23 May 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

Militants free 7 Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

Afghan interpreters win right to new life in UK

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www.kuwaittimes.net

RAJAB 13, 1434 AH

More English at French universities?

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Speaker insists no political crisis; tweeters get respite MP claims drinking water, bottled water contaminated

Max 41º Min 27º High Tide 09:50 & 23:07 Low Tide 03:46 & 16:53

By B Izzak and A Saleh conspiracy theories

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Ali Al-Rashed said yesterday that there is no “political crisis” in the country and only “the use of constitutional tools” in the form of filing to grill ministers. “Things are moving in the right direction and there is no political crisis in the country. It is simply the use of constitutional tools ... and I don’t see any problem in using them because they are a monitoring instrument,” Rashed told reporters. Rashed said the available information indicates that the government will attend the forthcoming Assembly session on May 28 when the requests to grill the oil and interior ministers are expected to be discussed.

He said he has official assurances from the prime minister that the government will attend the session on May 28 and which has been confirmed by HH the Amir.

The government boycotted the Assembly sessions on Continued on Page 15

Where are the MPs?

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

N

ot long ago one member of parliament questioned Kuwait’s minister of interior about purchases of arms from Israel. The minister denied the accusation. The story was revisited by a local Arabic daily yesterday. The headline says: “Kuwait is buying military equipment from Israel.”

We expected a spokesman from the Ministry of Interior to come out and deny the news. By the end of the day, however, there was no denial from any official. The news said that the arms were purchased through the United States Department of Defence’s logistics department which were then sold to Kuwait for a contract worth $31 million. The contract ends in 2015, the story said.

Why military deals are increasingly an underground affair? Whether the purchase is from Israel or from the moon, I think these deals should pass through a vote in parliament because they, according to my simple knowledge of rules and regulations, concern national security. They are a red line.

Why the silence then? Is the parliament existing only to grill ministers over trivial matters? If the news is published in the local mainstream press and if it is true, then I blame parliament for the negligence over this. This means MPs are not doing their job properly.

The honourable gentlemen are hyper-busy with the Dow deal and the fine of $2.2 billion paid by Kuwait. But actually the whole thing was caused by parliament when they rejected the Dow deal and forced Sheikh Nasser to cancel it. This shows how short-sighted they are. It was better off to continue with the deal rather than pay a penalty of over $2 billion. Now they started blaming each other in parliament.

I don’t know why in Kuwait we wake up to problems after they occur and we never learn from our previous mistakes, as if the things in this country happen without any future plans. Do you know why we don’t learn? Because we are arrogant and we think we know more than anybody else. We think we are a superior nation and we don’t need to learn anymore. Ignorance steps in when someone believes he knows everything. Where are the MPs now? You can’t find them when you need them.

in the

news

Bahrain claims Iran drone found in sea DUBAI: Bahrain yesterday said it has found an Iranian drone in the kingdom’s north near Saudi Arabia and called for increased cooperation between regional security services to face “threats” from Tehran. The unmanned aircraft “was found in the sea in north Bahrain, mainly between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, two weeks ago,” government spokeswoman Samira Rajab told AFP. “It has been proved that this is a drone used by Iran and could be linked to the Iranian spy cells discovered in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain,” said Rajab. It was unclear if the aircraft had crashed or was brought down in the area. Iran says it is developing drones to be used for surveillance as well as for attacks. .

FBI kills man linked to Boston suspect MIAMI: A man being questioned by the FBI over the Boston Marathon bombings was killed yesterday in an altercation after becoming violent, the FBI said.

US media outlets said the man knew one of the Boston bombers and was shot by an FBI agent in the early morning incident in Orlando, Florida. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the man initiated a “violent confrontation” during the questioning and was killed and that an FBI agent suffered “nonlife threatening injuries.” The FBI did not name the killed man, but the Orlando Sentinel newspaper identified him as Ibragim Todashev, 27. The man was being questioned by the FBI agent, two Massachusetts state troopers and other law enforcement personnel, the FBI said in a statement.

rights abuses rife in Gulf KUWAIT: Plainclothes policemen arrest illegal residents during a surprise raid in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh yesterday. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Jleeb raid nets 555 KUWAIT: A flash inspection campaign was launched yesterday in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, resulting in the arrest of 480 male and 75 female residents for various violations including working for others, expired residency visas, not carrying

IDs, deserting domestic employment and dependant visa holders working in various places. The campaign is part of a massive drive carried out by the Ministry of Interior on the instructions of First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister

Sheikh Ahmed Al-Humoud to arrest illegal residents and wanted people.

The ministr y ’s security media department vowed more campaigns would follow and sudden inspections would continue in various areas.

KUWAIT: Human rights abuses remained widespread last year in the Gulf states, including discrimination against dissidents, migrant labourers, women and religious minorities, Amnesty International said in a report yesterday. In particular, authorities severely restricted freedom of speech, association and assembly and clamped down on the dissent and unrest that swept several countries during the socalled Arab Spring, the London-based group said.

Arbitrary arrests of critics and opposition members were commonplace in almost all the Gulf states and accompanied with long periods of detention without trial, it said.

In Saudi Arabia, “government critics and political activists were detained without trial or sentenced after grossly unfair trials,” Amnesty said.

Continued on Page 15

Man killed in London ‘terror’ attack LONDON: A man believed to be a serving British soldier was brutally murdered yesterday near a London barracks in what Prime Minister David Cameron said appeared to be a terrorist attack. Media reports said the dead man was a British soldier who was hacked to death by the assailants. Some reports suggested his attackers tried to behead him while shouting “God is greatest” in Arabic.

Cameron called the attack “appalling” and said: “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident.” Armed police shot and wounded the two sus-

pected attackers.

One broadcaster showed footage of one of the men at the scene carrying a blood-covered knife and meat cleaver saying to the camera: “ We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

The black man, dressed in a grey hooded jacket and black woolly hat, made a number of political statements to bystanders. “We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” he says in a London accent in the video. He adds: “I apologise that women

MP splurges $21m on luxe London digs LONDON: A Kuwaiti MP has bought a luxurious property in the centre of London for the price tag of $21 million. The news about the purchase circulated yesterday across social networks. The name of the MP was not disclosed.

New gen livens faded art scene KUWAIT: After two lacklustre decades, Kuwait is experiencing a quiet revival of an arts scene once known as the most avant garde in the Gulf, thanks to a new generation eager to tackle sensitive issues using cutting-edge art forms. The artists have been exhibiting works in the graphic arts, photography, animation and fashion in private galleries but also bypassing traditional venues and arts groups - and possible censorship - by showing their work online to reach an audience beyond the 3.7 million people in Kuwait.

“They are creating an excellent buzz,” said Lucy Topalian, who runs the Dar Al Funoon gallery in Kuwait which showcases contemporary art from around the world. Young people in tailored trousers and elegant jackets packed her small gallery earlier this month to view Abdullah Al-Saab’s dark dresses, shirts and capes hanging from the ceiling in front of large black-andwhite photographs.

The people in the photographs were blindfolded, some with labels such as “wife”, “lover” or “friend”. One depicted a man - the designer himself - bound with a thick rope, another a woman in a smart dress spilling Continued on Page 15

have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

The government’s emergency response committee was immediately convened. The attack took place in broad daylight around 200 m from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London. Cameron, who was to return early from talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris to deal with the aftermath, called the attack “truly shocking”. Hollande said at a press con-

ference that the victim was a soldier, but Cameron gave no confirmation.

A local member of parliament said he believed the dead man was a soldier.

Cameron said: “We’ve had this sort of attack before in our country and we never buckle in the face of them.” Home Secretary Theresa May chaired a meeting of COBRA, the government’s emergency civil contingencies committee. “It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered this afternoon in southeast London,” she said.

Continued on Page 15

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received the visiting Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas at Bayan Palace yesterday. (Right) Officials from Kuwait and St Kitts & Nevis hold highlevel discussions yesterday. — KUNA

Amir receives Saint Kitts & Nevis premier KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received the visiting Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas at Bayan Palace ye s te rd ay. Th e m e e t i n g w a s

a t te n d e d by H i s H i g h n e s s t h e Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His H i g h n e s s t h e Pr i m e M i n i s te r Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah.

D e p u t y M i n i s te r o f A m i r i Diwan Affair Sheikh Ali Jarrah AlSabah, Head of the Honorary M i s s i o n a n d Ad v i s o r a t t h e Pre m i e r ’s Diwan Fa i s a l Mohammad Al-Hajji and Qutaiba

Yousef Al-Ghanim were present at the meeting as well.

Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and his accompanying delegation, arrived in Kuwait yesterday for an official visit, upon the invi-

tation of HH the premier.

A ceremonial reception was also held at Bayan Palace where the guest was received by Sheikh J a b e r, D e p u t y Pre m i e r a n d Foreign Minister Sheik h Sabah

Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, head of the Honorary Mission and Advisor at the Premier ’s Diwan Faisal Mohammad Al-Hajji, a number of ministers and senior state’s officials. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Ilegals residents are rounded up during a flash raid in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh yesterday. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

65 rounded up from Mubarakiya market KUWAIT: The Ministr y of Interior carried out an inspection campaign against those violating residency permit norms. The campaign, that was launched yesterday morning, covered Mubarakia markets and its surrounding areas. It was led by Lt. General Tareq Hamada.

The police stations in the capital governorate participated in the campaign along with support patrols.

The campaign resulted in the arrest of 65 persons found in violation of the law. Of these, 59 were found without identification and three with expired residency permits. One person was earlier reported by an employer as absent, while two others were in violation of the residency law. All the arrested persons were sent to the concerned authorities.

KUWAIT: In the presence of General Director of Civil Defense Lt General Yousuf AlRoudhan Civil Defense administration successfully carried out yesterday the trial of siren system of high technical quality in all Kuwait governorates.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwaiti housewives to get KD559 monthly salary 7,000 women seek monthly payment

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: His Highness Prime Minister and President of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah chairs yesterday at Bayan Palace the first meeting of the council after its recent re-structuring.

— KUNA

PM chairs restructured planning board meeting KUWAIT: His Highness Prime Minister and President of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah chaired yesterday at Bayan Palace the first meeting of the council after its recent re-structuring.

He opened the meeting with a speech in which he underscored the imperative to use methodologies of planning, based on scientific paradigms, to delineate existing problems prior to seeking out resolutions for them that would benefit the society in the long run.

He called on the government and the private sector to tap new and creative resources in dealing with finding solutions for societal problems, affirming at the same time the government’s commitment to adhering in letter and spirit

by solutions arrived at by the Council.

Additionally, the prime minister pinpointed in his speech the problems and challenges facing the country at this juncture in its history, which he enumerated as: preserving the national identity, protecting the national unity, boosting national security, developing the skill of practicing democracy, reforming the economy, improving health services and education, and ameliorating the performance of the government. Though all these represented top priorities for the prime minister, he nevertheless stressed the fact that the strategic goal for the government was to help advance the potentialities of the Kuwaiti citizen to the furthest limit and to enable him or her to succeed in creating a prosperous and rewarding life. — KUNA

Former NA candidate rapes woman in office

By Hanna Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti girl complained that a man who had fought elections in the last National Assembly Council raped her in his office in Hawally, security sources said. A friend of hers, also a Kuwaiti girl, backed her claim and said she saw the former candidate in the NA Council elections in a naked state when she intervened to rescue her friend. The security men responded swiftly to the report and rushed to the place of incident, where they found a girl with a head injury and torn clothes. She was administered necessary medical care.

The girl who reported the crime, a friend of the victim, said that she and her friend went to an office in Hawally where her

friend went inside the office of the suspect while she waited outside. Minutes later, she heard her shouting and calls for help. She rushed into the office and found her friend lying on the floor and the man in a completely naked state.

While she rescued her friend, she also said that the man was drunk. The victim said that she was brutally beaten when she called for help from the employees and her friend. A case of rape was filed and the man was detained.

The same suspect is also facing a trial in a court in another case in which he stands accused of beating his divorced wife and assaulting her after invited her to his yacht on the pretext that he wanted to discuss matters related to divorce.

Govt yet to okay company to recruit domestic labor Residency stamps run out KUWAIT: National Assembly Secretary MP Kamel Al-Awadhi has stated that the government is yet to approve the setting up of a company to bring in domestic help despite the fact that the cabinet had approved the establishment of such a company last year and had asked the investment public authority to prepare an economic feasibility report on it.

He pointed out that the government, for undisclosed reasons, stalled the project without considering the negative impact of rising domestic help problems facing the country. “Because the government ignored this issue, I, along with MPs Safaa AlHashim, Khalil Abdallah, Yacoub Al-Sane and

Massoums Al-Mubarak submitted a proposed law to establish a shareholding company to bring in and employ domestic help, which was sent to the legislative committee for discussion,” Al-Awadhi explained.

While the Interior Ministry is intensifying its campaigns to arrest those violating Iqama norms, it is facing hurdles as it ran out of Iqama stickers.

Business owners said the immigration departments in Shuwaikh and Farwaniya did not have the required stamps and were asking mandoubs of companies to return after two weeks, a development that will leave vulnerable those whose Iqamas have expired.

Egyptian waylaid and robbed at knifepoint

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: An Egyptian expat driving his trailer was waylaid by a number of people in a Land Cruiser vehicle in the Al-Naseem area near the Rhayya roundabout, and robbed at gunpoint, security sources said. The Egyptian man told the Jahra police that when he was driving the trailer near the said roundabout, four persons in a white colored Land Cruiser car flagged him down.

While the expat was not able to note down the number of the car, he described one of his tormentors as national dress wearing man who was driving the vehicle. He said this man came out brandishing a pistol that he flaunted in his face. Another occupant of the Land Cruiser who was carrying a stick and dressed in sports gear pinned him against the trailer and asked him to keep his hands up. Two more men stood at the back watching the road. He claimed he was beaten and the men even threatened to kill him. They snatched away KD107 or 105 from him, taking the money from his valet left in the trailer’s cabin.

The pistol-carrying man came out of the trailer after searching it and proceeded to frisk the Egyptian along with his friend. They took away his cell phones but when they saw a car approaching, they returned the phones and left the spot. A young man stopped by and bought something from a mobile grocery. Later, they left in their Land Cruiser car.

A case of armed robbery was filed under the

number 104/2013 and criminal investigators were asked to check the trailer.

Iranian arrested Security men arrested an Iranian expat found under the influence of drugs in Qurtuba and recovered from his person an envelope containing a substance suspected to be heroin. The man was sent to the drug enforcement agents.

The Farwaniya police, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communication, carried out an inspection campaign at ten places to catch those responsible for theft of international calling facility at Al-Farwaniya, Khaitan and Jleeb AlShoyoukh. About 22 expats availing of these stolen services at shops specifically dealing in the nefarious activity were caught, along with tools used in stealing the signals.

Insulted An officer of the rank of First Lieutenant complained to officers at a police station at Hawally, accusing a girl of having insulted him and another citizen of intervening in his work and stopping him from performing his duty.

The officer said that he stopped a girl opposite a cafe, and asked for her identification documents, but the girl ignored him and went into the cafÈ after telling him to go away. The officer said he followed her into the cafe and asked the girl to accompany him to the patrol officers in order to take her to the police station but she refused.

KUWAIT: Any Kuwaiti housewife who has attained the age of 55 years but does not enjoy any income will now be entitled to receive a monthly payment of KD559 star ting last Monday, provided she met certain requirements. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, about 7,000 women applied for this salary, and 90 percent of them met the conditions and will receive this payment.

Some women are receiving monthly income in the form of retirement allowance or social support such as allowances meant for mothers of disabled citizens or others, running into amounts less than KD 559. In such cases, the women will receive the amount after deducting from it the monthly income already being received. Those with private businesses running under commercial licenses in their names are not entitled to receive this salary.

Lulwa Al-Mulla, Chairperson of the Kuwait Women Cultural and Social Society, criticized the new decision saying it was not in favor of the women. “This payment aims to encourage the Kuwaiti woman to retire or to stay at home rather than become a productive person in her work and career. It aims to further alienate her from the work place. Why did the woman learn and educate herself if they are to end up sitting at home and receive a social payment from the government? I think that the amount will act as an incentive for women to leave their work and stay at home,” she told the Kuwait Times yesterday.

Although the law was proposed by women MPs, it still came under criticism from the Women’s Society. “It is not necessary that the women MPs are always right. In the end, their aim is to promote themselves and garner more votes to win the elections. This law doesn’t want the women to play their due role as one half of the society and does not want them to be partners in work. The women will be isolated by making them give up their careers. The government should instead encourage women to work and study to obtain degrees,” added Al-Mulla.

According to her, such allowances put addi-

Lulwa Al-Mulla

Hajaj Bukhadour

tional pressure on the national budget. “Our economy is based on oil which will not last forever. This amount will increase the public expenditure, and this money could have been spent on more important concerns. In my view, this decision needs a review as it really is not such a bright idea as it seems from the outside,” she pointed out.

On his part, Hajaj Bukhadour, an economic analyst, agreed with Al-Mulla that the law was not in favor of women. “This decision was not in keeping with the idea of development and it only adds to the aberrations in the Kuwaiti economy. This is an irresponsible decision that stops creativity and only encourages lack of responsibility in the community. There are more cons than pros, as it will result in loss of huge manpower. Also, many women employees under the age of 55 will feel disappointed by

this decision, as they feel their work is not being appreciated properly despite their long years of working, especially since in Kuwait women are more productive than men,” he explained.

“After 20 or more years spent at work, women are being made to feel they are not important. They would not be interested in work anymore as they will not be receiving the same benefits as given to men. It destroys any woman’s personality. I think this law was not even discussed from this point of view,” he further said.

He also said that this payment will increase the pressure on the Kuwaiti economy and will cause more problems. “The MPs who proposed this law and passed it were mainly looking for personal and electoral benefits to gain votes and not as a matter of development,” concluded Bukhadour.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

LOCAL

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Single vote system better for Kuwait

Oppositionists are also Kuwaitis

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

By Mustafa Al-Sarraf

M

P Safa Al-Hashim issued statements a few weeks ago demanding that the Ministry of Education should take action against an activist linked with political groups opposing the single-vote decree. I wrote in a column at that time defending every citizen’s right to express his or her own opinion, and argued that just because someone struck a stance in support or against any action of the government must not affect a person’s job or how his or her per formance is assessed.

Every human being has the right to express an opinion or take a certain stand. Holding people accountable on the basis of opinions they have or the way they express these can only be done as per the law. If a person violates the constitutional regulations, he can be punished in accordance with the kind of violation he has committed. But when someone practices his or her constitutional right to freely express an opinion, then no one has any right to act against them or use it as an excuse to intervene in their work.

A local newspaper recently went too far in persecuting the oppositionists, or more precisely to ‘criminalize’ their actions, and pave the way to make the ‘government veto’ their future activities apart from spoiling their relationship with the state. The state is for everyone, and Kuwait is for every Kuwaiti. It is as much the country of those in the opposition as of the pro-government parties. It remains their country who voted in the polls, just as it is of those who chose to boycott the elections.

Therefore, a newspaper has no right to incite the government against an oppositionist and demand that they are thrown out of a state department the Supreme Petroleum Council in this case - just because they exercised their constitutional right to express their opposition to the single-vote decree.

I am often described as being among the most resentful to those who oppose the decree ostensibly meant to correct the electoral mechanism, but this does not give me or anyone else any right to goad the government into acting against them, or asking that the oppositionists be punished.

The position that MP Al-Hashim took a few weeks ago, along with that which the local newspaper expressed most recently, are considered a clear threat to the security and interests of everyone who opposes the government or expresses an opinion that conflicts with that of the government. It is a clear action of encouraging the government to adopt a policy of persecution and elimination. Faced with this situation, I believe that the opposition should consider taking legal action to help protect every Kuwaiti citizen’s right to express an oppositionist opinion, and stem the trend that is taking our polity down the road of persecution and elimination of political opponents.— Al-Qabas

K

kuwait digest

Kuwait is Street 101

By Dr Sajed Al-Abdali

A

ccording to a rather interesting anecdote, there was a abouts, closing some turns and widening its lanes. The funny pothole in the middle of one of the busiest roads in a thing is that all these changes will not solve the problem that, small town, where passerby used to repeatedly trip basically is on account of the presence of several schools, a and fall, hurting themselves. The ambulances rushed to their coop society, several grocery stores, a water pumping station help would often get delayed, thanks to the condition of the and the fire brigade being on the same street.

Such facilities, in addition to the slow moving traffic comroad, thus adding to their woes in ferrying them to nearest hospitals that were at far flung places. An urgent city hall prising water tanker trucks, are the real problem. The funny and at the same time saddening meeting was convened to disthing is that a huge mosque is cuss the problem.

Street 101’s problem is not its being built currently along the The council extensively debated the issue with some size or layout. The right solution same street, which will surely complicate the problem further members suggesting to build a new hospital near the pothole. lies in relocating at least the because many people are always Others suggested that to cut water station and the fire brigade keen on parking their vehicles just down the expenses, there should since the schools cannot be outside the doors of the mosques, blocking both sides of the street be a dedicated ambulance readily available by the side of the pot- removed. This will ease the entry while going inside to pray. Who hole while yet others suggested and exit of fire engines when would dare question, stop, or issue a traffic ticket to them, then? that some warning signs be put Street 101’s problem is not its around the pothole. Finally, the needed. The movement of trucks wise men gathered at the town must be monitored and it should size or layout. The right solution lies in relocating at least the water hall meeting decided to plug the be banned during rush hours. station and the fire brigade since pothole and instead dig an alterthe schools cannot be removed. native one near the hospital.

This bitterly funny but tragically near the truth anecdote This will ease the entry and exit of fire engines when needed. came to my mind as it has been the goings on at Street 101 in The movement of trucks must be monitored and it should be Mangaf for a long time. It mirrors what has been happening in banned during rush hours. Traffic police officers should also be stationed there all the time to organize the traffic flow and Kuwait for decades.

Street 101 is the main street in the area which is always issue tickets to those causing inconvenience to others. This is busy and remains congested during the morning and after- the right solution if any official actually wants to solve the problem. Unfortunately, I don’t think they do. Gentlemen, noon rush hours, and then again from evening till night.

Months ago, the Ministry of Public Works launched a major Street 101 is Kuwait, and, with all its mess and waste of effort, project to change the street’s layout by building many round- resources and powers, Kuwait is Street 101.—Aljarida

kuwait digest

Clear the ambiguity over Dow

By Hamad Al-Sarie

T

hings have got mixed up between the government, some of whose ministers have made mistakes and should be held accountable, and the N A Council which feels that its constitutional position is not secure.

The ministers have tendered their resignation to the Prime Minister, in support of their beleaguered colleagues - the minister of interior and the oil minister - who are facing questioning over various issues. The ministers’ move should not be held against them, because their standing together on the issue does not mean that they support their colleagues’ alleged mistakes.

The grilling of the interior minister is neither due nor is a priority now; the important thing to do would be to focus on those who lost public money and had to pay a financial penalty, without the N A Council being consulted.

The council of ministers was vague and ambiguous when it declared its intention to hold those accountable who caused this catastrophe. Does the council mean to hold responsible the ones who paid the fines or the ones who approved the study for which $200 million was paid?

The council has three choices, picked up from previous members who used to compete during grilling sessions in order to appear before their voters as being keen to protect public funds and fight corruption.

The first choice: The constitutional court issues its verdict on June 16, declaring the decree for oneman vote unconstitutional - which would mean that the N A Council will be called off and its members will get no privileges.

The second choice: Speed up the questioning process and do so before the constitutional court’s decision so that the government can send a nocooperation letter to His Highness the Amir, after which the council will be dissolved and the current members will become former members if they fail to participate in the next sessions.

The third choice: The government and council should work together to resolve the crisis in the government through grilling sessions or by making minor ministerial amendments. The Dow Chemical case should be sent to the public prosecutor and oil officials should be stopped from working until the case is over, which will be after the constitutional court passes it verdict in favor of or against the decree. — Al-Anbaa

uwait is distinct in the Gulf region for being a constitutional state and having one of the world’s best constitutions which protects the rights of individuals and groups. Kuwait’s political system is based on public participation through three authorities, but it is different from other democratic systems in the fact that it lacks political parties.

When the parliamentary system was ushered in Kuwait, having political parties was not desirable, given the way this system had failed in various Arab countries at that time, including Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon. However, the gap left in the political system by the absence of political parties led to creation of groups based on family, tribal and sectarian basis.

The fact that the electoral system began by allowing voters to elect five candidates in ten constituencies helped the emergence of these blocs. A political party system would have contained certain checks and balances on the basis of which political parties would then have had to formulate and tweak their activities at the national level. The absence of such conditions and a system of controls has paved the way for elections happening along tribal and sectarian lines, something that has become the main approach which most voters opt for. Ultimately, it hurts the integration of the Kuwaiti society and the constitutional system.

Article 108 of the Kuwaiti constitution states that “a member of the National Assembly represents the whole nation. He safeguards the public interest and is not subject to any authority in the discharge of his duties in the National Assembly or in its committees.” This means that a lawmaker’s loyalty must be to the entire Kuwaiti people regardless of any one religion or race. However, it becomes hard to apply that concept when the electoral law is based on election along sectarian or tribal lines. Therefore, the single-vote decree came in accordance with the constitution, and to fill the gap left by the lack of political parties. Had political parties been there, they would have worked as per legal controls.

The Kuwaiti society has suffered enough disintegration as a result of having tribal and sectarian blocs. Therefore, a step was needed to force people to elect candidates on the basis of competency and patriotism; something the single-vote system achieved. I urge groups calling that we revert to the four votes per voter system to reconsider their position and put the general good ahead of their own personal interests. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Politics without principles

By Saad Al-Rushaidi

S

omething suddenly occurred to me while following the heated debate between the MPs and the Cabinet over the fine paid for the cancelation of the K-Dow contract. The damage resulting from the cancelation decision exceeds the US$2.2 billion in fine paid to Dow Chemical. I believe it would not be unfair to say that the biggest problem in Kuwait is that there is no learning from mistakes and the consequent uproar mostly focuses on criticism rather than attempts to diagnose the problem.Signing a mega deal such as the one with K-Dow leaves the door open for suspicion, while paying a hefty fine confirms the fact that the government committed a double mistake, which is too grave to be ignored and requires parliament and government officials to jointly investigate the deal before pointing fingers of blame.

The government has taken some unusual steps while signing the K-Dow deal, but we have to agree that there are other parties responsible for the cancelation decision-including the parliament, which put pressure on the government to terminate the contract without considering the consequences of that step.

In politics, numbers are more than just figures used in mathematical equations. Their implications are particularly significant when personal interests are involved. While the government should be questioned over its decision, the position of lawmakers who kept attacking the deal must also not be ignored. Questioning the government politically - and even criminally if necessary is important, but so is the need to question the lawmakers who put pressure on the government to cancel the deal.

The government is required to provide clear answers for a number of pressing questions, such as: Why did it sign the K-Dow contract despite the prevailing global economic situation? And what was the reason behind accepting an unusual clause involving a penalty that is estimated at 30 percent of the deal’s value? Furthermore, the government should also be questioned about the reason behind its failure to consult local experts and instead depend solely on JP Morgan’s recommendation while signing the deal. In the meantime, the position of lawmakers who demanded the cancelation of the deal without considering the consequential losses must be reviewed.

Dear MPs, while it is your right to protect public funds and utilize all constitutional tools to achieve that goal, keep in mind one thing that was identified by Mahatma Gandhi as one of the seven “roots of violence”, which is “politics without principles”. —Al-Rai

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

LOCAL

Jahra robbery gang in police custody Man storms girls school, beauty salon

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah with KRCS Chairman Barjas Hamoud Al-Barjas. —KUNA

Sheikh Salman lauds KRCS relief initiatives KUWAIT: Humanitarian relief efforts by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) are distinguished at the global level, Kuwait’s Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah said yesterday.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of his visit to the association’s headquarters, where he met with Chairman of the Board of Directors Barjas Hamoud Al-Barjas and inspected humanitarian and relief activities by the body aimed at supporting relief work around the world, said a ministry statement.

He added that KRCS’ operations room, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, “is of high international standards,” and that it “carries out its work in collaboration with several specialized international humanitarian organizations.” “These efforts are commended, and add to the many accomplishments of Kuwait on the scale of humanitarian work” he said. During his meeting

with KRCS chief Al-Barjas, both sides discussed cooperation in the field of media and youth, amid KRCS’ successful role in harboring Kuwaiti volunteers in their programs.

Sheikh Salman went on to praise the role of HH the Amir, and honorary KRCS President, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his support of global humanitarian initiatives. HH the Amir’s decision to host a recently-concluded international conference in support of the humanitarian situation in Syria is clear evidence of this, he said. For his part, Al-Barjas said he was delighted at the visit of Sheikh Salman Al-Hamoud and his accompanying delegation, describing the visit as “crucial.”

“This visit has nothing to do with political matters, but is related to assisting human beings wherever they may be - this is what the people of Kuwait are known for, even before the society’s (KRCS) founding,” he said. Kuwait’s Red Crescent was established in 1966. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Jahra police arrested five people, who admitted responsibility for the multiple home robberies and thefts reported at police stations around the governorates. Police obtained surveillance tapes from a company that had reported the theft of a safe containing KD500. Through those tapes, the officers were able to identify the main suspect. The man was arrested in an ambush in Riggai being identified as a Syrian fugitive who had received a five-year jail sentence for previous crimes. After the arrest, he revealed the identity of his accomplices - two Syrian nationals and two stateless residents who were then arrested in separate operations in Jahra and Salmiya. Investigations revealed that all the gang members had criminal records and were wanted in connection with various cases.

The group led the police to a location in Salmi desert where they had kept the items they had stolen from companies, houses and pedestrians.

Drunk officer held Three people, including a police officer, were arrested recently for intoxication and possession of what was suspected to be an illegal drug. The arrest took place in Al-Khairan, where the special task force officers and two others were reportedly found by the patrol police to be under the influence of alcohol. A substance found in their possession was sent for testing, according to the police report. The detainees were referred to the Drug Control General Department for further action.

Suicide averted Hawally police managed to talk a domestic worker out of her suicide plans, in a recently reported case in the area. Officers rushed to a house whose residents reported that their housemaid was suffering a nervous breakdown and threatening to kill herself with a kitchen

knife. They succeeded in negotiating with the woman and talked her out of her suicide plans, after which she was taken to the area’s police station where a case was filed for further investigation.

Man storms school A man was arrested for breaking into a beauty salon and a girls school on Tuesday.

The stateless person was reportedly arrested at the Jahra salon, where he caused panic after forcing himself inside with a dog in hand.

Police later revealed that the same man was reported to have entered a girls school in the area earlier on the same day. The school’s principal had opted not to press charges against the man after he claimed that he was seeking protection against a person who was following him. The man remains in custody for further investigations.

KUNA chief meets Al-Jazeera official KUWAIT: Chairman and Director General of Kuwait News Agency Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaj Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah received yesterday Director of Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre Munir Daeimi.

KUNA Chairman also received the Head of marketing and administrative affairs department at the center, Talal Abdulkareem, and representative of the center in Kuwait, Ali Abdullah Shadaad.

Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij, during the meeting, stressed on importance of the role training centers play in qualifying distinguished media cadres, capable of improving the Arab media at all levels.

“Media openness” the Arab world is witnessing requires further care in training the workers in this vital field, which greatly contributes to affecting the public opinion, he affirmed. He emphasized importance of cooperation between various Arab media institutions to tackle all aspects of weakness in the Arab media, and working to solve “such shortcomings” through exchange of expertise.

The meeting was attended by Vice Chairman of KUNA for administrative financial and communications affairs, Abdulhameed Malak. —KUNA

British Islamic Centre lauds Kuwait’s support OXFORD: The Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS), Dr Farhan Ahmad Nizami hailed yesterday the importance of the generous donation and support of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the government and the people of Kuwait to OCIS. In an interview, Dr Nizami said this donation of 10 million pounds and the continued encouragement of Kuwait “has always been very crucial for the life of the Centre from the very beginning of its creation in 1985.” HH the Amir made this great gesture of financial support to the Centre three years ago to help its valuable work in encouraging the study of Islam and providing “a meeting point between the Islamic world and the West,” he recalled.

The Heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, is the Patron of the Centre. The Prince of Wales has highlighted on several occasions that “the mission of OCIS is of great importance in our increasingly interdependent world.”

Former Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem AlSabah is a member of OCIS Board of Trustees. This year’s annual Board of Trustees meeting will be held later in the summer to review its activities and future plans.

But the Board held a meeting recently in Turkey hosted by the Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah was present at that meeting. Dr Nizami was speaking to KUNA as the process of finishing the new building of the Centre was progressing apace. “The new building is situated at the heart of the city of Oxford, and at its heart there is the library, known as the Kuwait library, which has been supported by Kuwait,” he remarked.

For any academic institution, the library is at the heart of its work, and that has been made possible by the generosity of Kuwait, the OCIS Director noted. “As we are near the completion of the new building in the next seven to eight months time, we hope there will be greater exchange of scholars, and also that the teaching at the Centre will enhance the life of Oxford University in general,”he said. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Chairman and Director General of KUNA Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaj Al-Ibrahim AlSabah yesterday with Director of Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre Munir Daeimi. —KUNA

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

LOCAL

Companies law amendments bolster foreign investments Establishing a company made faster, easier

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The amendments to the new companies’ law provide a friendlier and more relaxed environment for foreign investors. As per the new law, it will be now possible to establish a public company within a month’s time.

According to Rob Little, Partner with ASAR - AlRuwayeh & Partners law firm, it will now take a month to obtain approval to establish a public company compared to four to six months that investors had to spend previously. “Perhaps many things are going to be very quick, fast and easy,” he said, stressing that under the older law, it took months to obtain an approval to establish a public company.

The amendments to the companies’ law include doing away with the six months’ deadline to comply with the new companies law; revising the manner in which a manager of a WLL may be appointed or terminated; permitting a chief executive officer to be a board member; enabling the issuance of shares below 100fils; and clarifying that a holding company may be a public joint stock company.

