb on top of taboon bread that has usually been smothered with saffron rice. A type of thick and dried cheesecloth yogurt from goat’s milk, called jameed, is poured on top of the lamb and rice to give it its distinct flavor and taste. The dish is also garnished with cooked pine nuts and almonds.

Eggplant is widely used, in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its preparation is an art, and is used in many different ways, as diced and cooked with eggs, marinated and tossed into salads “Fattoush Betinjan” deep fried in Maklubit Betinjan (Maqluba) is an upsidedown rice and eggplant casserole, hence the name which is literally translated as “upside-down”, made with braised lamb and tomatoes. When the casserole is inverted, the top is bright red from the tomatoes that cover golden eggplant. Upside-down eggplant casserole makes a nice presentation and it is easy to prepare. It also makes a great idea for leftovers. Arabic cuisine makes great use of eggplant; it is pickled, sautÈed, stuffed, and cooked in a variety of sauces and salads and grilled for spreads in “Betinjan Muttabbal”.

The Gulf States have a similar cuisine due to the shared geography and history. Indian spices are widely used, due to the impact of the ancient traders who traveled from India carrying the spices through the

ately. A Tunisian brik always has an egg in it, but it can have other goodies such as tuna, potatoes, capers and parsley. The casing is a cross between phyllo dough and a spring roll sheet. A brik is deep fried, olive oil is best, then drained on a paper towel.

Apricot, oranges, almonds, prunes and cherries are favored fruits in Tunisia. Wheat, fava beans, and chickpeas are also other favorites. A wide variety of seafood is used year around, including shrimp, tuna, sardines, red mullet and octopus. Lamb and couscous are always found on the Tunisian table.

Batata Yakhni, a typical Yemeni meal that includes rice, and broiled chicken, potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage cooked into a stew. Basboosa, a popular desert made with semolina, eggs and yogurt. Saltah, this dish is served at lunch. It is very delicious and tasty. It stimulates the appetite. Saltah is considered to be one of the main dishes for majority of Sana’a people.

— Canadianarabcuisine.com

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

D

ubai is one of the few cities in the world that has undergone such a rapid transformation, from a humble beginning as a pearl diving centre, to one of the fastest growing cities on earth. Dubai today is a tourism, trade and logistics hub and has earned itself the reputation of being the ‘gateway between the east and the west.’ It is also considered as the dynamic nucleus of the Arabian Gulf region.

Home to just over two million people from more than 200 nationalities, Dubai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Living in Dubai has a lot to offer. It is safe, politically stable, centrally located, has a good education system and healthcare facilities, modern infrastructure and much more.

The sun shines almost every day, the shopping and leisure facilities are impressive, and the salaries are tax-free. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a new project is announced, whether it is the launch of a sports stadium, a mega commercial tower, a residential enclave or yet another shopping mall!

Dubai is constantly on the move, striving for greater heights and more facilities and comfort for its residents and visitors.

Dubai is without a doubt a destination of the 21st century.

Read any article about the fastest growing city in the region and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll see the words ‘ambitious’, ‘record-breaking’ and ‘staggering’. This meteoric growth has not gone unnoticed, and each year thousands of expats arrive to claim a slice of the action.

The famous beaches and parks in Dubai are Al-Mumzar beach park and Jumeirah beach park. The Al-Mumzar offers full beach facilities in addition to over 100 chalets rented out on a daily basis and large green area, swimming pool, in-park transport system, cafeteria etc and the Jumeirah offers full beach facilities with round-the-clock lifeguard service, desert garden, children’s playground, barbecue areas, Sports Facilities area, and a helipad.

As a city, there is much more to Dubai than its iconic architectural landmarks and malls. Dubai is also a proud cosmopolitan city where cultural and artistic talent is encouraged, celebrated and applauded. Culture, arts and heritage are vital to the success of Dubai’s expanding economy because they are the key building blocks of civil life and public dialogue.

Encouragement of cultural activities in the community improves the quality of life of the city’s residents. It also improves the quality of education and fosters creativity, which leads to innovation in other areas such as hospitality management and entrepreneurship causing a positive impact on the economy. But above all, Dubai’s cultural scene defines this

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

ticed in the UAE for centuries. Originally, falcons were used for hunting, to supplement the Bedouin diet with some meat, such as hare or houbara. In the time before the UAE was formed, and before the discovery of oil allowed the development of roads and communication systems, hunting expeditions were also frequently used as a way for the tribal sheikhs to ‘tour’ their territory and keep in touch with the latest developments in areas which were otherwise incommunicado. The sheikh would hunt during the day, then a desert majlis would be held around the campfire in the evenings, when the Bedouin would come to pay their respects and raise with him any matters of concern.

Sand skiing: If you have a taste for speed, a head for heights and an enthusiasm for an unusual sport, then strap on your skis and enjoy the descent down the steep but harmless sand dunes.

Dune driving: The tour starts with a roller-coaster ride great city’s soul, building its reputation as a world-class cultural destination, thus enhancing the Dubai brand and the city’s current standing as the cosmopolitan hub of the Middle East.

Some of the different things you can do in Dubai are as follows: Bird watching: Dubai attracts ornithologists from all around the world as almost 400 species of birds have been observed in the emirate. Customized bird watching tours range from one or two days to a week or more and cover the full extent of Dubai’s natural bird habitats, including parks, golf courses, desert, mountains and flamingo at the famous Ras Al-Khor wildlife sanctuary, situated at the head of the creek.

Dubai Desert Safari is a must do tour if you are in Dubai for business or pleasure, spare an evening for the Desert Safari to enjoy the life out of Dubai’s busy life. On a desert dune safari you will experience a thrilling drive in the Arabian desert’s sand dunes and enjoy a great BBQ Dinner over a live Belly dance show in a desert camp just outside the modern city of Dubai.

Dhow Cruise: Take a cruise along the Dubai creek and you can see the major Dubai landmarks. You will see the past and present architecture of the area that is brought to its full beauty during this time, including the National Bank of Dubai, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Sheikh Saeed’s house, and the Heritage Village. This unforgettable romantic evening cruise includes a buffet dinner with a variety of dishes either continental, or oriental cuisine and vegetarian and non-vegetarian, along with soft drinks and traditional coffee.

Stable tour: The Nad Al-Sheba stable tour begins with a trackside view of the early morning gallops followed by a guided tour of the stables, a full breakfast, a walk through the jockeys’ facilities and stewards’ enquiry room, and a tour of the Millennium Grandstand. Finally, a visit to the Godolphin Gallery celebrates what the Maktoum family has achieved with their thoroughbreds and horse racing feats.

Falconry is an integral part of desert life that has been prac-

Exploring the wadis: Explore the wadis (dry river valleys) that are formed by streams flowing down from the Hajjar mountains. Within the enclave of the dry desert, you will suddenly notice rock pools that are filled with water and surrounded by greenery all year round. Nature is truly at its surprising best here.

Some of the most popular places to visit in Dubai include the Burj Kalifa, the world’s tallest building, the Dubai Museum which includes artifacts of the world and not just of Dubai, the Miracle Garden which is one of the most beautiful garden of the world, Palm Islands which is an artificial archipelago, the Dubai waterfront the Dubai Mall, the Dubai fountain and the Wild Wadi Water Park. — definitelydubai.com

across the treacherous dunes in powerful 4x4s. Hold on to your seatbelt while the expert driver slowly climbs a tall mountain of sand, suddenly accelerates at the top and takes a sharp turn down the dune cliff! Dangerous as it sounds, it’s absolutely safe and the adrenaline rush you feel through your body makes it all worthwhile.

Trip to a Bedouin village: Take a glimpse into the village life of Arabia as you walk through the narrow alleys of the Bedouin village. Observe how elderly women dressed in traditional clothes are engrossed in milking cows and sheep outside their tents, while children play nearby. The village is famous for its Qahwa (Arabic coffee), Labneh (cheese) and its exquisite silver Bedouin jewellery, which make excellent souvenirs.

Camel riding: Take a ride on ‘the ship of the desert’ and experience how the Bedouins travelled in ancient times. While atop the camel, watch the evening sun cast its orange glow on the picturesque rippling sands, which indeed is an unforgettable sight.

Health FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Honey is sweet news for your health D

iscover the health benefits of one of the oldest sweeteners on earth, plus some interesting trivia, some great recipes and a few cautions. Bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar to make honey; this nectar contains almost 600 compounds. We need our bees, so let’s do everything we can to save them and keep them here on this earth.

Honey is so good we have included it in our list of power foods that should be in your kitchen right now.

1. Prevent cancer and heart disease: Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

2. Reduce ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders: Recent research shows that honey treatment may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis. This may be related to the third benefit.

3. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal: “All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide,” said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.

4. Increase athletic performance: Ancient Olympic athletes would eat honey and dried figs to enhance their performance. This has now been verified with modern studies, showing that it is superior

in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time than other sweeteners.

5. Reduce cough and throat irritation: Honey helps with coughs, particularly buckwheat honey. In a study of 110 children, a single dose of buckwheat honey was just as effective as a single dose of dextromethorphan in relieving nocturnal cough and allowing proper sleep.

6. Balance the 5 elements: Honey has been used in Ayurvedic medicine in India for at least 4000 years and is considered to affect all three of the body’s primitive material imbalances positively. It is also said to be useful useful in improving eyesight, weight loss, curing impotence and premature ejaculation, urinary tract disorders, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, and nausea. Honey is referred as “Yogavahi” since it has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissues of the body. When honey is used with other herbal preparations, it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.

7. Blood sugar regulation: Even though honey contains simple sugars, it is NOT the same as white sugar or artificial sweeteners. Its exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. Some honeys have a low hypoglycemic index, so they don’t jolt your blood sugar. Watch this video Sweetener Comparison where I compare stevia, brown rice syrup, honey,

‘My son, eat thou honey, for it is good’ - King Solomon molasses and agave, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.)

8. Heal wounds and burns: External application of honey has been shown to be as effective as conventional treatment with silver sulfadiazene. It is speculated that the drying effect of the simple sugars and honey’s anti-bacterial nature combine to create this effect.

9. Probiotic: Some varieties of honey possess large amounts of friendly bacteria. This includes up to 6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria. This may explain many of the “mysterious therapeutic properties of honey.”

10. Beautiful skin: Its anti-bacterial qualities are particularly useful for the skin, and, when used with the other ingredients, can also be moisturizing and nourishing! For a powerful home beauty treatment for which you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen already,

read Carrot Face Mask.

Different honeys have different flavonoid profiles, depending on the floral source of the nectar.

The different types of honeys are Alfalfa, Blueberry, Buckwheat, Clover, Manuka, Orange Blossom, Wildflower. There are at least 40 types - each one has distinctive taste and unique properties.

Darker honey tends to have higher antioxidant levels.

Monofloral honey (honey from a single plant species) usually has the lowest glycemic index (GI). For example, locust honey from the Black Locust tree has a GI of 32. Clover honey, which is used commercially, has the highest glycemic index at 69.

Honey Suggestions: If you want to get the goodness from your honey, make sure it is pure and raw. Raw honey contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes not present in refined honey.

Honey Cautions: Best not to feed to infants. Spores of Clostridium botulinum have been found in a small percentage of honey in North America. This is not dangerous to adults and older children, but infants can have a serious reaction of illness in the first year. Do not add honey to baby food or use as a soother to quiet a fussy or colicky baby. Most Canadian honey is not contaminated with the bacteria causing infant botulism, but it’s still best not to take the chance. Honey is a sugar, so do not eat jars full of it if you value your good health and want to maintain a healthy weight. It has a high caloric value and will put you on a sugar high and low.

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Music therapist Elizabeth Klinger, right, quietly plays guitar and sings for Augustin as he grips the hand of his mother, Lucy Morales, in the newborn intensive care unit at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago .— AP photos

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s the guitarist strums and softly sings a lullaby in Spanish, tiny Augustin Morales stops squirming in his hospital crib and closes his eyes. This is therapy in a newborn intensive care unit, and research suggests that music may help those born way too soon adapt to life outside the womb. Some tiny preemies are too small and fragile to be held and comforted by human touch, and many are often fussy and show other signs of stress. Other common complications include immature lungs, eye disease, problems with sucking, and sleeping and alertness difficulties.

Recent studies and anecdotal reports suggest the vibrations and soothing rhythms of music, especially performed live in the hospital, might benefit preemies and other sick babies.

Many insurers won’t pay for music therapy because of doubts that it results in any lasting medical improvement. Some doctors say the music works best at relieving babies’ stress and helping parents bond with infants too sick to go home.

But amid beeping monitors, IV poles and plastic breathing tubes in infants’ rooms at Chicago’s Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, music therapist Elizabeth Klinger provides a soothing contrast that even the tiniest babies seem to notice “What music therapy can uniquely provide is that passive listening experience that just encourages relaxation for the patient, encourages participation by the family,” Klinger said after a recent session in Augustin’s hospital room.

The baby’s parents, Lucy Morales and Alejandro Moran, stood at the crib and whispered lovingly to their son as Klinger played traditional lullabies, singing in Spanish and English. “The music relaxes him, it makes him feel more calm” and helps him sleep better too, Lucy Morales said. “Sometimes it makes us cry.”

Some families request rock music or other hightempo songs, but Klinger always slows the beat to make it easier on tender ears.

“A lot of times families become afraid of interacting with their children because they are

Music therapist Elizabeth Klinger, right, quietly plays guitar and sings for Augustin as his mother.

so sick and so frail, and music provides them something that they can still do,” Klinger said, who works full time as a music therapist but her services are provided for free. Music therapists say live performances in hospitals are better than recorded music because patients can feel the music vibrations and also benefit from seeing the musicians. More than two dozen US hospitals offer music therapy in their newborn intensive care units and its popularity is growing, said Joanne Loewy, a music therapist who directs a music and medicine program at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

Dr Natalia Henner, a newborn specialist at Lurie hospital, said studies in nursing journals show music therapy for preemies “does help with promoting growth. And there’s some good literature ... saying that the time to discharge is a little bit shorter in babies who’ve been exposed to more music therapy.” She said it “definitely facilitates bonding” between parents of preemies and other babies too sick to go home.

Loewy led a study published last month in the journal Pediatrics, involving 11 US hospitals.

Therapists in the study played special small drums to mimic womb sounds and timed the rhythm to match the infants’ heartbeats. The music appeared to slow the infants’ heartbeats, calm their breathing, and improve sucking and sleeping, Loewy said.

Soozie Cotter-Schaufele, a music therapist at Advocate Children’s Hospital-Park Ridge near Chicago, says soothing rhythmic sounds of music can mimic womb sounds and provide a comforting environment for preemies. She sings and plays a small harp or guitar, and says the sounds help calm tiny babies while they’re undergoing painful medical procedures.

Cotter-Schaufele said she recently heard from a woman whose daughter was born prematurely at her hospital six years ago. She had played the 1960s folk song “Today” for the infant. The mother reported her daughter “‘still loves that song,” She said ‘She didn’t learn that song from me, she learned it from you,’” Cotter-Schaufele said. — AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MAY 17 , 2013

Italy’s Marco Mengoni performs.

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Macedonia’s singers Esma & Lorenzo perform during a dress rehearsal of the second semifinal at the Malmo Opera Hall in Malmo prior to the Eurovision song contest. — AFP photos

rom Bonnie Tyler via a Ukrainian giant to a barefoot Dane, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Sweden, and promises to deliver the type of glitzy spectacle that unites Europe like nothing else, short of the love of football. Sweden will pay less than one 50th the astronomical cost spent by last year’s host Azerbaijan, but even so it is expected that 125 million people will sit glued to their TV screens at Saturday’s final. Power ballad queen Tyler will be representing Britain this year in Malmoe, the Scandinavian country’s third largest city, but despite the veteran singer’s name recognition her entry, “Believe In Me”, isn’t expected to grab the top spot.

Instead, 18-year-old Emmelie De Forest from Denmark is the bookies’ favorite in the singing contest Europeans love to mock, with a dramatic pop tune about the state of the world. Other countries predicted to do well are Russia, Norway and Ukraine. In Tuesday’s semifinal the Danish singer was backed by drummers and a flute player as she performed the infectious “Only Teardrops” barefoot against a flaming backdrop. In a similar vein, Russia is fielding a ballad about world peace-”What If”-sung by the winner of national reality TV singing competition The Voice, Dina Garipova.

Ukrainian entry “Gravity” provides the annual spectacle with one of its more bizarre numbers as Zlata Ognevich is carried on stage by a 234 centimeter (7 feet 8 inches) tall “giant” meant to symbolize her inner strength. The trendy electro-pop sound of Norwegian Margaret Berger’s “I Feed You My Love” has yet to make it through today’s semifinal, but is expected to earn Sweden’s

Finland’s singer Krista Siegfrids performs while wearing a wedding dress during a dress rehearsal.

neighbor a better place than last year, when the country came dangerously close to suffering the dreaded fate of “nul points.”

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet has accused the tall blonde of wearing skirts “so tight they create problems for the entire production”, drawing angry responses from Norwegian journalists that the Swedes were simply being jealous. Sweden itself is one of the countries that each year takes the contest incredibly seriously, using an intricate system of semifinals over several weeks to allow the public to vote on its entry. It has also enlisted its own set of European jurors to ensure its entry does well with viewers on the continent.

Meanwhile, organizers are hoping to produce a glittering show that rivals Azerbaijan’s record expensive production last year, but for a fraction of the cost. “There are different cost estimates for last year’s competition in Baku,” said the executive producer of this year’s Eurovision broadcast, Martin Oesterdahl, who also heads up the Swedish competition. “They regenerated the city for one billion dollars. We’ve said we’re going to do it for 125 million kronor (14.6 million euros, $18.7 million),” he said. By comparison, the cost was 150 million kronor when Helsinki hosted the event in 2007, producing only one semifinal instead of the two shows mandated by the current rules.

Sweden has so far escaped the worst of Europe’s economic crisis, but public broadcaster SVT said it wants to scale down the event to prevent crisis-stricken European countries from having to opt out of organizing it, should they win. “We felt that we have to

“S

tories We Tell” is a documentary about Sarah Polley’s family: her father and mother, sister and brother and the sister and brother she has from her mother’s first marriage. It’s about moments they’ve shared that are seemingly prosaic and universally relatable, depicted through the grainy, faded nostalgia of Super 8 - splashing in the swimming pool, laugh-

This undated publicity photo released by courtesy of Roadside Attractions shows a scene from the film, ‘Stories We Tell,’ directed by Sarah Polley. — AP

take this in a new direction,” Oesterdahl said. “Even if we’d had unlimited funds, there was nothing more to do. There was no bigger arena, there was no bigger LED screen to hang behind the scene than they did in Moscow.” Part of the strategy has been to make sure that as much as possible of every krona spent will be seen in front of the camera. “We’ve cut down on ancillary events such as different happenings around the city, and so on,” he said.

Malmoe is buzzing with rumours that its biggest celebrity, Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will open Saturday’s show.

Asked about the former resident of the immigrant-heavy Rosengaard neighbourhood, Oesterdahl would only say: “We’ll have to see. Tune in on Saturday.” Eurovision fans are also hoping ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjoern Ulvaeus will make an appearance, following the announcement that they’ve written a special Eurovision anthem together with Swedish DJ and producer Avicii. Despite downsizing, the show will attract just under 1,500 delegation members and staff, and 1,700 journalists.

Viewers and professional juries in all 39 participating countries will pick the winner, with televoting and juries each representing 50 percent of the outcome. — AFP

ing around the dinner table - as well as the betrayals and losses that shaped and strengthened them. But while it’s incredibly specific in its detail and makes you feel as if you’ve known these people forever after spending less than two hours with them, “Stories We Tell” is also about every family.

It reveals that we’ll all unreliable narrators of our own histories, especially after years and even decades have gone by. And it reminds us that the truth is a fleeting thing, constantly changing in the slightest of ways depending on who’s telling it. Polley, the Toronto-based actress-turned-filmmaker, has shown astonishing emotional depth and technical maturity at a young age in just two previous features: “Away From Her” and “Take This Waltz.” Like those earlier films, “Stories We Tell” focuses on how a long-term relationship evolves over time. Now 34 and tackling a subject that’s so close to her heart, she reveals a whole new level of artistic mastery.

Her meta, multilayered exploration of her own past combines interviews, archival footage and meticulous reenactments so seamlessly, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s mythologized. And that’s the point.

Even calling “Stories We Tell” a documentary seems rather limiting and not entirely accurate; it’s also a deadpan comedy, a juicy melodrama and a gripping mystery, all cleverly blended together with great focus. But Polley pulls back the curtain from time to time to share her

process, which creates an even greater sense of intimacy. Her siblings squirm beneath a boom mic and hot lights, worrying about how they look. Her father, the actor Michael Polley, stands at a microphone in a recording studio, reading in a rich, British accent his own poetic version of the family’s history that he wrote; Polley, sitting at a sound board on the other side of the glass, politely instructs him to repeat a line here and there.

Their bond is obviously a warm and comfortable one, and has remained so despite the revelations that the film recounts. (Do NOT do a Google search before you see this movie. Experience it for yourself.) “Stories We Tell” sprang from a recurring joke within the Polley family that Sarah didn’t resemble her father much.

Relatives and longtime friends remember her mother, Diane Polley, who died of cancer when Sarah was only 11, as a charismatic, fun-loving stage actress. But she also had secrets. Polley sat all these people down in front of a camera, one by one, and asked them to tell her the family’s story as if she were meeting them for the first time. (The fact that these anecdotes are sprinkled with healthy helpings of dry, self-effacing Canadian humor makes us want to get to know these people even more.)—AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MAY 17 , 2013

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt gestures after arriving at the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court to surrender in Mumbai yesterday.—AFP photos

Sanjay Dutt gestures before leaving his residence.

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biggest stars, shot to fame in the 1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname “Deadly Dutt”. Dutt, whose mother was Muslim and father Hindu, was acquitted in 2007 of more serious charges of conspiracy in the deadly blasts, which also wounded more than 700 people. The attacks were believed to have been staged by Muslim underworld figures in retaliation for religious riots in which mainly Muslims died, following the razing of an ancient mosque at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state. Dutt was found guilty of possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol, which he insisted were only meant to protect his family in the tense atmosphere in Mumbai following the mosque’s destruction. At a news conference following the hearing in March, the father-of-three wept as he declared himself “a shattered man” and some prominent figures have called for him to be pardoned. — AFP

ollywood star Sanjay Dutt surrendered yesterday to serve three-and-a-half years in jail for illegal possession of weapons, in a case linked to deadly bombings in Mumbai 20 years ago. Accompanied by family and friends, the 53-year-old was greeted by a crowd of journalists at the gates of his home before travelling in a convoy of cars to a court in the city’s south, where another huge crowd swarmed around his vehicle. Dutt was initially unable to leave the car because of the chaotic media mob that police struggled to control. He eventually entered the court with his sister and wife, and from there he was to be transferred to jail.

Dutt was convicted in 2006 of possessing guns supplied by gangsters who staged the 1993 bomb attacks that killed 257 people, but he was freed on bail after serving 18 months in prison. In March this year the Supreme Court upheld Dutt’s conviction but cut his jail term from six years to five. He was later granted four extra weeks of freedom to work on unfinished movies. The court on Tuesday refused to hear a plea of a film producer who sought more time for Dutt to surrender so he could complete two films still being shot.

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arry Potter” star Emma Watson abandons magic for pole-dancing and cat burglary in Sophia Coppola’s latest movie, one of two Cannes contenders yesterday with twists on the girls-gone-wild theme. “The Bling Ring” is based on true events in fame-fixated Los Angeles where a gang of teenagers in 2009 broke into the mansions of celebrities including Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox. Bundling up millions of dollars of jewellery and designer frocks, they sought to grab a piece of the A-list lifestyle, becoming minor stars themselves in the process.

The British Watson puts on a Valley Girl accent to play Nicki, the product of New Age homeschooling and flashy consumer culture who links up with a group which learn that globe-trotting stars don’t bother much with home security. Paris Hilton, who leaves her keys under her doormat, is an early victim and Coppola’s camera ogles her slinky dresses, hip-hop-calibre baubles and a private nightclub festooned with animal prints. It is there that Nicki gives Hilton’s dance pole a spin, prepping for nights out clubbing when she hopes to get noticed by a producer and be cast in a

Analysts estimate about 2.5 billion rupees ($46 million) are riding in Bollywood on the muscular star, who is best known for playing a mobster with a heart of gold in the “Munnabhai” movie series.

Filmmaker and close friend Mahesh Bhatt, who joined Dutt on his journey to surrender, told AFP the actor was “crumbling” on Wednesday night but appeared much stronger yesterday. “There was a new resolve in him to face with dignity the sentence and go through it smiling, and that was a relief to everybody around,” said Bhatt.

On Wednesday Dutt withdrew a plea to give himself up in a different city, which he had made citing threats to his life. Officials said Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail had received an anonymous death threat letter targeting the actor, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. A string of Bollywood celebrities visited Dutt’s home in Mumbai’s trendy Bandra suburb before he turned himself in. A Hindu rightwing group protested outside late Wednesday demanding he receive the death penalty, reports said.