Little explained, “The recent changes made to the new companies’ law reflect the country’s keenness to further align its business environment with best international practices. The fact that amendments to the new company law were introduced merely four months after the new companies’ law was passed is a step forward that underscores the synergy between the legislative and executive authorities.

The amendments to the new law should have the effect of encouraging investment in Kuwait, facilitating expansion of existing businesses, and providing flexibility in the corporate law regime which will, in turn, assist businesses in finding concrete solutions appropriate to their circumstances.”

In Little’s words, the law was implemented in two stages; the new law was first passed in November 2012 and later the amendments to the new law were passed last month. “The amendments were needed to fine tune the new law but the bylaws need to be passed before the new law can be fully implemented,” said Little, who is also a company consultant.

Regulation “The regulatory system in Kuwait is becoming more dynamic and, as such, businesses need to constantly monitor developments. Commercial entities will need to review their structures taking into account the introduction of the new company’s law and assess whether changes are required.

Alternatively, these can be recommended to make business run effectively and profitably. We believe

Little, educated at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, said Kuwait is expecting bylaws to be issued latest by September or possibly even earlier as there are rumors that the same will be issued by month end.

investors, there may be some changes and relaxation for foreign ownership of companies but we don’t know as yet. Under the old law, the joint stock company’s ratio of Kuwait to foreign ownership was 51-49, but under the new law, this aspect is silent and the law doesn’t say as yet what the percentage will be,” he explained.

Little who moved from Canada to join ASAR in 1997, said it will be more favorable environment for foreign investors in Kuwait if the foreign ownership stake is increased to at least 51 percent, because it will be easier for investors to consolidate financial statements. “If you have 51 percent, it is clear that you have the power to consolidate and the power to elect a majority in the board of directors,” said Little.

Little who specializes primarily in banking and finance, general corporate commercial, capital markets, project work and financial transactions, believes that in order to encourage more foreign investors to Kuwait, the corporate law must somehow be pro-investor. “We believe that it will be good for Kuwait to relax the laws for foreign investors and allow a higher ownership stake, which is provided in other GCC countries. We hope that Kuwait will take steps to relax the foreign ownership rules here as well,” he wished.

Little noted that in the new law, there will be no more managing directors in joint stock companies.

This position will be replaced by the CEO and the CEO can be a board member too. “What the new law is doing is changing the corporate governance structure. The concept of the CEO was not there in the old law, but now, it is gaining foothold in Kuwait. There will be larger separation between the board and management than before,” he noted.

In taking the point further, he stressed that the board will also have six meetings a year instead of four. “The board members will be able to pass written resolutions. They don’t even have to meet as they can pass a resolution as long as all the board members sign it.”

The 51/49 issue: With regards to the foreign ownership percentage law as per which any Kuwaiti ownership has to be 51 percent and the remainder a foreign investor, Little explained: “The stock exchange-listed companies can be owned to the extent of more than 49 percent by foreigners but private non-listed companies appear to be limited to 51 percent Kuwaiti holding. For instance, in the new company law, foreign ownership rules for WLL will be determined by the bylaws. As Kuwait appears to be wooing foreign

Online shift Little explained that one of the other amendments to the old law is the acceptance of teleconferencing. “If the system is implemented, it will be very helpful since it is always a problem to convene a board members’ meeting because some board members are at different locations. Finally, Little also mentioned that shareholder agreements are now expressly allowed under the new law.

With a total of 22 years of legal experience behind him, Little has been involved at a very senior

that this is a notable step forward for businesses in Kuwait as the new law is set to significantly improve the way companies are structured and how they operate, ultimately creating a stronger sense of confidence to invest in Kuwait as a solid growth market,” added Little.

Little expressed his concern that some of the new amendments in the law are too vague. “The new law says that there must be speedier action, especially in terms of corporation process. It must be quicker.

That is why they proposed a single window system, but we need to wait to see how the bylaws workout,” Little said.

Rob Little

level with leading several commercial projects, corporate, banking, finance, and mergers and acquisitions transactions ranging from typical transactions to highly complex ones. He admits that establishing a business in Kuwait is really quite difficult compared to other countries because of red tape (bureaucracy) which, he says, hampers growth. “With the new amended version, they are promising much quicker establishment times, no matter who the owners of the companies are,” he said.

He further explained that the amendments will provide for a one stop shop for all required documents to be processed. “It is one way of streamlining the process and we have to wait and see how successful the streamlining will be,” he said, explaining that in Bahrain, for example, it only takes only a few days to process papers, but in Kuwait it takes months to finish paperwork and licenses. “The new amended version of the corporate law is a huge leap toward positive change,” he quipped, adding that in the past, public joint stock companies required an obligatory approval through HH the Amir. Now, it can be done through ministries. He said that the business in Kuwait will be the beneficiary of the new law. “The new changes will be very beneficial to Kuwait,” he told Kuwait Times.

Taxation Another major change in Kuwait is related to taxation. Little explained that in the past, taxation was about 55 percent but about five years ago, it was brought down to 15 percent. “A 15 percent tax is not very high, internationally. However, in some countries in the GCC, no taxes are applied; Dubai is the best example where no taxes are applied. If you ask me whether Kuwait will follow with no taxes, I don’t think so. I think the 15 percent bar will remain but who knows (whether changes in this area will be implemented too),” he said.

There are other laws such as the Foreign Direct Investment Law that can be used to help foreign investors. He said if foreign companies were able to satisfy the applicable requirements, they could be granted tax exemptions under this law.

Since 2000, when a foreign company applies for tax exemptions, under the Foreign Direct Investment Law, it must first convince the Foreign Investment Bureau that their business plan will drastically benefit Kuwait in general. In that case, it may attract zero tax.

“The process is longer than in other countries and there is no specific investment amount stated in this law. However, banks and other lending institutions are very successful in getting tax exemptions under the Foreign Direct Investment Law,” he said.

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah visits Tareq Rajab Museum on Tuesday. —KUNA

SHARJAH: Minister Thekra Al-Rashidi talks to media yesterday in Sharjah. —KUNA

Tareq Rajab Museum a treasure trove of Kuwait heritage

Develop GCC workforce: Al-Rashidi

KUWAIT: The Tareq Rajab Museum is an important Kuwaiti monument that documents and preserves Islamic history and culture, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said late on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sideline of his visit to the museum, Sheikh Salman said that he was very glad to have seen the rare items and documents preserved at the Museum, stressing that Tareq Rajab and his family did a tremendous work in housing such cultural heritage that made all Kuwaitis very proud.

Sheikh Salman, who is also chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), affirmed that he would be working with the museum’s administration to provide more exposure. He thanked the museum’s manager and head tour

guide Ali Dashti for his informative tour of the museum, stressing that the NCCAL was keen on including the facility as part of three cultural centers to be opened here soon.

Sheikh Salman was accompanied during his visit by Secretary General of the NCCAL Ali Al-Yuha. The Tareq Rajab Museum houses a collection of over thirty thousand items collected over the last fifty years, of which approximately ten thousand are on permanent display. The Museum was opened to the public in 1980.

The Museum is divided into two parts: in Area A, calligraphy, manuscripts, miniatures, ceramics, metalwork, glass, jade-, wood- and stone-carvings are exhibited. Area B contains objects which were produced in the Islamic world during the last ca. 250 years, i.e. costumes, textiles, jewelry and musical instruments.

The Museum has two other major exhibitions abroad. Some three hundred objects, each with beautifully rendered inscriptions, were loaned to the newly built Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore in 1997. A catalogue under the title of Harmony of Letters was published for the occasion. The second exhibition was opened in the Helikon Castle Museum, Keszthely, at Lake Balaton in Hungary, under the title of The World of Islam. The Arts of the Islamic World in the 18th-20th centuries, which was opened in 2002.

On March 14th, 2007, The Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy opened its doors to the general public. Its aim is to trace the development of the Arabic script. The earliest script in the museum dates back to the 7th century up to the present day. —KUNA

SHARJAH: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra AlRashidi asserted here yesterday the importance of developing the workforce in the GCC through strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors.

This came during her participation in the third forum for officials of human resources and the labor market in the GCC, which started today under the patronage of the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, ministers and officials of labor ministries in the six states. The minister said that the forum is a rich opportunity for the exchange of ideas and visions between GCC officials on human resources in order to come out with recommendations to support those resources particularly in the private sector.

She said that Gulf countries have challenges represented in the large number of expatriate labor as well as the reluctance of a significant portion of their citizens to work in the private sector.

Al-Rashidi pointed out that the most effective solutions to indulge the GCC national employment into the labor market is to support small and medium-sized enterprises.

She emphasized that the initiative of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the first economic summit held in Kuwait in 2009 to finance small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the best initiatives at the Arab League level.

She explained that some 15 Arab countries have pitched in such initiatives, which have been activated through the creation of an account managed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Kuwait’s contribution to which amounts to $500 million in addition to the allocation of KD2 billion for the establishment of the National Fund, which is the umbrella that embraces small projects in Kuwait. —KUNA

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

7 Egyptian security men kidnapped in Sinai freed Page 8

Afghan interpreters to get British visas Page 9

MOORE: Amber Johnson (R) a fifth grade teacher at Briarwood Elementary School salvages items from her car which was parked at the school when a powerful tornado ripped through the area on Tuesday in Moore, Oklahoma. Johnson is being helped by her daughters Natalie (L) and Nicole. The town reported a tornado of at least EF4 strength and two miles wide that touched down yesterday killing at least 24 people and leveling everything in its path. —AFP

Rescuers comb Oklahoma rubble for survivors Attention focus on huge cleanup job MOORE: Rescue workers with sniffer dogs and searchlights combed through the wreckage of a massive tornado to ensure no survivors remained buried in the rubble of primary schools, homes and buildings in an Oklahoma City suburb. The massive tornado on Monday afternoon flattened blocks of the town, killed at least 24 people and injured about 240 in Moore, just outside Oklahoma City.

But as dawn approached on Monday, officials were increasingly confident that everyone caught in the disaster had been accounted for, despite initial fears that the twister had claimed the lives of more than 90 people.

Jerry Lojka, spokesman for Oklahoma Emergency Management, said search-and-rescue dog teams would search yesterday for anybody trapped under the rubble, but that attention would also be focused on a huge cleanup job.

“They will continue the searches of areas to be sure nothing is overlooked,” he said, adding: “There’s going to be more of a transition to recovery.” More than 1,000 people had already registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sent hundreds of workers to Oklahoma to help with the recovery, a White House official said yesterday.

After a long day of searching through shattered homes that was slowed by rainy weather, Oklahoma County commissioner Brian Maughan said it seemed no one was missing. “As far as I know, of the list of people that we have had that they are all accounted for in one way or another,” he said. As he spoke on Tuesday evening, dog teams and

members of the National Guard were changing shifts to work through the night.

The death toll of 24 was lower than initially feared, but nine children were among the dead, including seven who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School which took a direct hit by the deadliest tornado to strike the United States in two years. Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the debris of homes, schools and a hospital after the tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City region with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour (320 kph), leaving a trail of destruction 17 miles (23 km) long and 1.3 miles (2 km) wide.

Plaza Towers Elementary was one of five schools in its path. “They (rescuers) literally were lifting walls up and kids were coming out,” Oklahoma State Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. “They pulled kids out from under cinder blocks without a scratch on them.” The last time a giant twister tore through the area, on May 3, 1999, it killed more than 40 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

That tornado also ranked as an EF5.

While Oklahoma Emergency Management’s Lojka said a flyover of the affected area on Tuesday showed 2,400 homes damaged or obliterated, with an estimated 10,000 people affected, the death toll was lower than might have been expected. The toll was also a fraction of that of the 2011 twister in Joplin, Missouri, which killed 161 people.

In the hours following the storm, many more people were feared dead. At one point, the Oklahoma state medical examiner’s office said the toll could rise as high as 91,

Mugabe signs new constitution HARARE: President Robert Mugabe signed Zimbabwe’s new constitution into law yesterday, clearing the path to crucial elections later this year. The 89-year-old, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, signed the document two months after it was overwhelmingly approved by Zimbabweans at a referendum.

“This is a happening of joy, great joy indeed,” Mugabe said at the signing ceremony, held in a marquee erected on the lush green lawns of the State House. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai also welcomed the constitution’s passage into law: “As Zimbabweans we are proud that we are setting on a journey that is based on a new governance system.”

After Mugabe signed the text he shook hands with Tsvangirai, to loud applause from assembled ministers and lawmakers. Despite the show of solidarity, the handshake effectively signals the start of an election campaign that will once again see the rivals pitted against each other.

Tsvangirai has challenged Mugabe for the presidency twice before, with often bloody results. International observers described Mugabe’s victory in 2002 as deeply flawed, and in 2008 the vote was plagued by violence and irregularities. After the latest poll both men were forced into a shaky power-sharing government that has largely succeeded in preventing further unrest, but which has been hobbled by infighting.

As part of a broader deal the pair were also pressed to adopt a new constitution that, now passed, significantly trims the president’s powers and paves the way for fair elections. Presidents will now be limited to two five-year terms and the post of prime minister will be scrapped when a new government is voted in. But there are doubts that reforms can be implemented quickly enough to ensure a fair election. Mugabe’s 33-year-rule, at first lauded as enlightened, has in recent decades been tainted by rights abuses against his opponents and critics. The arrest and persecution of opposition and rights activists has continued apace as election day approaches. The polls should be held this year, but the date is yet to be set. Mugabe and his allies want the polls as soon as possible while Tsvangirai insists on the application of key reforms first to ensure a free and fair vote. The polls however face funding uncertainty in the cash-strapped country, with Finance Minister Tendai Biti saying it cannot afford the estimated $132 million price tag. The government had initially approached the United Nations for financial help, but withdrew the request when it was made clear the cash was conditional on the deployment of international observers.

As the United Nations prepared to send a team to appraise the situation on the ground, a key Mugabe ally-Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa-declared that the team had overstepped its mandate by planning to meet civil society groups. Zimbabwe has also approached South Africa for money to help organise the elections, while the government is also try to raise funds on the domestic front. —AFP

but on Tuesday officials said 24 bodies had been recovered, down from a previous tally of 51. “There was a lot of chaos,” said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer for the medical examiner. Some ascribe the relatively low number of dead residents discovered in Moore, home to 55,000 people, to the fact many locals have small “storm safe” shelters, basically a concrete hole in the garage floor with a sliding roof that locks. Billy McElrath, 50, of Oklahoma City, said his wife hid in a storm safe in their garage when the tornado hit. She emerged unhurt even though the storm destroyed the 1968 Corvette convertible she had bought him as a birthday present, and crushed a motorcycle.

“Everything else is just trashed,” he said as he loaded a pickup with salvaged goods.

Kraig Boozier, 47, took to his own small shelter in the Westmoor subdivision of Oklahoma City and watched in shock as a fan in the wall was ripped out.

“I looked up and saw the tornado above me,” he said.

When he came out after the storm, he helped a neighbor who had emerged from her own shelter move a car that was blocking the entrance to another neighbor’s shelter.

Officials said another factor behind the surprisingly low death toll was the early warning, with meteorologists saying days in advance that a storm system was forming.

Once a tornado was forming, people had 15 to 20 minutes of warning, which meant they could take shelter or flee the projected path. The weather service also has new, sterner warnings about deadly tornadoes to get people’s attention. —Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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

Ahmadinejad to contest ally’s ‘unjust’ vote ban TEHRAN: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday he will ask supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to reverse what he branded the unjust disqualification of a close aide from next month’s presidential election.

The conservative-dominated Guardians Council on Tuesday eliminated both the aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a list of eight candidates for the June 14 election.

It gave no explanation, and those ruled out have no right to appeal the decision by the vetting body whose members are directly or indirectly appointed by Khamenei. But Ahmadinejad said he would still take up the matter with the supreme leader, who has the final say in the Islamic republic’s political affairs.

“I will pursue this case through the supreme leader until the last moment and I hope this problem will be solved,”

he said in remarks published on the presidency’s website. Mashaie had been “a victim of injustice,” added Ahmadinejad, who himself cannot stand for re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

Khamenei has the power to ask the council to review Mashaie’s case, as he once did in 2005. That intervention resulted in the reinstatement of two reformist candidates.

However, Rafsanjani’s campaign manager Eshagh Jahangiri told ISNA news agency the moderate former president “will not protest regarding his disqualification”. “Mr Hashemi has always been among the pillars of the regime and will remain so, God willing,” he added.

Rafsanjani’s eldest daughter Fatemeh, cited by the opposition site Kaleme.com, said the disqualification of her father on the basis of his advanced age was “a pretext”.

“They called my father and told him to withdraw from the race (the morning

before announcing the approved candidates) but my father said he will not withdraw since ‘I cannot betray people who urged me to come forward’,” she said without elaborating.

“There are many people of advanced aged who hold high-ranking posts in the country and also are ill. Therefore it is utterly evident that age is a pretext.”

Rafsanjani, who turns 79 in August, currently chairs the Expediency Council, Iran’s highest political arbitration body.

Guardians Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai, without naming Rafsanjani, said frailty and old age had been factors in the eliminations.

“Barring Mashaie was a natural move since Ayatollah Khamenei refused Ahmadinejad appointing him as first vice president” in 2009, said Mohammad Saleh Sedghian, analyst at the Arab Centre of Iranian Studies in Tehran.

“Rafsanjani’s refusal will lead to division among the clerics, among the peo-

ple and political circles as he is one of the pillars of the Islamic revolution,” he told AFP. Only eight candidates won approval to stand-five conservatives close to Khamenei, two moderates and a reformist. The council’s decision was welcomed by some 150 deputies in the 290seat Iranian parliament. The disqualifications appeared to put Saeed Jalili, a figure close to Khamenei known for his tough negotiation stance in Iran’s atomic talks with world powers, in the front seat for the election.

“In the conservative camp, the tide is turning in favour of Jalili,” said Amir Mohebian, a conservative political analyst. Other analysts agreed. “The compass among the conservatives points towards Jalili... because he is deemed to be adhering more to the revolutionary values and he is better linked to the regime’s powerful decision-makers.”

Jalili’s conservative rivals include Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,

ex-foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, excommander of the Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezai and former parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel.

Two figures seen as moderate conservatives are also on the list of approved candidates: former nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, and Mohammad Gharazi, a former minister who served under Rafsanjani and under opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is currently under house arrest.

The reformists will have only one candidate in the election in Mohammad Reza Aref, who served as first vice president under president Mohammad Khatami. The Iranian press plastered the pictures of the approved candidates on their front pages, but offered no comment on them.

The reformist Bahar daily’s main headline: “Hashemi is not on the list,” while the governmental Iran newspaper did not cover the list on its front page. —AFP

7 Egyptian security men kidnapped in Sinai freed Morsi thanks armed forces, tribal chiefs

AMMAN: US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman, yesterday. Jordan is hosting 10 other nations for a “Friends of Syria” conference in Amman. Kerry is taking part, along with officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Britain, France, Germany and Italy. — AP

America, Oman talk $2.1b defense deal MUSCAT: US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday discussed a $2.1 billion deal with Omani leaders to supply an American-made air-defence system to the Arab state facing Iran in the Gulf. Kerry told Oman’s Defence Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi that the United States was “excited” about the deal and “very grateful for your confidence in Raytheon,” manufacturers of the defence system.

The details of the contract are still being worked through, and a letter of intent is to be signed “soon, but they are still finalising technical details,” a State Department spokeswoman said, asking not to be named.

US officials said earlier that Oman had decided in January to buy a ground-based air defence system produced by US giant Raytheon, which is based in Kerry’s home state of Massachusetts. The new top US diplomat had strongly backed the proposed deal before he took office in February.

“Part of the goal of this is to push US commercial interests, to demonstrate to Oman that these are important to this administration,” another US official had said before Kerry arrived in Oman on Tuesday. “We have initiated the talks” about the system, Busaidi said as he met Kerry in the defence ministry in

Muscat on Wednesday for talks also attended

by Raytheon senior director Ken Gordon.

The Omanis believed it was “the best and most effective system that is out there,” Busaidi said “Talks are underway at this point, and we are at the technical stages but we are hoping to move to the final discussion and sign a contract,” he added.

“We are in need of this defence system, which also pertains to the defence strategy of the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.” US officials had earlier said that it was expected that the letter of intent would be signed in Muscat yesterday.

Kerry also met with Oman’s ruler Sultan Qaboos on Tueday and told US embassy staffers at a meeting the next day that he had appreciated his insight into moves to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. After his brief visit to Oman, Kerry was leaving to attend a key meeting of the “Friends of Syria” group in Amman later yesterday. He was expected to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah as well as ministers from the core 11 nations of the Friends of Syria as they seek to finalise plans for a peace conference to end the conflict now in its third year. He will travel to Israel for talks Thursday and Friday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. —AFP

SIDON: A Lebanese army soldier, background, sits on the top of his armored personnel carrier in front of a burning tire laid by supporters of hardline Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmad al-Assir, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, yesterday. —AP

Friends of Syria meet as conflict escalates AMMAN: Backers of the Syrian uprising were to meet in Amman with the opposition yesterday to discuss a US-Russian proposal for peace talks, as the two-year conflict escalated close to the border with Lebanon.

“Today’s effort ... is part of a political path aimed at ending the violence and bloodshed,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague before the meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria group.

Judeh said the US-Russian proposal was a “turning point.” Earlier this month, the United States and Russia, which back opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, proposed a peace conference dubbed Geneva 2 to bring together rebels and representatives of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“The humanitarian crisis underlines the urgency of reaching a political solution and a diplomatic breakthrough,” Hague said. Eleven top diplomats from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are attending the meeting.

After initial uncertainty, the acting head of

Syria’s opposition National Coalition is to attend the Amman meeting and will be represented by its interim president George Sabra, coalition spokesman Soner Ahmed told AFP. “The Coalition received a late invitation and has confirmed its participation,” he said. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country does not take part in Friends of Syria meetings, was to host Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad for talks yesterday on the planned conference, Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency said. On the arms embargo on Syria, Hague said: “The decision we need to take in Europe in the next days is about the rules of this embargo. Decisions about sending lethal equipment (to the rebels) is a different matter.” He said the issue would be discussed with the opposition later yesterday. Ahead of Amman’s meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry was also to hold a news conference.

“One of the things we’ll be talking about here in Amman... is what else needs to be done with respect to the military balance on the ground,” a top US official said, urging the Syrian opposition to unify ranks.— AFP

CAIRO: Six Egyptian policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants in the volatile Sinai Peninsula last week were freed by their captors yesterday after successful mediation, the country’s military spokesman said.

The release, which followed a security buildup and a massive show of force by the military in northern Sinai, brought an end to a crisis that had stirred anger with the public and within the security forces and held the potential to embarrass both the military and Islamist President Mohammed Morsi had it dragged on.

The captors freed the seven men early yesterday in the middle of the desert, and some were able later to speak to their families by telephone, according to officials and state TV. Military spokesman Col Ahmed Mohammed Ali said on the army’s official Facebook page that the release came about as a “result of efforts by military intelligence, in cooperation with the honorable tribal leaders and Sinai residents.”

Morsi, however, trumpeted their crisis’ end as the outcome of an “operation” that showcased “perfect” coordination between the armed forces, the police and security agencies. He also called for unity in a nation deeply divided, with the president and his Islamist backers in one camp and moderate Muslims, liberals, leftists and Christians in the other.

After their release, the men were flown in a military helicopter to an air force base in a Cairo suburb, where Morsi greeted them on the tarmac with a kiss on each cheek as they disembarked. Prime Minister Hesham Kandil and Defense Minister AbdelFatah el-Sissi were also on hand to receive the men.

Morsi later thanked the armed forces, security agencies as well as the people of Sinai and their tribal chiefs for their efforts to resolve the standoff. He also vowed to hunt down the kidnappers, saying “there will be no going back on bringing the criminals to account.”

“This event will be a departure point for all of us to solve the problems of Sinai, its people and to develop Sinai,” he said. Over the past week, the kidnapping and the expectations of a massive military operation to free the hostages took center stage in Egyptian politics but also risked triggering a backlash in Sinai, where resentment among the local population against past security crackdowns has fueled the rise of militancy.

Calls for a tough response were fueled by a video released last week on YouTube showing the captives blindfolded and pleading for Morsi to meet the kidnappers’ demands and release of scores of prisoners from Sinai, including convicted militants.

Faced with anger among the public and within the security forces over the kidnappings, Morsi had said that all options were on the table and that the presidency would not negotiate

CAIRO: A handout picture released by the Egyptian Army shows Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (L) greeting one of the policemen who was seized in Sinai by kidnappers, at Almaza military Airbase in Cairo, yesterday, following his release. — AFP with the kidnappers. But several officials said mediators were in contact with the kidnappers to secure their release.

It was not immediately clear whether yesterday’s release was a sign that the captors’ demands would be met or whether the release was the outcome of a deal forced on the captors by the military’s show of force.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said Tuesday the kidnappers were demanding the release of 24 convicted militants, some imprisoned since 2005. He called the demands “unacceptable.”

A senior security official told the state news agency that the release was a coordinated effort between security agencies. He said plans involved “closing in on the kidnappers, security sweeps, and intensive deployment.” The unnamed official said security agencies as well as families and tribes in Sinai were in contact with the kidnappers.

The official did not elaborate, but in the past, tribal leaders in Sinai have been known to mediate between authorities and Bedouin tribesmen behind kidnappings of foreign tourists. On Monday, military and police reinforcements backed by armored vehicles and helicopters moved into northern Sinai in a show of strength, deploying heavily around the provincial capital, el-Arish. A joint military and police force carried out a sweep backed by helicopter cover on Tuesday in several villages along the border with Israel.

A security official told The Associated Press yesterday that the men were believed to have been held in that area, and were let go by their

captors there. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

It was not immediately clear whether the army and police will continue to hunt down the captors or whether a major security operation would be launched to rid the mostly desert peninsula of militants and criminal gangs.

During the sweep, troops and police mistakenly fired on a Bedouin funeral in Sinai on Tuesday. No one was injured, and a military official offered an apology, but the incident highlighted the risks of a heavy handed attempt to free the captives.

The kidnapping last Thursday also highlighted the growing instability in Sinai. Criminal gangs, militants and local tribesmen disgruntled with what they say is state discrimination and heavy-handed security crackdowns have exploited the security vacuum brought by Egypt’s 2011 uprising. Armed groups smuggle weapons, attack security forces and kidnap tourists to trade for relatives held in Egyptian jails.

Essam el-Erian, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, welcomed the release of the seven men and lauded both the security agencies and the Sinai tribes. He appealed for future cooperation, saying on his Facebook page: “Regards to all and our families in Sinai who will seriously assist in cleansing Sinai from all the criminal spots.”

Liberal politician and former lawmaker Amr Hamzawy also lauded the release, calling it a “successful crisis management.” “Now this success must be invested to deal comprehensively with the Sinai issues, which

shook state sovereignty and national security, and where grievances have accumulated and development lacked,” Hamzawy wrote on his Twitter account.

Morsi faced his first Sinai challenge in August last year, just over a month after taking office, when militants carried out the most brazen attack ever on military troops, killing 16 Egyptian soldiers along the border with Gaza and Israel.

At the time, Morsi vowed to restore stability, launching a brief military operation that resulted in the closures of some smuggling tunnels between Sinai and Gaza and the arrest of the man believed to be at the heart of the current kidnapping, Ahmed Abu Shita.

Abu Shita was sentenced to death in absentia in September for involvement in a major attack on a northern Sinai police station in 2011 that left three policemen dead. Thirteen others, including seven others in absentia, were also given death sentences in the case.

Ibrahim said the kidnappers were too well-armed to be confronted by the police force alone. He said the kidnappers had planned the operation for two months in advance and were armed with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, surface-to-air missiles and other heavy weaponry smuggled from Libya.

Disgruntled policemen in northern Sinai have protested their colleagues’ kidnapping, closing the only passenger crossing between Gaza and Egypt in Rafah, and briefly forcing shut a commercial terminal with Israel. Palestinian Gaza border official Maher Abu Sabha said the Rafah terminal re-opened yesterday. — AP

Turkey shuts Syria border crossing after bombings ANKARA: Turkey has shut its side of the last border crossing with Syria still controlled by President Bashar al-Assad’s government, stepping up security following two deadly bombings this month.

Fifty-one people were killed when twin car bombs ripped through the Turkish border town of Reyhanli in the southern province of Hatay on May 11, heightening fears that Syria’s civil war was dragging in neighbouring states.

Turkey has accused Syria of involvement in the attacks. Damascus has denied any role.

Customs Minister Hayat Yazici said the Yayladagi gate, some 90 km (55 miles) from Reyhanli, would remain closed for a month, during which only Turkish citizens arriving from Syria or non-Syrians transiting through Turkey

would be allowed to cross.

Nobody would be allowed to cross from Turkey into Syria. The gate was initially shut the day after the bombings to prevent the attackers from fleeing to Syria. A Turkish official in the region said there would now be time to station bomb-detecting equipment at the crossing.

The Yayladagi gate is the only crossing along the 900 km shared border whose Syrian side is still controlled by Assad’s government. All other crossings have fallen into the hands of rebels fighting to overthrow him.

The Yayladagi crossing serves as the main route to Syria’s northwestern coastal area around Latakia, which has a large Alawite population. Assad is also Alawite, a minority sect that has dominated Syria for decades.

Turkey says it has detained 18 Turks in connection with the car bombings, 12 of whom are facing formal charges, and that among them were some of the main perpetrators, including the owner of the vehicles used in the attacks.

Officials said some of the perpetrators had travelled close to Yayladagi after the bombings to try and slip into Syria. The bombings were some of the deadliest in Turkey’s modern history, although violence from Syria’s civil war, now in its third year, had spilled over the border before.

At least 14 people were killed in a bombing at the Cilvegozu border gate near Reyhanli in February. In October, a mortar fired from Syria killed five Turkish civilians in the frontier town of Akcakale further to the east. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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

Germany backs call to put Hezbollah on EU terror list Fears growing over group’s role in Syrian war BRUSSELS: Germany will throw its weight behind a British drive to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations, German diplomats said yesterday.

Britain said on Tuesday it wanted the EU to add Hezbollah’s military wing to its terror list because of evidence that the Iranian-backed militant group was behind a bus bombing in Bulgaria in July that killed five Israelis and their driver.

London also cited a four-year jail sentence handed down by a Cypriot court in March to a Hezbollah member accused of plotting to attack Israeli interests on the island.

If backed unanimously by the European Union, the listing would force European governments and companies to cease any financial dealings with the armed wing of the Lebanese movement.

The call for EU action on Hezbollah comes at a time of growing Western anxiety about the group’s involvement in the Syrian conflict, although British sources said this was not the reason behind its request.

Yesterday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague accused Hezbollah and Iran of propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Germany, one of the most powerful EU countries, had previously said it

wanted to see stronger evidence that Hezbollah was involved in the bombing in Bulgaria.

“In the light of discussions we have had with our partners following the terrorist attack in Burgas, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle supports listing at least the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in the EU,” a German diplomatic source said.

“The German position is based on an increasingly clear picture of the facts and on the progress achieved by Cypriot authorities in analysing terrorist activities,” the source said. Hezbollah has dismissed Bulgaria’s accusations that it was involved in the attack and said

Israel is waging a smear campaign against it.

Britain’s request will be discussed on June 4 by a special EU working group and London hopes for final agreement at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on June 24, an EU diplomat said. The EU has resisted pressure from the United States and Israel to blacklist Hezbollah, arguing this could destabilise Lebanon’s fragile government and contribute to instability in the Middle East. In Europe, only the Netherlands lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group, while Britain blacklists its military wing. France has yet to take a public stance on Britain’s proposal. —Reuters

Afghan interpreters to get British visas LONDON: About 600 Afghan interpreters who served with British forces fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan will be offered the chance to live in Britain after a government U-turn, it was revealed yesterday.

Prime Minister David Cameron had initially sought to discourage the interpreters from settling in Britain for fear of the message it would send out about the stability of Afghanistan. Many of the

Afghans say they have been threatened by the Taleban because of their work with British forces, who are due to withdraw at the end of 2014 along with other NATO-led foreign troops.

Under the new plans, interpreters who served on the frontline for at least one year will be allowed to move to Britain with close family members on a five-year visa. Those who wish to remain in Afghanistan will receive an improved financial

LONDON: A picture dated May 3, 2013 shows former British servicemen Patrick Hemessey (L) and Jake Wood (R) posing with an interpreter named only as Mohammed (C) at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in central London before delivering a petition signed by over 70,000 people calling for asylum for Aghan interpreters who served the British army. Around 600 Afghan interpreters who served with British forces fighting the Taleban in southern Afghanistan will be allowed to stay in Britain, the government revealed. — AFP

offer-they will be paid their salary for five years if they train or study, or be paid for 18 months if they do not. “These proposals give them a choice: the opportunity to go on working in Afghanistan, learning new skills and to go on rebuilding their country or to come and make a new start in Britain,” a source in Cameron’s Downing Street office said.

The decision came after three interpreters launched a legal challenge to press for the same treatment afforded to their counterparts who worked with British forces during the Iraq war. One of the interpreters, an Afghan who wished to be known only as Mohammad, said the government had made “the right decision”.

“Saving those people who have helped the British government is giving a message to the Taliban that the Afghan interpreters will not be left behind for them to be persecuted and hunted down by the terrorists,” he told AFP. Mohammad was forced to leave his wife and three children behind in Afghanistan after receiving death threats from the Taliban for his five years’ work with British troops. “I hope that with this decision now, I would be able to reunite with my family here in the UK and the other interpreters would be able to come here in the UK to live in peace with their family,” he said.

His lawyer Rosa Curling, who lodged the interpreters’ legal chal-

lenge at the High Court in London earlier this month, said she was “delighted” at the government’s offer, although she admitted she had not seen the details yet.

“These are men who have been on the front line with our troops, risking their lives, involved in frontline battle,” she told BBC radio. “So we’re delighted that the government has finally seen sense and decided to provide them with the assistance that they provided to the Iraqi interpreters.”

She added that, for her clients, “the death threats continue, so resettling in Afghanistan does seem to be very difficult-the Taleban are very effective at following them”.