A heavy police presence stood guard at his residence and at the court yesterday. The actor, whose parents were two of India’s

music video. And when the ring is finally caught thanks to grainy security video at another star’s home and their own selfies (photographs of oneself taken with mobile phones) on Facebook, Nicki proves a master at media spin. With the aid of an attorney and a publicist, she gives a riotous celebrity interview to Vanity Fair in which she describes her “journey” from crime to redemption by way of the Los Angeles County jail. Opening the festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar section for edgy new cinema, “The Bling Ring” drew polite applause at a packed press screening ahead of its red-carpet premiere. Hilton, who lent Coppola her home for the filming, told trade journal Variety she planned to attend. Britain’s daily Guardian gave the picture three out of five stars, calling it “an interesting surprise”. “It’s a bit self-conscious, but it interestingly collapses the distinction between fact and fiction; it puts you inside the unwholesome opium den of celeb-worship, and when the gang infiltrate Hilton’s bizarre home, a Tutankhamun’s tomb of kitsch, there is a real frisson,” it wrote. —AFP

(From left) Actors Emma Watson, Claire Julien, director Sofia Coppola, actors Israel Broussard, Taissa Fariga and Katie Chang pose for photographers during a photo call for the film The Bling Ring at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, yesterday. — AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Cannes is global shop window for fashion designers

(From left) actress and host Audrey Tautou, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Leonardo DiCaprio, director and jury president Steven Spielberg, actors Nicole Kidman, Daniel Auteuil and Vidya Balan acknowledge applause during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. —AP

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icole Kidman and “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou kicked off 12-days of red carpet fashion at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The prestigious Riviera movie meet provides both big fashion houses and up-and-coming designers with unparalleled opportunities to showcase their work before a global audience.

The race to dress the biggest names, who can attract maximum publicity, starts in mid-April straight after the official announcement of the films selected for Cannes. Pictures of Hollywood A-lister Kidman, a member of this year’s festival jury who wore a strapless embroidered Dior gown to Wednesday evening’s opening ceremony, can be guaranteed to go round the world in minutes. But other actresses in the spotlight this year such as “The Great Gatsby” star Carey Mulligan will also have been much sought after.

Some designers, however, have a policy of letting stars come to them. At the fashion house of Lebanese couturier Elie Saab, a favorite with award ceremony regulars, staff never make the first move.Last year Elie Saab dressed China’s Fan Bingbing and France’s Virginie Ledoyen.”We don’t contact them: they have to want to wear our robes,” said Elie Saab’s Emilie Legendre, adding that a large number of fittings were done this year in Los Angeles, London and Paris. Tautou, who shot to international fame in 2001 as the Pixie faced Montmartre waitress in “Amelie”, is this year’s maitresse de ceremonies at Cannes.

For Wednesday night’s opening ceremony, she opted for young French designer Yiqing Yin who spent 400 hours creating her frosted mint organza and chiffon silk gown.”It’s an extraordinary gift” from Audrey Tatou, said Yiqing Yin,

adding that having Tautou wear her dress represented “a unique exposure”. “Few actresses have confidence in young designers and turn instead to the big houses,” she said Young Belgian designer Cedric Charlier provided dresses for director Mia Hansen-Love and actresses Marine Vacth and Nathalia Acevedo.

But between the couturier’s fitting room and the red carpet anything can happen. “They can change their mind at the last moment” and not wear the dresses, said a source at Cedric Charlier’s.

It is for this reason that some designers including Herve L. Leroux never disclose the name of those expected to wear their dresses before they actually appear in them. “Two years ago Sarah Jessica Parker came with several dresses and chose ours at the last moment,” said Legendre.

The photo of her in Elie Saab appeared in newspapers and on television all over the world.

In the Elie Saab show room in a suite at Cannes’ Hotel Martinez around 60 dresses are stored ready for a turn on the red carpet. “We pay attention to the dresses that we lend, so that they are not the same style or the same color,” Legendre said.

“Sometimes we dress an actress at the last moment, for example, because she thinks her dress from another house doesn’t suit her,” she said. The show room also means last minute alterations can be carried out. Over the years, the number of photo opportunities at Cannes has mushroomed. And at 12 days, the festival provides even greater opportunities to highlight a designer’s work than the one-night only Oscars. Cannes is “better than an advertisement”, added Legendre. “Clients identify more with an actress than with a model,” she said. —AFP

Swatch’s Harry Winston buys $26.7m diamond at auction

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restigious jeweller Harry Winston, which was acquired earlier this year by Swatch Group, bought a new colourless, flawless 101.73-carat diamond for a record $26.7 million at an auction in Geneva on Wednesday, auction house Christie’s said. Christie’s representative Raul Kadakia told reporters after the sale that Harry Winston was the buyer of the diamond that Wednesday evening smashed the previous auction-price record for a diamond in its category by more than $10 million.

“Twenty-three million (Swiss) francs! Your last chance! Twenty-three million, sold!” shouted Francois Curiel, the head of Christie’s jewellery division shouted, referring to the $23.5 million price before tax and commission, and clinching the deal in front of some 150 people gathered for the auction at a luxury Geneva hotel. As the first ever buyer of the new diamond, Harry Winston had the priviledge of naming it and had decided to call it “Harry Legacy,” Kadakia said, pointing out that this was the diamond dealer’s first major purchase since it was snapped up by the world’s leading watchmaker for $1.0 billion in March.

Switzerland’s Swatch Group, most known for its brightly colored plastic watches, has been eagerly expanding its luxury offerings, and Wednesday’s sparkling purchase should per-

haps especially tickle the group’s chairwoman Nayla Hayek, who was named chief executive of Harry Winston earlier this month. “Diamonds are still a girl’s best friend,” she said following the January announcement that Swatch would buy the company, referring to the famous Marilyn Monroe song that mentions Harry Winston, from the 1953 musical film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. The American Institute of Gemology has handed the Harry Legacy the top colorless grade “D” and the best clarity grade, “flawless”, which is characterized by its “absolute symmetry”, according to Christies.

The diamond, sold at the auction by a diamond merchant, was 236 carats in the rough when it was extracted from the Jwaneng mine in Botswana, before it was meticulously sculpted for 21 months, Christie’s said. Wednesday’s sale marked the highest price ever paid for a flawless colourless diamond at auction, although Christie’s had hoped the new diamond-the largest of its kind to ever go under the hammer-would rake in $30 million. The previous auction-price record-holder in the category was the 84.37-carat Chloe round diamond, snapped up at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva in 2007 by Guess Jeans founder Georges Marciano for $16.2 million. —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Christie’s art auction sells nearly half billion dollars

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blockbuster auction of Contemporary art in New York, including a record $58.4 million for a Jackson Pollock drip painting, fetched nearly half a billion dollars on Wednesday-the biggest haul ever at an art auction. Christie’s said its sale raised a “staggering” total of $495,021,500, with 94 percent of lots finding buyers. Nine of the works sold went for more than $10 million and 23 for more than $5 million. It wasn’t just the most successful auction of Contemporary art at Christie’s, but the biggest haul from an art auction anywhere at all, the auction house said.

It was “the highest total in auction history,” Brett Gorvy, head of post-war and Contemporary art, said. “The remarkable bidding and record prices set reflect a new era in the art market, wherein seasoned collectors and new bidders compete at the highest level within a global market.” Leading the frenzied charge were the Pollock and a work by one-time graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, which set another record at $48.8 million.

Pollock’s “Number 19, 1948, executed in his iconic drip-paint style with a shimmering mixture of silver, black, white, red and green, had been expected to sell for between $25 million and $35 million. But it shot up to set a new auction high for the artist. The previous top auction price for a Pollock had been $40.4 million last year, although his paintings are said to have sold for far more in unconfirmed private deals.

Christie’s called the painting the fruit of “a legendary three-year burst of creativity between 1947 and 1950 that completely revolutionized American painting and reshaped the history of twentieth century art.”

The exuberant sale at Christie’s came a day after rival Sotheby’s sold Barnett

Newman’s “Onement VI” for $43.84 million and a Gerhard Richter photo-style painting called “Domplatz, Mailand” for $37.1 millionthe highest auction price for any living artist.

Christie’s Manhattan sale also saw Basquiat’s “Dustheads” sail past its $25 million to $35 million pre-sale estimate to the highest auction price ever for the artist, who died in 1988 of a heroin overdose in New York, aged just 27.

The painting depicts two grimacing, brightly colored figures against a black background and “demonstrates Basquiat’s unique ability to combine raw, unabashed expressive emotion whilst displaying a draughtmanship that was unrivalled in modern painting,” Christie’s said. The previous auction high for the street artist turned superstar had been $26.4 million last year.

The other mega sale of the evening-yet again setting an auction record for the artistwas “Woman with flowered hat” by Pop Art master Roy Lichtenstein, going for $56.1 million. The work is unusual for Lichtenstein, who is best known for comic-strip style scenes, but this time used his meticulous style to parody the Cubism of Picasso. The previous auction record for a Lichtenstein was $44.9 million, also last year. Among the few losers in Wednesday’s sale were Francis Bacon, whose “Study for portrait,” estimated at $18 million to $25 million failed to find a buyer. Another work by Bacon, “Study for Portrait of P.L.,” had been expected to sell for up to $40 million on Tuesday at Sotheby’s, but also flopped. Mark Rothko’s “Unititled (black on maroon)” fetched $27 million, surpassing the pre-sale high estimate of $20 million, and Richter’s “Abstraktes bild, Dunkel,” estimated at $18 million, fetched just under $22 million. —AFP

File photo in New York city, shows the painting “Dustheads” by Jean-Michel Basquiat on display during a preview of Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art sales. —AFP

In Philadelphia, murals breathe life into city

O

n a scaffold five meters off the ground, artist Meg Saligman uses her paintbrush to carefully touch up an enormous mural covering an entire wall of a Philadelphia parking lot. “At first, I was afraid of heights, but I’m not anymore. Now I actually love it,” Saligman said from her perch where she worked on refurbishing the 500-square-meter (nearly 5,400-square-foot) painting. Philadelphia, located midway between New York and Washington on the US East Coast, has a staggering 3,800 enormous works of wall art, from the historic district to the more rough-and-tumble neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts.

Some of the massive paintings in the city’s Mural Arts Program-the largest public art program in the United States-feature scenes from daily life, while others offer colorful renderings of abstract themes. On one abandoned building, there is a giant portrait of basketball great Julius Erving.

Another has a profile in various shades of blue of singing legend Frank Sinatra, sporting his trademark fedora. Program director Jane Golden says the initiative had rather humble beginnings. “It actually started as an anti-graffiti program in the mid-1980s,” she told AFP, explaining that the huge paintings were a way “to rechannel the negative energy” of Philadelphia’s impoverished neighborhoods.

The goal was to beautify the cityscape, she explained, as well as to help the city’s youth broaden their view of themselves.

“It wasn’t just about painting out the graffiti,” Golden said. “It was about working with kids who had been doing graffiti... providing them with opportunities and options to think of themselves as artists, and then to think about what other opportunities there were for them.” Three decades after its founding, the Mural Arts Program now hires some 200 artists each year-some to restore or paint murals, others to give classes.

The program has an annual budget of some $6.5 million-about 30 percent of which comes from city coffers, but most of which comes from donations or the sale of

souvenirs. And it has more work than ever because some of the older murals have lost their luster over the years. That prompted the program to launch a restoration program about a year and a half ago.

“The red has completely faded into green,” Saligman observed, standing before a mural wall that once had been a glorious riot of colors when it was first painted in 1999. “We used a paint that didn’t last,” she explained. Meanwhile, new murals financed by the program are created by individual artists, each tending to his own studio and creating the works with the assistance of other artists. The images in some instance are painted directly onto a building wall. But another technique that allows the artists to work indoors and year round has them apply paint to swatches of parachute cloth which later are adhered to the wall in sections.

“It’s basically wallpaper,” said Ernel Martinez, his sunglasses perched atop his head, as he helped to install the first sections of another mural dedicated to the popular music group “The Roots,” whose members are from Philly. Some of these murals are produced in part by Philadelphia’s disadvantaged youth, some of whom are fresh out of prison. “We’re all 10-12 years older-we are sort of mentors for them,” Martinez said. “It’s a really interesting interaction.”

The wall of another workshop run by artist Jon Laidacker is completely covered with six such lengths of fabric, each about one square meter in size. “Right now, you’re looking at a giant lemon and parts of carrots,” says Laidacker, the lead artist, describing his work “Cornucopia”-a giant mural depicting fruits and vegetables. Once assembled, it will be impossible to tell that it was not actually directly painted onto the building. Golden sees the involvement by local residents as one of the program’s greatest successes. The fact that only a very small number of the works have ever been defaced, she said, shows the degree to which Philadelphia residents have bought into the popular art project. “The benefit to the city is huge,” she said. “It is known as a city that cares about its communities, that cares about its youth.” —AFP

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

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Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (16/05/2013 TO 22/05/2013) SHARQIA-1 PHANTOM (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) SHARQIA-2 THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG-3D) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) MUHALAB-1 THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) JAVA HEAT (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) MUHALAB-2 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) FANAR-1 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) FANAR-2 PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM 1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM 1:45 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 2:15 AM 2:45 PM 3:00 PM

RISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MARINA-1 STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) JAVA HEAT (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED MARINA-2 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) AVENUES-1 JAVA HEAT (DIG) RISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) JAVA HEAT (DIG) JAVA HEAT (DIG) RISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) JAVA HEAT (DIG) AVENUES-2 WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) THE CALL (DIG)

5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM 1:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM 1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

360ยบ- 1 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 360ยบ- 2 WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) AL-KOUT.1 IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) AL-KOUT.2 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) BAIRAQ-1 STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 12:45 PM 3:30 PM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-2 PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) PLAZA STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) LAILA IRON MAN 3 (DIG) NO WED THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) NO WED STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) NO WED AJIAL.1 EMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) EMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) AJIAL.2 TADAKHA (DIG) (TELUGU) THU+FRI SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) NO THU+FRI SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) NO THU+FRI SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) METRO-1 NERAM (DIG) (TAMIL) NERAM (DIG) (TAMIL) METRO-2 TADAKHA (DIG) (TELUGU) THU+FRI EMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) NO THU+FRI TADAKHA (DIG) (TELUGU)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM 5:30 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 6:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM 10:00 PM

39 Pe t s

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Concrete cowboy creates peace with horse rescue

T

hese days, when Victor Cutino puts his hand under 6-year-old Dreamer’s stomach, he no longer grips both of the thoroughbred’s sides at once. A former racehorse who had competed under the name Remainstobeseen, Dreamer was 300 to 400 pounds underweight when she was rescued in January. Dreamer, along with a 16-year-old broodmare named Haven, was discovered standing in several inches of feces and urine in a tiny stable. The woman who found them persuaded the owner to give them up, Cutino said.

Both horses are still thin, but their hair no longer falls out in dull clumps when he touches them. Each has gained about 250 pounds since their arrival at Peaceful Ridge Rescue, the Davie, Fla., ranch Cutino founded in December to care for abandoned horses.

“The way they eat, they don’t come up for air,” he said. “And they look at you and it’s like their eyes are saying, ‘Thank you.’”

Cutino, a “concrete guy” from the Bronx, moved to Davie 14 years ago to be the CEO of Home Medical Equipment in Aventura, Fla. He didn’t have any horses and didn’t want any. But his wife, Ann CooperCutino, did. “That was my dream, to have horses,” she said. And Davie, with its extensive trail system, is horse country. So they fenced in the yard and got a white Arabian they called Baby Girl. Then they got her a companion, and in 2004, Cutino stopped working full time at the medical equipment company to found Horse Tales Ranch, where he begins his days with 4 am feedings, working until 9 at night.

Word soon got out that he had land and barn space and wouldn’t turn away an animal that needed a home. “I’ve picked up horses when they’re nothing but a skeleton,” said Cutino. “People lose their homes, so they take their furniture, they take their kids, and they leave their horses in the backyard. And they don’t tell anyone.” People started coming to him with the ones they couldn’t afford to keep - not only horses, but rabbits, goats, chickens and the dogs that bay when a visitor pulls up to the ranch.

Cutino took in eight rescued horses his first year, and spent about $15,000 of his own money on their care. More came in after the economic downturn,

Victor Cutino with rescued horses, Haven (left) and Dreamer. —MCT photos and by the time Cutino founded Peaceful Ridge Rescue last December and set aside pasture space and stalls in Horse Tales’ hurricane-proof barns for the rescue ranch, he’d already taken in more than 50.

Since January, he’s rescued another 10.

The economic crisis didn’t only hurt people, it also hurt their animals, said Valerie Pringle, equine protection specialist with the Humane Society of the United States. Across the country, cat and dog owners

moved to apartments that wouldn’t take pets, and horse and cattle owners lost their land or couldn’t pay for their animals’ feed.

“There were a lot of people in a position where they had to give up their pets, and that includes dogs, cats and horses,” said Pringle. “With a horse, they might not be able to afford board, or if they were on a farm, they might have lost the farm.”

Horses are expensive animals to keep, said Cutino.

Victor Cutino shows off rescued horse, Dreamer’s thoroughbred tattoo on the inside of her lip at his horse rescue organization called Peaceful Ridge Rescue in Davie, Florida.

At Peaceful Ridge, he said, each horse costs about $2,500 a year in feed, shots and hoof care. The rescue ranch makes up the cost through donations, horse sponsorships, riding lessons and adoptions.

Costs can be steeper for horse owners who don’t have their own land and need to pay monthly stable fees.

“Cutino just has his heart in this,” said Davie Mayor Judy Paul, who attended the ranch’s grand opening earlier this year. “It’s a great operation.

They’re doing their part to keep Davie an equestrian, green community.” Cutino works in jeans, a T-shirt, and cowboy boots that bear a light coating of stable dust in the best weather and a rim of mud in the worst.

Some of the horses Cutino rescues are afraid of people, he said, and can’t be ridden when they arrive. They cower in the far end of their stalls or trot to the opposite side of a pasture when anyone walks toward them. “Rehabilitation is difficult with an abused horse,” said Peaceful Ridge volunteer Karen Baldwin, 73. “Some have been beaten and burned with cigarettes. You have to gain their trust.”

Baldwin spent most of her adult life working with horses. She’d loved them ever since she was a little girl, and when she couldn’t have one, she put reins on her bicycle and pretended. At Peaceful Ridge, she mends fences, cleans stables and, sometimes, teaches a horse that’s terrified of human touch to love it.

It’s a painstaking process. Baldwin sits near the horse for hours until it is used to a human presence.

She does it every day, sometimes for more than two weeks. It doesn’t always work, she said. Some horses never recover, but Peaceful Ridge keeps them anyway. Late one afternoon, Cutino went to check up on a thoroughbred named Adele. She was very wary, he said. When he got her in mid-January, she fled every time he tried to get near her.

But Baldwin and other volunteers have been working with her. Now when Cutino walks up to her paddock, Adele, a chestnut with a white stripe down her muzzle, walks toward him and puts her nose over the gate. “I couldn’t do this before,” Cutino said, as he touched the side of her face. Cutino stroked the horse for a minute, and patted her on the side.

Leaving the barn, he checked the time. It was evening, and tomorrow would begin at first light with the smell of horses and hay.—MCT

Stars

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Aries (March 21-April 19) You are really connected somehow to other people's attitudes today. Perhaps you are taking a survey or you are just particularly sensitive at this time. Your negotiation skills are in top form; however, if you hesitate too long before taking action, you could run into snags. Think about your decisions and then stay focused. Do not let others sway you from your goals. There will be a great deal of conversation in the work arena today and your contribution can make a positive difference. This proves to be a busy day and outdoor exercise with your friends will be welcomed this afternoon. Enjoy these times with your friends as you tend to boost each other's confidence. Young people and family members join in the celebrations.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) An important relationship, perhaps with an older person or someone in authority, may come into focus today. There could be some tension or sense of opposition requiring some compromise. Although this could be an opportunity for understanding and growth, it could be important to show your appreciation of his or her time and efforts toward your growth, education or professional development. Today focuses more on relationships. You do not tend to lavish affection; you tend to keep your comments short and simple. You are being prepared for future successes. Express your creativity and sense of style. Smile, it will do marvelous things for the people that are blessed by it. This evening you will more than likely enjoy a good movie.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You could find yourself expressing your ideas deliberately today--with little waste of words. You have a natural sense of organization and come across as disciplined and careful, perhaps a little too sober. An inner vision, coupled with the ability to see the big picture, may find you working as a mediator with others. You could even have a special gift for spanning the generation gap, bringing older and younger spirits together--a healer. A love of animals, children, older people and the needy is a lifelong trait that is visible today. It is easy for you to work with groups and teams of people. You would make a good manager. There are opportunities to enjoy some outdoor activity with friends this afternoon. Laughter and fun is easy to find.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Opportunities may go against your own sense of security and responsibility. Career choices may require that you take a chance and neglect the home front now. This is a tough call and some compromise is perhaps the best way to a workable solution. Your career, practical vision and skills are of central importance to you. You feel a waste of time if there is no organization and your actions are deliberate in this area of your life. Your reputation and image are a source of concern and you do everything you can to make them solid now. You appear perhaps more charming and refined than usual today. Making a good impression and putting your best foot forward take on a greater importance as a new cycle gets underway in your life.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You are brilliant when it comes to insights of the mind, psychology and motivation--the intensity is obvious. Your analytical powers are superb and you enjoy finding new avenues of inner growth. You have a great mental drive and lavish much gusto on mental pursuits of all kinds. Ideas, words, books, etc., can be pursued with great gusto. Since you are such a social animal, opportunities will be available to communicate in groups. Teamwork will advance successfully now.

This is a lucky day for making plans or decisions and finding your way through just about any problem you may discover. You feel successful and you are able to contend with the difficulties you may find whether you are at work or in the home.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Self-sacrifice and an understanding attitude could have farreaching effects on your life-path and career during this time. A little restraint just now could delay results. The planets are all favorable and it should be easy for you to push forward with any ongoing projects. Life may seem almost magical in the way things work out in your favor. Now is the time when personal insight into your most secret and psychological self may be possible. Breaking with what went before, you may find new ways to transform yourself. With a little change in subject this evening, your concentration may be on your favorite animal. You are either teaching an old dog new tricks or babysitting a family member's new pet this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22) This could be one of your more stressful days but it could just as well be one of your most productive times. Ask questions, stop to think things through and weigh your options before jumping into something you could regret. If a situation does not feel right at this time, delay, compromise or ask opinions. Listen to advisers who have been accurate in the past. You might like to ignore responsibilities and do some socializing, but realities may demand that you tend to business. This evening would be a good time to take a little trip, or get outside. You may want to break that routine and try something new or different. It is highly likely that you will enjoy some time with a loved one this evening. Have fun being creative tonight.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) This is an active day with an exchange of ideas in the workplace. Creating money is easier than in the past, but spending it is also easier--think about your choices. The most important action now is to have an objective and a plan for your future investments and goals. Last, but not least, you must keep your attitude to succeed. You seem to be enjoying the way in which your life is taking shape. You may be encouraged to widen your scope of friends through some new organization you join or a new neighbor you get to know. It may be time to plan a party or get-together with these new friends. You are more receptive in your love relationships now. You may realize that holding on to the past no longer suits your purpose.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You enjoy and value your own life situation today. An authority figure will value your input with regard to some group issues today. You may be surprised at the support you receive. A friend may want to get your feedback on very personal and emotional issues. You will be able to be understanding and handle this very volatile material.

You are able to cut through the red tape and help them to see the truth.

As this week winds to a close, you may be putting some finishing touches on some vacation plans or a weekend trip. If you have kids, be sure to include them in the decision making. If anything is left unplanned, promise to complete your plans before leaving on the trip. Include in your gear some binoculars and a star map.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You can make practical decisions concerning group issues and others tend to lean toward your intelligent summations in how things should be run. You have a natural sense of what the public wants at this time and can be one of the best salespersons in your company. If you are not in sales, whatever profession you enjoy, your hard work will be recognized. You could come up with new solutions to difficulties that others would not even try to solve. You have an appreciation of life and you enjoy chatting with friends about each other's accomplishments. You make a good friend and it isn't long before you are the one doing the listening. This whole evening may be about friends. There is time to dine, dance and enjoy good conversation.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are enterprising and dependable and when problems happen in the workplace, higher-ups can depend on you to find an answer or to reveal a truth. Because of your insight, a higher-up is able to make clear decisions. You are valued for your ability to make practical decisions and you could find yourself representing co-workers in a particular issue today. You will find that by next week there will be opportunities, or at least an availability of ways in which you can invest your money. Ask questions--know the risks--take your chances--begin now to plan. This is a great time to reflect and understand where you are in the process of reaching your goals. Emotions of others, as well as your own, can be very clear now.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You will be extremely busy today. There will be many times where you will have to supply a solution to a particular problem. Be prepared to work hard! This is not a great time for contemplation. If you need to increase your energies, try walking up and down stairs or around the building or some other short exercise routine. You may find yourself feeling blocked and unable to express yourself, particularly in a group situation, unless you take a little time to stretch or do that little spurt of exercise. Take care to examine all aspects of your work or dealings today--it will be successful. These afternoon conversations with family will be more relaxed. A positive dialogue with an older person may take place. This evening is for reading.