The Downing Street source said Cameron “has been very clear that we should not turn our backs on those who have trod the same path as our soldiers in Helmand, consistently putting their lives at risk to help our troops achieve their mission”. “We should recognise the service given by those who have regularly put themselves in real danger while working for us,” the source said. Cameron had earlier said that Afghan interpreters should only be allowed to stay in Britain “in extremis”. “I do think that when we think of all that we have spent and all the cost in money and human lives we have put into Afghanistan, we should do everything we can to encourage talented Afghans to stay in their country and contribute to it,” he added. —AFP

Irishman charged with 1982 Hyde Park bombing DUBLIN: A 61-year-old Irishman was charged in Britain yesterday with the Irish Republican Army bombing of the queen’s ceremonial cavalry in Hyde Park in 1982, a strike at a top London tourist attraction that killed four soldiers and seven horses. The Crown Prosecution Service said John Downey was arrested Sunday at Gatwick Airport south of London and would be arraigned yesterday on four counts of murder and one count of causing an explosion. Downey would be the third man to face trial for the July 20, 1982, twin bomb attacks on ceremonial troops performing in London, one of the most audacious operations ever mounted by the Provisional IRA.

VATICAN: Pope Francis (L) salutes the crowd as he arrives for his general audience in St Peter’s square at the Vatican on Tuesday. — AFP

The first bomb in Hyde Park was planted in a parked car and detonated by remote control as the mounted troops trotted toward Buckingham Palace, a daily tourist event. Two hours later, a time bomb that had been hidden inside a bandstand in nearby Regent’s Park killed seven army musicians during a performance. Both bombs combined mining explosives and nails. Twenty-two people, including a policeman and three civilians, were wounded.

In 1987 a Northern Ireland man, Danny McNamee, was convicted of conspiring to cause both blasts and received a 25-year sentence based on fingerprint evidence collected from remnants of a bomb. But judges in 1998 quashed the conviction, noting that prosecutors had withheld forensic evidence of fingerprints implicating a senior IRA bomb-maker, Dessie Ellis.

Ellis today is a lawmaker in Ireland’s parliament in Dublin representing the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party.

He was extradited to Britain in 1990 to face charges of building both bombs, but he was acquitted on the grounds that he had already served eight years in prison for related charges in Ireland. Ellis had been convicted of possessing multiple power-timer units for IRA bombs, including those suspected of being used in the Hyde Park and Regent’s Park blasts.

The double bombing represented one of the IRA’s biggest killings of British troops, though much public attention focused instead on the fate of the horses. One died in the explosion and six badly maimed animals had to be shot at the scene. One horse that survived, Sefton, became a nationally popular symbol of British defiance to the IRA. The prime minister of the day, Margaret Thatcher, vowed that the twin bombings were “committed by evil, brutal men who know nothing of democracy. We shall not rest until they are brought to justice.”

Prosecutors offered no explain why Downey, a native of County Donegal in northwest Ireland, was charged in connection with the Hyde Park bomb but not the Regent’s Park one. If convicted, Downey would face accelerated parole under terms of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace accord. That landmark 1998 pact paved the way for hundreds of Provisional IRA convicts to be freed from prison within two years.

The Provisional IRA killed nearly 1,800 people during a failed 1970-1997 campaign to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom. The Provisionals officially disarmed and renounced violence in 2005, but IRA splinter groups still mount occasional bomb and gun attacks. —AP

KIROV: Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny (front L) gestures while addressing Kirov regional governor Nikita Belykh (back R) as they attend the hearing of Navalny’s case in a court in the provincial northern city of Kirov yesterday. A Russian court in Kirov continued yesterday the trial of Navalny on fraud charges that could land President Vladimir Putin’s most outspoken foe behind bars for 10 years.

Navalny acted as an unpaid advisor to Belykh, a former opposition politician, at the time of the alleged embezzlement in 2009. — AFP

Russian governor backs ex-advisor Navalny in court

MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny yesterday received a boost in his controversial trial for embezzlement when a witness for the prosecution testified in support of the Kremlin critic.

The testimony by Kirov region governor Nikita Belykh was the latest to undermine the prosecution case, which the opposition has denounced as a set-up ordered by the Kremlin to end Navalny’s political career.

A charismatic speaker at mass rallies against President Vladimir Putin and whistleblower on corruption, Navalny faces up to a decade in prison if he is convicted of causing a 16 million ruble (385,000 euro, $500,000) loss to Kirov budget in a timber deal. But in dramatic testimony, Belykh denied that the opposition leader’s activities could have been harmful to the Kirov region. “I have no basis to draw such conclusions,” Belykh said during cross-examination by Navalny ’s lawyer Olga Mikhailova, cited by the RAPSI legal news agency.

He was the latest in a series of prosecution witnesses who have ended up backing Navalny’s case or have said they have forgotten events. “All 35 witnesses for the prosecution have spoken on my side (and)

did not perjure themselves,” Navalny said in a break in the trial, Novaya Gazeta opposition newspaper reported.

But he cynically questioned whether this would make any difference, implying that the Kremlin had already ordered a conviction. “I am not sure that the verdict will be written by the remarkable judge (Sergei) Blinov and that this will be taken into account.”

Belykh is a liberal politician who was appointed by then president Dmitr y Medvedv, in a highly unusual move, to head the region in 2008. Navalny worked as Belykh’s unpaid advisor in 2009.

Russian media reported that Belykh had repeatedly postponed his court appearance and was widely expected to give written evidence only. Navalny, himself a lawyer, grilled Belykh for close to an hour on what exactly his job description was. Belykh said he had not read all the court papers but damningly said he had not seen evidence of the alleged crime. The governor said he gave Navalny verbal permission to work on a strategy to improve sales from the debtridden forestry company Kirovles, alleged to have entered into an unprofitable deal in a plot involving Navalny. —AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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

Officials say Benghazi suspects under surveillance WASHINGTON: Five men are under round-the-clock US surveillance in Libya, wanted for questioning in the attack last year on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The White House believes there is enough proof for a military force to seize them as terrorist suspects, officials say, but prefers to wait until investigators have enough evidence to try them in a US civilian courtroom.

The decision not to seize the men militarily underscores the White House aim to move away from hunting terrorists as enemy combatants and toward a process in which most are apprehended and tried by the countries where they are living, or arrested by the US with the host country’s cooperation and tried in the US criminal justice system. Using military force to detain the men might also harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab Spring governments with which the US is trying to build partnerships to hunt alQaeda as the organization expands throughout the region.

The investigation has been slowed by the reduced US intelligence presence in the region since the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi and by the limited ability to assist by Libya’s post-revolutionary law

enforcement and intelligence agencies, which are still in their infancy since the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

A senior administration official said the FBI has identified individuals it believes have information or may have been involved in the Benghazi attack and is considering options to bring those responsible to justice. But taking action in remote eastern Libya would be difficult. America’s relationship with Libya would be weighed as part of those options, the official said.

The official and others familiar with the operation spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the effort on the record.

The Libyan Embassy did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Waiting to prosecute suspects instead of grabbing them now could add to the political weight the Benghazi case already carries.

The attack on the US diplomatic mission killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans weeks before President Barack Obama’s re-election. Since then, Republicans in Congress have condemned the administration’s response to the attack and its aftermath, criticizing the level of security, questioning the talking points provided to UN Ambassador Susan Rice for

her public appearances to explain the attack and suggesting the White House tried to play down the incident to minimize its impact on the president’s campaign.

Republican lawmakers continue to call for the Obama administration to provide more information about the attack. The White House released 99 pages of emails about the talking points drafted by the intelligence community that Rice used to describe the attack. The talking points initially suggested the attacks were part of a series of regional protests about an antiIslamic film. In those emails, administration officials agreed to remove from the talking points all mentions of terror groups such as Ansar al-Shariah or al-Qaeda, because the intelligence pointing to those groups’ involvement was still unclear and because some officials didn’t want to give Congress ammunition to criticize the administration.

The FBI released photos of three of the five suspects earlier this month and asked the public to provide more information on the men pictured. The images were captured by security cameras at the US diplomatic post during the attack, but it took weeks for the FBI to see and study them. It took the bureau three weeks to get to

Benghazi because of security problems, so Libyan officials had to get the cameras and send them to US officials in Tripoli, the capital.

The FBI and other US intelligence agencies identified the men through contacts in Libya and by monitoring their further communications. They are thought to be members of Ansar al-Shariah, the Libyan militia group whose fighters were seen near the US diplomatic facility prior to the violence. The US has kept them under surveillance, mostly by electronic means.

There was a worry that the men could get spooked and hide, but so far, not even the FBI’s release of surveillance video stills has done that.

US officials say the FBI has proof that the five men were either at the scene of the first attack or somehow involved because of intercepts of at least one of them bragging about taking part. Some of the men have also been in contact with a network of well-known regional Jihadists, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

FBI investigators are hoping for more evidence, such as other video of the attack that might show the suspects in the act of setting the fires that ultimately killed the ambassador and his communications spe-

cialist, or firing the mortars hours later at the CIA base where the surviving diplomats took shelter - or a Libyan witness willing to testify against the suspects in a US courtroom.

But Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he is concerned the Obama administration is treating terrorism as criminal actions instead of acts of war that would elicit a much harsher response from the United States.

“The war on terror, I think, is a war and at times I get the feeling that the administration wants to treat it as a crime,” he said Tuesday. Administration officials have indicated recently that the FBI is zeroing in.

“Regardless of what happened previously, we have made very, very, very substantial progress in that investigation,” Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers last week. That echoed comments made by Secretary of State John Kerry to lawmakers last month.

“They do have people ID’d,” Kerry said of the FBI-led investigation. “They have made some progress. They have a number of suspects who are persons of interest that they are pursuing in this and building cases on.”—Reuters

Mexico launches military operation in troubled state 4,000 soldiers, marines and 1,000 federal police deployed

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel talks to reporters before an election night party in Los Angeles, Tuesday. A scant turnout is expected Tuesday when voters choose between two City Hall regulars to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. —AP

Maduro warns of ‘psychological war’ CARACAS: President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday denounced as “psychological war” a leaked audio recording that purports to show a power struggle among key followers of the late Hugo Chavez.

In the recording, which has set off a sensation since it was made public Monday by an opposition lawmaker, a well-known government newscaster is heard accusing National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello of conspiring against Maduro.

The newscaster, Mario Silva, dismissed the recording as a montage pieced together from his television show. He later announced he was suspending the show indefinitely for undisclosed health reasons.

Cabello insisted there was “monolithic unity” among Chavez’s followers, and on Tuesday he called a vote in the National Assembly to squelch an opposition call for an investigation into charges made in the recording.

In his first public response to the recording, Maduro attacked the opposition deputy who made it public, Ismael Garcia. “We have to keep our defenses up high and on alert because behind this garbage called Ismael Garcia there is a

psychological war to try to destroy the Bolivarian revolution, and to divide it,” he said in a speech to employees of the state telephone company.

The recording purports to capture a conversation between Silva and Aramis Palacios, a Cuban intelligence chief, that according to Garcia was held days after Venezuela’s April 14 presidential election.

Maduro was declared the winner by a narrow margin, but the results are being contested by opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, who says the election was stolen.

Maduro was hand-picked by Chavez to succeed him before his death in March of cancer, and Cabello has assumed the role of the loyal number two in Chavez’s leftist movement.

On the recording, however, Silva is heard warning Palacios that Cabello, a former military officer who took part in a failed coup attempt that Chavez led in 1992, controlled several intelligence agencies and “what he is interested in is money and power.” He said Maduro was caught in a bind, and ran the risk that Cabello’s followers will “take the armed forces and force Maduro to do their bidding or launch a coup.” —AFP

COALCOMAN: Mexico’s government pledged to keep thousands of troops in the western state of Michoacan until peace is restored in this region tormented by violent drug cartels.

Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong held a meeting of the national security team in the state capital Morelia with local officials to discuss a crime wave that led some towns to create vigilante groups.

Officials said some 4,000 army soldiers and marines and 1,000 federal police officers were deployed on Monday. Osorio Chong said the forces would leave once security conditions have improved and the state government can hold its own. “We are here with the goal of bringing peace back to Michoacan, but also with the commitment to help out and support public policies for the development of Michoacan,” he told a news conference. Michoacan was the first state to see troops when former president Felipe Calderon decided to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers across the country to crack down on drug cartels in 2006.

But gang violence surged throughout Mexico, leaving 70,000 people in its wake when Calderon left office in December, and a powerful new cartel, the Knights Templar, emerged in Michoacan.

Osorio Chong insisted that the strategy ordered

by President Enrique Pena Nieto will be different than his predecessor’s, with a single command, close coordination between various authorities, the use of intelligence, and a development program.

Pena Nieto took office in December vowing to switch the focus toward reducing the levels of violence. He has since launched a crime prevention program but he says troops will stay on the ground until the murder rate goes down.

Fed up with crime, vigilante groups have appeared in recent months and clashed with the Knights Templar cartel, notably in the Tierra Caliente region known as a hot spot of gang violence in the state of 4.3 million people.

The violence and checkpoints manned by gunmen scared off companies from delivering basic goods to some communities, but Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos said troops were freeing up roads to allow people, merchandise and vehicles to get through. “To guarantee citizens’ safety, we must have a presence and free them of this cancer, which is the criminal organizations that have gained strength in the region,” General Cienfuegos said, adding that civilians would be allowed to car-

MICHOACAN: An armed resident - a member of a vigilante group - is seen at a check point at the entrance of Buenavista Tomatlan, during an operation to search for criminals in the area called “Tierra Caliente” (Hot Land) in Michoacan State, Mexico on Tuesday. Vigilante groups, calling themselves “community police”, have sprung up this year in western and southern Mexican towns, in an effort to combat drug-related violence. — AFP ry weapons.

The minister said the troops did not encounter any vigilante groups, which he said may have left the area or kept their weapons at home. “This is a complex problem because there are those who are making an effort to protect the community and others who are backed, financed by other groups,” Cienfuegos said.

AFP journalists encountered several military checkpoints during a drive across Michoacan. But there were still road blocks manned by vigilante groups, with some members wearing blue shirts with the words “community police.” A number of them wore masks and most were armed with rifles or handguns.

The Knights Templar say the self-defense groups are working for and getting weapons from a rival cartel, Jalisco Nueva Generacion, which is believed to be allied with the Sinaloa syndicate led

by Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.”

Man charged in death of missing Maine teenager

Protesters rally over IRS’ tea party scrutiny CINCINNATI: Tea party activists waving flags and signs, singing patriotic songs and chanting antiIRS slogans held rallies outside federal buildings across the country to protest the agency’s extra scrutiny of conservative groups.

A crowd Tuesday packed the sidewalks in front of and across the street from a Cincinnati federal building housing the Internal Revenue Service offices that handled tax-exempt status applications. “It’s going to be up to the grass-roots movement to do something,” said Paul Wheeler, dressed in Colonial-era attire with tri-cornered hat and holding a sign saying: “Internal ‘Revenge’ Service Stop.” He said he came from Indianapolis, some 100 miles way, because Cincinnati is “the epicenter of some of the complaints.”

IRS officials have acknowledged that some conservative groups received inappropriate attention.

There were also rallies outside IRS offices in Atlanta; Louisville; Chicago; Cherry Hill, N.J.; Denver; Kansas City, Mo.; Helena, Mont.; Philadelphia; Phoenix, and Providence, R.I., among others.

After a short march, activists here filled sidewalks in front of the federal building for about 30 minutes.

Some had Revolutionary War-style “Don’t Tread on Me” and 13-star US flags, as they chanted “IRS has got to go!” and “Stop the IRS!” Demonstrators also sang “The Star

Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” and other songs.

A handful of activists gave a Federal Protective Service officer a petition calling for the IRS to “cease and desist” and asked him to deliver it to the IRS. The officer later handed it to a man in street clothes farther inside the building.

“I don’t know if we made a difference, but I’m sure proud that we all came out,” the Cincinnati tea party president, Ann Becker, told fellow demonstrators. There were also activists from other local tea party groups from northern Kentucky and Cincinnati suburbs in the hundreds-strong crowd, among the largest of the protests Tuesday.

Several IRS employees in Cincinnati declined to comment or didn’t return phone messages. In Washington, a few dozen people congregated outside the IRS headquarters, listening to speeches and carrying signs reading “Audit the IRS” and “Don’t audit me, Bro.” “I just think what they did was inappropriate and if they were doing this to liberals, I would be out here, too,” said Shoshana Weissmann, a Republican and 20year-old George Washington University student who said she is not affiliated with the tea party. “It’s scary to think the IRS is capable of this.”

In the Atlanta rally, speakers included Gov. Nathan Deal, who said “you don’t have anything to

The cartel cut off food deliveries to punish communities that created self-defense groups. “Things are calm now because the military forces are here,” Rafael Garcia, the mayor of the Tierra Caliente village of Coalcoman, told AFP. “But this doesn’t guarantee anything, because opeations come and go.”

Garcia said more than 200 residents of the farming community took up arms last week to fight of extorsion. He insisted that vigilantes had the total support of most of the 9,500 inhabitants and that they won’t put down their weapons unless the authorities provide proper security.

Drug gangs have existed for decades in this western state, where they grow marijuana and opium poppies and produce synthetic drugs in makeshift labs before shipping them to the United States.

“We have lived through 12 years of extortion, kidnappings, abuse against our women,” Garcia said. “The people want those responsible to be arrested.” — AFP

WASHINGTON: Internal Revenue Service Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner leaves a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after refusing to testify yesterday in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating allegations that the IRS targeted conservative non-profit organizations with the words “tea party” and “constitution” in their names for additional scrutiny. Lerner, who headed the division that oversees exempt organizations, exercised her constitutional right not to answer questions. — AFP worry about on the state level.”

Debbie Dooley of Tea Party Patriots said in Atlanta her group spent some $250,000 on legal fees in battling with the IRS, which she said wanted donor and volunteer names and copies of Facebook comments. Some former IRS staffers say Cincinnati employees shouldn’t be vilified. Former senior manager Bonnie Esrig said the office was a nonpolitical environment, and tax-exempt status workloads had soared because of court decisions and rules changes. Esrig, who said she wasn’t involved in handling the conservative group applications, said she believed the workers were trying to streamline the research and avoid repetition.

“I don’t believe anybody had a

political agenda,” said Esrig, who retired from the Cincinnati office in January after 38 years to go into consulting. She and others are skeptical about initial IRS suggestions that a handful of low-level employees were responsible for the practice, saying it’s unlikely workers would have developed and followed procedures that focused on conservative groups without any supervisors being aware.

Republicans in Congress are pressing investigations exploring their suspicions that the targeting was politically motivated and involved higher-ups. President Barack Obama’s administration has said no senior officials were involved in targeting conservative groups.— AP

BANGOR: When 16-year-old Nichole Cable left home May 12, she told her family she was heading out to see someone she’d met on Facebook. The high school sophomore never came back. Now, a 20-year-old man faces charges in her death after a body believed to be the missing teen’s was found in a wooded area north of Bangor.

Kyle Dube, of Orono, was charged with murder Tuesday, a day after the remains were found in Old Town, Maine State Police Lt. Christopher Coleman said at a news conference. Police declined to reveal the circumstances of her death, describe her relationship with Dube or discuss the evidence they have against him. Nor was it clear whether her Facebook relationship had anything to do with her disappearance and homicide.

More details were expected to emerge once police submit an affidavit of probable cause, which could happen as early as Wednesday, when Dube is due to make his first court appearance in the case.

Dube was already in jail serving a sentence for fleeing police on a motorcycle at more than 100 mph, according to state police. Stephen McCausland, a state police spokesman, said investigators believe Dube is “solely responsible for her death.”

Tyler-Ann Harris, 16, who described herself as Nichole’s best friend, said Tuesday that Dube and Nichole had met a couple of months earlier and planned to see each other the weekend she vanished, before he had to report to jail.

Harris, who attended Old Town High School with Nichole, said she had never met Dube and wasn’t sure of his relationship with her friend. But she said Nichole didn’t fear him. “She was really happy even though

she went through a lot of hard stuff in her life. She always knew how to see the bright side of things,” Harris said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “She didn’t always get along with people, and she had an attitude. But that’s a teenage girl. And she was just happy all the time.”

Dube’s parents live in a tidy brick and white-sided house in Orono. A young man who answered the door said the family didn’t want to talk and closed the door firmly in a reporter’s face.

Dube’s attorney, Stephen Smith, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Dube had worked for The Getchell Agency, an organization that cares for people with disabilities in Bangor, since June until he quit last week. The agency’s CEO, Rena Getchell, said in an email to The Associated Press that his background check and employee reviews were satisfactory.

“He gave us no reason to believe that he might be capable of this crime,” she said.

“This is devastating news to us as we truly are a family.” The body believed to be Nichole’s was found about 9:30 pm Monday by a warden who was searching the woods with a dog, officials said. The medical examiner took possession to make a positive identification and issue a ruling on how she died.

Nichole’s mother, Kristine Wiley, said after she disappeared that Nichole had said she was going out to meet someone she knew from Facebook. But Wiley said she didn’t know the identity of the person.

Dozens of law enforcement officers, using aircraft and dogs, and hundreds of civilian volunteers spent days searching for the teen, who lived in Glenburn.—AP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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

China PM pledges stronger partnership with Pakistan ‘Friendship with China is a cornerstone of our foreign policy’

NEW DELHI: An Indian boy sits atop a government water supply truck as residents fill water containers in New Delhi yesterday. With summer temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, residents are struggling with water shortages as Delhi has been going through a severe water shortage for the past few days after the upper Ganga Canal was shut for repairs. — AFP

Karzai gives India equipment ‘wish list’ NEW DELHI: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday he had given a “wish list” of military equipment to India during a visit this week, presenting a conundrum for New Delhi as it weighs whether arming the Afghan army is in its interests.

India wants to stabilise Afghanistan and is concerned about the resurgence of militant groups after foreign combat troops leave in 2014. But arming Afghanistan would alarm Pakistan. It takes issue with the influence of its old rival in Afghanistan.

India does not want to get drawn into a proxy war with Pakistan, which has ties to the Taleban.

India and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2011 under which New Delhi agreed to assist in the training and equipping of Afghan security forces.

India has trained Afghan security force personnel in its military academies, but it has provided little military equipment, according to Indian officials. India’s Afghan strategy has centred on boosting its influence through economic reconstruction projects.

“We have a wish list that we have put before the government of India,” Karzai told reporters, adding that it was up to India to decide how much help it was prepared to give Afghanistan.

Karzai would not say what was on the list, but India’s firstpost.com website said it included 105 mm artillery, medium-lift aircraft, bridge-laying equipment and trucks.

The Indian government had no immediate comment on Karzai’s statement. Karzai’s spokesman said both countries had agreed not to discuss the contents of the shopping list.

An Indian government official said earlier that India had already provided some military equipment to Afghanistan but he declined to give details. He said he was surprised that Afghanistan was speaking

openly about a weapons request.

India is not a major weapons exporter, and suffers chronic shortages of defence equipment itself, including artillery.

Afghanistan’s request for military equipment comes as its relations with Pakistan, which have been difficult for decades, are again at a low.

This month, Pakistan border guards and Afghan police clashed over a contested border area. The Afghan police complained they had been out-gunned and said they wanted heavy artillery and tanks.

Afghan security forces have also made no secret of their desire for an air force. The clash over their border, which Afghanistan has never officially recognised, raised new tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan and its Western allies have or years complained that Pakistan has failed to act against militants taking refuge in Pakistan and launching attacks into Afghanistan from Pakistani refuges.

Pakistan denies helping the Taliban and complains of militants fighting the Pakistani state taking refuge in Afghanistan. But Karzai did not directly criticise Pakistan yesterday.

He said no peace deal was possible in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s involvement because of its influence over the Taleban, who are fighting to expel Western forces, topple Karzai’s government and establish Islamist rule.

“Pakistan cooperation is key to a politically successful peace process and key to the end of violence in Afghanistan,” he said.

He said that at a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif last year the latter had acknowledged the danger that “terrorism and radicalism” posed to Pakistan.

“I hope the new prime minister will be able to deliver what he so much wishes to achieve,” Karzai said. Sharif has said he aims to boost ties with India. — Reuters

Bangladeshi volunteers haunted by rescue trauma SAVAR: Mamun was hailed a hero for pulling survivors from the ruins of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza factory complex but now he struggles to sleep, haunted by the memory of sawing off a young woman’s hand.

“I had never even touched the hand of a woman before but it was the only way to save her and the others,” said the 22-yearold in an interview ahead of the onemonth anniversary of the disaster.

“My hand was soaked in blood by the end and I still can’t get that image out of my head.” A total of 1,127 people died when the nine-storey building collapsed on the morning of April 24 in Savar, a suburb of the capital Dhaka, making it one of the deadliest industrial disasters of all time.

But the tragedy took its toll on others, including an army of volunteers who rescued hundreds but also encountered unimaginable horrors such as bodies decayed beyond identity.

Many of the hundreds of volunteers who spent nearly three weeks sifting through the ruins have reported similar signs of trauma as that experienced by Mamun, who like many Bangladeshis only uses one name.

Mamun, a part-time tailor, risked his life to crawl through a hole to reach three women on the second day of the rescue effort, only to find that a hand of one of them was encased in concrete and she was blocking access to the others.

“She was pleading to me: ‘Please cut my hand’. There was no anaesthetic so I borrowed a hacksaw from the army,” he said.

The army says at least 2,438 people-mostly female garment workers-were rescued, including 968 people who were seriously injured. Many of them had limbs amputated either at the site or in hospital.

The scale of the disaster meant students at a medical college next to the local Enam Hospital had to carry out some of the amputations. Sometimes the operations were done without anaesthetic and howls of agony echoed around the hospital. The hospital says it has treated around 60 volunteers for trauma, including several medical students.

Trainee doctor Sushmita Nargis said she has been taking anti-anxiety tablets as she tries to cope with the memories. “At one stage it felt as if the only sound I could hear in my head was of ambulance sirens. They just wouldn’t stop,” said Nargis.

“And then there were those heartwrenching cries of the amputees and their relatives... How are you meant to feel when hundreds of patients lie all around you, crying and writhing in pain?”

The volunteers included students, street hawkers and housewives as well as garment workers who were the first on the scene. Sometimes armed with little more than hammers or shovels, they proceeded to pull out hundreds of survivors whom they could see or hear crying out for help.

Others clubbed together to buy specialist drilling equipment. The Bangladeshi government shunned offers from the United Nations and elsewhere for specialist help, leaving the army to coordinate the rescue effort.

As the days went by, the numbers of survivors fell away and the overwhelming memories that linger for the volunteers are the sights and smells of rotting corpses.

Even when the volunteers did manage to locate survivors, they were sometimes unable to bring them to safety as they were trapped by the debris.

Asma Akter Liza, who donated money to buy a drill after selling some of her books and clothes, fought back tears as she recalled the death of one young woman.

“I came across a girl called Bakul and she held out her hand to me from a tiny hole in the rubble,” said the 28-year-old housewife.

“I held her hand for hours and we talked about everything. She called me sister.

“But in the end we could not save her.

She was stuck in such a tiny pocket that it was impossible. “These days her eyes, her cries for help haunt me all the time.

Sometimes I can’t control my tears.”

The trauma has prompted many volunteers to seek counselling or medication as they seek to blot out the memories. “Every time I go to bed, it feels like I’m in a dark place from where I can’t escape,” said Mamun.—AFP

ISLAMABAD: China’s premier began a two-day visit to Pakistan yesterday by praising the relationship between the two Asian powers in glowing terms. Premier Li Keqiang said “the tree of ChinaPakistan friendship” was planted decades ago, nurtured by successive leaders and “is now exuberant with abundant fruits.”

Both sides are typically effusive in describing their alliance, underlying the mutual benefits to each side. Pakistani leaders have on previous visits described the relationship as “higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey.”

China provides Pakistan with aid and foreign investment, while Islamabad offers Beijing important diplomatic backing in the face of Muslim-majority nations who might otherwise criticize China’s handling of its minority Muslim Uighur population. Pakistan has viewed China as an important counterweight to the United States, which provides valuable aid but often pressures Islamabad to do more to crack down on Islamic militants. Pakistan and China have also been close because of their mutual distrust of India, which borders both countries.

Li arrived in Islamabad on the heels of a visit to Pakistan’s rival India, his first trip abroad since becoming premier in March. Li and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to downplay a recent border dispute and stressed the aim of forging deeper cooperation.

They expressed hope they could increase trade from $61.5 billion last year to $100 billion by 2015.

Pakistan would also like to increase trade with China, although the numbers are much smaller.

Trade between the two countries exceeded $12 billion for the first time in 2012, and they hope to

RAWALPINDI: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C), flanked by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (L) and caretaker premier Mir Hazar Khan Khoso (centre R) is welcomed by hostesses bearing Chinese flags upon his arrival at Pakistan’s Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi yesterday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed to strengthen his country’s partnership with Pakistan as he arrived yesterday for a visit less than two weeks after the country’s general election. — AFP reach $15 billion within three years, according to a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. The two countries are expected to sign agreements related to energy, technology and space during Li’s visit.

Pakistan suffers from severe energy shortages. “Friendship with China is a cornerstone of our foreign policy,” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said in a speech yesterday before a lunch hosted in Li’s honor.

The lunch was attended by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-N party won a resounding victory in national elections on May 11 and is set to form the next government.

Sharif ’s main focus is on turning around Pakistan’s stuttering economy, and its relationship with China is an important factor in the country’s growth.

China took over operational control of a strategic deep-water seaport on Pakistan’s southwest coast earlier this year that could serve as a vital economic hub for Beijing and perhaps a key military outpost. Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea occupies a strategic location between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It lies near the Strait of Hormuz, gateway for about 20 percent of the world’s oil.

China’s interest is driven by con-

cerns about energy security as it seeks to fuel its booming economy.

It wants a place to anchor pipelines to secure oil and gas supplies from the Gulf. Beijing also believes that helping develop Pakistan will boost economic activity in its far western province of Xinjiang and dampen a simmering, low-intensity rebellion there.

China has expressed concerned that Uighur militants are living in northwest Pakistan alongside alQaeda-linked extremists. Pakistan says it has killed or extradited several of those militants over the past few years, but acknowledges that some remain at-large in the area. — AP

Grim poll ratings mar Congress anniversary NEW DELHI: India’s scandal-rocked Congress party marked its last anniversary in power yesterday before facing voters in 2014, amid dismal poll ratings and a growing clamour for Premier Manmohan Singh to quit.

An opinion poll by the CNN-IBN television network made grim reading for the government, with 67 percent of respondents saying it has lost its credibility due to multiple graft scandals and 61 percent saying Singh should exit.

Analysts described the ratings as further evidence of a government in terminal decline, with Rajeev Malik, economist at investment house CLSA, saying the poll read almost like an “obituary”.

Opposition calls have mounted for the resignation of Singh, splashed on a recent magazine cover under the headline “Dr Dolittle” for overseeing a sharp economic slowdown and turning an apparent blind eye to years of corruption.

“Congress should apologise for its years of misrule,” Sushma Swaraj, leader of the Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told a news conference, adding Singh may be “prime minister but he is no leader”.

Congress was shaken this month by the resignation of two ministers related to new scandals-one over government interference in a police corruption probe and another over a bribe allegation.

The latest controversies paralysed parliament and derailed government measures to further open up the heavily state-controlled economy. They came as the government is still reeling from 2010 charges that cut-rate allocation of telecoms spectrum may have cost the exchequer $31 billion, and heightened speculation about how long the minority administration can stagger on.

The mandate of Congress, re-elected for a second five-year term in 2009 under the leadership of populist party president Sonia Gandhi, expires next May. Gandhi is widely regarded as calling the shots in the government and her son Rahul is being lined up by the party to take power. But Subhash Agrawal, head of think-tank India Focus, said Congress would have its work cut out to stay in office. “The government is in a precarious situation,” he told AFP. Congress is clinging to power with the support of two regional parties but “there may be a time when they decide supporting the government is a liability and they pull the plug”, said political analyst Parsa Venkateshwar Rao. “No one expects this government to go its full term. The betting is it will call polls between October and February,” Rao said.

The mild-mannered Singh, pioneer of India’s landmark economic reforms in the 1990s, was due to host a dinner late Wednesday to mark the leftleaning party’s anniversary. He was to issue a report card listing achievements that include a drop in those living below the poverty line to 350 million from 400 million.

Congress spokeswoman Renuka Chowdhury fired back at the opposition, calling it “pathetic and bankrupt” and asserting that the government would “pull off a hat-trick” with a third straight poll victory.

The CNN-IBN poll showed 56 percent of respondents oppose Congress winning another term.

Some 38 percent wanted Narendra Modi, the communally divisive chief minister of thriving Gujarat state, to run for the BJP as prime minister.

Rahul Gandhi, who is a lacklustre performer and has shown reluctance to take the post, was supported by just 14 percent of voters. —AFP

KABUL: Afghans chant slogans during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. More than 200 male students protested in front of Kabul University yesterday against a decree, which includes a ban on child marriage and forced marriage, making domestic violence a crime and saying that rape victims cannot be prosecuted for adultery. — AP

Afghan students protest women’s rights decree KABUL: Hard-line Islamist students protested yesterday in the Afghan capital demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women’s rights that they say is un-Islamic. It was the latest sign of a backlash against the legal protections passed in the 12 years since the toppling of the Taleban regime known for its harsh treatment of women.

The protest came days after conservative lawmakers’ vehement opposition blocked an attempt to cement the decree’s provisions in legislation. Most of international force that ousted the Taleban is now preparing to withdraw by the end of next year, and activists fear an erosion of the women’s rights will follow if hard-liners pressure the elected government. More than 200 male students protested in front of Kabul University yesterday against the decree on Elimination of Violence Against Women, which includes a ban on child marriage and forced marriage, makes domestic violence a crime and says rape victims cannot be prosecuted for adultery. It also outlaws “ba’ad,” a traditional practice of exchanging women or girls to settle disputes or debts.