COUNTRY CODES Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands)0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland)0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK)0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

L e i s u re

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Word Search

Yesterdayʼs Solution

C R O S S W O R D 1 9 2

ACROSS 1. An affirmative.

4. A city in Taiwan.

12. Inquire about.

15. The administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma.

16. A genus of Portunidae.

17. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

18. A state in northwestern North America.

20. (prefix) Between or among or in the midst of.

21. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).

22. Relating to or derived from or resembling tartar.

23. A doctor's degree in optometry.

25. The dense colorless framework of a chloroplast.

26. A spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus.

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

29. A rapid escape (as by criminals).

30. An inactive volcano in Sicily.

32. A large mountain system in south-central Europe.

36. A diacritical mark (an inverted circumflex) placed above certain letters (such as c) to indicate pronunciation.

40. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

42. Very dark black.

45. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

49. The elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length.

50. Situated in a particular spot or position.

52. The content of cognition.

53. (meaning literally `born') Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman.

54. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

57. (Old Testament) The wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac.

60. A covered cistern.

63. Slightly open.

64. South American shrub or small tree having long shining evergreen leaves and panicles of green or yellow flowers.

65. A resource.

68. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

70. Being one more than fifty.

73. Aromatic bulb used as seasoning.

74. French philosopher and theologian.

77. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on land.

78. An associate degree in applied science.

79. A festival featuring African-American culture.

80. (prefix) Outside or outer.

2. Enthusiastic approval.

3. Rock star and drummer for the Beatles (born in 1940).

4. A doughnut-shaped chamber used in fusion research.

5. Evergreen Indian shrub with vivid yellow flowers whose bark is used in tanning.

6. A state in midwestern United States.

7. A trite or obvious remark.

8. Ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure = 1.5 gallons.

9. Of or located in the upper part of a town.

10. A condition requiring relief.

11. A change in the electrical properties of the skin in response to stress or anxiety.

12. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

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

14. God of love and erotic desire.

19. Taken dishonestly.

24. A cylindrical drawstring bag used by sailors to hold their clothing and other gear.

27. Goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment.

31. Jordan's port.

33. Arranged in or consisting of laminae.

34. The town was taken from the Turks by the Russians in 1877 after a siege of 143 days.

35. A cotton fabric with a satiny finish.

37. Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829).

38. A South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes.

39. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

41. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

43. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

44. The time of life between the ages of 12 and 20.

46. Not only so, but.

47. A kiln used to reduce naturally occuring forms of calcium carbonate to lime.

48. A port city of south central Ukraine on an arm of the Black Sea. 51. Green algae common in freshwater lakes of limestone districts.

55. Small spiny outgrowth on the wings of certain insects.

56. One of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind.

58. A genus of Platalea.

59. A bar or bars of rolled steel making a track along which vehicles can roll.

61. A genus of Ploceidae.

62. A slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water.

66. Interchangeable with `means' in the expression `by dint of'.

67. Panel forming the lower part of an interior wall when it is finished differently from the rest.

69. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

71. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

72. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

75. The use of bacteria or viruses of toxins to destroy men and animals or food.

76. The azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

DOWN 1. Irish poet and dramatist (1865-1939).

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

NBA owners reject Kings’ move to Seattle DALLAS: NBA owners voted Wednesday to reject the Sacramento Kings’ proposed move to Seattle, the latest in a long line of cities that have tried to land the franchise. The vote followed a recommendation made last month by the NBA’s relocation committee and may have finally brought an end to an emotional saga that has dragged on for nearly three years. A group led by investor Chris Hansen has a deal to buy the team. Hansen hoped to move the franchise to Seattle and rename it the SuperSonics. The original Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and were renamed the Thunder. Commissioner David Stern said the league will spend the next 24 to 48 hours talking to the Maloofs, the team’s owners, about working out a deal with a competing ownership group in Sacramento.

The Maloofs reached an agreement in January to sell a 65 percent controlling interest in the team to Hansen’s group at a total franchise valuation of $525 million, topping the NBA-record $450 million for Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to buy the Warriors in 2010. Then Hansen increased his offer to $550 million, which implies buying the 65 percent stake for about $357 million. Following the relocation committee’s unanimous recommendation on April 29 to deny the move to Seattle, Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dug deeper into their pockets in a final attempt to sway the NBA Board of Governors. They raised the valuation of the Kings to $625 million, or $406 million for the Maloofs’ interest in the franchise, and offered a $115 million relocation fee, nearly four times what Clay Bennett paid to move the Sonics.

Hansen’s group also guaranteed owners that the franchise would pay into the league’s revenue-sharing system in Seattle and not collect money as it has in Sacramento.

They were aggressive and bold public statements that had been lacking from the Seattle group through much of the process while Sacramento openly made its case in the public eye. As a backup, the Seattle group negotiated a plan to buy a minority stake in the Kings with the Maloofs retaining majority ownership and keeping the team in Sacramento.

It’s the second time since 2011 that the Maloof brothers have made plans that would have ended in relocation for the Kings. The first target was Anaheim, Calif., but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former All-Star guard, convinced the NBA to give the city another chance to finance a new arena.

Johnson delivered on a promise for a plan for a new downtown arena with help from Stern, but the Maloofs backed out, saying it didn’t make financial sense. The Maloofs had another surprise when they announced a deal with Hansen’s group, which includes Ballmer and members of the Nordstrom department store family. Johnson fought back again, this time lining up an ownership group led by TIBCO software chairman Vivek Ranadive and getting the Sacramento City Council to approve a non-binding financing plan for a $447 million arena with a $258 million public subsidy. The potential Sacramento ownership group also includes 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, former Facebook senior executive Chris Kelly and the Jacobs family that owns communications giant Qualcomm.

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the SuperSonics moved. Led by star Kevin Durant, the Thunder have made the playoffs four straight seasons, reached the Western Conference finals in 2011 and lost to Miami in last year’s NBA finals. The NBA’s relocation committee, coincidentally headed by Bennett, voted unanimously last month to reject the bid to move the Kings. In a letter sent to the relocation and finance committees during its April 17 meeting, the Maloofs said they preferred to sell to the Seattle group and expressed discontent with Sacramento’s latest bid, saying it falls “significantly short.” Stern has said the offers are in “the same ballpark,” and has reiterated his longheld stance that expansion is unlikely right now. Hansen spent nearly two years working to get an arena plan approved by the city and county governments and spent more than $65 million buying land in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood where the arena would be built. Hansen has a fiveyear memorandum of understanding with the city and county on the arena plan. — AP

Miami turn up heat on Bulls Heat, Grizzlies move to conference finals MIAMI: Miami and Memphis are headed to the NBA conference finals after beating Chicago and Oklahoma City respectively on Wednesday to complete 4-1 series victories. Miami’s LeBron James scored 23 points and Dwyane Wade added 18 for the Heat, which won a see-sawing game. The hosts led 224 but were then outscored by a whopping 29 points over the next 27 minutes before snatching back the initiative and scoing 25 points to 14 in the final quarter. The Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history by beating Oklahoma City 88-84.

MIAMI: Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler shoots over Miami Heat’s Mario Chalmers (15) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal. — AP Memphis’ Chris Bosh scored 12 points and Udonis Haslem added 10 for the Heat, which will play the winner of the Indiana-New York series, which the Pacers lead 3-1. Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who were without Derrick Rose for the 99th straight game.

Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler missed potential tying 3pointers on the final possession of the season for Chicago, which dropped the last four games of the series.

“We’re disappointed in losing the series,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But I was never disappointed in our team.

Our team fought hard all year long. There was no quit in them.” A team that played without the 2011 NBA MVP in Rose, and dealt with a slew of other issues along the way, was within

a couple shots from forcing the reigning champions to fly back to Chicago for a Game 6. “We’ve got warriors here,” Boozer said. “If we’re healthy next season, we’re going to be pretty good.”

The Heat say they have more than a few of those warriortypes as well, including Wade, who has been battling bone bruising on his knee for weeks but was still a pivotal player in the fourth-quarter surge. “I’ll go on and on about how great he is,” James said. “I really don’t care for the trash talk that he receives.” Shane Battier opened the fourth quarter with a 3pointer to get Miami within five. Another 3-pointer from Battier came not long afterward, and he connected on a pair of free throws after being fouled on a 3-point try to cut Chicago’s lead to 81-79.

Norris Cole had a pair of baskets, the second being a lefthanded driving dunk, to put Miami on top, and the Heat found a way to close it out from there, even though it wasn’t easy, by any measure. Robinson’s 3-pointer with 1:43 left got the Bulls to 94-91. No one scored again, even though there were plenty of chances both ways. “I had a good couple of minutes,” Wade said. “I knew they’ve seen a lot of LeBron and Norris. I knew they weren’t prepared for me to attack which is what I was able to do.”

The Heat will be big favorites against either Indiana or New York, though it’s certain either opponent would enter a series against Miami with plenty of confidence. The Knicks went 3-1 against the Heat this season, outscoring them by 11.5 points per game and winning both of their games at Miami convincingly. The Pacers went 2-1 against the Heat, winning twice in Indianapolis and losing their lone game in Miami. “It only gets more difficult and more challenging,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what competitors want.” Memphis’ Zach Randolph had 28 points and 14 rebounds and Mike Conley added 13 points and 11 assists as the Grizzlies showed some trademark grit and grind to see off the Thunder.

“This is the first time, so it definitely means a lot. I’m happy, but we’ve still got work to do,” Randolph said. “I want to win a ring.” The Grizzlies, who got swept out of the playoffs in their first three trips and had won just one postseason series before this season, have already made it farther than ever before but still aren’t satisfied. “We’re trying to do something really special. We want to go as far as we can go,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “To get there, we had to get through Oklahoma City. And now, we have to get through either Golden State or San Antonio to get further.”

In a series filled with games that went down to the wire, the finale was fitting - even though the Thunder trailed by 12 with 3 minutes left. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant missed a 16-foot jumper from the left wing that would have tied the game with 6 seconds left, finishing off a miserable shooting night for the three-time NBA scoring champion. Durant ended up with 21 points on 5-for-21 shooting, the third-worst performance of his playoff career.

“I gave it all I had for my team. I left it all out there on the floor,” Durant said. “I missed 16 shots, but I kept fighting, I kept being aggressive. That’s all I can ask for.” The Thunder, who made it to the NBA Finals last season, were top seeds in the West but went 2-6 after All-Star guard Russell Westbrook had knee surgery two games into the first round.

“I believe in our guys. I’m disappointed we didn’t win this series. I felt that we were good enough to win this series,” coach Scott Brooks said. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 1:26 to play during a desperation comeback try for the Thunder. Reggie Jackson’s 3-pointer finished off the 16-6 rally, cutting the deficit to 86-84 with 14.3 seconds remaining.

Randolph missed both free throws with 11.3 seconds on the clock to give the Thunder one last chance to save their season. Durant got the ball beyond the 3-point line on the left wing and navigated around Tony Allen before missing the jumper. “That’s the shot that we wanted... That’s the shot I will live with 100 times out of 100 times,” Brooks said. Allen got the rebound, was fouled and made two free throws to close it out. — AP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

NL Capsules

AL Capsules

Lester leads Red Sox to overthrow Rays 9-2 NEW YORK: Raul Ibanez again treated Yankee Stadium as his personal playground, hitting a grand slam and two-run homer Wednesday night to help the Seattle Mariners rout New York 12-2. Ibanez’s slam came during a sevenrun first inning. Yankees backup shortstop Alberto Gonzalez got the final out in the ninth inning in his first professional pitching appearance. The Mariners chased Phil Hughes (2-3) after he got only two outs in the first. Trying to preserve his bullpen, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had Brett Marshall throw 108 pitches in his big league debut, then brought in Gonzalez. Ibanez has connected three times in the first two games of his return to the ballpark in which - last year at 40 years old - he electrified crowds in late September and October with several key homers in the Yankees’ run to the AL championship series. The first-inning burst made it easy for Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1).

PHOENIX: Atlanta Braves’ Ramiro Pena (14) is safe at second as Arizona Diamondbacks’ Didi Gregorius, (right) drops the ball while trying for the force out during the eighth inning of a baseball game. — AP

Dodgers beat Nationals 3-1 in Greinke’s return MIAMI: Shin-Soo Choo hit two homers and four pitchers combined on an 11-hit shutout Wednesday night to help the Cincinnati Reds extend their winning streak to a season-best five games by beating Miami 4-0. Choo hit solo homers in the fourth and sixth inning, giving him nine this season. The multihomer game was his second in eight days and ninth of his career. Mike Leake (3-2) went 6 2-3 innings and pitched around nine hits. The Marlins had 14 baserunners but stranded 12 and hit into two double plays. That gave the crowd of 14,866 little to cheer about, and the biggest roars came when highlights of the Miami Heat’s playoff victory over the Chicago Bulls two miles away were shown on the video scoreboard. Alex Sanabia (2-6) took the loss.

pitched eight strong innings for his first win since opening day and the Cubs beat the Rockies. David DeJesus led off the first inning with a home run and Anthony Rizzo had two hits for the Cubs, who won back-to-back series for the first time this season. Reid Brignac hit a pinch-hit homer for the Rockies, who finished a 2-4 road trip. The Rockies have not won back-to-back games since a season-high eight-game winning streak April 1220. They have not won a three-game series at Wrigley Field since Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2006. Samardzija (2-5) allowed two runs and five hits. He struck out seven and walked two. Colorado starter Jon Garland (3-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.

PIRATES 3, BREWERS 1 PITTSBURGH: Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run over seven strong innings and Neil Walker hit a two-run single as the Pirates beat the Brewers. Rodriguez (4-2) gave up six hits, walking one and striking out five. Jason Grilli worked the ninth for his National League-leading 16th save as the Pirates moved six games above .500 for the first time this season. Walker, playing his third game since returning from a stint on the disabled list with a hand injury, lined a single to center with one out in the sixth off Yovani Gallardo for his first RBIs in nearly a month. Gallardo (3-3) walked four and struck out four in six innings, allowing just three hits. Rickie Weeks hit his third homer to provide Milwaukee’s only run. Norichika Aoki had two hits for the Brewers. Milwaukee has dropped 10 of 12.

CARDINALS 4, METS 2 ST LOUIS: Rookie Shelby Miller followed up his nearly perfect one-hitter with 5 2-3 scoreless innings and the Cardinals scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a wild pitch in a victory over the Mets. Rick Ankiel’s tworun homer off rookie Seth Maness (3-0) tied it in the top of the seventh and was his first against the team that converted the former left-handed pitcher to an outfielder in 2005. Shaun Marcum (0-4) made it out of the fifth for the first time in four starts since beginning the year on the 15-day disabled list. He left the game with two on and two out in the seventh and Scott Rice’s wild pitch to pinch hitter Ty Wigginton allowed Daniel Descalso to score the go-ahead run.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, BRAVES 3 PHOENIX: Paul Goldschmidt hit three doubles, Eric Chavez drove in three runs and the Diamondbacks beat Tim Hudson and the Braves. Cody Ross added an RBI double as the Diamondbacks won the final two games of the series after a 10-1 loss in the opener. Hudson (4-3) had been 7-0 in nine career starts against Arizona before he got tagged. He allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings - he’s given up 11 runs over 8 2-3 innings in his last two starts. Ian Kennedy (2-3) yielded three runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked three. Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.

CUBS 6, ROCKIES 3 CHICAGO: Jeff Samardzija hit a two-run home run and

DODGERS 3, NATIONALS 1 LOS ANGELES: Zack Greinke pitched 5 1-3 strong innings in his first start since April 11 and the Dodgers beat the Nationals. Greinke came off the disabled list earlier in the day, returning three weeks sooner than expected from a broken left clavicle after a confrontation with San Diego’s Carlos Quentin last month. The right-hander was expected to be out eight weeks. He underwent surgery on April 13 to fix the injury with a metal plate used to stabilize the break. Greinke (2-0) made one rehab appearance last Friday for Class A Rancho Cucamonga, and the Dodgers decided he was ready to rejoin them. Ross Detwiler (2-4) gave up two runs and six hits in three innings - his shortest outing of the season. The left-hander walked two and struck out none. The Nationals fell to 3-5 when he starts. Detwiler is 0-6 in six career road starts against NL West opponents.—AP

RED SOX 9, RAYS 2 ST PETERSBURG: Jon Lester stayed unbeaten, Stephen Drew hit his second career grand slam and the Boston Red Sox roughed up AL Cy Young winner David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays. Price (1-4) departed from the marquee pitching matchup because of left triceps tightness during Boston’s eight-run third inning, which Drew finished with his towering homer off Jamey Wright.

Coming off a one-hit, complete game shutout of Toronto, Lester (6-0) allowed two runs in seven innings to help end the Rays’ season-best six-game winning streak. The Red Sox, meanwhile, stopped a three-game losing streak.

RANGERS 6, ATHLETICS 2 OAKLAND: Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer, leading Alexi Ogando and the Texas Rangers over Oakland. Ogando (4-2) didn’t allow a hit until Eric Sogard’s leadoff double in the sixth inning. Lance Berkman hit a two-run single and Adrian Beltre added an RBI single a day after hitting a 10th-inning home run as the Rangers won their first series in Oakland since Sept. 20-22, 2011. Dan Straily (1-2) took the loss.

ASTROS 7, TIGERS 5 DETROIT: Brandon Barnes caught Miguel Cabrera’s bases-loaded drive against the wall in right-center field for the final out, and the Houston Astros avoided a season sweep against the Detroit Tigers. Carlos Corporan hit a tiebreaking double in the top of the ninth for the Astros, who lost their first six meetings with the Tigers by a combined 50-12. Jose Veras pitched the ninth for his fifth save in seven chances. Hector Ambriz (1-2) got the win. Al Alburquerque (0-1) gave up Corporan’s hit.

WHITE SOX 9, TWINS 4 MINNEAPOLIS: Adam Dunn homered twice, doubled and drove in five runs, powering the Chicago White Sox past Minnesota. Dunn hit a pair of two-run shots for his 35th career multihomer game. He’s hit three home runs in the last two games and has nine this year. Dayan Viciedo also went deep for the second straight day, helping Dylan Axelrod (1-3) pick up his first victory this season. Mike Pelfrey (3-4) was hit hard yet again, failing to record an out in the fifth inning.

ROYALS 9, ANGELS 5 ANAHEIM: Lorenzo Cain hit a three-run double and Billy Butler capped his most productive series of the season with a two-run single, leading Kansas City over Los Angeles. Wade Davis (3-3) was charged with four runs and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings in the rubber game of the series. Barry Enright (0-2) gave up four runs, five hits and two walks in two-plus innings, leaving with the bases loaded and none out in the Royals’ seven-run third.

INTERLEAGUE PADRES 8, ORIOLES 4 BALTIMORE: Alexi Amarista homered and doubled twice as the San Diego Padres matched their season-high with 17 hits, beating Baltimore for a twogame sweep. Everth Cabrera had four hits and a walk, and Jedd Gyorko had three singles for the Padres, who are 13-6 after a 5-15 start. John Baker hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the second against Freddy Garcia (0-2). JJ Hardy and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles off Jason Marquis (5-2), who won his fourth straight start. Manny Machado had four hits.

BLUE JAYS 11, GIANTS 3 TORONTO: JP Arencibia and Adam Lind each hit two-run home runs, Ramon Ortiz won for the first time since 2011 and the Toronto Blue Jays won their season-high fourth straight game, beating the San Francisco Giants. Ortiz (1-1) allowed one run and six hits in seven innings for his first win since beating the Mets in a relief appearance with the Cubs on Sept 11, 2011. He had not won as a starter since pitching for Minnesota in April 2007. Ryan Vogelsong (1-4) allowed a season-high eight runs, three earned, in two innings. He has an 8.06 ERA this season. — AP

44

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Blackhawks hammer Red Wings in series opener Hossa scores opening goal CHICAGO: Chicago’s Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger scored in the third period as the Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 in the opener of their NHL second-round playoff series Wednesday.

Detroit still lost to rival Chicago for the eighth straight time dating to last season.

The series resumes tomorrow afternoon at the United Center. The 75th alltime playoff game between the

CHICAGO: Marian Hossa No. 81 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates a first period goal with teammate Patrick Sharp No. 10 against the Detroit Red Wings in Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals. —AP Goaltender Corey Crawford made 20 saves, Marian Hossa scored the opening goal, and Patrick Sharp had an empty-netter and two assists to give him nine points in the playoffs. Jimmy Howard finished with 38 stops in a terrific performance, but

Blackhawks and Red Wings was tied 1-1 after two periods, and Howard made a great stop on a breakaway by Dave Bolland 41/2 minutes into the third.

Chicago kept working and went in front to stay on smart play by Oduya. He drifted in

from the point and sent Sharp’s pass past Howard on the glove side with 12 minutes left. Kruger then jumped on a loose puck and sent a backhander into the upper right corner to make it 3-1.

Detroit almost pulled a goal back but Damien Brunner’s rebound attempt went off the crossbar and straight down before it was swept away with about three minutes left. The game was fast and frenetic from the start. Two similar teams more than familiar with the other’s style, energized by their first playoff meeting in four years. The Blackhawks struck first, taking advantage of the first power-play opportunity of the game. With Gustav Nyquist in the box for hooking, Sharp forced a turnover along the boards and Jonathan Toews sent the puck to Hossa, who onetimed it past Howard at 9:03.

Detroit needed less than two minutes to respond, tying it when Brunner poked in a rebound for his third career playoff goal. The Blackhawks killed off two power plays created by penalties on Andrew Shaw. They killed off another one when Nick Leddy was sent off for delay of game in the second period, making them a perfect 20 for 20 on the penalty kill in the postseason and sinking Detroit to 1 for 18 on power plays against Chicago, including the regular season.

After Leddy’s penalty, the Blackhawks controlled most of the action for a while.

They had a 17-5 advantage in shots in the period. They just couldn’t beat Howard, who made a great glove stop on a wideopen Hossa with 6:39 remaining. Detroit also killed off two Chicago power plays to keep it tied headed to the third. —AP

Brit hero faces ‘biggest challenge’ since London SHANGHAI: British long jump hero Greg Rutherford said he’s facing his “biggest challenge” since taking London Olympics gold yesterday when he goes up against his two predecessors at Shanghai’s Diamond League meet.

Rutherford, one of seven current Olympic champions in Shanghai, will face Beijing 2008 winner Irving Saladino and America’s Dwight Phillips, the Athens 2004 gold-medallist who has been sidelined with injury for the last two years.

Australia’s world 2011 and Olympic 2012 silver medallist Mitchell Watt is also vying for victory in Saturday’s meet in Shanghai, the second leg in this year’s Diamond League series. “For me this is definitely going to be the biggest challenge since the Olympics,” Rutherford told reporters in Shanghai. “Mitch is going to be here which is going to make it quite interesting. Dwight is obviously here. It is a stacked field for us, so by far the biggest competition we have all had so far.”

Rutherford beat Watt at the Melbourne World Challenge in April, but said he could not recall the last time all four long jumpers had faced each other. The long jump is one of four re-runs in Shanghai between gold and silver medallists from London 2012, including a men’s 400m duel with Olympic champion Kirani James from Grenada, and Luguelin Santos of Dominican Republic.

The pair also come up against the bronze medallist from London, Trinidad and Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon, and LaShawn Merritt of the US, who took gold in Beijing. In the

men’s 110m hurdles, Olympic champion Aries Merritt of the US faces compatriot Jason Richardson, who claimed silver in London. China’s national athletics hero Liu Xiang, who won the 110m hurdles at the Athens Olympics, remains out of action after his dramatic injury exit from the London Games.

Three double Olympic champions are among the women’s stars with Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce competing in the 100m against world title-holder Carmelita Jeter, whom she beat into second place in London.

Ethiopia’s two-time Olympic champion Meseret Defar heads a talented 5,000m field, and Yelena Isinbayeva, considered the greatest ever woman pole vaulter, is another headliner.

The Russian failed to become the first women in history to win three successive Olympic crowns when she took bronze in London, a result which led her to postpone her retirement plans. She indicated that she may decide to end her career on home soil at the world championships later this year.

“About my retirement, it is going to be a difficult decision, and you know it is difficult to say right now what I am going to do after the world championships in Moscow. It will depend on my performance there,” she said. Men’s javelin star Andreas Thorkildsen will also hope to claim victory in Shanghai after a disappointing London 2012. The Norwegian gold-medallist from Athens and Beijing is facing off against 19-year-old Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad, who surprised the world by winning the Olympic title last summer. —AFP

IRVING: In this photo, Guan Tianlang, 14, from China, tees off on the 18th hole during a practice round at Byron Nelson Championship golf tournament. —AP

14-yr-old plays 2nd PGA Tour event post Masters IRVING: Guan Tianlang is one of five amateur players being honored this week for the Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Awards. While the other four award recipients will be watching the Byron Nelson Championship, the 14-year-old Guan - already the youngest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour - is playing in the tournament. This is the second PGA Tour event for the school student from China since making the cut last month at the Masters. He also made the cut at New Orleans, where he first spoke with Nelson officials about playing this week.