Protester Fazel Hadi, 25, said the decree was “imposed by foreigners” and violates Islamic Shariah law. Mawladad Jalali, the mullah of the university mosque and one of the organizers of the protest, led chants decrying democracy in general and the women’s law specifically.

“Our main demand is that this law should be repealed in the parliament,” he said before leading a brief march while police who cordoned off the area looked on. Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued the decree on women’s rights three years ago as part of a raft of commitments to international donors, but lawmaker and activist Fawzia Kofi want-

ed to pass it in parliament to prevent any future president from reversing it.

The brief parliamentary debate Saturday was ended by the speaker after fierce opposition from conservative lawmakers who said several provisions including the ban on child marriage and jail time for domestic abuse - violated Islamic law. The decree remains in force, but the debate appears to have galvanized opposition to it.

The United Nations’ mission in Afghanistan this week urged the government to do more to enforce the women’s rights decree, saying it is only sporadically applied when women report abuse.

“It is imperative for the development of Afghanistan that women are able to exercise their rights and be free from violence in their homes and workplaces,” UN Special Representative Jan Kubis said in a Monday statement.

In another worrisome sign for activists, the international group Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that the number of women and girls jailed for alleged loose morals is the highest since the ouster of the Taleban, even though most of those detained are victims of abuse and have committed no crime under Afghan civil law.

The Taleban imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law during their fiveyear reign, ordering beatings for women failing to wear the full-body burqa garment in public, closing girls’ schools and banning women from leaving their homes without a male relative. They were toppled in a US-led invasion for sheltering the al-Qaeda’s terrorist leadership and now wage an insurgency.

Human Rights Watch’s Afghanistan researcher Heather Barr said that Afghanistan risks losing international aid if it does not meet commitments to uphold women’s freedoms. — AP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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

N Korean leader sends special envoy to China Pyongyang giving diplomacy a chance

FRANKLIN: This June 2009 photo provided by Christopher Savoie shows him, center, with his son, Isaac, and daughter, Rebecca, at a park near their home in Franklin, Tenn. The children were later taken to Japan by their mother, in violation of a US court custody decision, and Christopher Savoie was arrested in Japan in September 2009 during an unsuccessful attempt to regain custody. Japan’s parliament yesterday, approved joining the 1980 Hague Convention on international child abduction amid foreign pressure for Tokyo to address concerns that Japanese mothers can take children away from foreign fathers without recourse. —AP

Japan parliament approves child abduction treaty TOKYO: Japan’s parliament yesterday approved an international treaty on child abductions after decades of pressure from the United States and other Western nations.

Japan is the only member of the Group of Eight major industrialised nations that has not ratified the 1980 Hague Convention, which requires nations to return snatched children to the countries where they usually reside. Hundreds of parents, mostly men from North America, Europe and elsewhere, have been left without any recourse after their estranged partners took their half-Japanese children back to the country.

Unlike Western nations, Japan does not recognise joint custody and courts almost always order that children of divorcees live with their mothers. US lawmakers have long demanded Japan fall into line on the issue, one of the few open disputes between the close allies. In February Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised action after White House talks with US President Barack Obama.

The upper house of parliament yesterday voted unanimously for Japan to join the treaty, following a similar move by the more powerful lower house last month.

But Japan must still clear various governmental and legislative hurdles before the Hague Convention can take full effect. The government has said it aims for final ratification by the end of this fiscal year-March 2014.

A central authority will be set up in the foreign ministry to take charge of locating children who have been removed by one parent following the collapse of an international marriage, and to encourage parents to settle disputes voluntarily. If consultations fail, family courts in Tokyo and Osaka will issue rulings.

The law will, however, allow a parent to refuse to return a child if abuse or domestic violence is feared, a provision which campaigners say is vital, but which some say risks being exploited.

It will also allow for parents who separated before its enactment to apply to get a child returned. But it contains a provision stating that the application can be refused if a child has been resident in the country for a year or more and is happily settled.

Few foreign parents have much faith in the Japanese justice system as a means of getting back their children once they have been brought to Japan. Thierry Consigny, who represents expatriate French people in northeast Asia and has worked with parents trying to get their children back from Japan, said the legislation would contain loopholes that could be exploited by the Japanese parent. “We detected in this draft law a lot of exceptions which are worrying,” he said.

“Everything will be about the application of the law, and we will be very careful about how it will be enforced in accordance with the spirit of the Hague Treaty.”

Yumiko Suto, co-founder of a women’s rights group, took issue with the convention on the grounds it would leave youngsters open to violence. “What’s worrying about the Hague Convention is that it won’t protect victims of domestic violence, mothers and children who barely escaped alive from their violent husbands,” she said.

“It is very difficult for women and children in shelters to hide their whereabouts for a year... so the provision is not very helpful to them,” she said, adding that providing evidence of domestic violence in a foreign country is also difficult.

Kimio Ito, professor of sociology at Kyoto University, said he hopes Japanese domestic laws “will remove worries over domestic violence that the convention doesn’t fully address”. Under growing pressure from Washington and other Western capitals, Japan has repeatedly pledged to sign the treaty into domestic law, but it has until now never made it through parliament. —AFP

PYONGYANG: After months of ignoring China’s warnings to give up its nuclear program, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a high-level confidant to Beijing yesterday, in a possible effort to mend strained ties with its most important ally and the latest sign that Pyongyang may be giving diplomacy a chance. The trip

by Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae, a senior Workers’ Party official and the military’s top political officer, is taking place as tensions ease somewhat on the Korean Peninsula after neardaily vows from Pyongyang to attack Washington and Seoul in March and April. The United States, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia have been busy discussing how best to engage with the North Koreans. Japan sent an envoy to North Korea last week to discuss decades-old abductions of its citizens, a move that has drawn concern among allies of Tokyo who want denuclearization to be the focus of talks.

Choe’s visit is the first this year by a top North Korean official to China, which is under pressure from the US and others to rein in its belligerent neighbor. It’s also the first since a change of leadership in Beijing, whose new leaders have demonstrated a willingness to work with Washington to harry Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programs even as stability in North Korea remains the Chinese government’s priority.

North Korea also revealed yesterday that a former defense minister, Kim Kyok Sik, was promoted to chief of the Korean People’s Army in the latest in a series of high-level military reshuffles as Kim Jong Un elevates a new generation of military leaders.

Foreign analysts see Choe’s trip as part fence-mending mission, part appeal for aid. The last high-level North Korea-China meeting took place when Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping sent a Politburo member to Pyongyang in November.

Weeks later, North Korea launched a long-range rocket, followed by an underground nuclear test in February. That test, the country’s third, drew tightened sanctions by the UN and United States.

Showing its displeasure with North Korea, China has tightened inspections on cross-border trade and its state banks have halted business with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank - signs that Beijing is getting serious about enforcing sanctions.

“The North Korean side has been feeling China’s pressure,” said Ma

BEIJING: In this photo provided by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Wang Jiarui, right, the head of the Chinese leadership’s international affairs office, meets with North Korea’s Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae, a senior Workers’ Party official and the military’s top political officer, left, in Beijing, yesterday. — AP Xiaojun, a North Korea watcher at the Central Party School, a think tank for the leadership in Beijing.

“Our policies and stance have tended to be tougher and more clearly express our unhappiness and displeasure,” said Ma. He added, quoting President Xi, “causing trouble on China’s doorstep is not right, and China will not tolerate it.”

Choe’s priority is to mend ties, Ma said. Immediately upon landing in Beijing, Choe went to see Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese leadership’s international affairs office and long the point man for China’s dealings with Pyongyang.

China is impoverished North Korea’s economic and diplomatic lifeline, providing nearly all of its fuel and most of its trade. China accounted for 89 percent of North Korea’s exports and imports in 2011, according to the most recent figures available from Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in Seoul, South Korea, which collects North Korean trade data.

China and North Korea are jointly developing two special economic zones: Rason on the Korean Peninsula’s northeastern tip and Hwanggumphyong, an island in the Yalu River on North Korea’s western border. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated yesterday that Beijing is committed to

US experts reject murder theory in scientist’s death SINGAPORE: Two US pathologists yesterday supported Singapore police findings that an American scientist found hanged last year in the city-state committed suicide and was not murdered as his family claims.

Medical examiners David Fowler of Maryland and Valerie Rao of Florida testified as independent experts a day after the family of the late researcher Shane Todd walked out of a coroner’s inquest in Singapore.

Fowler rejected a theory put forward by the family’s star witness, Missouri deputy medical examiner Edward Adelstein, who said Todd may have been killed by assassins working for two Asian high-tech firms involved in a secret project.

Fowler, chief medical examiner of Maryland, said marks on Todd’s hands cited by Adelstein on Tuesday as proof of a fight with killers in his apartment were “the most classical example of post-mortem lividities” in hanging cases.

There was also nothing suspicious about a bruise on Todd’s forehead, he said, declaring that “the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging”.

Rao, chief medical examiner of two districts in Jacksonville, also cited “asphyxia due to hanging” as the cause of death and agreed that there were no injury marks indicating a struggle.

Asked by a Singapore state counsel to give her opinion on the means of death, Rao replied: “Suicide”.

Fowler and Rao based their findings on the Singapore autopsy report, while Adelstein relied on funeral pictures of the body and second-hand information.

Singapore police investigators earlier testified that the 31-year-old Todd, who had a history of depression, hanged himself in his apartment and left suicide notes to his family and friends on his laptop computer. Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam, who is also the law minister, said the Todd family’s decision to walk out was “regrettable”. “ The police officers went on the stand, they were questioned, they gave their evidence, they gave their testimony. Their processes were subject to total scrutiny,” he said.

In a statement yesterday, the Todd family said it would “now turn to the court of public opinion with all the concrete evidence that our son was murdered”.

But Todd’s three bothers reappeared in court, saying they were there to show support for Ashraf Massoud, a computer analyst engaged by the family. Massoud testified that any computer can be accessed remotely and its contents, including the Internet history,

altered. Police experts had testified that Todd repeatedly searched suicide and depression websites before his death.

A coroner’s inquest is a routine procedure for suspected suicides in Singapore. But the case has taken on a high profile because of the conspiracy theory and strong political lobbying by the Todds in Washington.

Shane Todd’s former employer, Singapore’s state-linked Institute of Microelectronics (IME), and China’s Huawei Technologies have denied

claims by the family that they were working on a secret project involving Todd that could compromise US security. But they confirmed holding preliminary talks on a potential research venture. Todd was part of an IME research team working on gallium nitride, a semiconductor that can be used in radar and satellite communications.

Witnesses have described Todd as under severe stress in the weeks before his girlfriend found his body on June 24, 2012. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Singapore minister for foreign affairs K. Shanmugam speaks to reporters over the coroner’s enquiry of US scientist Shane Todd in Singapore yesterday. Two US pathologists yesterday supported Singapore police findings that an American scientist found hanged last year in the city-state committed suicide and was not murdered as his family claims. —AFP

seeing North Korea denuclearize while maintaining regional stability a catchphrase for continued Chinese support for Pyongyang.

Last week, a Japanese envoy traveled to Pyongyang for ongoing discussions about the decades-old abductions of its citizens by North Korea. After the envoy’s return, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would be open to holding a summit with Kim Jong Un if it would lead to a breakthrough. The issue is of great importance to Japanese, though when it returned five abduction victims in 2002, North Korea said there were no more living abductees.

Other countries are worried about focusing on Japanese abductions. Glyn Davies, the US special representative for North Korea policy, warned North Korea might be trying to use talks with Japan to drive a wedge between the policies of Tokyo, Washington and Seoul.

During a summit with US President Barack Obama this month, South Korean President Park Geunhye laid out her policy of building trust with North Korea while remaining firm against provocations. Her office said she may travel to China next month.

China wants security assurances that North Korea will act with less belligerence and make efforts to ease tension, said Daniel Pinkston, an

expert on North Korea with the International Crisis Group think tank who is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Because Choe has high-level military and ruling party positions, he can cover a variety of topics and likely will discuss security, normalization of economic ties and possible requests for aid when he meets with Chinese officials, Pinkston said.

Choe is a longtime Kim family friend who often is pictured standing next to the leader, along with Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un’s uncle.

Jang, a top official now in charge of overseeing the push to expand North Korea’s sports industry, visited China in August last year but was not in yesterday’s delegation.

Choe may also try to explain North Korea’s recent military moves, including short-range projectile launches off the east coast, said Lee Ji-sue, a North Korea specialist and professor at Myongji University in Seoul. He may also be paving the way for a visit by Kim Jong Un, who has not been to Beijing since taking power following the December 2011 death of his father, Kim Jong Il. The elder Kim visited China in August 2011. Meanwhile, among the North Korean officials who went to the tarmac yesterday to see Choe off was Gen. Kim Kyok Sik, North Korea’s newly named chief of the armed forces.—AP

All bodies recovered from Indonesia mine tunnel TIMIKA: Rescuers have recovered seven more bodies from a collapsed mine tunnel in eastern Indonesia, its US operator said yesterday, taking the accident’s final toll to 28.

The rescue team “recovered and identified the last of the remains of the buried workers early this morning”, the Indonesian subsidiar y of Freepor tMcMoRan said in a statement.

Thirty-eight workers were initially trapped on May 14 when part of the tunnel caved in at Freeport’s Grasberg, one of the world’s biggest gold and copper mines high in the mountains of remote Papua province.

Ten people were recovered alive soon after wards but rescue effor ts were hampered by the narrow tunnel and the unstable conditions, with rocks continuing to fall from the roof.

Freeport declared yesterday a day of mourning, and said that memorial services would be held in its Jakarta office and in Papua. “This is a heartwrenching thing for Freeport,” said the company’s president and chief executive Richard Adkerson, who flew from an industry event in Spain at the weekend to Papua to meet families of the deceased. “ We will not rest until we are assured that we understand the reasons for this tragic event.” He said that an outside investigation team made up

of I ndonesian and international experts was being assembled to investigate the accident. Freeport has as yet given no indication why the tunnel caved in. Operations have been halted at the mine for a week partly to help with rescue efforts and also as a mark of respect for those affected by the accident. The head of Freeport’s local subsidiar y, Rozik S oetjipto, said Wednesday it was not clear when they would resume. Freeport has stockpiles of gold and copper at the mine that it is using to meet existing orders.

Soetjipto said that safety was being reviewed at all of Freeport’s operations in Indonesia. Energy Minister Jero Wacik added the government will carry out its own probe into the Grasberg accident and that mines across the country will undergo safety checks.

Workers at the site who have been protesting at the mine for the past week demanding safer conditions were still blocking a road on Wednesday with trucks and heavy machinery. The tunnel was part of an underground training facility, not one of the mining areas. Those trapped inside at the time were attending a safet y training course. Grasberg has a troubled history. A three-month strike in 2011 crippled production, and around the same time there was a spate of deadly shootings at the mine. — AFP

Thai army chief urges self-imposed curfew for teachers BANGKOK: Thailand’s army chief on yesterday urged teachers in the country’s insurgency-racked south to stay at home after 6pm to avoid falling victim to militants as the new school year gets under way.

Nearly 160 teachers and other school staff have been killed during a nine -year- old insurgenc y that has gripped Thailand’s Muslim-majority deep south, bordering Malaysia.

Recent rounds of peace talks between representatives of the rebels and Thai authorities have failed to stem

the violence, leaving teachers fearful that they remain in the firing line as they return to school.

“I ask for your cooperation not to leave your houses after 6pm-it will help reduce violence (against teachers),” General Prayut Chan-O-Cha said in the southern city of Yala, in reply to a teacher who asked if the army could curb attacks on his profession.

Thousands of schools closed temporarily in December in protest at a lack of security for teachers, who are targeted by the militants for their perceived

collaboration with the Thai state.

A leader of a southern teachers’ union recognised the “goodwill” behind the general’s remarks but rejected the suggestion of a self-imposed curfew.

“Teachers know they are a target... they know they have to take care of themselves, but to suggest they should not leave their homes after 6pm seems like an attack on our freedom,” said Boonsom Thongsriplai.

“The attacks can happen anytime during the day or night, we think it is better to focus on how to take care of

security,” he added.

Thailand held its first official peace talks with representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) in Malaysia in March and another round in April, but deadly attacks have continued, embarrassing Thai security forces.

In April rebels involved in the talks said they wanted “liberation” from Thailand, something General Prayut appeared to reject on yesterday.

“Violence must be solved swiftly... (but) I want to reassure (people) that Thailand is inseparable-it’s one king-

dom,” he said, adding there are around 140 so-called ‘red zone’ villages in the south responsible for the majority of the violence.

More than 5,500 people have been k illed in near- daily bombings and shootings in three Muslim-majority provinces near Thailand’s southern border with Malaysia since 2004.

Buddhist and Muslims alike fall victim to the shadowy militants, who target security forces, civilians and perceived representatives of state authority. —AFP

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THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

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Issues

More English at French varsities?

The debate begins

By Marianne Barriaux rance’s lower house began debating a proposal yesterday to introduce more courses in English at universities, amid a storm of controversy in a nation fiercely protective of its identity. The measure, which would also introduce lessons in other languages as part of a wider bill on higher education reform, aims to increase the number of foreign students at universities from 12 percent of the total to 15 percent by 2020. Critics say it will harm decadeslong, zealous efforts to protect the French language, while supporters argue it will better young locals’ grasp of English as France slides into recession and many look to work abroad.

“Teaching in English - Let’s do it” read a frontpage headline in English in France’s leading leftwing daily Liberation yesterday, which argued the French must stop acting as “the last representatives of an under-siege Gaulish village”. Even foreign newspapers have waded into the debate, with a slight dash of irony. “If Anglais est allowe dans les rooms de classe, Francais will becomez une ‘dead language’, pensent les grandes fromages. Sacre bleu!” the Daily Telegraph said in an editorial yesterday.

Genevieve Fioraso, the higher education minister, has lashed out at the “astounding hypocrisy” of the debate, pointing out that English and other languages are already used widely in France’s elite “grandes ecoles”. She said that the so-called 1994 “Toubon Law” -which stipulates that the language of education in France must be French, bar some exceptions - had routinely been flouted in the “grandes ecoles” without any objections raised.

Fioraso opened yesterday’s debate by saying the measure “will in no way compromise the primacy of French as a medium of instruction or the defence of francophonie. “Investing in knowledge and research, this is our best weapon to fight the economic crisis,” she said.

But several leading unions in the education sector have said the proposal is unacceptable. Hundreds of teachers took to the streets near parliament yesterday to show their opposition. “It is cultural heritage which is at stake,” Claudine Kahane, a senior official of Snesup-FSU, one of the main unions in the sector, said earlier this month. The influential Academie Francaise, set up in 1635 and the official authority on the language, has also joined the chorus of disapproval. And journalist Bernard Pivot, a respected figure in French cultural circles, has argued that the measure could sound the death knell for what locals fondly call “the language of Moliere”. “If we allow English to be introduced into our universities and for teaching science and the modern world, French will be vandalised and become poorer,” he said. “It will turn into a commonplace language, or worse, a dead language.”

France has for decades zealously propagated the use of French both at home and abroad through cultural institutions and the French-speaking Francophonie bloc of nations. But despite this, the use of English has made rapid inroads in France.

Many youths now respond to telephone calls with an energetic “Yes?” in place of the traditional “allo” or “oui”. English is seen more and more in graffiti in Paris and “franglais” - the use of English words when speaking French - is also gaining ground. A survey released yesterday revealed that a large majority of French scientists currently conduct their research and teach in English. “The current debate does not take into account the reality at all,” said Francois Heran, who conducted the research between 2007 and 2009, questioning nearly 2,000 laboratory directors and almost 9,000 researchers. “The reality is that there are whole areas of international science where French is already marginalised.” — AFP

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

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

Turkey presents hadiths for the 21st Century

By Tom Heneghan cholars around the Muslim world were alarmed five years ago by news reports that Turkey planned a new, possibly heretical compilation of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) sayings that might scrap those it thought were out of date.

Turkish religious leaders and theologians received anxious calls asking about Western media reports they would edit a “radical” new set of hadiths, scriptures that are second only to the Holy Quran in Islam. “Will you write a new Quran next?” one irate Arab scholar asked a baffled Turkish academic. The new work, finally ready after six years in the making, is nothing like the 95 Theses in which Martin Luther condemned practices in the Roman Catholic Church and launched the Protestant Reformation.

Instead, its 100 authors have selected a few hundred of the about 17,000 reported quotes from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to examine Islamic views on God, faith and life in terms that the average modern Turk can understand. “We don’t live in the 20th century anymore,” said Mehmet Ozafsar, director of the project and vice-president of Ankara’s Religious Affairs Directorate, or Diyanet, a state agency. “We needed a new work with Islamic beliefs in the perspective of today’s culture.” The hadiths record Muhammad’s (PBUH) words and acts during his life. Preachers and jurists use them to understand the Quran and support Muslim teachings and fatwas (religious edicts) on all aspects of life, from prayer to education for women. Digests of selected hadiths are nothing new in Islam.

Scholars have produced them for centuries to help Muslims learn about the Prophet’s (PBUH) sayings without having to navigate through the long and sometimes confusing classical compilations.

What makes this one different is that it selects and explains the hadiths from the perspective of today’s Turkey, whose mix of a secular state, dynamic economy and Muslim society has aroused considerable interest in the Middle East since the Arab Spring revolts two years ago. A senior religious official in Egypt, where traditional Islamic scholars, the ruling Muslim Brotherhood and radical Salafis differ over key issues in the faith, said the hadith collection could bring a new perspective to the debate. “Among intellectuals in Egypt, there is a welcome for this new interpretation which they think is very important for the Arab world to be exposed to,” said Ibrahim Negm, advisor to Egypt’s grand mufti, the highest Islamic legal authority there.

The hadith project first attracted attention in 2008 when the BBC called it “a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion”.

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Diyanet, Turkey’s top Islamic authority, called this and other reports “entirely wrong” and based on Christian misreading of Islamic practice. Media interest dropped off and the project went ahead, leaving scholars abroad wondering what to expect. What has emerged is a seven-volume encyclopaedia of what its authors considered the most important hadiths.

Grouped according to subjects, they are followed by short essays that explain the sayings in their historical context and what they mean today.

The collection is the first by Turkey’s “Ankara School” of theologians who in recent decades have reread Islamic scriptures to extract their timeless religious message from the context of 7th-century Arab culture in which they arose. Unlike many traditional Muslim scholars, these theologians work in modern university faculties and many have studied abroad to learn how Christians analyse the Bible critically. They subscribe to what they call “conservative modernity”, a Sunni Islam true to the faith’s core doctrines but without the strictly literal views that ultraorthodox Muslims have been promoting in other parts of the Islamic world.

“There are different perspectives in the Islamic world and some are closed-minded. Turks have a different idea of Islamic culture,” project director Ozafsar said. That includes a strong secular tradition allowing alcohol consumption and Western dress for women, although Turkish society has turned more conservative and religious in the past decade under the conservative AKP government. Turkey also has women preachers in mosques and female deputy muftis in several large cities.

Mehmet Pacaci, Diyanet’s general director for foreign affairs, said Muslims shouldn’t simply “open the Quran or a hadith compilation, find a verse or saying of the Prophet (PBUH) and say, ‘Aha! This is the judgment of this action’. “If we do that, it’s literalism and ignorance,” he told Reuters. “Unfortunately, we have such ignorance in the Muslim world.”

Although neither this collection nor much other recent Turkish theology has been translated into Arabic, these views have stirred interest among Arab thinkers struggling to reconcile their more traditional Islam with modern democracy.

Negm said Turkish religious delegations now regularly visit AlAzhar in Cairo, the leading seat of Sunni learning, and Arabic translations of the late Turkish theologian Said Nursi have begun appearing in bookshops in the Egyptian capital.

“Egyptian intellectuals are very impressed with the Turkish model, not only in the economic and political realm but also in its moderate religious orientation,” he said, adding Turkey was seen as “the antithesis of the Wahhabi-Salafi model”.

Wahhabism is the stern official school of Islam in Saudi Arabia and one of the inspirations for militant Salafis, the literalist

Sunnis who have been attacking Shiites and Sufis and trying to impose sharia law in several Muslim countries.

The first edition of “Islam with the Hadiths of the Prophet,” as the collection is called, has started rolling off the printing presses in Turkish. It will be officially released during Ramadan, which is due to start in early July. Displaying the first green-bound volumes, the officials said the essays dealt with modern issues such as women’s rights, but were not presented as a compendium of official positions that imams must preach or Islamic judges must implement. “The aim was not to produce an answer to today’s agenda topics like gender issues, punishment and jihad,” Pacaci said.

For example, the question of schooling for girls comes up in the section about education, which starts with the hadith “Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim” in Arabic and a few supporting hadiths and Turkish translations underneath. Several pages of commentary in Turkish follow and explain that since the hadiths say education is obligatory for all Muslims, it is a right for girls and women as well. Another essay on women stresses that they attended mosques and ran businesses when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) governed the city of Madinah. “They were active in every part of social life,” Pacaci said.

Hadiths calling for harsh punishments such as severing thieves’ hands were put into historical perspective so they are not taken as models for modern times, Ozafsar said. “You can find these punishments in the Prophet’s time because society needed these rules for social peace,” he said. “Today, we have different social systems. We can say these rules and punishments are historical.”

Saban Ali Duzgun, a professor in Ankara University’s theology faculty, said imams liked to pepper their preaching with hadiths because they dealt with so many aspects of everyday life. But if they consult the original source books, they might pick hadiths that don’t suit life in modern Turkey, he said. “We object to preachers using so many hadiths,” said Duzgun. With this new reference work from Diyanet, which employs the imams, most Turkish preachers would only use hadiths and interpretations they find in it, he said.

While the collection is mainly for domestic use, Diyanet has begun preparing a translation into Bosnian, the language of Muslims in former Yugoslavia who were once under Ottoman rule. It is also considering bilingual Turkish-German edition for the large Turkish minority in Germany, Diyanet officials said.

Editions in languages such as Arabic or English were not planned right away, they added, but publishers in Egypt and Britain have recently expressed interest in translating the collection to make it widely available soon.— Reuters

Sudan dreams of becoming global sugar player

By Ulf Laessing n a hangar-shaped factory hall in central Sudan a dozen workers rush to pack refined white sugar gushing from a funnel into paper bags to be loaded on three trucks parked outside. Next year, the management at Kenana Sugar Company hopes the plant will be even busier as it plans to boost its output as the African country seeks to increase sugar exports. Faced with the loss of most oil production after South Sudan seceded in 2011, Sudan has been scrambling to find new sources for state revenues and dollars to pay for imports.

Developing its sugar industry is a priority as is searching for gold.

“There is plenty of land suitable for sugar cultivation and also the water is plenty,” says El Zein Mohammed Doush, head of the sugar business unit at Kenana’s main plant located 270 km south of the capital Khartoum. Boosting sugar production also has political undertones. The sweetener is the most important food ingredient in a country where it is normal to put three spoonfuls in a small glass of tea or orange juice. The price of sugar is so sensitive in the vast African country it can spark revolutions. A huge spike was one reason for street protests which led to the toppling of late President Jaafar Nimeiri in 1985.

President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir has been facing for over a year small protests over a rise in food prices. Annual inflation hit 41.4 percent in April though critics say

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the real figure is much higher. Thanks to a capital injection of $500 million from its main Gulf owners Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Kenana wants to more than double its output to 1 million tonnes in 2015. Its affiliated White Nile Sugar Co eyes a production of 250,000 tonnes from next year. That would help cover domestic demand of 1.2 million tonnes and leave room for more exports.

Currently, all local plants produce between at least 600,000 and 700,000 tonnes in total annually, analysts estimate. By next year, the output could reach between 900,000 and one million tonnes.

Sudan, one of the biggest African sugar producers after Egypt and South Africa, hopes to become a global player by 2020 competing with world leaders such as Brazil. In all the African country wants to produce 10 million tonnes by 2020 as more plants will go online by then, said Doush.

Kenana alone plans two more factories, while the government has now put up for sale four state-owned plants which need modernisation. Under a deal with Kenana’s Gulf investors, the company is allowed to export up to half of its output, which goes to African neighbours, the Gulf and Europe.

To diversify its products, Kenana also plans to more than triple the output of biofuels, a by-product of sugar production, to 200 million liters by 2015. “Ninety percent of our ethanol goes to the European Union, France, Holland,” Ahmed Rabih, head of the ethanol business unit said.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the loss

of southern oil but the economic situation is expected to improve soon after South Sudan resumes exporting crude through northern facilities. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Sudan to use the $2 billion Khartoum expects to make from pipeline fees from South Sudan until 2015 to reform the agriculture sector to boost non-oil exports. Unlike other Arab countries made up mostly of desert, Sudan is a prime location for food production due to its vast fertile scrubland and easy access to the River Nile water.

“Sudan has everything needed for success, the water, land, human resources,” Sheikh Ibrahim Ben Khalifah, head of the Arab regional center for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training, told a Khartoum food investment forum it co-sponsors on Monday. But analysts say the sector has been badly managed like the rest of the country, which is widely associated with ethnic wars, corruption and coups. The Gezira scheme, one of the world’s biggest irrigation projects built by British colonial rulers 100 years ago is a shadow of its former self.

The sugar industry, on the other hand, is in a better shape as it enjoys various subsidies and the main plants are run by Kenana, which is kept flush with Gulf money. But Mohammed Al-Jak, economics professor at the University of Khartoum, said the 2020 target of 10 million tonnes of output was unrealistic. “I think a lack of funding and infrastructure will be big obstacles

for even to reach half of this goal.”

The expansion plans also come at a time of an economic downturn coupled with global excess supplies. Raw sugar benchmark futures trade about 16.80 cents per lb, less than half their peak price reached two years ago. Harry Verhoeven, an expert on Sudanese economy at Oxford University, said Kenana was posting a profit and was one of the most sophisticated firms in Sudan but remained a long way from becoming a global player like sugar firms in Brazil and Turkey. “Kenana has received billions in subsidies but is not there where it should be. It’s not a big player, a giant,” he said. He said the government was undermining the sector’s efficiency by controlling the main sugar firms, shielding them from competition and pampering them with subsidies.

Analysts say the market gets distorted because the government is guaranteeing the firms a sugar price almost double their production costs, which opens the door for corruption. Critics also say the sugar industry makes big profits while the mostly poor Sudanese benefit little from it. Kenana, which has a top-notch canteen and guesthouse, says it has hired 4,000 unskilled workers who get free medical care. But with their mud-brick houses and unpaved roads, the villages neighbouring the plant look as poor as the rest of Sudan. They lack running water and families can be seen filling pots from a small lake near the road from the plant to Khartoum.— Reuters

NEWS

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

An airplane passes in front of the moon on Tuesday over Philadelphia. — AP

New gen livens faded art scene

Man killed in London ‘terror’ attack

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

coffee from a paper cup as a foreign maid kneeled on the floor to clear up the mess. “I thought that some people would take it a little bit sensitively. The amazing thing is that they actually have an open mind and they can relate to it,” said Saab, 27, on the opening night of the show, “Boundaries”.

Art aficionados and experts say those like Saab in their 20s and 30s are helping to revive a cultural life damaged by indifference, religious conservatism and, possibly most importantly, the Iraqi invasion in 1990.

Kuwait has since rebuilt its badly damaged oil infrastructure and in recent years private companies have poured money into building skyscrapers, shopping malls and restaurants. But many believe the arts have been neglected in a country where state spending on basic public infrastructure has slowed in recent years due to bureaucracy and political infighting, despite huge oil revenues.

They point out that elsewhere in the Gulf, governments have not only spent heavily on transport and transforming public spaces, but also invested in museums and art projects.

When Sheikha Paula Al-Sabah came home after USled troops expelled Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1991, she found her house had been wrecked and the walls stripped of Middle Eastern and Western art collected over decades. It took her several years before she could bear to collect again. “We have to catch up on a lot of things, but obviously there were so many other things that were a priority when your whole infrastructure was destroyed,” Sheika Paula, an American who married a member of Kuwait’s royal family, told Reuters.

Other Gulf cities like Dubai and Doha pulled ahead in the international arts world in the period, but some connoisseurs say Kuwait still holds the edge thanks to its rich cultural history and relative openness. “The rest of the Gulf hasn’t caught up with where Kuwait was 50 years ago, not only politically but also culturally,” said Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, an influential UAE collector and commentator and founder of the Sharjah-based Barjeel Art Foundation. He cited Kuwaiti theatre, art exhibitions, commissions and patronage, television and radio drama as examples of creative innovation.

“However, today the art scene is in need of a long-overdue revival,” he said, calling for national museums to be renovated and reopened.

Sheikha Paula agreed it was time for the country to improve its exhibition spaces, renovate museums and celebrate its comprehensive Islamic art collection. She

cited the opening of the Contemporary Art Platform gallery and annual auctions organised by her daughter Lulu as evidence of a new phase in Kuwait’s cultural life.

“It is a moment whose time has come,” the former New Yorker said. “These young collectors now are in their late 20s and 30s. So this is a whole new energy. This is a whole new way of looking at art.”

That energy comes from challenging traditional ideas, said Wafaa Al-Husaini, a 23-year-old design student at the American University of Kuwait who uses 3D animation and graphics to explore issues such as sectarianism and feminism. She set up a feminist group called Neda, which is organised online and distributes posters of women doing things normally seen as culturally unacceptable for them such as riding a motorbike, fixing a car or smoking. “I think it is the younger generation that is rebelling against the norms and boundaries,” she said, dressed in a T-shirt she designed with the slogan “I am a man” in decorated Arabic script.

Kuwait enjoys greater political freedom and debate than the other countries in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and this feeds into an environment where artists can afford to take bigger risks, artists and art lovers said. Limits remain, however. Graphic designer Mohammad Sharaf described his bemusement on reading news reports from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive, that women would no longer be stopped from bicycling in parks as long as they were accompanied by a male guardian. “It was so silly, I did not expect it was true actually, when I saw (the news) the first time,” Sharaf, 31, said in his office scattered with posters and art books in a shopping mall.

“I illustrated the real scene according to what they described.”

“Allowed” shows a Saudi woman on a bicycle with her guardian in a small basket behind her, staring out over the top of her head. The simple black, white and red image was used widely in Arab and Western media and reposted on hundreds of blogs and other websites.