‘Always a challenge, every tournament, because this is another big event ... this is only my third start and everything is still new to me,’ Guan said Wednesday, a day before the Nelson’s opening round. ‘I have to play my best and make some good score.’ The youngster’s impressive performance at Augusta has led to invitations to play in other events. He hopes to again be playing in the weekend rounds.

‘For this week, I want to enjoy the experience, great experience here,’ Guan said. ‘And hope to, yeah, make the cut. And if I make the cut hope to play better and better.’ There are two sponsor exemptions playing in this year’s Nelson: Guan and 19-year-old Jordan Spieth, the Texas native playing at TPC Four Seasons for the third time.

Spieth is playing as a pro this time, having made six of nine cuts and already won nearly $700,000 this season. As an amateur at the Nelson, he tied for 16th as a 16-year-old in 2010, then played on the same day as his high school graduation two years ago when he tied for 32nd. He played one season at the University of Texas before turning pro. —AP

Rossi targets 80th win LE MANS: Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi targets an 80th career MotoGP win on Sunday at the French Grand Prix, where he also hopes to break his duck for the season. The Italian Yamaha star currently sits at fourth in the world championship, 18 points behind surprise leader Marc Marquez on a Honda. Rossi is in the middle of an alarming winning drought with his 79th and last triumph coming in Malaysia in October 2010 before he switched to his unsuccessful two-year spell at Ducati. But his career statistics are still beyond the reach of his title rivals. Dani Pedrosa, the Spanish Honda rider who won in Jerez last time out, is next on the list of all-time winners on 23. “Le Mans is a good track for me, also because in the last two years I was able to arrive on the podium in the dry and also in wet conditions,” said Rossi, who has won three times at Le Mans in the elite class.

“We hope to do the same and also better with Yamaha because this is a good track for the bike. In Le Mans the weather will be very important, because usually the weather is quite bad. It can be cold and wet so we will see. We will have to work well like always and try to understand the weather and the conditions of the track. We will try to do the maximum as always.” Rossi was second at the circuit in 2012 and third the year before-performances which represented his best rides during his illfated stay at Ducati. This year, he has been in the shadow on world champion teammate Jorge Lorenzo who captured the season-opener in Qatar and is third in the championship. Lorenzo is a three-time winner at Le Mans, including in 2012 when victory was achieved in torrential rain.

Marquez, the 20-year-old Spaniard who only graduated to MotoGP from Moto2 this season, admits Friday practice will be key to his chances. “We go to Le Mans and again we arrive there starting from zero, as I haven’t done any tests there,” said Marquez, the winner in Texas last month. “I’ll do my best and I’ll try to make the most of the situation. I hope it doesn’t rain so we can prepare the bike on a dry track; this is very important in order to find the right set-up.” Pedrosa, meanwhile, has tasted victory at the famous French track, but only in the 125cc and 250cc classes. —AFP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

UEFA wants standard rules on tackling racism AMSTERDAM: UEFA is seeking to implement Europe-wide rules on tackling racism at football matches, the organisation’s president Michel Platini has revealed, following a string of high-profile incidents this season, particularly in Italy. Platini said that European football’s governing body will push for agreement when its members meet in London later this month on steps to take in the event of offensive chanting from the terraces.

Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi had given a textbook example of how to handle such a situation by temporarily stopping the match when AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli was subjected to racist taunts from Roma fans last weekend, he added. “I congratulate

Mr Rocchi for what he did. Respect for differences is more important than winning,” Platini told AFP in an interview in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

“Stopping matches, making an announcement via the tannoy, even if it means halting the match completely if it (the chanting) doesn’t stop, is what we’ve recommended for a long time. “It’s worked. You stop the match, you make an announcement and if (the chanting) stops, you restart.

If it doesn’t, the referee abandons the game.

“It’s what we’ve done in our European competitions for four years.

We’re going to propose guidelines in London at the UEFA executive committee meeting (on May 24) to stan-

dardise (rules), so that what we do in our competitions also happens in the leagues.” UEFA secretary-general Gianni Infantino last month outlined tough new sanctions both on and off the pitch to rid the game of the scourge of discrimination and abuse.

They include a minimum 10-match ban for players found guilty of racial abuse, plus forcing clubs to play behind closed doors in the event of proven racism by fans. Racism has been an unwelcome hot topic in European football this year, notably after AC Milan star Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off in protest at taunts during a friendly match in Italy in January.

His decision, backed by team-

mates who also left the field in support, was hailed by anti-racism campaigners. But it prompted differences of opinion about whether his action was correct and renewed debate about whether the existing system of sanctions, particularly fines for players and clubs, were an effective deterrent.

Platini’s counterpart at world governing body FIFA, Sepp Blatter, said he could not condone the idea of players or teams abandoning games to protest racism. On Monday, the Italian league said it applauded Rocchi’s actions and backed UEFA plans to close whole sections of grounds in the event of incidents similar to those against Balotelli at Milan’s San Siro stadium. — AFP

Sreesanth in Indian trio arrested for spot-fixing BCCI suspends them, warns of stricter punishment

ROME: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic eyes the ball during his Rome Masters tennis match against Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov yesterday. Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4 to qualify for the quarter-finals. — AFP

Djokovic into quarters, feels for injured Murray ROME: Top seed Novak Djokovic played without ankle pain yesterday in a routine 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Alexandr Dolgopolov for a quarter-final place at the Rome Masters, and then spared a thought for the injury plight of rival Andy Murray. Djokovic dispatched Dolgopolov in an hour, with five aces and 13 winners in a contest which began 45 minutes late due to morning rain.

The two-time Rome champion will play Czech Tomas Berdych, a winner over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 7-5, 6-2, in the last eight.

Djokovic said that he had almost forgotten about his ankle injury since winning the title in Monte Carlo over Rafael Nadal last month while carrying the problem. “I’ve been pain-free for a week but I’m still very cautious in my warm-up and recovery. I want to do the best for it as possible. I don’t think it will bother me anymore and I don’t think about it when I’m on the court.” That was not the case for Murray, though.

The Scot is on the verge of withdrawing from the French Open starting a week from Sunday after quitting his opening match in Rome with the chronic back pain which has bothered him for almost 18 months.Djokovic, a few seasons ago known as injuryprone, is now an iron man who stands atop the world rankings. His most recent niggle, the ankle problem from early April, is now a thing of the past, according to the 25-year-old Serb.

Djokovic said that he is sorry to hear of the plight of Murray.

“That is not the kind of news you want on your birthday,” he said of Murray, one week his elder, who turned 26 on Wednesday. “It would be a pity if he doesn’t play. “He’s one of the top players, it is a loss for any tournament for him to be missing. I don’t know the level of his injury, he is the best one to know how he feels. “But perhaps he will have time to recover, we will know more in the next few days. There is the most value in the Grand Slams, that’s where you want to make your mark and play your best.” In the women’s draw, unseeded two-time Foro Italico champion Jelena Jankovic upset 2011 Roland Garros winner Li Na, the Chinese fifth seed, 7-6 (7/2), 75. Italian seventh seed Sara Errani, runner-up in Paris a year ago to Maria Sharapova, advanced to the quarter-finals as Russian Maria Kirilenko quit trailing 6-3, 2-0 with a knee injury. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian police said yesterday they had arrested three cricketers including Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, after they allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars for spot-fixing. Eleven bookmakers were also arrested in connection with the inquiry, said Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, as he gave details of three games in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) at the centre of the corruption probe.

Kumar told a news conference that more bookmakers were expected to be arrested as part of the inquiry which has already seen the accused players suspended by the Indian cricket authorities. Spot-fixing is an illegal activity where a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed. Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away around 14 runs in an over while playing for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammate Ankeet Chavan had also allegedly agreed to give away the same number of runs in a match on Wednesday night against the Mumbai Indians in exchange for six million rupees ($110,000), police said. A third player, Ajit Chandila, was believed to have been paid two million rupees ($36,000), for giving away a set number of runs in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors, police said.

“This much money has exchanged hands. This money was given to them by the bookies,” Kumar told a press conference.

“The modus operandi included asking the bowlers to give predecided signals with the help of their accessories like watches, wrist bands, neck chains and towels. “The bowlers were asked to concede at least a given number of runs in a pre-determined and mutually decided over. After receiving the signal from the bowler, the bookies would bet heavily and make huge profits.”

Kumar said the fixing was organised by members of the Mumbai mafia, adding that the overall mastermind was “sitting abroad”. “There is definite proof that the underworld is involved but it would be wrong to take names. There is no concrete evidence on the basis of which I can name any member of the underworld,” he said. Sreesanth, 30, and his two teammates, who have yet to play for India, were arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai after Wednesday night’s match and were brought to the national capital for questioning, Kumar said.

Angry fans burnt posters of the players during a protest in the southern city of Bangalore. The Rajasthan Royals said they would co-operate fully with police in the investigation. “We are completely taken by surprise... we will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation,” said a statement. “The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zerotolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game.”

Sreesanth, whose last Test match was against England two years ago, is no stranger to controversy, and was famously slapped by his teammate Harbhajan Singh during an IPL match in 2008. Sports Minister Jitendra Singh described the

arrests as “unfortunate” and called on the authorities to take strict action against the players if they are found guilty.

A mechanism must be put in place “to prevent such unethical activities and ensure clean sports in the country”, he said.

Spot-fixing hit the headlines when three Pakistani players were banned for contriving no-balls in return for money in a 2010 Test in England. Former captain Salman Butt got a 10year ban, with five years suspended, and Mohammad Asif was barred for seven years, with two suspended. Mohammad Aamer was banned for five years-the minimum punishment under the International Cricket Council code. All three, along with their agent Mazhar Majeed, were also jailed by an English court in 2011 for spot-fixing. The three players were released last year. — AFP

BANGALORE: Demonstrators hold posters and shout slogans against Indian cricketer Sreesanth and two other domestic Twenty20 cricketers during a protest against their alleged involvement in match fixing yesterday. — AFP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Spanish League Preview

Madrid to play Atletico in Copa del Rey finals Sociedad visit Sevilla, Valencia play at Getafe

Jupp Heynckes

Heynckes bids farewell to Bundesliga FRANKFURT: Jupp Heynckes will end his Bundesliga career where he started it five decades ago, in his hometown of Moenchengladbach. In his 1,011th game as player and coach, Heynckes will guide his Bayern Munich team for the last time in a Bundesliga match tomorrow - then turn his attention to what are likely to be his two last appearances on the bench: the Champions League final on May 25 and the German Cup final one week later.

Bayern can finish the season with a record 91 points, having sealed the title with a record six matches to spare. In the process, Heynckes’ team has broken a series of Bundesliga records and could finish the season with a unique treble for a German club.

The 68-year-old Heynckes will be replaced by former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as of next season.

“This is like a good screenplay,” Heynckes said of his return to Moenchengladbach. “It is not going to be like any other match.

The circle is closing, Moenchengladbach is my hometown.”

Heynckes, a star forward with the champion Borussia Moenchengladbach team, began his professional career there in 1963. He was on the West Germany team that won the 1974 World Cup and took four Bundesliga titles with Moenchengladbach, as well as the UEFA Cup in 1975. As coach, he won three Bundesliga titles in two stints with Bayern and clinched the Champions League for Real Madrid as he was being fired in 1998.

Tomorrow’s match will be a dress rehearsal for Bayern’s biggest match of the season when it faces Borussia Dortmund in the first all-German final on May 25 at Wembley. Heynckes’ link to Moenchengladbach explains his slip of the tongue earlier this week. Looking ahead to the Champions League final, he said “I have great respect for what Borussia Moenchengladbach - sorry, I mean Borussia Dortmund - has achieved.”

His departure from Bayern was not entirely voluntary, but the club did not want to let Guardiola slip away while he was available. After being coy about his future plans, Heynckes indicated strongly that he would indeed retire. It made no sense to take over another Bundesliga club after the record-breaking season with Bayern and, Heynckes said, he was too old to start a new challenge abroad. While Bayern can look forward to a relaxed match in Moenchengladbach, Dortmund’s warm up for the Wembley showdown could be a much more intense affair.

Dortmund hosts Hoffenheim, which needs a win to have a chance of avoiding relegation. Two more teams are in danger of joining Greuther Fuerth in going down: Fortuna Duesseldorf and Augsburg.