Sharaf has also produced work about his native Kuwait, such as a poster showing the parliament building made of bones or pieces about free speech, inspired in part by the explosion of democratic debate in North Africa and the Middle East sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings.

He says he has not faced any restrictions in Kuwait, but adds he keeps his works subtle and any criticism indirect. “I don’t assign names, or something very certain; it’s always vague. Actually it protects me, and from another aspect, each viewer can absorb it differently,” he said. — Reuters

“Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries. This is a sickening and barbaric attack.”

Police were called at 2:20 pm (1320 GMT) to reports of one man being assaulted by two others. “A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm,” said police commander Simon Letchford. Local police officers, then firearms officers arrived on the scene where they found a man who was later pronounced dead. “Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals, they are receiving treatment for their injuries,” Letchford said. He said there would be a heightened police presence in the area and urged locals to remain calm.

A white and blue police evidence tent was visible in the street and police tape sealed off the scene. People in

forensic suits were also seen. Eyewitness pictures showed an air ambulance landing in the road and three bodies lying on the ground with dozens of onlookers observing the scene after the police arrived. Nick Raynsford, the member of parliament for Woolwich and Greenwich, said his understanding after speaking to police and army officers was that dead man was a soldier. “We think a serving soldier was the victim,” he said.

“A number of weapons have been seized. They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently. The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Queen Elizabeth II - who is due to visit the barracks later this month - was being kept updated. “The queen is of course concerned by the report of an attack in Woolwich,” he said. “Her Majesty is being kept informed.”

The spokesman confirmed the monarch would carry out a planned visit to the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at the barracks on May 31. — AFP

rights abuses rife in Gulf Continued from Page 1 Saudi authorities continued to clamp down on people calling for political and other reform as well as human rights defenders and activists. Some were detained without charge or trial, and others faced prosecution on vague charges such as “disobeying the ruler”.

The Saudi authorities continued to hold incommunicado thousands of suspected members and supporters of Al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups. And a number of their relatives were detained when they staged a protest to call for their release.

Women were discriminated against in the Gulf states in law and practise and inadequately protected against domestic and other violence, it said. In Saudi Arabia, women continued to be denied the right to drive despite several campaigns by activists. Amnesty said migrant workers in the Gulf states were inadequately protected by labour laws and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by employers. Women domestic workers in particular were at risk of sexual violence and other abuses.

Foreign workers and their families are estimated to be around 17 million out of a native population of around 40 million, according to unofficial estimates.

Hundreds of people were on death row at the end of last year with many executions reported. Most were in Saudi Arabia, where 79 people were beheaded in 2012, the report said. The Amnesty report spoke of discrimination against Shiites who form a minority in Saudi Arabia and majority in the Sunni-ruled Bahrain, and which have been witnessing violent protests by Shiites for more than two years.

Security forces in the two nations were alleged to have used excessive force at times against the protesters. At least 10 people were shot dead during protests in the Saudi oil-rich Eastern Province where the majority of Shiites live. In neighbouring Bahrain, dozens of protesters and policemen were reported killed and many wounded during protests. In the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman hundreds were arrested and put on trial for protesting and some sentenced to prison terms.

In Qatar, a poet was handed a lengthy jail term for allegedly insulting the ruler. — AFP

Speaker insists no political crisis; tweeters...

Continued from Page 1 May 14 and 15 apparently over the filing of the two grillings which the government considered as failing to fulfill a promise that no grillings will be submitted before the next Assembly term starting in October. Reports have indicated that the government will demand that the two grillings be postponed for at least one month until after the June 16 crucial ruling by the constitutional court on the single-vote law which could lead to dissolving the Assembly. Other sources said the government may demand that the two grillings, and particularly the one against the interior minister, be referred to the Assembly’s legal and legislative committee to study if it is in breach of the constitution.

In a related development, executives from the oil sector yesterday did not attend a meeting of the Assembly’s public funds protection committee which is investigating the scrapped deal with Dow Chemical of the United States. Rapporteur of the committee MP Saud Al-Huraiji said the executives apologized for not attending yesterday’s session because of the new sweeping appointments in the oil sector and promised to attend later. A number of MPs however criticized the executives and considered their move as an indication of non-cooperation.

Meanwhile, MP Saadoun Hammad claimed that according to the responses he received from the health minister to his inquiries about drinking water, contamination levels have reached 51 percent in various areas around Kuwait. “The minister also said that even bottled water was contaminated and that drinking water in

Hawally was contaminated with 51 percent potassium bromate (used to purify water), while the maximum rate is 10 percent as per WHO,” he said, noting that specimens taken from 10 bottled water companies were contaminated. Otaibi added that he intends grilling the health minister and he would call to hold a special session to discuss the issue. “We are looking forward to the May 28 session when the government will have to either attend or resign,” he said, promising to grill the health minister before the current parliamentary term ends. Also, MP Yacoub Al-Sane yesterday proposed a one-off payment of KD 250 for Kuwaitis in the government and private sector.

In another development, the court of appeals yesterday acquitted tweeter Hamed Al-Khaledi who was sentenced to two years in jail for allegedly insulting the Amir.

And in a key move, the same court postponed a ruling on another tweeter, Ayyad Al-Harbi, after it decided to refer his case to the constitutional court to rule if article 25 of the penal code is in line with the constitution. The ruling is decisive because almost all opposition tweeters and former MPs have been referred to court on the basis of this article.

Former opposition MP Mussallam Al-Barrak expected that Harbi, who is serving a two-year term issued by the lower court for insulting the Amir, will be freed until the constitutional court rules on the case. Former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun welcomed the move, saying that many Kuwaiti activists have been referred to court on the basis of this article although they did not commit any crime.

In this May 20, 2013 photo, South Korean Army's first produced military helicopters, the Surion, fire flare shells during the rehearsal for the ceremony to celebrate their deployment at the Army Aviation School in Nonsan, South Korea. South Korea will deploy 200 military Surion helicopters by 2020 to replace its aging fleet of choppers, the Army said yesterday. — AP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

S P ORTS Del Potro out of French Open

Sri Lanka loses Welegedara

Cole to leave West Ham

PARIS: World number seven Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina has pulled out of next week’s French Open tennis after failing to recover from a virus, organisers said yesterday.

Del Potro, who reached the quarter-finals at the claycourt grand-slam event last year, flew home after losing to Frenchman Benoit Paire in the Rome Masters last 16 last week.

“He has withdrawn,” a French Federation spokesman told Reuters, confirming Argentine media reports. “I am sad to miss such an important tournament, one that you always dream of winning,” Del Potro was quoted as saying by the daily Ultima Hora’s website (www.ultimahora.com).

Del Potro is the second top-10 player to withdraw from the French Open, which starts on Sunday at Roland Garros, after Briton Andy Murray announced he would miss the tournament because of a back injury.

Former world number seven Mardy Fish, 41st in the ATP rankings, and his fellow American Brian Baker, 71st, have also pulled out.—Reuters

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka left-arm fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy starting in England and Wales next month with an ankle injury.

Welegedara will be replaced by all-rounder Dilhara Lokuhettige who has been recalled to the national team after five years.

The 32-year-old Lokuhettige, a hard-hitting, fastbowling all-rounder, last played for Sri Lank a in a Twenty20 international against Canada in 2008 but he has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket. “ The first scan didn’t reveal anything but as Welegedara was still in pain we went for a second scan which showed a fracture at the back of his right ankle,” Sri Lanka manager Michael de Zoysa said in a media release.

The Champions Trophy starts on June 6 and Sri Lanka have their first group match three days later, against New Zealand in Cardiff.—Reuters

LONDON: Former England striker Carlton Cole is leaving West Ham United after seven seasons at the club. Cole, 29, played 237 times and scored 57 goals for the Hammers but netted only two goals in 29 appearances in the 2012-13 season.

He was overshadowed by on-loan striker Andy Carroll who West Ham are hoping to sign from Liverpool on a permanent basis for a club record fee of around 15 million pounds ($22.71 million).

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce told the club’s website (www.whufc.co.uk): “Carlton’s need at his age is to be playing football as often as he can. We felt it better he found pastures new.”

Cole played seven times for England, all as a substitute, between 2009 and 2010 but failed to score a goal. He scored the opening goal in West Ham’s 2-1 Championship playoff final victory over Blackpool last year. “Life is filled with ups and downs today is a down but I’ll be back! Carlton Cole has left the building,” Cole tweeted. West Ham’s joint chairman David Gold tweeted back: “Good luck @CarltonCole1 - one of the nicest men I’ve ever met in football.”—Reuters

Phillies pound Marlins

MLB results/standings Baltimore 3, NY Yankees 2 (10 innings); Detroit 5, Cleveland 1; Pittsburgh 5, Chicago Cubs 4; Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3; Atlanta 5, Minnesota 4 (10 innings); Cincinnati 4, NY Mets 0; Philadelphia 7, Miami 3; Oakland 1, Texas 0; Chicago White Sox 3, Boston 1; Milwaukee 5, LA Dodgers 2; Kansas City 7, Houston 3; Colorado 5, Arizona 4 (10 Innings); LA Angels 12, Seattle 0; St. Louis 10, San Diego 2; San Francisco 4, Washington 2 (10 innings).

NY Yankees Boston Baltimore Tampa Bay Toronto Cleveland Detroit Kansas City Chicago W Sox Minnesota Texas Oakland Seattle LA Angels Houston

American League Eastern Division W L PCT 28 17 .622 27 19 .587 24 21 .533 24 21 .533 18 27 .400 Central Division 26 18 .591 24 19 .558 21 21 .500 21 23 .477 18 24 .429 Western Division 29 17 .630 25 22 .532 20 26 .435 18 27 .400 13 33 .283

GB 1.5 4 4 10

Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami

1.5 4 5 7

St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs Milwaukee

4.5 9 10.5 16

Arizona San Francisco Colorado San Diego LA Dodgers

National League Eastern Division 27 18 .600 23 23 .500 22 24 .478 17 26 .395 13 33 .283 Central Division 29 16 .644 28 18 .609 27 18 .600 18 26 .409 18 26 .409 Western Division 26 20 .565 26 20 .565 25 21 .543 21 24 .467 18 26 .409

4.5 5.5 9 14.5 1.5 2 10.5 10.5 1 4.5 7

Orioles see off Yankees BALTIMORE: Nate McLouth homered leading off the bottom of the 10th inning, Chris Dickerson hit a pair of solo shots and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 3-2 Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

McLouth hit a 1-1 pitch from Vidal Nuno (1-1) into the bleachers in right-center to give the Orioles their first win since May 12. Jim Johnson (2-4), who blew three save opportunities during the six-game skid, got three straight outs in the 10th. His performance capped an exceptional effort by Orioles pitchers, who retired 21 of the last 22 New York batters. Travis Hafner drove in both runs for the Yankees, who fell to 19-1 when scoring first.

ANGELS 12, MARINERS 0 In Anaheim, Mike Trout hit for the cycle and drove in five runs, Josh Hamilton celebrated his 32nd birthday with a homer and a triple, and Howie Kendrick also went deep in the Angels’ rout of the Mariners. Trout, last season’s AL rookie of the year and MVP runner-up, became the sixth player in Angels history to complete the cycle and the first to do it since Chone Figgins on Sept. 16, 2006, at Texas. Jerome Williams (3-1) scattered six hits over eight innings, struck out six and walked two while helping send the Mariners to their season-high fifth straight loss.

Aaron Harang (1-5) lasted only 3 1-2 innings in his first outing since May 7, giving up seven runs and nine hits - seven of them for extra bases.

ATHLETICS 1, RANGERS 0 In Arlington, rookie right-hander Dan Straily

BALTIMORE: Pitcher David Robertson No. 30 of the New York Yankees throws to a Baltimore Orioles batter during the eighth inning.—AFP pitched seven scoreless innings and Yoenis Cespedes homered as the Athletics won their fifth straight game, beating the Rangers and Yu Darvish.

Straily (2-2) gave up only two singles while facing 22 batters, just one over the minimum for his seven innings. He struck out five.

Even with consecutive wins to start the three-game series, Oakland still trails the Rangers by 41/2 games in the AL West. Darvish (7-2) had won all five of his previous starts this season when pitching after a Texas loss. The Japanese right-hander struck out five, but walked three and hit a batter while giving up five hits in six innings.

TIGERS 5, INDIANS 1 In Cleveland, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Max Scherzer retired 22 straight batters after the first inning, helping Detroit stop Cleveland’s five-game winning streak.

Cabrera’s laser shot in the sixth inning off Corey Kluber (3-3) helped the Tigers win for just the second time in six games. The defending AL champions also moved within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Indians, who have won 18 of 23 since April 28.

Scherzer (6-0) gave up two singles and a run

in the first before shutting down baseball’s hottest team for eight innings. The right-hander walked just one and struck out seven, including the final four he faced. Scherzer’s 118th and last pitch was his fastest - a 98 mph heater to fan Drew Stubbs.

Andy Dirks hit a solo homer in the sixth and had two RBIs as Detroit won the first game of the short, showdown series.

RAYS 4, BLUE JAYS 3 In Toronto, Kelly Johnson and Desmond Jennings homered, Alex Cobb won for the first time in three starts to lead Tampa Bay past Toronto. Cobb (5-2) allowed one run and three hits in 6 1-3 innings for his first victory since winning at Colorado on May 5. The right-hander walked two and struck out two. Thirteen of his 19 outs came on groundballs.

Jake McGee got two outs in the seventh before the Blue Jays rallied against Joel Peralta in the eighth. Munenori Kawasaki singled, Melky Cabrera walked and Jose Bautista hit an RBI single. Edwin Encarnacion struck out before Adam Lind reach on a fielding error by second baseman Ryan Roberts.

Roberts redeemed himself when Fernando Rodney came on and got J.P. Arencibia to ground into an inning-ending double play on the first pitch, with Roberts and shortstop Yunel Escobar combining.

ROYALS 7, ASTROS 3 In Houston, Mike Moustakas tied it with an RBI single before George Kottaras scored the goahead run on a bases-loaded walk in a four-run eighth inning, helping Kansas City end a fourgame skid.

The Royals trailed 3-0 and couldn’t get much going offensively until the seventh when they cut the lead to one on RBI singles by Alcides Escobar and David Lough.

Eric Hosmer chased Wesley Wright in the eighth when he singled to load the bases. He was replaced by Jose Cisnero, who gave up the one-out RBI single by Moustakas, which snapped a 0-for-18 slump. Cisnero then walked Kottaras on four pitches to put the Royals on top.

They added two more runs when Escobar grounded into a force out to score Hosmer before an error by Marwin Gonzalez allowed Moustakas to go home.

Paul Clemens (1-2) took the loss after allowing three hits and two runs while getting only one out before Wright replaced him. Bruce Chen (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win.

WHITE SOX 3, RED SOX 1 In Chicago, Jose Quintana took a no-hitter into the seventh before David Ortiz broke it up with a one-out broken-bat single, and the White Sox beat Boston.

Jeff Keppinger hit a two-run homer off Felix Doubront (3-2) in the fifth. Alex Rios extended his career-high hitting streak to 16 with a single and RBI double, and the White Sox won for the sixth time in eight games. They’ll try to complete the sweep against Clay Buchholz late yesterday. Quintana (3-1) was simply terrific. The left-hander struck out five and walked two.

INTERLEAGUE BRAVES 5, TWINS 4 In Atlanta, Evan Gattis hit a two-out, pinchhit homer in the ninth to send the game to extra innings and Freddie Freeman won it in the 10th, sending Atlanta to its fifth straight win.

Freeman blooped a two-out single off Brian Duensing (0-1) to bring home Jason Heyward, handing the Twins their seventh straight loss.

Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit had RBI singles in the eighth against the depleted Atlanta bullpen, giving the Twins a 4-3 lead. They were one out away from snapping their slide when Gattis lined an 0-1 pitch from Glen Perkins deep into the left-field seats for his ninth homer of the season. Craig Kimbrel (1-1) worked a scoreless 10th for the win. Brian McCann homered and drove in two runs for the Braves.—AP

MIAMI: Delmon Young homered and Ryan Howard added three hits and three RBIs to help carry the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.

Tyler Cloyd (1-0) allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings after being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day.

Miami’s Jose Fernandez went five innings, allowing one run and five hits. He walked one and struck out two. Philadelphia went ahead 2-1 in the sixth when Domonic Brown’s ground out scored Howard from third. Howard led off with a single and took third on Young’s double to deep center off Duane Below (0-1). Howard’s single with the bases loaded scored two runs and highlighted a four-run seventh that gave the Phillies a 6-1 lead.

Howard returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore left knee. He received a cortisone shot Sunday.

last 19 games by allowing a total of just four singles. Henderson threw the ninth for his ninth save, striking out pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke with runners on first and second.

Zach Greinke (2-1), making his second start since returning from a broken left collarbone, gave up nine hits and five earned runs in four-plus innings against his former team en route to his first careere loss at Miller Park. The right-hander, traded by the Brewers to the Los Angeles Angels last July 27, had won his first 15 decisions in

career grand slam and had a career-high five RBIs, and Adam Wainwright won for the first time at Petco Park as the Cardinals beat the Padres.

Descalso lined a 1-2 pitch from Anthony Bass into the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Deck in right-center with one out in the eighth, his second homer of the season. Jon Jay was intentionally walked ahead of him.

Wainwright (6-3) held San Diego to one run and four hits in 7 1-3 innings, struck out six and walked one. The 6-foot-7 right-hander had been

REDS 4, METS 0 In New York, Mike Leake pitched three-hit ball for seven sharp innings and Cincinnati took advantage of Mets third baseman David Wright’s early error.

Devin Mesoraco homered as the Reds won for the ninth time in 11 games. They scored three times in the first inning after Wright let a basesloaded, two-out grounder skip through his legs.

Leake (4-2) struck out four, walked two and became the latest pitcher to shut down the Mets at Citi Field. New York has lost 10 of 12 at home, rarely scoring many runs. Leake escaped his biggest jam by retiring slumping Ike Davis on a grounder with runners on second and third to end the fourth. New York starter Jonathon Niese (3-5) wasn’t charged with an earned run.

PIRATES 5, CUBS 4 In Pittsburgh, Travis Snider hit a pinch-hit grand slam during a five-run sixth and Pittsburgh spoiled Matt Garza’s strong return to the mound for the Cubs. Garza allowed one hit over five shutout innings in his first outing in 10 months, but the Pirates pounced on a Chicago bullpen that is 10th in the National League in ERA by sending 11 men to the plate in the sixth. Snider’s first career home run with the bases loaded was the first Pirates pinch-hit grand slam in five years.

Garza had been sidelined since July 21 because of a stress reaction in his right elbow and, later, a strained upper back..

Wandy Rodriguez (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings for the Pirates, who have won nine of 11. The Cubs scored once in the ninth, but Jason Grilli got Anthony Rizzo to strike out swinging with two on to end the game and earn his major league-leading 18th save.

BREWERS 5, DODGERS 2 In Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez hit a go-ahead two-run double, Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and an RBI and five Milwaukee relievers combined for five scoreless innings to beat Los Angeles.

Mike Fiers (1-2), Michael Gonzalez, John Axford, Brandon Kintzler and Jim Henderson pitched Milwaukee to only its fourth victory in its

MIAMI: Juan Pierre No. 9 of the Miami Marlins slides into second as Freddy Galvis No. 13 of the Philadelphia Phillies turns a double play during a game at Marlins Park.—AFP Milwaukee.

ROCKIES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4 In Denver, Wilin Rosario drove in Carlos Gonzalez with a one-out single in the 10th inning to lift Colorado after squandering a late four-run lead. Gonzalez hit a double and reliever Matt Reynolds (0-2) intentionally walked Troy Tulowitzki to get to Rosario, who came through with a liner to right on the first pitch.

Rosario lifted his hands in the air after touching first base and was soon mobbed by teammates. Tulowitzki hit a solo homer and had a double to raise his average to .406 at Coors Field this season. The Rockies brought closer Rafael Betancourt to start the 10th, but he was in some discomfort after throwing a second straight pitch into the dir t. After a few warm-up tosses, Betancourt left with a tight groin and Wilton Lopez was brought in. Lopez (1-1) threw a perfect inning to earn the win.

CARDINALS 10, PADRES 2 In San Diego, Daniel Descalso hit his first

0-2 with a 2.57 ERA in his previous three appearances at the spacious downtown ballpark, including two starts.

San Diego’s Edinson Volquez (3-5) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings, struck out five and walked one. He allowed four runs on six hits in the fifth.

GIANTS 4, NATIONALS 2 In San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning after Gregor Blanco’s tying triple in the ninth, and the Giants rallied past the Nationals.

Sandoval flipped his bat and shifted into a slow trot as soon as he sent the ball off Yunesky Maya (0-1) over the right-center field wall for his eighth homer this season.

Blanco had three hits, including his RBI triple off closer Rafael Soriano with two outs in the ninth. The Giants’ comeback upstaged a superb outing by Stephen Strasburg, who outdueled Matt Cain in seven innings in a matchup of NL aces. Jeremy Affelft (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.—AP

Police tennis team leaves for Romania

The Kuwait tennis delegation

KUWAIT: The delegation of the police tennis team left for Romania for a training camp ahead of the World Police Tennis Tournament to be held in Bucharest.

The delegation is headed by Member of Police Sports Association Board of Directors, Manager of Tennis Sport Colonel Waleed Al-Shihab. Members of the team include Major Talal Al-Jazzaf, Abdelhameed AlJazzaf, Raed Abdallah Al-Saleem, Hussein Al-Ashwak and Khalid Al-Enezi.

Colonel Waleed Al-Shihab said, the participation in the world police tennis tournament, which is one of the most important and strongest competitions is an achievement for our team, and hope to achieve good results.

He said the care of chairman of PSA Lt. General Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad will be our motive to try hard to get the hoped for results.

NBK takes three MasterCard Cardholders to the UEFA Champions League Final in London KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announces the three winners of a fullypaid trip to London to attend the final match of the UEFA Champions League 2012/2013, in collaboration with MasterCard International. Rola Maissar Arab, Reem Essa Mohammed Bin Haji and Ali Jawad Abdulhameed Al Saffar will fly to London; all expenses paid by NBK, to watch the UEFA Champions League finals, one of the most popular sporting league in the world.

The campaign offered NBK MasterCard Cardholders chances to win four travel packages to the semi final matches and

three for the final match. Each travel package includes two round trip airline tickets, hotel accommodation, transfer service and match tickets for both winner and a guest.

NBK’s leadership in the Credit Card market in Kuwait has been established by consistently delivering superior value to our customers. NBK always strives to develop promotions to reward customers.

NBK Credit Cards are accepted worldwide and are the safest, most convenient and rewarding way to pay. For more information log onto nbk.com or contact Hala Watani on 1801801, or follow NBK on Twitter and on Instagram @NBKPage.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

S P ORTS

Play ball with Goodell and NFL — or else NEW YORK: The NFL is free to twist arms, just like anybody else. So maybe it’s just coincidence that all five of the new stadiums that will come on line during Roger Goodell’s brief tenure as NFL commissioner have now been awarded Super Bowls. Or maybe not.

Goodell emerged from an owners meeting Tuesday in Boston to announce that the 2016 Superpalooza - the 50th anniversary of the game - was awarded to a nearly-openfor-business stadium in Santa Clara that will be home to the 49ers, and that the 2017 game will return to Houston.

More telling than the argument Goodell and the owners made for either venue might be the one they aimed at the Miami Dolphins’ failed bid.

“I think the stadium is a very important part of any of these proposals,” he said after the vote. “I had a couple of owners express to me privately the condition of the stadium was an important factor to them in their

votes.” In case you haven’t been following the recent dust-up in South Florida over who’s going to pay for the nearly $400 million in improvements the Dolphins want made to SunLife Stadium, here’s all the background you need to know: Team owner Steve Ross wants taxpayers to foot the bill.

In a rare bit of gumption, some state and local politicians blocked a referendum that would have put the matter to a vote. What followed soon after were lamentations from Ross and his hired hands about all the money that South Florida was losing out on.

Goodell delivered the same message in person to the state legislature earlier this month. But after Tuesday’s vote, he let Rodney Barreto, chairman of South Florida’s bid committee, rub it in.

“I suspect there’s a couple of state reps down in Miami-Dade County where I live who are going to look at this and realize this was a huge mistake,” Barreto said. “We had the better bid. I could just look at the body

language from the NFL staff. It’s a shame. We may not see another Super Bowl for another 10 years.” The last one in South Florida was only three years ago, and taxpayers there already shelled out much of the cash for new homes for the Heat and Marlins recently, but who’s counting? Certainly not Goodell. He’s made securing new stadiums for franchise owners - largely publiclyfinanced stadiums - every bit as much a signature issue as player safety. So far, as noted above, every town that helped build one since 2006 has been rewarded with a Super Bowl. “It hasn’t been a strategy for the NFL. But it’s come to us as a happy consequence,” Frank Supovitz, the league’s senior vice president of events, told NFL.com - the day before the vote was taken.

That kind of arrogance may seem breathtaking, but it’s all just another day’s work for the NFL. Goodell runs a cartel that could teach the International Olympic Committee a thing or two about ruthlessness.

The NFL already rules the sporting landscape and the airwaves from coast to coast.

Apparently, that’s not enough. Based on a few things Goodell let slip at the end of the owners meeting, it sounds like he’s working on plans for a Death Star.

Next year, the league’s draft will be moved back from April to between May 8 and 17, ostensibly to avoid a scheduling conflict with New York’s Radio City Music Hall, which is hosting an Easter show. It’s likely to stay there in following years, too.

Never mind those dates likely means a conflict with Mother’s Day and the NBA and NHL playoffs, plus three more weeks of endless hype.

There’s also a good chance the league will push the scouting combine back from February to mid-March, inviting another scheduling conflict, this time with the NCAA basketball tournament’s Selection Sunday or its opening weekend of play. If you think Goodell is worried about his empire running

up against someone else’s, you never saw the bemused smile on his face when someone pointed out that pushing the Super Bowl from late January deeper into February would pit his biggest game against NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500. The new NFL calendar will mean more work for clubs and their front-office personnel and more programming for the NFL Network, but less time for rookies, since many clubs are likely to cut out minicamps. There’s still talk of an 18-game season floating around, as well as expanding the playoffs, mercifully by cutting two preseason games. The one thing that’s guaranteed to swell is the league’s bottom line.

“How much hype is enough? How big does the league need the golden goose to get?” SI.com’s Peter King, one of the NFL’s sharpest observers, asked in a recent column without waiting for an answer. “Silly question. We see it answered every day by an insatiable league.”—AP

Bruins take 3-0 lead, Sharks square series

Al-Roudhan addressing the press conference.

Al-Roudhan Indoor Soccer tourney KUWAIT: Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the Late Abdallah Mushari Al-Roudhan Indoor Soccer Tournament announced that HH The Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJabar Al-Sabah will patronize the 34th edition of the annual tournament which will be held from Ramadhan 1st until the 28th of the month.

Al-Roudhan who met with members of the Media Monday night, thanked HH The Amir for his care of the sports and youth. He said that this patronage will encourage to bring out the best in everyone for success of the tournament.

Al-Roudhan said fans will witness many surprises and guests, like Juan Laborta of Barcelona who came five years ago. He said that several dignitaries will be honored including the late Sameer Saeed who was remembered during the tournament of last year. He said it was decided to reduce the number of foreign professional players to

two on the playing field to give the opportunity for the largest number possible for local players. He said that all players who are participating with the 40 teams will be professional whether local or foreign.

He said that tournaments held in Ramadhan is a positive phenomena, that helps develop the game locally, and will create a true competition, adding that such tournaments are not a strictly AlRoudhan only, but everyone has the right to organize a tournament.

Al-Roudhan was pleased by the influence of Al-Roudhan tournament on the indoor soccer, and this is evident as Kuwait National Team qualified for the World Cup finals, and most of its players will be playing in Al-Roudhan tournament.

He said that the fans of Al-Roudhan tournament is a major reason for its success, as it is gaining great popularity in the Gulf and Arab World.

Preview

Pakistan raring to go against Ireland DUBLIN: Pakistan are keener than ever to get back on the field for the first of two one-day internationals against Ireland today after their second ODI against Scotland on the weekend was a wash-out. As Ireland are the strongest team outside the Full Members - they are five places below sixth ranked Pakistan - it promises to be a more searching examination for the team as the countdown to the Champions Trophy starts in earnest.

Although Scotland caused Misbah ul-Haq’s side early problems in both innings of the first game, reducing Pakistan to 115 for five and then racing away to 50 for one in 12 overs, a captain’s knock doubled the tourists’ score in the last 20 overs and three wickets each from Junaid Khan and Saaed Ajmal hurried Scotland to a 96-run defeat.

But as Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer admitted after the match, from a similar position Ireland would likely to have gone and won the match and that is the difference that Pakistan should notice at Clontarf today and Sunday.

Seven of the Ireland team are regulars in their county line-ups and the other four, including Kevin O’Brien, the man who almost single -handedly defeated England two years ago with the fastest ever century at the World Cup finals, are likely to have more than 230 one-day international appearances between them.

Indeed, O’Brien is one of five survivors from the game that put Ireland on the world map, their victory over Pakistan at Sabina Park, Jamaica. Also still around and arguably playing better than ever are winning captain Trent Johnston, Niall O’Brien, Andrew White

and current skipper William Porterfield.

Pakistan still have three players from that infamous day six years ago: Kamran Akmal, their top scorer and who has previous experience of club cricket in Ireland, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. Hafeez disappeared from the Pakistan Test team after the 2007 World Cup but after a three -year exile he has not only returned to the fold but is now considered the captain-elect when Misbah decides to step down.

He is also now the No 1 all-rounder in one-day internationals - the fourth ranked bowler and needing just three for 100 wickets.

But modestly, Hafeez said: “I always see my responsibility as a batsman. I never try to do too much with my bowling, I have some limitations and I know that, so I always stick to the basics, and it’s been working for me for the last two or three years.

“I feel that I’ve found good consistency. I try to stay economical for my team and pick up the odd wicket.” After the new ball partnership of Junaid and the giant Mohammad Irfan, it is Saeed Ajmal, the No 1 ranked bowler, who will cause the teams below the very top class the most problems as the Scots found to their cost.

The batting has been too reliant on Misbah in recent series and it is no coincidence that the captain has hit half centuries in the last three ODIs which Pakistan have won. Conversely, the three games they lost in South Africa in March was when he didn’t.

The low, slow pitch at Clontarf may not be ideal for batsmen to express themselves but it time for others to come to the party.—AFP

NEW YORK: It took 40 years for Boston and New York to face off again in the playoffs, and now it looks like being over in a hurry, as the Bruins beat the Rangers 2-1 on Tuesday to take a 3-0 series lead. In the day’s other playoff game, San Jose beat Los Angeles 2-1 to square their series at 2-2. Daniel Paille scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:31 left in the third period to take what has historically been a nearly unbeatable series lead.

Only three NHL teams have come back from 3-0 down and the Rangers will try to start that comeback at home on Thursday.

The Bruins need no reminding of the threat, as they led Philadelphia 3-0 in the 2010 playoffs and lost 4-3. “We can talk about it all we want, but that’s in the past,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “We had to live with that and we still have to live with that.”

Boston also nearly blew a 3-1 series edge in the opening round this year against Toronto, before rallying from a three-goal deficit in the third period and capturing Game 7 in overtime.

“The Toronto series, I didn’t think our team was in the zone the way it is right now,” Julien said. “I anticipate - knowing my team - that we’re going to come out the same next game and certainly not be the Jekyll and Hyde team that we were in the first round.”

The Bruins trailed 1-0 heading into the third, but Johnny Boychuk tied it with his fourth goal of the playoffs after he netted just one in 44 regular-season games. It was the first time in three years that the Rangers had lost in regulation when leading after two periods.

“We played a pretty strong game,” New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist said, “but we came up short again and it definitely hurts.” Taylor Pyatt had made it 1-0 in the second period for the Rangers, who had won their previous nine home games.

Meanwhile, San Jose’s Brent Burns helped the Sharks jump off to a fast start with his second

goal of the postseason, setting up the seriessquaring 2-1 win.

Logan Couture followed up his overtime game-winner in Game 3 with his fifth powerplay goal of the playoffs to add to the lead and Antti Niemi made 22 saves as the Sharks matched the Kings’ two home wins to open the series with two of their own.

Mike Richards scored a power-play goal for the Kings, who have lost 10 of 11 road games dating to the end of the regular season.

Game 5 is Thursday in Los Angeles when the Sharks will look to end a streak of four straight wins by the home team in this series.

San Jose jumped on top early when Joe Thornton stole the puck and fed Burns, who shot was blocked. Thornton came up with the loose puck and slid a perfect cross-ice pass to Burns, who was not denied on his second chance, beating Jonathon Quick with a one-timer.

Couture gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead early in the second period, deflecting a point shot by Dan Boyle past Quick while Colin Fraser was in the penalty box for roughing Andrew Desjardins.

The Kings outshot the Sharks 14-2 in the third period, holding San Jose without a shot for nearly 13 minutes but couldn’t get the equalizer against Niemi.—AP

NEW YORK: Henrik Lundqvist No. 30 of the New York Rangers makes a save against Milan Lucic No. 17 of the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.—AFP

Sreesanth denies spot-fixing NEW DELHI: Indian cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing in the ongoing spot-fixing scandal and is confident of emerging from the “tough period” with his dignity intact.

The 30-year-old bowler was one of three players, along with 11 bookmakers, arrested last week on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition, the allegations also earning him an immediate suspension from the cricket board. “I am innocent and have done no wrong. I have never indulged in any spot-fixing and I have always played cricket in the spirit of the game,” the paceman said in a statement issued late on Tuesday through his lawyer. “As a cricketer, I have learnt to take knocks along with accolades in my stride. I recognise that I am going through a tough period in my life. “I have utmost faith in our judicial process and I am confident that with time, I will

be proved innocent and my honor and dignity will be vindicated and restored,” said the cricketer, who played the last of his 27 tests against England at The Oval in Aug. 2011. Sreesanth, who is from the south Indian state of Kerala and represented IPL’s Rajasthan franchise this season, has been accused of taking money to concede a fixed number of runs in one of his overs during a May 9 match against Kings XI Punjab.

Legal sports betting in India is confined to horse racing, while illegal gambling syndicates thrive in the absence of a law dealing specifically with such corruption in sport.

Media estimates put the amount gambled on India’s top Twenty20 competition at $427 million in 2009. India’s film industry has also been pulled into the controversy when Mumbai Police arrested a Bollywood actor, Vindu Dara Singh, on Tuesday for alleged links to a bookmaker.—Reuters

Indian cricketer S Sreesanth

Clarke believes Aussies can cause Ashes upset SYDNEY: The Australians are getting the civil formalities out of the way early ahead of the Ashes, starting with yesterday’s very cordial morning tea in a jet aircraft hangar to formally farewell the team - several days before they leave for England.

Because the minute Michael Clarke and his lineup board the plane on the weekend, it’ll be all business. The Australians go into the series as rank underdogs after a 4-0 series defeat in India and back-to-back Ashes series losses to England.

They haven’t won the Ashes in England since 2001, and face the prospect of 10 tests in away-andhome series against their oldest foes between July and January.

“We have probably the most exciting 12 months of our careers ahead of us,” Clarke said Wednesday. England “are certainly the favorites, but we look forward to that challenge.

“There is not one cricket game where I’ve walked out onto the field with the Australian team and not expected to win, and this series will be no different.” The Australians have been training in Brisbane to prepare for a tour which starts with them try-

ing to defend the Champions Trophy title, starting June 6, and then four tour matches against County teams before the first test at Trent Bridge on July 10. There’s been a lot of criticism of the Australian squad since the woeful tour to India in March, when three players were suspended for the third

test for minor off-field issues, and Clarke missed the last test through injury. Shane Watson has quit as vicecaptain, prompting selectors to recall veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin as his replacement, and opening batsman David Warner got into a social media stoush with two senior cricket

AUSTRALIA: A handout photo shows Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke (second right), Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (second left) and two flight attendants on the steps of a Qantas A380 plane at an official farewell event as the Australian cricket team prepares to leave on the Ashes tour of England later in the week.—AFP

journalists. Warner wasn’t among the 12 Australian players at the morning tea Wednesday - he was scheduled to face a disciplinary panel later in the evening.

With an inexperienced batting group struggling to score runs consistently, Australia’s best hope of being competitive in England revolves around its strong seam bowling attack.

“There’s a lot of talk about our fast bowlers and we have plenty of talent,” Clarke said. “But it will come down to the batters making runs, the spin department doing their role and our fast bowlers maximizing conditions.

“Without doubt the Ashes tour is the most special, but it does take a whole squad of 16 players to have success.” Haddin’s recall adds some experience following the retirement of former skipper Ricky Ponting and reliable middle-order batsman Michael Hussey. Haddin hasn’t been Australia’s first-choice keeper since Matthew Wade took the gloves on the tour to the West Indies last year, but is determined to regain and keep his spot in the team and concentrate on “getting that urn back.”—AP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

S P ORTS Photo of the day

Stanford takes NCAA women’s tennis title URBANA: With Kristie Ahn back in the lineup after missing parts of the last two seasons, 12th-seeded Stanford was a different team. The Cardinal completed a string of upsets by defeating No. 3 Texas A&M 4-3 for the NCAA women’s tennis championship Tuesday night. “For Kristie Ahn to clinch, it’s poetic justice,” Stanford coach Lele Forood said. “She’s been the missing player for us the last two years. We weren’t able to get it done without her.”

Ankle and foot injuries slowed Ahn, and hurt her neck in a bus accident. Yet Ahn was already pondering the night before about “how sick it would be if I clinched,” she said.

The thought kept crossing her mind during 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win over Cristina Stancu to wrap up Stanford’s 17th national championship and seventh under Forood.

“I was think ing about how absurd it was coming down to me,” Ahn said. “It’s a big moment, highlight of life.” Stanford (22-4) overcame a “brutal draw,” Forood said.

Stanford ended top -seeded Florida’s run toward a third con-

secutive championship and k nocked off four th-seeded Georgia and fif th-seeded USC over the previous four days.

The Cardinal were the lowestseeded team to reach the championship match since 2007. “It was an interesting and ex tremely rewarding ride for us,” Forood said. “We had our ups and downs, but we came to play when it counted.”

The best part about the title wasn’t dumping a bucket of cold water on Forood or holding the national championship trophy, Ahn said. It’s the trip to the White House, just another part of the spoils.

“My team is a bunch of nerds,” Ahn said. “We love politics. I can’t tell you the dinner conversations we have. It’s too much about substance.”

When Stanford’s Nicole Gibbs rallied for a 0-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, the Cardinal gained some momentum. Gibbs won NCAA singles and doubles titles last season.

“I felt bad for her,” Forood said.

“I wanted her to find a way to get back in the match. Early in the

second set, she said, ‘I have to win this match. I have to do things differently.’ “ Stacey Tan secured Stanford’s other singles victory, a 7-5, 6-3 decision over I nes Deheza. Anna Mamalat grabbed the first of three consecutive singles victories for the Aggies that tied the match at 3-3. Mamalat defeated Ellen Tsay 6-1, 7-5. Texas A&M’s Nazari Urbina downed Krista Hardebeck 6-3, 7-6 and the Aggies’ Stefania H ristov beat Natalie Dillon 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Stanford earned the doubles point, despite an 8-3 loss by Ahn and Gibbs to Stancu and Hristov.

Stacey Tan and Tsay defeated the Aggies’ Wen Sun and SanchezQuintanar 8-4, and Stanford ’s Dillon and Hardebeck secured the doubles point with an 8-5 win over Deheza and Paula Deheza. In its second season under coach Howard Joffe, Texas A&M (26-4) made its first appearance in the championship match after reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals for the first time in school history. “The trajectory and speed we’ve come from nowhere, so to speak , is somewhat star tling,” Joffe said.—AP

Competitors perform during the Red Bull King Of The Rock at Marina Basketball Courts in Kuwait City. www.redbullcontentpool.com

Pole position, not tire wear, crucial at Moncao GP MONACO: The Monaco Grand Prix should be less about tire degradation and more about pole position, as Formula One returns for its showcase race on a street circuit that is notoriously difficult to overtake on. That will be good news for Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, but less so for Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel, the three -time defending Formula One champion tops the championship standings by four points from Raikkonen, who closed the gap by finishing second at the Spanish GP with Vettel placing four th. That was Raikkonen’s third consecutive second place as the Finn bids for his second F1 title.

However, he has one major problem: qualifying speed. He has been on the front row only once - in Bahrain last month - compared to Vettel’s two poles.

That could work against him in Monaco.

“It’s such a narrow, twisty track; you

have to be extra sharp and focused. ...

O ver tak ing is almost impossible,” Raikkonen said. “We’ll have to see how the tires perform and if there are any good strategies to be made, but the most important thing is to qualify well.”

Mark Webber won from pole last year and in 2010, Vettel did likewise in 2011 giving Red Bull three straight victories.

In the last 10 years, only Lewis Hamilton, five years ago, and Juan Pablo Montoya, 10 years ago, have won not starting from pole.

When Raikkonen won in 2005, he led from the front. This season, his superb tactical sense, coupled with smart management of Pirelli’s vulnerable tires, have helped him stay in touch with Vettel.

Monaco, with its tube-like circuit, is unique because drivers are hemmed in on pencil-thin streets and have to concentrate for nearly two hours to avoid crashing into walls or getting spun off

track by debris and gravel.

“I t is ver y, ver y difficult - almost impossible in fact - to have a clean weekend down there,” Raikkonen said.

“My win in 2005 ranks up there with my most memorable.” There will be less speed, so therefore less tire wear and less pit stops - and overtaking is always a gamble in the home of casinos.

Red Bull will be especially looking forward to this weekend, after finishing behind both Ferraris in Barcelona two weeks ago. Fernando Alonso won, Felipe Massa was third, and Webber rolled in behind Vettel in a hectic race that saw almost 80 pit stops with most drivers backed into a four-stop strategy due to tires shredding at an alarming rate.

“It is very, very difficult to predict and say these tires will last 15 or 20 percent of the race because each circuit is different,” Bernie Ecclestone said. “We are facing very different temperatures, the cars are different, and each driver has a dif-

ferent driving style.”

Red Bull has been one of the leading critics of the tires and Pirelli have pledged to make changes from next month’s Canadian Grand Prix. The tires will feature a revised construc tion including elements from last year’s tires to combine durability with performance.

But the other argument in the tire debate is that Red Bull’s dominance has been countered, which has added a dose of uncertainty to race day. By winning the season opener in Australia and finishing second in Spain with three stops, Raikkonen has shown that smart strategy can compensate for tire wear.

However, for the first time in many weeks, the pressure should be off Pirelli - at least for one race. “We’d expect an average of two pit stops per car, because - in complete contrast to the last race at Barcelona - Monaco has very low tire wear and degradation,” Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said.

“The last race in Spain was won from lower down on the grid than it has ever been won before, so it will be interesting to see if this pattern can repeat itself in Monaco.”

The chances of Alonso repeating his Barcelona win, where he drove brilliantly to win from fifth on the grid, are slim and he will need a strong qualifying performance to have a chance of repeating his Monaco wins from 2006 and 2007.

Alonso is third overall, 17 points behind Vettel, with Hamilton sitting fourth and trailing Vettel by 39. Ferrari’s mission in recent weeks has been to close the gap on Red Bull in qualifying.

Alonso has never qualified higher than third so far, and Massa’s qualifying best was second at the Malaysian GP. “We have seen an all-round improvement this year,” Massa said. “But clearly we can still improve, especially in qualifying. We are well aware of this and working towards that goal.”—AP

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, right, steers his car after the start of the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at the Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 12, 2013. —AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

Banker Carrion bids for IOC presidency BERLIN: Puerto Rican banker Richard Carrion launched his bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday, with his long financial experience a powerful pitch in his quest for the world’s top sports job. The 60-year-old Carrion, who is chairman of Puerto Rican lender Popular Inc, heads the IOC’s finance commission and is a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, becomes the third official candidate in the race to be decided on Sept. 10.

“We have a lot at stake in this election,” Carrion, an IOC member since 1990, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“Our place in the world is not guaranteed. We must have a leader that knows how not just to manage the coming change but also make it work for the IOC and the movement,” said the soft-spoken Carrion.

IOC Vice Presidents Thomas Bach from Germany and Singapore’s Ng Ser Miang have already launched their campaigns while the head of the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) C.K. Wu is set to announce his bid today.

Several more could decide to run, with Swiss sports administrator Denis Oswald and former pole vault champion Sergei Bubka seen as likely candidates.

As head of the IOC’s finance commission since 2002, Carrion, who is also responsible for negotiating broadcasting rights for the IOC, has overseen major revenue growth over the past decade despite the global economic downturn.

He also helped to negotiate a four-

Games deal to 2020 with U.S. broadcaster NBC worth $4.38 billion. Sponsorship revenues for the IOC through its TOP programme for the 2013-16 period are set to exceed $1 billion for the first time, compared with $663 million for 2001-4. “(IOC) President (Jacques) Rogge has entrusted me with a lot of responsibility, financial and television. It was his vision that we should grow the foundation to have enough money at hand in case Games were cancelled,” said Carrion.

Broadcasting revenues, the biggest source of income for the IOC, are seen topping $4 billion until 2016, with revenues for the 2002-4 period at almost half that.

“If you look at the IOC, it has a great standing but by nature when things are going well I think about what could go wrong. This is a great standing but it is not something that is guaranteed,” said Carrion.

He said he wanted to see the IOC branching out to other organisations to become stronger. “We cannot do everything on our own. We have tremendous resources in the work our members do. We can create associations with other organisations around the world, learn from best practices.”

In turn, Carrion said he wanted to see Olympic Games expertise brought back into the IOC as the Games became more complex. “We developed an expertise and need to bring this core of people in-house. There are areas in staging Olympics where we would benefit if we had a core of people permanently engaged in host cities,” he said.—Reuters

Garcia wants meeting with Woods to defuse racist row WENTWORTH: A contrite Sergio Garcia said yesterday he wants a meeting with Tiger Woods to apologise directly for the racist row that was sparked by his “fried chicken” comments at an official dinner. Garcia has had a long-running feud with Woods and it exploded on Tuesday night when he was questioned on stage at the annual tour dinner.

Garcia was asked if he would invite Woods for dinner and responded by saying he would have him round every night and serve fried chicken, stereotypically associated with black people in the American deep south.

Woods took to twitter, calling Garcia’s comment “hurtful” before attempting to diffuse the row after the Spaniard had issued a statement though the European Tour saying he did not mean to cause the world number one any offence.

And Garcia has been in touch with Woods’ agent to apologise and attempt to set up a meeting with the world number one to sort out the problem once and for all.

“I don’t have his phone number but I have called his manager,” Garcia told reporters at Wentworth ahead of the PGA Championship. “He didn’t pick up so I left him a message and told them I was very sorry and that I would love to talk to them as soon as possible and make sure everything is

okay. I said how sorry I am - it was a bad comment. “I am sure that I will be able to talk to him and apologise to him face-to-face. Then move forward and forget about the whole thing.”

Woods tweeted: “The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. “I’m confident there is real regret that the remark was made. The

Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it is time to move on and talk about golf.”

Garcia confirmed he had also apologised to European Tour chief executive George O’Grady and PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and that no disciplinary action would be taken against him. Garcia added: “I want to give an unreserved apology. I

FILE - At left, in a May 5, 2013 file photo, Sergio Garcia grimaces during The Players Championshop golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. At right, in a March 25, 2013 file photo, Tiger Woods walks to the 16th green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla. Woods and Garcia don’t like each other, and are making no attempt to disguise their feelings.—AP

was caught off guard by a question and I understand my answer was totally stupid. “I would like to say sorry to the European Tour and to my Ryder Cup team mates for taking the shine away from what was a wonderful awards dinner. “Most importantly I want to apologise to Tiger and to anybody that I could have offended. I feel sick about it and I am truly, truly sorry.” The remark rekindled memories of Fuzzy Zoeller’s comments when Woods first one the US Masters in 1997 and as holder could choose the menu for annual champions’ dinner.

Zoeller then said: “You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.” He later claimed the comments had been misconstrued..

Woods’ mention of the Players is a reference to the row that he and Garcia had during the Players’ Championship at Sawgrass a fortnight ago. The week was marred by Garcia’s spat with Woods - the eventual winner - on the third day when Woods disturbed the Spaniard as he was hitting a shot. The incident spiralled into a war of words with Garcia telling reporters again on Tuesday that he did not like playing with Woods and the two would never be friends.—AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

S P ORT S

Bayern out to exorcise ghosts of 2012 defeat BERLIN: Bayern Munich are out to exorcise the ghosts of losing the 2012 Champions League final at home to Chelsea when they take on Borussia Dortmund on Saturday at Wembley for the European title. This will be Bayern’s third European final in four years after the 2-0 defeat in 2010 to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in Madrid, then the acute disappointment of losing last May ’s penalty shoot-out in Munich.

Ever since it was announced in Januar y 2010 that the 2012 final would be held at Bayern’s Allianz Arena, the Bavarians had targeted lifting the cup ‘dahoam’-’at home’ in the local dialect.

Having beaten Basel, Marseille and Real Madrid to reach the final, Germany star Thomas Mueller gave the hosts an 83rd-minute lead, putting Bayern on course for their fifth

European title. Until Chelsea ruined Munich’s party.

Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba-on his last appearance in a Blues shirt equalised from his team’s only corner of the game on 88 minutes, then conver ted the final penalty as the Londoners won the shoot-out 4-3 to break Bayern’s hearts.

“I experienced the 1999 final, when we lost so dramatically to Manchester United in Barcelona,” said Bayern chairman K arl-Heinz Rummenigge in the wake of the Chelsea defeat.

“That was also unbelievably brutal, but I have the impression that this is even more bitter, brutal and has superseded that.”

The Bavarians came back stronger, adding centre-back Dante and striker Mario Mandzukic to their squad, and brushed aside all-comers to win this

season’s Bundesliga with a 25-point margin.

They claimed more than two dozen records, including most points (91), most wins (29 of 34 games), biggest goal difference (80+) and fewest goals conceded (18).

They are bidding to become the first German team to win the treble of European, league and cup crowns, but insist the 2012 final disappointment is just a distant memory.

“This is an incredibly stable squad, in its mentality and psychologically,” said coach Jupp Heynckes, who will bow out to be replaced by Pep Guardiola after the German Cup final on June 1 against VfB Stuttgart. “We don’t let anything upset us and we have a very clear goal to win the European cup. Nothing will dissuade us from that.

“I have never experienced such a

focused team, as a coach or as a player.” “After last season, after such a disappointment, when we were the better team over the 90 minutes, games like that carve out exceptional people and that is what my players are.”

Heynckes said losing a second consecutive Champions League final has not entered his head, while Thomas Mueller said dealing with pressure is just part of being a Bayern player.

“The pressure is always there at FC Bayern, regardless of which game, except maybe for our second-leg at Barcelona,” he said after Bayern won the return semi-final 3-0 in Spain, after their 4-0 home leg victory.

“Last season, we seldom turned things around when we went behind, but on the few occasions it has happened this year we have reacted well.” Bayern showed their mettle last

Saturday when they ran out 4-3 winners having found themselves 3-1 down at Moenchengladbach in the first ten minutes.

Likewise, two goals in the last 17 minutes at home to For tuna Duesseldorf in March rescued a 3-2 league victory. Midfield star Bastian Schweinsteiger, who hit the post with Bayern’s fifth and final penalty in the 2012 final, said strength in depth is the key difference this time around.

And should he be called up to take another penalty in a possible shootout? “If the coach wants me to, I’ll take one,” said the 28-year-old, who Heynckes has described as the “best midfielder in the world”. “It’s always difficult talking about it and we want to decide the game over 90 minutes, and carry out our plan as well as possible, but if it comes to it, I’m ready.”—AFP

Guangzhou sink Mariners to reach Asia’s last eight

MUNICH: A picture dated November 19, 2011 shows Dortmund’s Brazilian defender Felipe Santana playing during the German First Division Bundesliga football match. —AFP

Dortmund’s path from cash-crisis to Wembley BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund’s path from the brink of bankruptcy in 2005 to Saturday’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich has been dubbed “Ground Zero to Wembley” by CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Last November, he announced that Dortmund had posted a record net profit of 34.3 million euros ($44.5 million) for the 201112 season, when they won the league and cup double. It is a far cry from March 2005 when, with debts of 120 million euros (US$154m), Watzke came within days of declaring Borussia bankrupt which would have seen them drop out of the Bundesliga and into the obscurity of amateur football.

Having won the 1997 Champions League title, the club had descended into heavy debt by signing big names for huge sums in a bid to stay near the top of German football.

Borussia was floated on the Frankfurt stock exchange in October 2000, but the cash poured out quicker than it flowed in, leading to dire financial straits.

When ex-president Dr Gerd Niebaum resigned in October 2004, the club was debt riddled, their Westfalenstadion had been sold and successor Reinhard Rauball faced an unenviable task. “I had never taken on such a responsibility in my entire life,” said the trained lawyer, who had twice bailed out Borussia in the 1970s and 80s.

“When I had previously helped save the club, the situation hadn’t been easy, but the sums involved meant we could find a solution. “This was a whole new experience given the huge sums involved.” Watzke also has clear memories of the days around March 14 2005 when they had to persuade Borussia’s 5,800 shareholders, numerous banks and the German Football League (DFL) that the club had a financial future. “It was pure chaos and anarchy, it doesn’t get tighter than it did eight years ago,” said Watzke of his first days as CEO in February 2005.

“Within two days of me taking over, we had to notify the stock market of our situation, or broken the law for delayed filling of insolvency.

“Then if we hadn’t got a signature on a

finance package, it would have meant registering for insolvency and amateur football.

“The creditors were at our door and until September 2006, we were under their governance. “If the financial crisis had hit Germany any earlier, rather than 2008, there would definitely not be professional football in Dortmund.”

The players had to take a 20 percent pay cut as shares in the club plummeted by 80 percent. With bankruptcy avoided, the club slashed their budget, off loaded overpaid players, signed young talent and adopted a new philosophy. “We would never again go into debt in the pursuit of sporting success, now we only spend what we have earned,” said Watzke. Borussia struggled for form in the years after their crisis with three different managers from December 2006 and May 2008, when the club finished 13th in the league. Then Dortmund approached ambitious manager Jurgen Klopp, who had got Mainz 05 promoted to the Bundesliga in 2004 and kept them there for three seasons with a limited squad, but a well-organised system.

As luck would have it, Klopp had been approached to coach Bayern Munich, but the Bavarians opted for another Jurgen-exGermany coach Klinsmann-and Dortmund got their man.

The 45-year-old’s first few campaigns were encouraging: a sixth-placed finish in his first season, fifth in his second, then the first of back-to-back league titles in 2010-2011.

“When I arrived here, I thought, naively, that I could go shopping with a big bag of money and pick players. Then I heard about the budget,” admitted Klopp.

“There was little money, but a great tradition and high expectations. “There were two options: take credit, but there was none to be had, so we had to rely on young players.

“Some of these boys were playing in the Bundesliga at 19, it’s nice to see how they have developed and realised their potential.

“This final is a milestone, but no one has the feeling that the journey is over. “Even if we win the final, we will stay tuned and then try to give rise to specific football.”—AFP

SINGAPORE: Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande marched into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals and underlined their strong title credentials with a convincing 3-0 win over Central Coast Mariners yesterday.

Goals from Muriqui, Dario Conca and Gao Lin took Marcello Lippi’s team through with room to spare, as Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol also swept into the last eight with a 5-2 aggregate win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Guangzhou, 2-1 winners in last week’s first leg, are now into the quarters for the second straight year as they target China’s first Asian title since 1990.

And they will remain one of the favourites after another impressive performance.

The hosts had to wait only seven minutes to open their account, when Gao’s instinctive flick released Muriqui in the box and the prolific Brazilian rolled it past Mariners goalkeeper Mat Ryan for his eighth goal of the tournament.

Argentine maestro Conca was causing havoc and after teasing the Mariners defence on the edge of the area, his pullback to Muriqui drew a clumsy challenge from Bernie Ibini-Isei and a penalty.

Conca stepped up for the spotkick, on the stroke of half-time, and his left-footed strike curled low and to the goalkeeper’s right to make it 2-0 and effectively kill off the Mariners’ hopes.

With celebrations already under way among the large and boisterous Tianhe stadium crowd, Ryan denied Muriqui and Gao early in the second half. And Gao’s efforts paid off on 68 minutes when he was set up by Conca for Guangzhou’s welltaken third, despite the Mariners’ protests that the Chinese forward

GUANGZHOU: China Guangzhou Evergrande’s Muriqui (right) tussles for the ball against Australia Central Coast Mariners’ Trent Sainsbury during the AFC Champions League round of 16 match at the Tianhe Sport Center.—AFP had strayed offside.

Chances were at a premium for the visitors but substitute Oliver Bozanic blazed over and defender Feng Xiaoting had to clear another effort off the line. And in the dying seconds, Daniel McBreen’s header was flagged off for offside.

Earlier Kashiwa, with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, came back from a goal down to win 3-2 in the return game and eliminate 2006 champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The result maintains

Japanese interest in the competition and with the loss of Jeonbuk, the only former winners still standing, it ensures the 10th different champion in 11 editions of the Asian tournament. Kashiwa had their hearts in their mouths when defender Tatsuya Masushima put the ball in his own net on 22 minutes. But Hirofumi Watanabe connected with an inviting Jorge Wagner cross to restore parity just before half-time.

Wagner was on target six min-

utes after the break, and Kashiwa were all but there when Masato Kudo fired in a low shot to make it 3-1 on 69 minutes.

Kevin Oris grabbed a late consolation for the visitors but Jeonbuk, who were also runners-up to Al Sadd two years ago, finished the tie well beaten.

Qatar’s Lekhwiya host Al Hilal and Esteghlal are at home to Al Shabab Al Arabi in late yesterday’s remaining games, which will decide the last two quarter-finalists.—AFP

Bundesliga CEO rips FIFA over Qatar’s World Cup LONDON: The head of the Bundesliga criticized FIFA yesterday for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, saying the decision “is not for the good of the game.”

Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert, speaking in London ahead of the all-German Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, said staging the tournament in the tiny desert nation’s summer heat could endanger the health of players and fans. “ The priority is always first the health of the players and this is what makes me most upset that the decision was done that ignores probably the health of the players and that ignores what is real in the game,” Seifert said. “If you make a decision which is so far away from the sports perspective if it turns out only to become, let’s say, politically driven, sports politics decision, then this is not good for the game ... I’m not sure of the credibility of FIFA. Maybe first they should change the claim because this (Qatar) is not for the good of the game.”

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has stopped short of advocating a winter World Cup, despite saying last week that it is “not rational and reasonable” to play in the summer heat.

Air-conditioned stadiums to beat the 50-degree C (122-degree F) heat were a defining theme of Qatar’s bid, but the cooling technology is for the venues.

Since the vote in 2010, which gave the tournament to Qatar ahead of rival bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States, FIFA officials have publicly expressed concern about the heat.

“We are really happy that FIFA rec-

ognizes it’s warm in the summer in Qatar. This is a great, great finding,” said Seifert, who is also vice president of the German Football Association. “I am absolutely convinced that it is hard, if not impossible, to play a World Cup in the summer in Qatar.

“Maybe you can create an artificial second sky over the whole country or over the stadia but what does that mean for the people in the media who need to work there, what does that mean for the fans who are there?”

If the tournament was moved to the Gulf winter, it would likely be played in January and February 2022 splitting the Bundesliga season and impacting the start and finish dates of leagues across Europe. “From other leagues I do have the feeling they are also very upset with the situation that the decision was done and that a four-week tournament effects maybe three years of running of professional football leagues in Europe,” Seifert said. “It shows me which FIFA, as a body which says what’s good for the game, ignores completely the day-byday basis in those leagues who are effectively the core and the heart of football - not the tournament that comes up every four years.” Moving the dates to winter could also spark calls for a re-vote, according to Seifert.

“I am absolutely sure if countries like England see a chance of a re-vote they will force a re-vote,” he said. The English Premier League shares some of Seifert’s concerns about a winter tournament.

“We think moving the World Cup to winter is fraught with difficulties and not work able or desirable from a European football perspective,” Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson said.—AP

Manuel Pellegrini

Pellegrini to leave Malaga MADRID: Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini has announced that he will leave the La Liga side at the end of the season, a club spokesman said yesterday. The Chilean has been linked with a move to Premier League Manchester City who are looking for a manager after sacking Roberto Mancini.

“Professionally, these are my final hours at Malaga,” Pellegrini said at an awards ceremony in the Costa del Sol city, according to local media.

“On Sunday, I will take charge of my last match at the Rosaleda. Everyone has the right to follow their own path. I am not leaving because of financial ambition, but because of a sporting project that will allow me to feel fulfilled.”

He gave no further details about his future. Malaga are sixth in La Liga and host Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday as they chase a place in the Europa League next season, though they would not be able to take it up unless a UEFA ban, imposed because of delays in payments to creditors, is overturned. Their final game of the season is at Barcelona on June 1. “It’s going to be very emotional and we hope to leave the club with a place in European competition,” the 59-year-old Pellegrini added. “The agreement with the club has been gratifying and satisfactory.”

The former Villarreal boss, who joined Malaga after being sacked by Real Madrid in 2010, led the Qatar-owned club to the Champions League quarter-finals in their debut season, where they lost to finalists Borussia Dortmund. Known as ‘The Engineer’, Pellegrini has had a strained relationship with the club and its owners over their long-term commitment to the project. After an initial investment in playing staff when they took over in 2010, the owners have sold some of their best assets including Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal to Arsenal, and Salomon Rondon to Rubin Kazan. —Reuters

Sreesanth denies spot-fixing

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

17

Guangzhou sink Mariners to reach Asia’s last eight

19

Bundesliga CEO rips FIFA over Qatar’s World Cup

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SAN ANTONIO: Tim Duncan No. 21 of the San Antonio Spurs drives for a shot attempt against the Memphis Grizzlies during Game Two of the Western Conference Finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. — AFP

Spurs blow lead, beat Grizzlies in OT SAN ANTONIO: San Antonio bounced back after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-89 in overtime on Tuesday, taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals.

Tony Parker had 15 points and a career playoff-high 18 assists while Tim Duncan scored San Antonio’s first six points of overtime.

“I hate that we gave up that big of a lead in that situation,” Duncan said. “But we were resilient enough to go to overtime and not let it affect us.”

Duncan opened the extra period with a layup, then made a tiebreaking putback on Parker’s missed jumper before making a runner that bounced high of the back iron and rattled in for a 91-87 lead with 1:08 to play.

The Grizzlies had a chance to tie after Jerryd Bayless hit

a jumper and Parker missed one of two free throws with 14.6 seconds left, but Bayless’ 3-pointer from the left wing was off-target.

Bayless and Mike Conley each had 18 points to lead Memphis, which has fallen behind in all three series of this postseason, including rallying from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. Game 3 is Saturday in Memphis.

“We’re in the same boat we were when we left L.A. We’re down 0-2. We’ve got to go home and take care of business at home,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “It’s not going to be easy, but that’s where we are.” Duncan had 17 points and nine rebounds, missing most of the second half with foul trouble before coming up with the key baskets in overtime.

Memphis stormed back from a 13-point deficit with a

Rogge cites need for targeted tests LONDON: Olympic officials agree that more targeted, out-of-competition testing in high-profile sports is needed to catch the drug cheats who are escaping the net, IOC President Jacques Rogge said yesterday.

Rogge told The Associated Press that sports leaders who attended a summit at IOC headquarters in Switzerland concluded that better testing - rather than more tests is the best way forward in the anti-doping fight. Drug-testing strategies and the role of the World Anti-Doping Agency were discussed at a meeting of Olympic leaders Tuesday in Lausanne.

While the IOC declined to release details on Tuesday, Rogge said in an interview that all sides agreed on the need for greater unannounced out-of-competition testing.

“There should be more targeted testing with athletes that might be considered as being suspicious,” he said by telephone.

“Top sports should be targeted more than others because of the effect of doping on their performances, and the prevalence of doping. All of that was discussed and definitely will lead to an implementation.”

IOC officials have expressed concern that, despite the large number of tests carried around the world, the system is failing to catch serious doping offenders.

“Quantitatively, there was no call to do more testing because there is already 250,000 tests a year,” Rogge said. “But qualitatively, (there was a call) to make better use of this testing, do more out of competition and definitely more targeting, both of the athletes and the sports.”

Rogge chaired Tuesday’s meeting, which was attended by the four vice presidents of the IOC and leaders of international sports federations, national Olympic committees and other key groups.

The main topic was the role of WADA, which some sports bodies complain has gone beyond its mandate and unfairly criti-

cized the federations. The meeting was requested by the summer sports federations in February following public spats between WADA and the International Cycling Union over the Lance Armstrong doping case.

“It was the opportunity for the members of the stakeholders - the NOCs, the IFs, the athletes commissions - to vent their ideas and their feelings,” Rogge said. “We decided not to make a press release because these were informal discussions without an official point of view. “It was a very good atmosphere. People could express their views. I definitely think it will lead to very good collaboration with WADA.” Pat McQuaid, president of cycling’s governing body, and predecessor Hein Verbruggen attended. No WADA representative was invited. WADA was set up by the IOC in 1999 to lead the global anti-doping fight. The IOC and Olympic movement provide 50 percent of WADA’s annual budget.

WADA is due to elect a new president in November, replacing former Australian government minister John Fahey. The new president will be nominated from the Olympic movement.

“We are defining the wish list of the sports movement toward the fight against doping that we are going to give to the new leadership in November,” Rogge said.

Last week, former WADA president Dick Pound submitted a report to the agency detailing the ineffectiveness of the current drug-testing system.

Despite increased testing and scientific advances to detect more sophisticated substances, Pound said drug cheats are getting away scot-free because of a lack of will among sports organizations, governments and athletes. The report cited statistics showing that, of 250,000 drug tests per year, less than 1 percent produce positive findings for serious doping substances. — AP

15-2 run over the final 8 minutes of regulation to tie it 8585 on Conley’s runner in the lane with 18.2 seconds to play.

The Grizzlies got the chance to pull even after Manu Ginobili was called for a flagrant foul for pulling down Tony Allen on a fast-break layup try.

Allen hit both free throws and Memphis got possession, setting up Conley’s tying basket at the end of a string of seven straight Grizzlies points. But Memphis, which trailed by as much as 18 in the second half, could never pull ahead.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and the top overall pick for the second time in three years on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers were able to edge out the Orlando Magic, who had the highest probability of winning the top selec-

tion, as they continue to rebuild a franchise reeling from the loss of LeBron James following the 2009-10 campaign.

“It’s huge for us,” Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told reporters. “This is our third year in a row in the lottery.

Hopefully it’s our last for a long, long time.”

Cleveland selected Kyrie Irving with the number one selection in 2011 and the guard has blossomed from a Rookie of the Year into an All Star.

The Cavaliers were still unable to avoid finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference this past season, however, though they are on the verge of receiving major help. Following the Cavaliers and Magic, the Washington Wizards will pick third. Charlotte, Phoenix, New Orleans and Sacramento will get picks 4-7. The 2013 Draft is set for June 27 in New York. — Agencies

Visconti wins Giro stage

ITALY: Italy’s Giovanni Visconti celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race. — AP

VICENZA: Italian Giovanni Visconti soloed to victory in the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday to hand his Movistar team their fourth win of the race.

Overall race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) retained the pink jersey with a 1min 26sec lead on Australian rival Cadel Evans (BMC) intact after the 214 km ride from Caravaggio to Vicenza. Nibali won the Tour of Spain in 2010, was a runner-up on the Giro in 2011 and also finished third at last year’s Tour de France.