Augsburg is two points ahead of Hoffenheim in 16th, which means a two-leg playoff with the third-place team from the second division, Kaiserslautern, for a slot in the Bundesliga next season. Duesseldorf is ahead of Augsburg on goal difference, by five. Augsburg hosts Greuther Fuerth, while Duesseldorf travels to Hannover. Another key match is in Freiburg, where the home team can seal a slot in qualifying for the Champions League if it beats Schalke. Schalke is only one point ahead in fourth.

Eintracht Frankfurt will hope to make sure of a place in the Europa League when it hosts Wolfsburg. Hamburg, which hosts Bayer Leverkusen, also has a chance of slipping past Frankfurt.

Stuttgart hosts Mainz and Werder Bremen travels to Nuremberg, in the first match since the departure of longtime coach Thomas Schaaf on Wednesday. All matches of the final round are tomorrow. —AP

BARCELONA: With a return to England looking likely, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho can go out a winner when his team plays crosstown rival Atletico Madrid today in the Copa del Rey final.

Luckily for Mourinho and Madrid, Atletico has been incapable of winning a Spanish capital derby so far this millennium. Atletico’s last victory over its city rival came 14 years ago, in 1999.

Since then, Madrid has won 19 times with Atletico managing only six draws.

Madrid can also count on the goalscoring prowess of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will go head-to-head with Atletico striker Radamel Falcao. Ronaldo headed home Madrid’s winner in the 2011 final against Barcelona. Falcao, meanwhile, has a knack of rising to the occasion, scoring to win two Europa League finals for Atletico last year and for FC Porto in 2011. “It’s a trophy that we are very excited to win,” Ronaldo said of the Copa del Rey. “We know it will be a hard-fought match against a rival of the same city and it will be quite a show for the fans.

“I go into the match with a sense of great responsibility. I face all games the same way, but this is a final. It’s a special match, but my ambition is always the same, to help Real Madrid the best way I know how, by playing well, scoring goals, and setting up my teammates.”

Ronaldo’s buoyant mood contrasts completely with the stink Mourinho has made of things lately. In his third season at Madrid, Mourinho has turned his ire

away from opposing coaches and referees and onto his very own players. He started with benching Spain goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, and most recently mocked one of his physical onthe-field enforcers in Pepe after he broke ranks and supported Casillas.

This belittling of his own players together with Madrid’s loss of the Spanish league title to Barcelona and its failure to win an elusive 10th European Cup would probably have been enough to get a coach of lesser standing fired.

But Mourinho has gone one step further and insisted that he is not “loved” in Spain like he is in the Premier League, saying he will discuss his future with Madrid president Florentino Perez when the season finishes in early June.

All combined, Mourinho should expect a noisy reception from the home fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where he has been jeered in recent matches. Nevertheless, Mourinho could lift the Copa del Rey trophy as a consolation prize. If not, this season will be considered a complete flop for a club that boasts one of the most expensive squads in the world. Atletico has a unique opportunity to wipe away years of misery by finally beating Madrid with a title at stake. To do so, the Atletico players will have to find a way to shake off the psychological advantage Madrid has over them.

In their most recent meeting on April 27, Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 even without Ronaldo’s help. “Of course

our fans don’t like the situation, but I don’t think it will influence the match,” Atletico forward Diego Costa said. “We know it’s a final and we have to be at our best to win. The key is to stick together as a great team and for each one of us to give it his all.” Neither side will play in the league over the weekend after playing last week to make room for the final. With Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico having locked up the top three spots, fourth place and the final Champions League berth is still up for grabs between Real Sociedad and Valencia. Both are level on points before Valencia visits Getafe and Sociedad travels to Sevilla tomorrow.

Barcelona, which clinched the league title last weekend, can still match Madrid’s record point haul of 100 if its wins its remaining three games, beginning with Valladolid on Sunday.

Barcelona will be without top scorer Lionel Messi after he re-injured his right hamstring. Seven points separate the bottom six teams. Osasuna, Granada and Real Zaragoza are still in danger of going down, while Deportivo La Coruna, Celta and Mallorca are currently in the relegation zone.

Granada hosts Osasuna tomorrow with the winner going a long way to securing its place in the topflight.

Deportivo hosts Espanyol on Sunday, while Zaragoza welcomes Athletic Bilbao. Mallorca hosts Real Betis on Monday. Rayo Vallecano visits Levante on Sunday with both mid-table. — AP

Italian League Preview

Allegri doubts cloud Milan’s decisive match

M

assimiliano Allegri’s future as AC Milan coach hangs in the balance as his side visit relegated Siena on the last day of the season on Sunday, still needing a win to clinch third place in Serie A and a berth in the Champions League playoff round. Allegri’s players have voiced their support for the coach, who has overseen an impressive revival in the second half of the season with only one Serie A defeat since the winter break. The phlegmatic Allegri, who won the Serie A title in his first season at Milan and led them to second place last term, had to cope with a firesale of players in the close season amid belt-tightening at the club. Boosted by the signing of Mario Balotelli in January, Milan’s performance has been better than expected, yet rumours still swirl around the club that owner Silvio Berlusconi has had enough of the coach. On Tuesday, Milan denied suggestions that Allegri was in talks with ambitious AS Roma. Meanwhile, midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and forward Stephan El Shaaraway have led the chorus for him to stay. “He has done a great job in these three years and needs to stay,” Boateng told Italian media. “For me, there isn’t a Milan without Allegri. “Next year we have to do better, as there were so many new players this time. We need to work together so we can win the Scudetto,” he added. El Shaaraway told Milan Channel: “We are a good group of players, led by a great coach, and I hope we can all be here together next season.”

However, Chief Executive Adriano Galliani would not be drawn on Allegri’s future. “I just want to talk about Sunday, the match against Siena. We are confident and expect to qualify for the Champions League and, before Sunday evening, we will not talk about the transfer market nor the coach,” he said. Milan are two

MILAN: ACMilan’s Brazilian forward Robinho fights for the ball with AS Roma forward Francesco Totti (left) during their Serie A football match between AC Milan and AS Roma at San Siro Stadium. — AFP points clear of fourth-placed Fiorentina, who visit bottom club Pescara and have the better head-to-head record. Champions Juventus visit Sampdoria while Napoli, who have guaranteed second place and Italy’s only other direct place in the Champions League group stage, are at Roma. With relegation also settled and Palermo, Siena and Pescara heading to Serie B next season, the only other issue are the two Europa League places. —Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

David Beckham set to retire LONDON: David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season, his representative announced yesterday. The 38-year-old midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as winning 115 caps for England, and recently won the French Ligue 1 championship with Paris SaintGermain.

“I’m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,” he said, in comments reported by the BBC. “If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club, Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times, and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy.

“I’m fortunate to have realised those dreams.” Beckham’s title triumph with PSG made him the first British player to have won league championships in four different countries, after previous successes in England, Spain and the United States. He won six league titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League with United, before joining Madrid in 2003, where he won the Spanish league title four years later.

Beckham moved to Los Angeles in 2007, winning two MLS Cup titles with the Galaxy, but spent two loan spells at Milan and then returned to Europe in January this year, when he signed a short-term deal with PSG. He captained England between 2000 and 2006, played at three World Cups, and has played more times for his country than any other outfield player. — AFP

Lyon can secure Champions League return PARIS: Third-placed Olympique Lyon will be pleased to grab one point at fellow Champions League hopefuls Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday, although victory could secure their return to the competition next season. With leaders Paris St Germain already crowned league champions and Olympique Marseille certain to finish second, the race for the third and final Champions League spot is on with two games to play.

Lyon, who missed out on the competition for the first time in 12 years this season, occupy the coveted berth with 63 points, three ahead of fourth-placed Lille, who visit Montpellier, and Nice in fifth. St Etienne are sixth with 59. The team who finish third will go through the Champions League preliminary rounds while the fourth-placed finishers qualify for the Europa League playoffs.

“We will be happy if we take all three points but if we only manage a draw, we’re not going to complain,” Lyon’s Gueida Fofana told reporters. “We know that we can widen the gap with Nice but the league won’t be over,” the midfielder added. Champions League qualification is critical for Lyon, the only French club listed on the stock exchange, after they posted a 12.7 percent fall in revenue for the first three quarters of their fiscal year despite more than doubling earnings from transfers.

The seven-times French champions, whose early challenge to PSG in the title race faded, have bad recent memories of Nice, where they slumped to a 3-1 defeat in the League Cup last 16 after conceding three goals in the opening quarter. “It will be a highly charged game,” said Fofana, who has played in the right back position in the past few weeks as France’s Anthony Reveillere has been dropped from the squad.

Lille hope to leapfrog Lyon into third after beating Stade Reims 3-0 last weekend when all their rivals lost. “It was a perfect weekend,” forward Ronny Rodelin told the club’s website (www.losc.fr). “It has brought us back in contention. We know that we can beat every team. The squad still believe we can clinch (the third spot). We have to win our games, then see what the others do.”

St Etienne, who have already qualified for next season’s Europa League preliminary round thanks to their League Cup victory last month, host Marseille. PSG, who clinched the title with victory at Lyon last weekend, host Stade Brest and hope to have a calm day after violence marred Monday’s title celebrations in Paris.—Reuters

Photo of the day

Mad Mike performs a drifting show during Red Bull Car Park Drift in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. www.redbullcontentpool.com

Boca overthrow Corinthians Riquelme goal gives Boca 2-1 aggregate win SAO PAULO: Boca Juniors advanced to the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores by holding defending champion Corinthians to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, eliminating the Brazilian club 2-1 on aggregate. Veteran Juan Roman Riquelme scored a remarkable goal to open the scoring in the 25th, finding the far corner with a curling long-range shot from near the sidelines. Brazil midfielder Paulinho equalized for Corinthians in the 50th, but the champions needed two more goals to move on in the Latin American tournament.

Corinthians loudly complained of two offside calls that led to disallowed goals, in addition to a penalty not called by the referee. Boca Juniors will now play fellow Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys. The match was the most anticipated in the round of 16, pitting the titleholders against the six-time champions in a rematch of last year’s final.

Riquelme caught Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio by surprise with his long shot from the right side. The ball flew a long time across the area before going over the goalkeeper and hitting the side-netting near the top corner. It wasn’t clear if Riquelme meant to shoot on goal or cross the ball into the area. Just a minute before Riquelme’s goal, Corinthians striker Romarinho, who scored in last year’s finals, had a goal disallowed because of offside, but television replays showed he was in good position.

Corinthians had another goal ruled out because of offside in the 59th. The Brazilians also applead for a penalty when Boca defender Leandro Marin touched the ball with his hand inside the area early in the first half. After Riquelme’s goal, Corinthians needed to score three times, so coach Tite brought on former Milan striker Alexandre Pato as part of a more attacking formation in the second half. Corinthians nearly scored less than two minutes into the second half, but Boca Juniors goalkeeper Agustin Ignacio Orion made a difficult save on a close-range shot by midfielder Danilo.

Defender Paulo Andre also came close with a header in the 48th, and Paulinho finally put Corinthians on the board in the 51st, heading in a long cross by Emerson.

Boca Juniors had a chance to seal the victory in the 58th after Cassio couldn’t hold on to a Riquelme shot, but Nicolas Blandi missed the open net from close range. Pato missed a golden opportunity in the 75th minute, missing his attempted shot with the open net just in front of him. Earlier Wednesday, Newell’s Old Boys secured its place in the quarterfinals by beating Velez Sarsfield 2-1 in an all-Argentine matchup in Buenos Aires.

Newell’s advanced on away goals after losing the first leg 1-0.

Milton Casco and Ignacio Scocco each scored in the first half, while Velez’s lone goal was netted by Victor Ferreyra near the

end. On Tuesday, newcomer Tijuana of Mexico upset 1999 champion Palmeiras in Sao Paulo, winning 2-1 after a 0-0 draw at home in the first leg. The match was marked by a mistake by Palmeiras goalkeeper Bruno, who let a very weak shot get past him for the first Tijuana goal. The Mexicans will face Ronaldinho’s Atletico Mineiro in the quarterfinals. On Thursday, Santa Fe of Colombia hosts Gremio of Brazil trying to rebound from a 2-1 loss in Porto Alegre. Olimpia of Paraguay also has to erase a 2-1 first-leg loss when it hosts Tigre of Argentina. Defending Brazil champion Fluminense and Peru’s Real Garcilaso also had already advanced from the round of 16. —AP

SAO PAULO: Juan Roman Riquelme of Argentina’s Boca Juniors (left) fights for the ball with Paulo Andre of Brazil’s Corinthians at a Copa Libertadores soccer match in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. —AP

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Sreesanth in Indian trio arrested for spot-fixing Page 45

www.kuwaittimes.net

Beckham

to hang up his boots Page 47