Despite having the chance to take a step closer to his first ‘maglia rosa’ (pink jersey) on Thursday’s 18th stage, an uphill time trial over 20.6 km, the Italian refused to rule out the threat of 2011 Tour de France champion Evans.

“I’ve always done well on mountain time trials,” said the Italian. But he said he would still remain cautious of Evans in the event if he stretched his lead over the Australian to two minutes ahead of two key stages in the high mountains.

“Two minutes would be a good lead. But I don’t want to make any predictions,” added Nibali. “Evans has always been up at the front of the race and he’s pedalling very well.”

Visconti, meanwhile, showed his tactical nous and physical prowess for the second time in less than a week after a timely attack 17km from the finish brought him his second win following his stage 15 triumph on the legendary French Alpine climb of the Galibier. As the sprinters, including Britain’s Mark Cavendish, began struggling to keep pace on the Crosara climb, Visconti made his move, attacking from the main peloton and catching, then overtaking, leading pair Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini) and Miguel Rubiano (Androni).

Rubiano tried to follow, but Visconti upped the pace after cresting the climb he quickly went on to build a 30-sec lead which proved decisive.

“I knew Di Luca would be hard to shake off if he came with me, that’s why I gave it full gas on the descent and in the closing kilometres,” said Visconti, a three-time national champion.

Visconti survived a late scare when he entered a sharp lefthander too fast and narrowly avoided a spill in the final kilometre. The race was marked by the huge number of roadside fans, and Visconti-who late last year served a three-month ban for working with banned sports doctor Michele Ferrari-said: “With 200m to go on that last corner I couldn’t believe how many people were there. “I was already starting to think about my win and about how my picture would be in the newspapers tomorrow.” Ramunas Navardauskas was next over the finish line 19sec later, the Lithuanian, who rides for Garmin, raising his hands in the air in the mistaken belief he had won the stage.

It is the second such occurence in the race. On stage nine Colombian Carlos Betancur raised his arms in triumph shortly after Russian Maxim Belkov had claimed the honours. — AFP

Business

IMF’s chief to be quizzed in French arbitration case Page 24 Japan posts worst April trade deficit Page 25

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

Is Sony un-Japanese enough to entertain change?

Explore Ethiopia ‘tourist paradise’ Page 23 Page 22

DUBAI: An ariel view shows part of Dubai’s Marina. The economy of Dubai maintains recovery pace, with grandiose projects making a comeback. — AFP

Oil savings win-win drives Saudi solar boom Solar could cost much less than half oil fired power DUBAI: A slide in solar power costs and a surge in oil prices over the last few years has made solar power a win-win strategy for Saudi Arabia: saving billions of dollars of crude for export while making electricity at less than half the cost. Riyadh plans to install 41,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power over the next 20 years, but to date has built only 12 MW - or less than even Britain installed in early May. Despite year round sunshine, the oil and gas rich countries of the Gulf have lagged far behind most of the world in solar power - so far. Saudi energy officials have talked of becoming major solar players for years, but while China built 5,000 MW in 2012 alone, Saudi solar capacity is still insignificant.

That is set to change, with an economic argument too strong to ignore. “Saudi Arabia is determined to diversify its energy sources and reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons,” said Wail Bamhair, the project manager for the Saudi team that visited the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last week. “Renewable energy isn’t just an option, but absolutely necessary. We have the means to build renewable energy, and we need to do it,” he said in a statement published on the NREL website during the Saudi delegation’s visit on May 13.

Five years ago, high costs made harnessing the sun’s rays an uneconomic way to make electricity and development was driven mostly by environmental concerns of European politicians.

Thanks largely to multi-billion dollar subsidies, Europe had 70,000 MW of solar photovoltaic installed by the end of 2012, compared to a global total of 102,000 MW, according to data from the

European Photovoltaic Industry Association. Dim growth in debtridden Europe, combined with a trade spat that could limit EU panel sales to China, means the Saudi programme is a vital potential export market - and the economics should now guarantee that it takes off.

Solar panel prices have fallen more than 80 percent over the last five years, because of global over-supply and lower demand in Europe, while average annual Brent crude prices have risen by a third, making the sun a very cheap source of electricity for a country that currently burns oil which it could export for over $100 a barrel. After years if stalling on solar, Saudi authorities now appear to be moving quickly to capitalize on the slump in costs, with contracts for the first round of 500-800 MW of solar power expected before the end of 2013 and a target of over 5,000 MW installed in the next five years.

“Solar in the Middle East is not being prompted today based on environmental or reputational concerns. It is simple economics,” Michael Parker, an energy analyst at Bernstein Research said in a May 10 note. According to a Reuters study of average selling prices reported by four of the top-10 manufacturers, siliconbased modules have fallen from around $3.5-$4.5 per watt (W) in 2008 to less than $0.8/W last year. Bernstein estimates Saudi oil fired power costs at about 16 US cents/KWh, based on a modern power station with an efficiency of around 37 percent, compared to less than 9 cents/KWh for solar, assuming an installation cost of $1/W. Solar power is still economically unattractive in a US market awash with cheap natural gas. In Saudi Arabia, where a lack of

gas forces it to burn up to 800,000 barrels a day of oil in summer, solar remains attractive even at well below $100. “Falling oil prices reduce the incentive, but don’t kill it until oil hits $50/barrel,” Parker said. According to a study by European engineering giant ABB, Saudi oil fired power plants have an average efficiency rate of less than 30 percent. If valuing Saudi oil fed into these plants at international market prices of around $100, oil fired power costs Saudi Arabia far more, around 26 cents/KWh because its inefficient plants get less power from each barrel they burn, Robin Mills, chief analyst at Manaar Energy Consulting, said.

At a capital cost of $2/W for utility-scale projects, solar could produce electricity at around 12.6 cents/KWh, Mills said in a study for the Emirates Solar Industry Association published in early 2012. Costs have continued to fall since then, dragging solar costs down to 9.9 cents/KWh when capital costs for large scale projects are around $1.50/W, he said. Saudi Arabia’s light crude has been sold at an average of more than $108/barrel since the start of 2013, according to Reuters calculations, making solar power even more attractive by saving millions of barrels a week from power plant furnaces.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance agrees that utility scale solar photovoltaics costs are likely to average around $1.52/W globally this year. At that installation cost, solar power offers Saudi Arabia an internal rate of return (IRR) on its investment of nearly 22 percent at $108/barrel. Even a drop in oil prices to $94 would still give an IRR of over 20 percent, Logan Goldie-Scot, lead Middle East analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance said.—Reuters

Millions fall into poverty in recession-racked Italy

DUBAI: Window cleaners on zip lines are seen as they clean the glass of pedestrian passage next to Burj Khalifa.

Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). — AFP

ROME: Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, said a report which found the number of people considered seriously deprived had doubled in the past two years. The findings from national statistics institute ISTAT underline the scale of the challenge faced by the new coalition government of Enrico Letta, which has vowed to stimulate growth and tackle a youth jobless rate of almost 40 percent.

A recession that has lasted almost two years has taken a heavy toll on ordinary Italians who are increasingly digging into their savings, ISTAT said in its annual report. Italy has the highest level in Europe of young people who are neither in education nor employment, at 23.9 percent, the study showed.

In Italy’s impoverished south, one in three people aged 15-29 fell into this group.

The number of people living in families considered to be seriously deprived has doubled in the past two years to 8.6 million, or about 14 percent of the population, ISTAT said. Families who meet more than four of nine poverty indicators are considered seriously deprived. These include not being able to heat their home adequately, which affected one in five people in 2012 according to the report, twice as many as in 2010.

The percentage of people in families who could not afford to eat a protein-based meal such as meat every two days rose to 16.6 percent in 2012 from 12.4 the previous year and 6.7 percent in 2010. More than 50 percent were unable to afford one week of holiday away from home last year, ISTAT said, with the figure rising to 69 percent in the south. About 14.9 million

people, or a quarter of Italy’s 61 million population, are living in families that meet three of more of ISTAT’s poverty indicators.

Just 57.6 percent of young people who graduated within the last three years are in employment, well below a European average of 77.2 percent, the data showed. Italians’ purchasing power fell by 4.8 percent last year, an “exceptionally steep” decline caused largely by aggressive tax hikes aimed at strengthening public finances, following four years of smaller falls, ISTAT said. A traditionally high savings rate in Italy has dwindled steadily and is now far below those of France and Germany, with the situation becoming particularly acute in the poor south, the report said.

Italy’s new government, already sinking in opinion polls and riven by internal disputes yesterday laid out its plans to address one of the main causes of public anger - soaring unemployment among young people. But the left-right coalition’s room for maneuver even to address this pressing problem is restricted by Europe’s second-biggest debt, the longest recession in at least four decades, and a long list of campaign promises.

The coalition between Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s centreleft Democratic Party (PD) and Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right People of Liberty (PDL) was formed only last month but has already run into trouble. Berlusconi is besieged by court cases, Letta’s own party is badly split over whether it should even be in an alliance with the scandal-plagued media magnate, and the two factions bicker openly on a daily basis. The government’s approval rating fell last week to 34 percent from 43 percent just two weeks earlier, according to an SWG poll. —Agencies

News

in brief

Oman Air orders 3 A330-300 aircraft PARIS: Oman Air has placed an order for three long-haul Airbus airliners, the European aerospace giant said yesterday. The order of the three A330-300 aircraft has a total catalogue value of $718.2 million (555 million euros). The aircraft, each with a capacity of nearly 300 passengers, will be used by Oman Air on long-haul routes, Airbus said.

The timetable for delivery was not divulged. The order will bring Oman Air’s A330 fleet to 10 planes. The chief executive of Oman Air, Wayne Pearce, said in the statement the airline considered its fleet of A330s an essential factor for providing efficient and technically reliable operations and in terms of passenger comfort. Airbus said that it had so far won 1,200 orders and delivered 900 of its A330 series aircraft in various configurations to more than 100 customers across the world.

South Africa inflation stuck at 5.9 percent JOHANNESBURG: South African inflation remained unchanged at 5.9 percent in April, official data showed yesterday, on the eve of a central bank decision on interest rates. The consumer price index remained perilously high for the third month in a row, Statistics South Africa said. At 5.9 percent, year-on-year inflation is at the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s target band, limiting the bank’s ability to boost the economy though interest rate cuts. A rate cut could boost economic growth, but may push inflation even higher. Most economists expected the reserve bank to keep rates on hold.

Nedbank analysts said increase in inflation was higher than 5.7 percent the market expected. Warning against stagflation-high inflation coupled with low growth-the bank foresaw inflation to breach six percent later this year.

Wealth fund trio to invest $500 m each LONDON: Russia’s second-largest bank VTB expects to close its $3.3 billion offering of new shares by the end of the week, with three sovereign wealth funds investing about $500 million each, Chief Executive Andrei Kostin said. Azerbaijan’s state oil fund SOFAZ, Norges Bank Investment Management and Qatar Holding are buying more than 50 percent of the offering of 2.5 trillion VTB shares on the Moscow stock market at 4.1 kopecks each.

Kostin told Reuters in an interview that the anchor investors were each taking “more or less similar” stakes of about $500 million - “the kind of ticket we are thinking of”. VTB is offering shares at a discount to its 2007 initial public offering and 2011 secondary offering, when the bank sold shares at 13.6 kopecks and 9.15 kopecks respectively. The share issue will bolster VTB’s Tier 1 capital ratio to 11.9 percent from 10.3 percent at Dec 31, helping it meet loan growth targets. The new Tier 1 capital ratio - a key measure of a bank’s ability to absorb losses - will be higher than No 1 Russian lender Sberbank’s 10.4 percent at Dec 31.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

BUSINESS

Is Sony un-Japanese enough to entertain change?

TOKYO: Few foreign activist investors have made much headway in forcing change in Japan, where a conservative corporate culture favors long-standing ties with banks, business partners and workers rather than shareholders seeking value. Struggling electronics giant Sony Corp, though, with more foreign and fewer bank shareholders, may prove something of an exception. That’s the hope, at least, of Californian billionaire Daniel Loeb, whose Third Point hedge fund has built up a more than 6 percent stake in Sony, making it the group’s biggest stockholder.

Loeb wants CEO Kazuo Hirai to sell as much as a fifth of the group’s money-making entertainment arm - movies, TV and music - to free up cash to revive an electronics business that has been battered by competition from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics. He reckons the shake-up could increase Sony’s market value by 60 percent. The target and timing of his polite hand-delivered overture are not accidental.

Sony earns two-thirds of its revenue overseas and, for corporate Japan, appears more westernized. Hirai, who spent most of his childhood in the United States, was picked by former CEO Howard Stringer, a Welshman, in part for his ability to be both a Japanese boss in Sony’s domestic electronics hub and a western CEO in the UScentered entertainment business. Also, investors are clamoring to get back into the world’s third-biggest economy where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s promise of deflation-busting policies has triggered a share bonanza.

“He (Hirai) is very accessible to a western person,” Loeb told Reuters in Tokyo the day after announcing that his hedge fund had built up a $1.1 billion stake in Sony.

“And we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think there was a tailwind from the economic policies in Japan.” Sony shareholders will be able to gauge Hirai’s response

to Loeb’s proposals when the CEO gives an update on his revival strategy - with a focus to date on growing sales of smartphones, digital cameras and PlayStation game consoles - at a press briefing.

DIFFERENT MIX Sony’s share registry could work in Loeb’s favor. The $21.2 billion electronics

deflation-snarled Japan.

Sony also stands out among its Japanese peers by having less of its stock held by conservative banks and insurance companies. Prior to Third Point’s arrival, Sony’s top 20 shareholders held around 13 percent of its shares, with Japan’s big banks accounting for about half of that. At Panasonic, with an ownership structure

TOKYO: Sony President and CEO Kazuo Hirai speaks during a press conference at the Sony Corp headquarters in Tokyo yesterday. Hirai said the company’s board will discuss a proposal by US hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division.—AP group has a large pool of foreign shareholders, who could be more easily tempted by the lure of a near-term valuation gain. Before Third Point amassed its stake, 35 percent of Sony stock was held overseas, compared with 22 percent at rival Panasonic Corp. Sony’s foreign ownership peaked at 53 percent six years ago, but has been whittled down as the group’s losses ballooned and investors exited

similar to most Japanese blue chips, banks and insurers hold more than half of the 22 percent owned by the top 20 investors.

RARE SUCCESS While driving change in Japan can be tough - foreign activist investors are often stigmatized as asset stripping sharks Loeb may be in the vanguard of a new wave of activism attracted by ‘Abenomics’.

Rating firms sow doubt on euro-zone bond rally Euro-zone ratings ‘still at risk’ LONDON: Credit rating firms say they could further downgrade the ratings of highly indebted euro zone countries, putting their bonds at risk of being pitched out of global indexes and reversing a fall in their borrowing costs. The view from the rating firms contrasts with the sanguine attitude of investors who, flush with central bank cash and reassured by the European Central Bank’s promise to take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the common currency, have been buying lower-rated bonds because of the higher returns or ‘yields’ they earn on them.

On the face of it, conditions for sovereign borrowers in the euro zone are improving. Ireland and Portugal - whose bonds are already rated as ‘junk’, or below investment grade - are gradually emerging from international bailout programs and returning to bond markets for their borrowing needs, while yields on benchmark bonds issued by Spain and Italy, two other countries that have felt the heat of the crisis, have fallen to around 2-1/2 year lows after hitting unsustainable peaks above 7 percent at crisis points last year or the year before.

Analysts say the recent market moves have been because plentiful liquidity provided by the ECB and other major central banks has outweighed unfavorable fundamental factors such as the fact that most euro zone economies continue to contract, while annual budget deficits and public debt levels remain stubbornly high. Ratings agencies warn that may change. “The current favorable market environment is not something that Moody’s is sure will be sustained,” Alastair Wilson, chief EMEA credit policy for the agency said. “The longer the underlying problems - growth, debt, institutions - remain unaddressed, the greater the potential for further shocks.”

Rating firms have a track record of making decisions that at times contrast with the market sentiment. In the past year, Moody’s reaffirmed a negative outlook for the ratings of Ireland, Portugal and Italy, Fitch downgraded Italy, while Standard & Poor’s stripped France of its AAA rating. The most recent example was last month’s downgrade of Slovenia by Moody’s, just before the country avoided a bailout by selling $3.5 billion of bonds in a sale that attracted plentiful buyers.

The downgrade did not cause forced selling of Slovenian bonds as they are not part of major bond indexes, but a similar move on larger countries is likely to be more damaging. Rated only one notch above junk by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, Spain is most at risk of forced selling, since some institutional investors only hold investment grade bonds or constituents of investment-grade bond indexes. “They were not at all shy of junking Slovenia, and this could change market perception of how high the bar is to junk Spain,” said David Schnautz, rate strategist at Commerzbank in New York.

Data on how many funds are tracking the bond indexes Spain is part of is not readily available. An exclusion from all indexes could cause 30-40 billion euros of selling - 5-6 percent of outstanding central government debt, JPMorgan estimates.

Analysts say domestic banks and foreign hedge funds - using the cheap cash available - are likely to step in and buy the bonds that institutional investors sell, but they would demand more of a premium to hold Spanish bonds over safe-haven German bonds. —Reuters

“Westernized companies are in the minority among large caps, for sure. Boards tend to focus on stakeholder management at the expense of shareholder value,” said Oscar Veldhuijzen, a London-based fund manager at The Children’s Investment Fund Management (UK) LLP. “The background of activism is very negative as it used to be a sort of Mafioso involved with a very different type of activism involving a lot of violence.”

A preoccupation by Japanese companies in the 1980s and 1990s to keep shareholder meetings benign created a niche for sokaiya - gangsters who extorted money by threatening to disrupt carefully orchestrated annual meetings.

Veldhuijzen can boast a rare success for foreign activist shareholders. Rebuffed in a 2007 bid to raise dividend payouts at Japan’s Electrical Power Development Co, or J-Power, The Children’s Investment Fund Management bought a stake in former state-run monopoly Japan Tobacco in 2011, and called for higher dividends, management changes and a share buyback.

At the time, the government was looking for cash to help the reconstruction effort after the devastation of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It agreed to increased dividends and this year sold a third of its stake in Japan Tobacco for more than $10 billion. At the same time, Japan Tobacco bought back stock worth more than $2 billion. “They needed the money and the popularity of the government was very low. It was a very unique activist situation in that respect,” said Veldhuijzen, who says his fund’s return on its Japan Tobacco stake is “close to half a billion dollars.”

ABE MAGNET Veldhuijzen said ‘Abenomics’ could spur foreign activists to seek out Japanese targets, though he warned there are few

big-name companies where their attentions would be welcome. “When I look at Japan, I struggle to find large caps with attractive business models,” he said, though he noted that Central Japan Railway Co, which operates the country’s most lucrative bullet train lines, could be a “phenomenal” company if management could be persuaded to raise prices and ditch plans to spend $50 billion on a highspeed magnetic levitation rail line from Tokyo to Osaka in western Japan. To tap into the ‘Abenomics’ effect, Veldhuijzen said his fund recently raised its stake in Japan Tobacco - which now accounts for 15 percent of the fund - hoping a return to inflation will push up cigarette prices, which at around $4 a pack are far cheaper than in other developed markets.

Josh Schechter is another investor who has succeeded where others have failed in Japan. Schechter is a partner at activist fund Steel Partners Holdings, which forced the removal in 2008 of management at Japanese wig maker Aderans Co. A year later Steel Partners wrested control of the board, and still owns 28 percent of the company. “It’s important you have a credible plan,” said Schechter, who sits on the Aderans board. He said his fund aligned itself with local shareholders unhappy with the board and with managers wary of where the company was heading.

The fund, though, could not repeat its success in 2010, failing to place its candidates on the board of brewer Sapporo Holdings. It later sold its 18 percent stake in the company. Schechter declined to say whether his fund would chase new Japanese targets in the current climate, but noted Japan could spur investors if it tweaked its tax code to let companies turn business units into separate entities and offer their shares to existing stockholders free of a capital gains levy - the type of corporate rejigging at the core of Loeb’s proposal for Sony. —Reuters

Africa lures Gulf bond investors

DUBAI: The lure of sub-saharan Africa, with its geographic proximity and promise of higher returns, is tempting cash-rich Gulf Arab bond investors to look south, a marked departure from the relative comfort and familiarity of the Middle East. Gulf investment in Africa is not a new trend, with numerous examples of strategic as well as opportunistic forays into the continent in sectors such as telecommunications, agriculture, and healthcare, through mergers and acquisitions, private equity deals and foreign direct investment.

Although timely and complete data on Gulf investment in Africa is not available, analysts say it broadly follows increases in annual trade between the Middle East and Africa, which has grown fivefold to $49 billion over the past decade, according to Standard Chartered Bank. Deploying cash into the continent’s debt markets, though, would signal a new form of investment, supported by increased US dollar-denominated issuance from Africa to help fund massive development and infrastructure needs.

“The increased issuance from African names in hard currency has started to attract regional (Middle Eastern) investors who are

looking for new investment opportunities to diversify risk, and invest in higher-yield opportunities,” said Dilawer Farazi, portfolio manager at UAE-based asset manager InvestAD. The company launched a fixed income fund in November to focus on Africa as well as the Middle East. Along with Morocco’s Attijariwafabank, it also said it would launch a fund to invest in African-listed equities.

Yields on emerging market bonds have slumped to historic lows this year as global investors have scrambled to put excess liquidity to use. With safe-haven assets such as US treasuries offering low single-digit returns, investment into riskier bonds in “frontier markets” has risen. Last year, African bonds delivered returns of almost 20 percent according to the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index.

Although yields on African bonds have also tightened, they are still higher than other markets. Farazi said that many African issuers tend to be lower rated than issuers in the Middle East and hence the yield pickup, but if investors are comfortable with the credit story and the risk, Africa throws up some good opportunities. In April, Rwanda, ravaged by genocide 19 years ago, sold a$400 million bond, its first

international debt sale, with a coupon of 6.625 percent, partly to fund infrastructure projects.

FIRST-TIME ISSUERS Though still a nascent market, new US dollar issuance from sub-Saharan Africa is likely to increase in 2013 from just under $10 billion last year. Kenya, Angola and Cameroon could be among first-time sovereign issuers over the next couple of years, according to the IMF. “Demand for African fixed income assets is growing, and Middle East investors are becoming more active in buying sub-Saharan Africa bonds,” said Rupesh Hindocha, head of credit trading for Middle East and North Africa at Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai.

“For Middle East investors, the historical trade links, for example with East Africa, plus a strong commodities play on many potential African issuers, make sense.” Hindocha said regional accounts, particularly asset managers, have been more “active” in trading African bonds in recent months but did not wish to give any quantitative volume data. Recent new issues out of Africa had attracted interest from the Middle East on the secondary market, he said. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2770000 .4310000 .3680000 .3020000 .2780000 .2940000 .0040000 .0020000 .0771240 .7513970 .3930000 .0720000 .7366120 .0370000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2841000 .4338920 .3707360 .3043390 .2795430 .0497330 .0443660 .2963730 .0365940 .2291130 .0029600 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0773800 .7538810 .0000000 .0757800 .7382100 .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.800 5.176 2.908 2.270 3.243 228.500 36.980 3.675 6.967

.2880000 .4470000 .3760000 .3170000 .2920000 .3020000 .0069000 .0035000 .0778990 .7589480 .4110000 .0770000 .7440150 .0440000 .2862000 .4370990 .3734770 .3065880 .2816100 .0501010 .0446940 .2985640 .0368650 .2308060 .0028810 .0052870 .0022880 .0029190 .0036810 .0779520 .7594530 .4048090 .0763400 .7436660 .0069870

Thai Baht Malaysian ringgit Irani Riyal Irani Riyal

Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

9.651 94.221 0.271 0.273

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 40.300 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.448 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.339 Tunisian Dinar 175.000 Jordanian Dinar 405.450 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.926 Syrian Lier 3.119 Morocco Dirham 33.924 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 287.000 Euro 372.380 Sterling Pound 436.240 Canadian dollar 280.700 Turkish lira 158.720 Swiss Franc 297.100 US Dollar Buying 285.800 GOLD 298.000 150.000 77.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL DRAFT 285.82 284.05 300.81 372.76 286.40 440.36 2.86 3.689 5.186 2.268 3.258 2.910 78.04 762.27 40.40 407.61

Rate for Transfer Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate Selling Rate 286.750 282.465 436.890 370.980 295.860 759.185 78.050 78.710 76.430 404.225 40.419 2.269 5.174 2.908 3.680 6.954 703.420 3.795 9.710 4.095 3.330 94.935

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar

748.000 79.500 77.000

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

GCC COUNTRIES 76.564 78.890 745.750 762.590 78.180

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

744.82 79.09 76.50

SELL CASH 283.000 282.000 299.500 372.000 287.500 439.500 3.300 3.720 5.380 2.460 3.400 2.960 78.700 762.000 40.000 410.000

British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa

SELL CASH Europe 0.4278611 0.0062438 0.0457049 0.3659017 0.0454473 0.4273130 0.0393132 0.2910703 Australasia 0.2708603 0.2263366 0.0001138 America 0.2723171 0.0001460 0.2846500 Asia 0.0036376 0.0031825 0.0457047 0.0165567

SELLDRAFT 0.4368511 0.0182438 0.0507049 0.3734017 0.0506473 0.4348130 0.0443132 0.2980703 0.2828603 0.236366 0.0001138 0.2813171 0.0001640 0.2868000 0.0036926 0.0034125 0.0507047 0.0196667

Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

0.0000445 0.0344062 0.0051116 0.0000244 0.0028682 0.0027159 0.0033694 0.0901163 0.0030839 0.0028840 0.0065058 0.0000733 0.2239459 0.0022295 0.0092397 Arab 0.7543157 0.0384236 0.0129449 0.1458305 0.0000798 0.0001762 0.3989505 1.0000000 0.0001760 0.0217232 0.0012225 0.7339262 0.0781215 0.0759467 0.0466344 0.0027730 0.1726442 0.0766578 0.0012941

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 286.400 372.050 439.150 281.650 2.825 5.190 40.445 2.265 3.680 6.960 2.915 762.700 78.000 76.500

0.0000505 0.0375062 0.0051756 0.0000295 0.0038682 0.0028959 0.0035994 0.0971163 0.0032839 0.0029240 0.0069758 0.0000763 0.2299459 0.0022715 0.0098397 0.7628157 0.0404536 0.0194449 0.1476205 0.0000803 0.0002362 0.4064505 1.0000000 0.0001960 0.0457232 0.0018575 0.7449262 0.0789045 0.0765867 0.0471844 0.0029930 0.1786442 0.0781078 0.0013941

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

BUSINESS

KUWAIT: (Right to left) Ethiopian Airline Sales manager Hussam Farid, Area Manager Ali Mohammed, Ethiopian Ambassador H E Mohamed Gudeta, Minister Counselor, Halima Muhamed Feke and other top official pose for a group photo during an ‘Ethiopian Travel and Tourism’ seminar on Tuesday 22, May 2013. (Right) Some Ethiopian ladies are pictured during the seminar. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Explore colorful Ethiopia - tourist paradise Ethiopian Airlines, Embassy woo tourists

By Chidi Emmanuel KUWAIT: Kuwaitis and expatriates have been urged to explore and tap into the Ethiopia’s natural beauty as the Ethiopian Embassy and Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) unveiled their packages for this year’s summer. Speaking at the ‘Ethiopian Travel and Tourism’ seminar held on Tuesday, the Ambassador, HE Mohamed Gudeta described Ethiopia as a tourist paradise and the land of enchantment. He underlined some of the measures Ethiopia and its national carrier have taken to boost tourism which include hotel arrangements, visaon-arrival for Kuwaitis and some expatriates, and other promotional offers.

“Ethiopian government has removed most constraints relating to visa and customs regulations, which will liberalize and facilitate growth of Ethiopia’s tourism trade. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism is working closely with the regional bureaus, tour operator associations and hotel associations. It has a pivotal role in bringing together the private sector and regulator y authorities, and is eager to work with private investors to position Ethiopia as a top-notch African tourist destination,” the Ambassador said, even as he called on the investors to invest in one of the fast growing economies in Africa.

“Ethiopia has much to offer to the

international tourists. It is a land of contrasting natural beauty, ranging from the peaks of the rugged Simien Mountains to the depths of the Danakil Depression, which at more than 400 feet below the sea level is one of the lowest points on earth. Ethiopia’s natural beauty includes a varied abundance of landscapes, including Afro-Alpine highlands that soar to more than 14,000 feet, moors, mountains, deep gorges, the largest cave in Africa (Sof Omar), the Great Rift Valley, tropical forests, white-

water rivers, savannahs, giant waterfalls and volcanic hot springs,” the ambassador highlighted.

He pointed out that some of the tourist hotspots and ancient sites include nine world heritage sites, the active volcano of Ertale, monuments of the Axumite Kingdom, the ancient walled city of Harar and the second holy place of Islam etc. “This combination of attractions is rare in a single country and includes a wealth of historical, cultural, archaeological and anthropologi-

cal sites, as well as numerous areas rich in wildlife. Ethiopia’s various attractions and mix of people and cultures give it a great potential for anthropological and educational tourism, photo and hunting safaris, bird watching, water sports, deser t trek k ing, mountain hik ing, camping and general ecotourism.

Another area with great growth potential is conference tourism,” Gudeta emphasized.

In his remarks, the Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines, Ali Mohammed,

called on the Kuwaitis and the expatriates to join the queue and fly with an award-winning and one of the few profitable African airlines. He underscored the Airlines’ achievements and its future projections. “Ethiopian Airlines has a strong safety record and a modern fleet.

Our offers, services and hospitality are too good to be ignored,” Ali said, adding that the airline now links the country with 60 cities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Mercedes review opens home front in luxury war FRANKFURT: How many Mercedes staff does it take to sell a car? The answer, in the luxury carmaker’s German showrooms, is more than it takes to shift an Audi - just part of the cost gap Daimler wants to close with its premium rivals. Among the top three, Mercedes depends on its unprofitable company-owned dealerships for a bigger share of domestic sales than either Volkswagen’s Audi or BMW, which rely more on franchises.

Now, according to documents seen by Reuters, Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche is targeting the company’s “own retail” operations as part of a promised 2 billion euro ($2.6 billion) savings drive. Daimler, already in talks to sell four German outlets, could mount a bigger sell-off if those transactions go well, a person familiar with the company’s thinking said. “Management wants to try this out to see exactly how it would work in practice,” said the person, who asked not to be named.

“They are gathering experience that could serve as a blueprint,” he said, adding “Zetsche is no fan of own retail.” The rethink opens a home front in Daimler’s battle to lift profitability to the 2013 operating margin target of 10 percent it set three years ago, only to shelve it in October. Zetsche, 60, has so far failed to put Daimler on course to keep its pledge to overtake Audi and reclaim the crown from BMW by 2020 - or even trim their lead in sales and profit. Daimler further cut its guidance late last month.

PRICEY PERKS Germany is the second-biggest car market after the United States for Mercedes, which reported a 7.1 percent margin last year, compared with 10.9 percent at BMW’s car business and 11 percent at Audi’s. Not including Smart, Daimler owns 98 Mercedes car showrooms that account for about half of all the brand’s German car sales. By comparison BMW’s 43 owned dealerships contribute only about a quarter of its volumes in Germany, and Audi’s 16 in-house outlets account for less than 10 percent.

Daimler is already in talks to sell two dealerships in northern Germany and two more in the west to existing franchise holders, sources said. By selling off more outlets, Mercedes could cut its 16,000-strong German retail staff and associated costs including vacation pay, Christmas bonuses, corporate pensions and profit shares - perks that most franchise staff can only dream of. “Our own retail showrooms naturally have to be competitive when benchmarked against franchise dealers,” Daimler said in an e-mailed statement, adding this had become “ever more challenging” in its weakening domestic market.

“There is currently no final concept for restructuring the group’s own retail network in Germany, but different options are still being evaluated,” the company said. It declined to comment specifically on disposals. Car dealerships are typically a 2-4 percent margin business at best, which drags down overall margins for luxury manu-

Manipulation probe draws attention to trading desks LONDON: Europe’s energy price manipulation probe has turned regulatory attention to secretive trading units at oil companies with huge turnover and millionaire staff with risk appetite higher than at Wall Street’s biggest banks. Regulators have scrutinized banks, trading houses and commodities markets more closely following the Libor benchmark rigging scandal but trading desks at oil majors have largely escaped attention.

Although banks and trading houses have expanded rapidly in energy over the past decades, oil companies still often dwarf them in size, geographical reach, profits and sometimes the magnitude of scandals surrounding their operations.

An EU investigation into the suspected manipulation of the price of crude oil, refined products and ethanol has thrown them into the spotlight. “Political pressure for regulatory action and stricter oversight of both traders and price reporting agencies will ramp up,” said Roderick Bruce, energy analyst at IHS think-tank.

EU investigators raided offices of BP, Shell and Statoil, trading house Argos Energy and pricing agency Platts last week as part of the case. It was the biggest crossborder action by the regulators since the Libor scandal.

Despite massive disclosure obligations by publiclylisted oil firms, simple metrics such as revenue and profit at their trading divisions are not public. There is also pressure from shareholders for the companies to provide more transparency. “Obviously you can’t talk about the size of the positions that the companies are taking, but in terms of the impact that trading has on profitability, it should be evident because that helps to explain the underlying profitability of the company,” said Charles Whall, who helps co-manage $1.08 billion at Investec Global Energy Fund, including shares in Shell.

The world’s biggest trading houses including Glencore , Vitol, Gunvor, Trafigura and Mercuria, long perceived as the most secretive firms in oil trading, have all started releasing detailed financial data in recent years to tap bond and equity markets. By contrast, oil majors like BP, Shell, Statoil, Total and Eni disclose very little. For example, BP, one of the biggest and most powerful trading desk in the industry, last disclosed figures for trading in 2005 when it earned $2.97 billion, or over a tenth of the group’s overall net profit. —Reuters

facturers. Daimler said its own German sales staff - a third of which sell commercial trucks and delivery vans “watered down” group profit with a negative 0.3 percent return on sales last year, according to an internal presentation.

That would amount to a loss of more than 30 million euros on 11 billion in revenue. Based on available data, it took an average 3.8 employees to sell a Daimler car each week last year, while it took only 3.2 to get an Audi off its in-house forecourts. BMW needed roughly 4.5 employees, however, though companies warn such comparisons are only approximate because staff numbers can include servicing and other non-sales personnel.

INTERNAL OBSTACLES Daimler isn’t the only one unhappy with its low-margin retail business. A job guarantee for the roughly 6,200 high-wage BMW sales staff in Germany expired in December, and unions fear management views some of the 43 retail stores as excess flab. “There are no concrete closure plans in the desk drawer, but we are permanently examining the efficiency of our own dealerships,” a BMW spokeswoman said. BMW may have provided a clue about its future strategy, after acquiring an insolvent Munich dealer during the 2009 financial crisis. In a break with the past, BMW chose not to integrate the business with its retail network, preferring to keep it a separate unit that offers fewer employee benefits.

Sometimes luxury carmakers need wholly owned showrooms - particularly in fashionable downtown areas where independent dealers struggle to run a viable business - to give faster, unfiltered customer feedback to aid product development and take on slower selling models other dealers won’t order. But Daimler’s heavy reliance on them may become a problem as the Internet changes the way people buy cars, and company dealerships typically underperform better-run franchises, said Pieter van Rosmalen, automotive retail specialist with MSX International.

Van Rosmalen cited companies like Penske Automotive Group among possible interested parties for any Mercedes showrooms that are put up for sale. “I bet you if a German premium carmaker put its own showrooms up for sale, then some of the larger retailers like Penske would buy it,” he said. Penske, which describes its general acquisitions policy as “opportunistic”, declined to comment on Daimler outlets, but the company has recently expanded into crisis-hit Europe by buying up some Italian BMW dealerships.

Other observers are skeptical that Daimler could clear the internal obstacles to selling off its dealerships, including a supervisory board where staff are heavily represented. “Management wants to do something,” said Londonbased Credit Suisse analyst Erich Hauser. “But I ask myself whether this is going to be another of those Daimler stories where the goodwill is there but nothing happens in the end.” —Reuters

JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan’s Dimon keeps chairman and CEO jobs NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase shareholders have endorsed chief executive Jamie Dimon to remain chairman, but the bank’s board faces added pressure after some board members barely won a majority. The Wall Street banking titan, under pressure over the huge “London Whale” derivative losses one year ago, beat back a shareholder proposal to strip Dimon of one of his leadership roles.

The proxy vote mustered just 32.2 percent of the vote Tuesday, even less than the 40 percent a similar measure garnered last year. But shareholders sent a strong message of concern about the effectiveness of board oversight in the wake of the London debacle in which the bank lost $6.2 billion in an out-of-control derivatives trading operation. Three members of the bank’s risk committee received less than 60 percent support as shareholders said they shared some of the blame for the losses.

Dimon expressed regret for the Whale debacle, but said the company was working hard to put the problem behind it. “We try to admit our problems, fix them and move on,” Dimon said during the meeting. Afterwards, he added in a formal statement: “We appreciate the support shown by shareholders and the thoughtful way many have engaged with us as they determined how to vote on these issues.” “We take the feedback from shareholders very seriously.” Shareholder groups had hoped to prod the board via a non-binding vote to remove Dimon from the chairmanship.

Though widely praised for his leadership during the 2008 financial crisis, he came in for heavy criticism after the London Whale losses, so-called after the nickname of one of the traders involved.

Shareholder activists argued that the losses demonstrated the need for an independent chairman as a check on Dimon. JPMorgan countered that its aggressive investigation and follow-up to the loss, which included slashing Dimon’s pay, showed strong oversight. In addition, the bank, the nation’s largest by revenue, pointed to its record profits and strong performance in the stock market as further reasons to reject the proposal.

JPMorgan heavily courted key investors ahead of the vote. During one investor meeting, the charismatic Dimon threatened to leave the bank if shareholders approved splitting the two executive jobs, according to published reports. Marty Mosby, an analyst at Guggenheim Partners, said the outcome showed shareholder confidence and support for Dimon’s long-term track record. “But it also shows their support for the board’s reaction to last year’s (trading) loss and how they’ve handled that over the last year.” The critics were not all satisfied.

Dimon had “a kind of a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on his face throughout the meeting,” said Lisa Lindsley, director of capital strategies at public employee union AFSCME, which sponsored the proposal to split the chairman and chief executive roles. “He probably sees it as a big victory,” Lindsley said. “I do think that’s how he sees it, but it’s unfortunate for the rest of us.” But if Tuesday’s vote shored up Dimon’s authority, it left the board itself in question. Some shareholders at Tuesday’s meeting sharply questioned Dimon and Lee Raymond, presiding director on the board, on the qualifications and effectiveness of members of the bank’s risk committee. —AFP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

BUSINESS

Europe shares, German bond yields ease Dollar index steady before Bernanke testimony

TOKYO: Tokyo Stock Exchange employees work at the computer terminal in Tokyo yesterday. — AP

LONDON: The dollar hovered near a three-year high and German debt yields eased yesterday as expectations hardened that the head of the US central bank later in the day would not signal any change to its ultra-loose policy. US stock futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street as well, where the Dow and the S&P 500 indexes currently stand at all-time highs.

Public comments from several top Federal Reserve officials in the past 24-hours have strengthened the market’s view that Chairman Ben Bernanke will point to the need for more certainty over the economic outlook before changing policy when he addresses a congressional committee at 1400 GMT. New York Fed President William Dudley, a close Bernanke ally, was the latest to comment, telling Bloomberg TV in an interview aired yesterday, that it was

too soon to taper back the $85 billion in monthly asset purchases. “I think three or four months from now you’ll have a much better sense of (whether) the economy (is) healthy enough,” Dudley said. The dollar recovered from a slight dip against a basket of major currencies to be virtually unchanged at 83.84, just below a near three-year high of 84.37 struck last week. The euro added 0.25 percent to $1.2937. The dollar index is up nearly 5 percent this year as investors favor the greenback on signs of growing economic momentum and talk of an early end to its huge stimulus effort.

“The market’s bias has been for dollar strength, but it is much more finely balanced now,” Elsa Lignos, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets said. “The reaction (to Bernanke) seems much more likely to be influenced by flows and technicals than the fundamental outlook,” she said.

The dollar’s moves were also seen limited by expectations that minutes from the last Fed rate setting meeting, due for release at 1800 GMT, will underscore the wide divergence between policymakers on the future of the bank’s $85 billion a month bond buying plan. “Bernanke’s comments could see the dollar ease somewhat. But the Fed minutes are likely to be hawkish, so we expect the dol-

lar to regain ground, especially against the yen,” Marcus Hettinger, currency strategist at Credit Suisse said.

Ten-year German bond yields were down two basis points at 1.39 percent, in line with a firmer tone to US Treasury prices that were being supported by the signs the Fed will stick with its asset purchase plan for now.

SHARES PAUSE Having rallied to multi-year highs on policy stimulus from the Fed and other major central banks, world stock markets were mixed yesterday with MSCI’s world equity index unchanged by the mid session in Europe. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 share index, which has risen to a 5-year peak this month, eased 0.5 percent to 1,249 points while the euro-zone’s blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index was 0.3 percent lower. Earlier Japan’s Nikkei climbed 1.6 percent to a 5-1/2 year high after the Bank of Japan, as widely expected, maintained an aggressively loose policy that will inject up to $1.4 trillion into the financial system. That kept the yen on the back foot against the dollar, which gained 0.4 percent to 102.85 yen. MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan eased 0.1 percent.— Reuters

SHANGHAI: A man sleeps on his tricycle next to a loudspeaker on a street in Shanghai yesterday. China’s economy expanded 7.8 percent in 2012, its slowest pace for 13 years, in the face of weakness at home and in key overseas markets. —AFP

IMF’s chief to be quizzed in French arbitration case PARIS: IMF chief Christine Lagarde will be questioned by a French magistrate today over her role in a 285-million-euro ($366 million) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagarde risks being placed under formal investigation at the hearing for her 2007 decision as Sarkozy’s finance minister to use arbitration to settle a long-running court battle between the state and high-profile businessman Bernard Tapie.

Under French law, that step would mean there exists “serious or consistent evidence” pointing to probable implication of a suspect in a crime. It is one step closer to trial but a number of such investigations have been dropped without any trial. Such a move could prove uncomfortable for the International Monetary Fund, whose former head, Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, quit in 2011 over a sex assault scandal, and for a woman who has been voted the most influential in France by Slate magazine.

Lagarde is not accused of financially profiting herself from the 2007 payout and has denied doing anything wrong by opting for an arbitration process that enriched Tapie.

However a court specializing in cases involving ministers is targeting her for complicity in the misuse of funds because she overruled advisers to seek the settlement. “The (IMF’s) board is comfortable that she did not profit from this herself. For now it is not a concern,” a source close to the board said, adding that it could reconsider that position if judicial procedures took Lagarde away

from her duties.

FORMAL INVESTIGATION THREAT Lagarde, herself a former lawyer and based in Washington since taking the IMF helm, said last month she was perfectly happy to go to Paris to answer questions about the Tapie affair. Her lawyer has played down the hearing as routine. The hearing, the first time Lagarde has been questioned over the affair, starts on Thursday and will likely run into Friday. A judge will either place Lagarde under formal investigation or give her the status of “supervised witness”, which means she will have to answer questions as a witness accompanied by a lawyer.

The case goes back to 1993 when Tapie, a colorful and often controversial character in the French business and sports world, sued the state for compensation after selling his stake in sports company Adidas to then state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais. Tapie, a one-time Socialist minister who later became a supporter of the conservative Sarkozy, said the bank had defrauded him after it later resold his stake for a much higher sum. Credit Lyonnais, now part of Credit Agricole, has denied any wrongdoing.

The long-lingering case, which saw Lagarde’s Paris apartment searched in March, has stayed largely under the international media’s radar screen as the former finance minister won plaudits for her role in Europe’s response to the 2009 credit crisis and in putting together the 2010 Greek bailout. — Reuters

Brent dips towards $103 LONDON: Brent crude oil dropped towards $103 per barrel yesterday after data showing a surprise jump in US gasoline stockpiles sparked worries that summer demand in the world’s top oil consumer could be weaker than expected. The American Petroleum Institute said late on Tuesday US gasoline inventories rose by 3 million barrels last week, suggesting the US domestic fuel market would be well supplied during the peak driving season. Investors awaited oil inventory figures from the US government’s Energy Information Agency (EIA), due at 10:30 am to see if they confirmed the data.

But a slight weakening of the dollar from 34-month highs helped steady oil, which tends to move inversely to the US currency.

Brent crude fell 60 cents to $103.31 per barrel by 0845 GMT, after shedding nearly a dollar in the previous session. US crude lost 30 cents to $95.88. “Investors are worried oil fundamentals are weakening with less demand than expected and better supplies,” said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “Higher US gasoline stockpiles, revised demand growth estimates and more oil from non-OPEC producers are all negative and there is little geopolitical tension to help prices.”

“CAUTIOUS” Losses were limited ahead of a testimony

by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who was expected to shed light on US monetary policy when he speaks to a

congressional committee at 10 am. The Fed’s quantitative easing programs have released hundreds of billions of dollars into financial markets over the last few years, boosting many commodities, and any sign that the easing programs could end would be bearish for oil.

Bernanke’s remarks will be followed by the release at 2.00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) of minutes of the last Fed meeting, which economists also expect to give further details of how it will eventually manage the exit from ultra-easy policy. Some economists expect Bernanke to suggest the Fed will keep monetary policy easy for the time being, a signal that would be supportive for oil. “We expect Bernanke and the Fed will remain cautious in any tapering of the current $85 billion per month asset purchase program,” ANZ analysts said in a note. “The minutes from the FOMC’s May meeting will also likely reflect this.” Tuesday’s API data showed a build of 532,000 barrels in US crude stockpiles during the week ended May. 17. Analysts had expected crude stocks to drop 800,000 barrels and gasoline stocks to remain unchanged from a week ago.

Investors will also watch initial purchasing manager’s indexes for May due on Thursday, for signs of economic revival in the three key consumer regions - China, the United States and the euro zone. Reuters surveys suggest they may show a slight pickup from April but not enough to dispel fears of a sluggish outlook.— Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

BUSINESS

A cake is cut in celebration of flydubai’s new route to Salalah

flydubai touches down in Salalah

flydubai extends network to 60 destinations KUWAIT: flydubai began flights to Salalah, in the Sultanate of Oman yesterday bringing its operational network to 60 destinations. flydubai flight FZ039 touched down at Salalah Airport just hours before the airline began scheduled operations to Mattala, its second point in Sri Lanka, following a special flight in March on the opening day of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.

The inaugural flight delegation, led by flydubai’s Chief Commercial Officer, Hamad Obaidalla, was met by Sheikh Hamood Bin Mustahil Al Mashani, Vice President of Muscat Overseas Group; HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saif Al Mahrooqi, Deputy Governor of Dhofar; Salim Bin Awadh Al Yafi, Director General of Salalah Airport and Khalid Bin Musallam Bin Salim Al Rawas, Director General of the Directorate General of Tourism in Dhofar.

During the reception inside the airport terminal, Obaidalla, flydubai’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “With Oman just next door to the UAE, there is a long history of tourism and trade between our countries. Through this new service we hope to further enhance these ties and make it easier and more convenient to travel between Dubai and Salalah. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in enabling us to fly to Salalah for the support and encouragement they have given flydubai.”

Also present for the celebrations were; Omar Bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority; Mohamed Al Zarouni, Head of Air Transport at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Salim Al Kathiri, Consul General of the Consulate of Oman in Dubai; and Ahmed Jassim, Director of Public Relations for

the office of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Salim Al Kathiri, Consul General of the Consulate of Oman in Dubai said: “We are very pleased to welcome flydubai to Salalah and celebrate the opening of this new gateway between Oman and Dubai. As the summer travel season approaches, I look forward to welcoming more visitors from the UAE to Salalah.”

Meanwhile, earlier yesterday, Obaidalla inaugurated the new flydubai Travel Shop in Salalah, making it even easier for passengers to book their travel to Dubai. Located on the Indian Ocean, Salalah the second largest city in Oman, is known for both its beach and mountain landscapes. It also enjoys cooler climes than neighboring cities in Oman and the region making it a popular holiday destination, especially during the summer months.

FLIGHT INFORMATION Flights to Salalah operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. FZ039 departs Dubai Terminal 2 at 1620hrs, landing in Salalah Airport at 1820hrs local time. The return flight, FZ040, departs at 1920hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2130hrs local time. Round trip fares from Dubai to Salalah start at KD66 with fares from Salalah to Dubai from KD40.

Fares include one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 7kg and one small laptop bag or handbag.

Checked baggage starts at KD3 ($14) for 20kg. A seat with extra legroom costs KD7 ($28). Flights between Dubai and Salalah can be purchased from flydubai’s website (www.flydubai.com), its call centre (+9714 231 1000), flydubai Travel Shops or through travel partners. Passengers in Oman can call the local call centre (+9682 329 2183 / 84), or book through travel partners.

Azeri SOCAR to borrow $20 bn to boost exports Fitch warns SOCAR’s rating may worsen BAKU: Azeri state energy firm SOCAR plans to borrow more than $20 billion over the next five years to finance energy projects to help boost gas exports to Europe, a challenge to plans by neighboring Russia. SOCAR, one of the world’s oldest oil companies, wants to send gas to Europe, hoping to capitalize on a desire in European capitals to diversify their supply from Russia after Moscow’s “gas wars” with Ukraine disrupted supplies in 2006 and 2009.

The plan to tap its Shah-Deniz II project for an expected 16 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) of gas to Europe is in direct competition to the South Stream pipeline project, led by Azerbaijan’s former Soviet master, Russia. Vice President Suleiman Gasymov said he would approach foreign banks as well as turning to the state oil fund to pay for a $5 billion refinery in Turkey, a $17 billion oil and gas processing and petrochemical complex, the $8 billion TransAnatolian natural gas pipeline project (TANAP) and new drilling rigs on the Caspian Sea worth $4 billion.

“SOCAR starts implementation of four projects with a total estimated cost of $33 billion-$35 billion from 2013,” he said in an interview. “Sixty-five percent of the cost will be provided by bank cred-

its, while the remaining 35 percent (will come) from Azerbaijan’s own resources, mainly the state oil fund.” SOCAR is a sole shareholder in three projects and controls the TANAP project aimed at taking Azeri gas to Turkey and to markets in Europe.

Construction of the TANAP pipeline, which will be built from the Turkish-Georgian border to Turkey’s border with Europe, is expected to start at the end of 2013 and the project’s first phase is seen ready at the end of 2017 or early 2018.

South Stream, which will stretch more than 2,000 km to northeast Italy, is expected to be built by the end of 2015, its chief executive of the offshore section said earlier this month. New drilling rigs on the Caspian Sea will be built for SOCAR by Singapore’s Keppel.

CREDIT RATINGS But credit ratings agency Fitch said in April that further investment or acquisitions by SOCAR would result in “a significant and sustained deterioration of credit metrics (which) would be negative for the ratings”. Fitch’s rating in April was BBB. In March 2013, SOCAR placed a $1 billion 10year Eurobond with 4.75 percent coupon to refinance part of its existing debt and for its capital

ITS restructures to face new business dynamics KAWASAKI: Cars for export park at a port in Kawasaki, west of Tokyo. — AP

Japan posts worst April trade deficit TOKYO: Japan yesterday posted its worst April trade deficit as a weak yen ramped up import costs and helped extend the run of monthly shortfalls to the longest in more than three decades. Data from the finance ministry showed Japan incurred a trade deficit for the 10th straight month in April with the red-ink expanding a worse-thanexpected 69.7 percent on year to to 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion).

Trade data is a closely watched indicator of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s progress in firing up Japan’s export-led economy.

Expectations for Abe’s pro-growth, prospending policies have weakened the yen more than 20 percent against the dollar over the past six months and boosted share prices to their highest level in more than five years. But the latest data could be a sign that a rebound in exports has yet to outweigh higher imports on the back of a weaker yen and greater energy needs.

The deficit was the biggest for the month of April in comparable official data that goes back to 1979 and was also worse than an average shortfall of 620 billion yen forecast by economists polled by the Nikkei business daily. It was also the longest run of monthly deficits since a 14-month string from July 1979 to August 1980. “Exports may recover further but because import costs are rising quite a bit, trade deficits will likely continue,” said Junko Nishioka, chief economist at RBS Securities Japan.

The latest set of figures indicated that the “worst period” is over for exports, she said. The data did not damp enthusiasm for Japanese shares with the benchmark

Nikkei stock average gaining 1.00 percent by mid-morning. In April exports rose 3.8 percent to 5.78 trillion yen while imports jumped 9.4 percent to 6.66 trillion yen. The yen’s average rate was 96.01 to the dollar in April against 82.31 a year ago, meaning the value of the Japanese currency fell by nearly 17 percent on year, the ministry data showed.

A lower yen helps Japanese exporters but pushes up import bills. Higher import costs have been resulting in higher materials and parts prices, which are leading to higher retail prices of various items ranging from foodstuff to laptops. With the yen hitting multi-year lows against the dollar, some politicians have started voicing concerns over its negative impact on people’s lives. Japan’s fuel imports have also stayed high as most of its nuclear reactors remain off-line since the huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011 sparked the world’s worst atomic accident in a generation.

By region, US-bound exports in April jumped 14.8 percent to 1.10 trillion yen, the highest figure since October 2008, on the back of strong shipments of automobiles.

Japan’s surplus with the United States soared 32.5 percent to 563.0 billion yen while Japan suffered a trade deficit of 38.6 billion yen with the European Union as exports there kept falling. With China, Japan’s deficit expanded by 60.2 percent to 442.5 billion yen as exports rose only 0.3 percent on a slowing of growth in China’s economy and as political tensions between the two countries continue to weigh on sales of Japanese goods there. — AFP

KUWAIT: ITS (International Turnkey Systems) Group, a leading solution provider for both Islamic and conventional banks, yesterday announced a ‘transformative’ restructuring of its business focus, organization model, processes and product positioning to meet new macroeconomic realities and prepare the company to embark on a profitable growth journey from 2013 onwards.

The announcement today comes on the heels of an overhaul in the company’s executive leadership and business plan when in April 2013, L. John Loomis took over the reins from Khaled Faraj Al-Saeid, who had been running ITS for two decades.

Loomis, who comes to ITS with more than 20 years of executive management and leadership experience in the financial, technology, entertainment and communication industries, set forth and is rolling out a plan to align, focus and regain ITS’ technology prowess and industry leadership.

“ITS is today rolling out a rejuvenated comprehensive business plan that will put the company back on track. This plan, which has been developed between April and May this year is set to reposition ITS as a profitable, cutting-edge IT and business solutions provider, producing and delivering to the highest standards of quality to meet customer demand,” said L John Loomis, ITS’ CEO. “Our business requires that we develop a more agile structure, focusing on quality and cutting edge technology products that satisfy all our stakeholders, from customers to shareholders and employees.”

Coined the ‘Turnaround,’ this process of getting ITS prepared and

ready to face new market realities has been expansive and current to industry needs and opportunities as new lines of business would bring new revenue streams, and a new industry positioning for ITS. The Turnaround, which is well underway today, aims to rebuild, reorganize and prepare for profitable growth, which the new company leadership projects to happen throughout 2014.

“Our new mission today and into the future is to be the world class strategic solutions provider for all IT and related business needs across all industries globally, based on sharia compliance,” continued Loomis. “Built on a solid foundation of innovation, trust, respect, accountability and customer and shareholder satisfaction, we are focused on taking ITS into the global arena where we know that our business fundamentals are very competitive.”

investment program. The company’s debut Eurobond issue was in February 2012.

Gasymov dismissed concerns over increasing SOCAR’s debt. “There are no risks for Azerbaijan over financing of these projects, because the state is behind them and we have a high international rating,” he said, adding that SOCAR planned to borrow funds mainly in export-import banks abroad. Fitch cut Azerbaijan’s sovereign-credit grade outlook to BBB- earlier this month because the Caspian Sea nation raised spending as oil output declined.

Gasymov said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and some foreign commercial banks had already expressed interest in funding one of the projects- construction of a new refinery at Aliaga in western Turkey, which is expected to be completed by 2016. Azerbaijan’s $34 billion state oil fund holds proceeds from oil contracts, oil and gas sales, transit fees and other revenues and uses investment proceeds to help finance social spending and infrastructure projects. Apart from transfers to the Azeri state budget, it invests in real estate abroad and plans to spend about $1 billion on buying commercial property this year, mainly in Asia and Australia. — Reuters

India L&T looks overseas to offset weak home market NEW DELHI: Larsen and Toubro Ltd, India’s largest engineering and construction group, will look overseas to offset a weak economy and project bottlenecks at home that led to a bigger-thanexpected profit drop. Shares in L&T closed down nearly 6 percent after the Mumbai-based company’s profit fell 6.9 percent for the fiscal fourth-quarter ending March, as its margins narrowed and existing infrastructure projects struggled to get off the ground.

The share drop was L&T ’s biggest since January 2010, underscoring worries about the state of India’s economy, for which L&T is seen as a bellwether. India’s economy slowed to 4.5 percent in the December quarter, far off the near doubledigit growth the leaders of the emerging Asian giant would like, as bureaucracy and a lack of financially viable projects have hit infrastructure building.

However, L&T, whose interests span shipbuilding to railways, forecast net sales for the current fiscal year would rise by as much as 17 percent and new orders would swell by about a fifth, thanks to expansion in the Middle East and Africa. “I would be very cautious about India growth,” A M Naik, executive chairman, told a news conference in Mumbai. “I wouldn’t want to give a very optimistic view,” he said.

The Indian government, which has struggled to implement a slew of policy reforms to help revive growth, faces a general election within a year, which

could see it ramp up social spending, especially on higher food subsidies. “Until the new government is installed, there will be social spending and development will take second priority,” said Naik. But L&T has put a “tremendous amount” of effort into diversifying and not being an “only-India organization”, he added.

“Since L&T has a wide range portfolio and since we have overseas presence, whatever shortfall we have in India we’ll make up for it outside India.” L&T’s net profit fell to 17.88 billion rupees in the March quarter, from 19.2 billion rupees reported a year earlier. Analysts had expected the company to report a net profit of 18.56 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Overseas orders for the current fiscal year would exceed 250 billion rupees ($4.52 billion), Naik said, up from nearly 150 billion in the last fiscal year, which ended in March.

L&T has in recent months won construction work at an Abu Dhabi airport and a contract for a gas processing plant for staterun Saudi Aramco, according to media reports, although it has declined to comment. The company, valued at about $18 billion, wrote off about 170 billion rupees of orders in the past fiscal year in sectors including power and steel as projects failed to get off the ground, Naik said. He added that another 50-60 billion rupees worth of “slow-moving” orders were expected to revive, however. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

BUSINESS

Ghana hopes to shield economy from oil curse Economists cite risks of fiscal laxity, Dutch disease

Air Arabia signs $350 million financing deal with QNB, CBI SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the first and largest low cost carrier (LCC) in the MENA region, signed a $350 million finance deal from a syndicate of two GCC banks to support the acquisition of 10 new Airbus A320 aircraft. Air Arabia signed the deal with senior representatives of Qatar National Bank

SAQ (QNB Group), the world’s strongest bank, and Commercial Bank International (CBI), a UAE growing commercial bank.

The financing facility is to support the purchase of 10 new aircraft, which is part of a larger order for 44 A320s placed with Airbus in 2007.

Air Arabia takes off to Abha, Saudi Arabia SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, inaugural flight yesterday touched down in Abha, Saudi Arabia, from its primary hub in Sharjah. The new service from the carrier’s primary hub in Sharjah marks Air Arabia’s eighth destination in the Kingdom and 85th worldwide. Air Arabia offers two weekly flights to Abha, making it easier and more convenient for passengers to travel between the two cities. Operating on Mondays and Saturdays, Air Arabia’s Abha service will depart from Sharjah International Airport at 13:50 and arrive Abha International Airport at 15:40. Return flights will depart from Abha on the same days at 16:20 and arrive in Sharjah at 20:10.

“The launch of Abha in Saudi Arabia is a continuation of Air Arabia’s commitment to offer multiple destinations in the Kingdom,” said, Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “Saudi Arabia remains a key

focus for the airline as we continue to explore opportunities for growth in this market. With the launch of twice weekly direct flights from Sharjah, we are confident that our customers will benefit from a unique value driven product, while further strengthening the ever increasing economic ties between the UAE and KSA.” Offering 88 weekly non-stop flights to Saudi Arabia from Sharjah, and its Alexandria hub in Egypt, Air Arabia continues to strengthen its intra-regional Arab network offering customers a wider choice for affordable air travel. In addition to Abha, Air Arabia operates non-stop flights the Riyadh, Jeddah, Madina, Dammam, Qassim, Yanbu, and Taif in Saudi Arabia. The city of Abha is the capital of Asir, a southwestern province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a popular tourist destination due to natural attractions such as its seasonal weather and fertile mountains.

ACCRA: Oil brought riches to Nigeria but also ravaged its economy and fuelled corruption and conflict. Now nearby Ghana has begun production and wants to take the wealth but dodge the oil curse. Ghana is used to resource riches: it is already the world’s number two cocoa producer and Africa’s second-largest gold miner. But there are signs it is struggling to manage the new oil money and some people are disappointed.

A budget deficit last year which soared to 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), nearly twice the targeted level, raised fears among economists of fiscal laxity, a classic symptom of the resource curse that often feeds corruption.

Investors are also watching the strengthening cedi currency. An inflation-adjusted rise due to an influx of petro-dollars can signal “Dutch disease”, where the competitiveness of farming and manufacturing is eroded, as in Holland in the 1960s.

“The government seems to be very much wary of the dangers of Dutch Disease,” central bank governor Henry Kofi Wampah said. “Oil will continue to attract attention but not at the expense of cocoa or gold.” In Nigeria, agricultural production plummeted in the 1970s and 1980s as oil came to dominate the economy. Some now fear Ghana’s cocoa sector, the largest employer in the country, could be similarly threatened by oil that began flowing in 2010.

The cedi weakened last year as the oil boom fuelled imports but its depreciation has now slowed to below inflation, which stood at 10.6 percent in April, leaving the currency slightly stronger against the dollar year-on-year in real terms. Ghana, however, has several advantages over its giant neighbor to shield itself from the oil curse, according to senior government officials, economists and watchdog groups. Not least of these, it is aware of the risks and is trying to avoid the mistakes made by other African states.

FRONTIER MARKET Ghana, a country of 25 million people that has long lived in Nigeria’s economic shadow, is now one of Africa’s hottest frontier markets. The stock market is up more than 50 percent this year but many ordinary Ghanaians complain about lack of jobs and basic services. “I’m not seeing any benefit,” said Jennifer Omaboe, a receptionist in Accra. “Those who are really benefiting are those at a high level because they have connections.”

An influx of rural workers hoping for jobs in the capital, has spawned shanty towns and spilled vendors across Accra’s streets, where cranes loom over construction sites and glossy billboards advertise cars and mobile phones. In March, oil overtook cocoa as a source of government revenue, standing only behind the mining sector in importance in the $39 billion economy.

With output at Tullow’s Jubilee field still ramping up to its plateau level of 120,000 barrels a day, and the nearby TEN field yet to come onstream,

Dubai welcomes maiden call of Mariner of the Seas DUBAI: Dubai welcomed Mariner of the Seas, a member of Royal Caribbean International’s cruise line fleet, as it made its maiden call to the Emirate on 21st of May. The maiden call, which is another demonstration of Dubai’s increasing prominence on the cruise tourism map, was greeted with a traditionally warm and impressive welcome ceremony at Mina Rashid, which included the creation of huge heritage village replica that featured a variety of traditional activities such as live cooking stations, a performance by the Harbiya band, Arabic hospitality (Gahwah), a falcon display, and a henna station.

The welcome was organized by Dubai Cruise Tourism, a department of DTCM (the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing). Calling on Dubai en route to Singapore and China, the luxury liner - which can carry more than 3,800 passengers - is offering a wide variety of itineraries, ranging from three nights to 12 nights from China and Singapore to Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea throughout the rest of the year.

Following maritime tradition, the welcome event included a plaque and key exchange ceremony, during which Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Strategy & Tourism Sector Development for DTCM, and representatives from other Government Departments that support cruise operations such as Immigration, Customs, Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), and DP World exchanged commemorative crests with the Ship’s Captain. The event continued with a ship visit and lunch on board for all the attendees.

Speaking about the event Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Strategy & Tourism Sector Development, DTCM said: “Dubai is increasingly consolidating its position as a destination of choice for cruise tourism. In 2012 we received 105 ship calls carrying almost 408,000visitors and expect this to increase to more than 420,000 from 110 ship calls this year. This will continue to increase in 2014 and 2015 with an annual growth rate that is in line with the projected global cruise tourist growth of 3% and we are looking forward to receiving over 450,000 passengers in 2015.”

Discussing the reasons behind Dubai’s steep increase in popularity as a cruise destination, Dr Ahmad Belhoul accredited the sector’s growth to the combination of meticulous planning, judicious infrastructure development, and targeted investment, combined with Dubai’s global appeal as a tourism destination. Dubai Cruise Tourism currently operates three facilities on a pier stretch of 1900

meters that can accommodate up to six cruise ships simultaneously, making it the most advanced and largest cruise tourism facility in the Middle East.

Dr Ahmad Belhoul continued: “Dubai is currently the homeport for four luxury cruise lines and features in the itineraries of no less than 20 world’s leading cruise lines. Since Royal Caribbean International first started its operations in the Middle East, choosing Dubai as its homeport in the region, we have developed a highly successful working relationship and so are very pleased to be able to welcome

the beautiful ‘Mariner of the Seas’ on its journey to the Far East. We look forward to continuing to work together and foresee many more prosperous cruise seasons in the future.”

Lakshmi Durai, Executive Director (Middle East), Royal Caribbean International, said, “Mariner of the Seas is one of the biggest cruise ships to arrive in Dubai yet from our fleet and belongs to the Voyager class of ships that revolutionized the cruise industry by introducing the active cruise vacation, through debuting innovations such as the first onboard ice-skating rink and rock-climbing wall.

Another stunning feature is the Royal Promenade, an interior boulevard that runs nearly the ship’s length; flanked by restaurants, lounges and boutiques and where lively parades and evening street parties are held.

This area is the heart of the ship for evening

activity, along with a three-story high theatre in which some of the latest production technology is used to produce Broadway-standard shows at night.”

Weighing in at 138,279 gross registered tons and spanning 15 guest decks with a passenger capacity of 3,807, ‘Mariner of the Seas’ was built in Turku, Finland before making its maiden voyage in 2003. In preparation for being reassigned to Asia from the Caribbean, she has undergone the multi-million dollar Royal Advantage revitalization, which includes enhanced staterooms, new onboard dining

options, a variety of entertainment options and other innovative features, such as a giant outdoor movie screen overlooking the pool that Royal Caribbean International has created in recent years.

The cruise liner’s sports facilities have also been overhauled to include an inline skating track, Royal Caribbean’s signature rockclimbing wall, a 9-hole mini golf course, a golf simulator, a full size sports court with basketball court, three swimming pools, and six whirlpools. In addition ‘Mariner of the Seas’ is the sixth Royal Caribbean International ship to offer the DreamWorks Experience, which features parades, themed activities and events based on DreamWorks Animation’s popular feature-film characters.

Each ship also is equipped with a 3-D movie theatre that plays the latest DreamWorks Animation films.

oil already contributes 6 percent of state revenue.

Ghana’s cocoa production, meanwhile, is down 11 percent so far this season year-on-year but industry regulator Cocobod blames bad growing weather. It has forecast a total harvest of 800,000 tons for 2013, second only to neighboring Ivory Coast. The leaders of Ghana’s cocoa sector say their industry may benefit from the oil flows. The involvement of farmers in the decision-making process, close cooperation with government, and internal checks and balances shield the sector from any policy neglect, they say.

“We all admit that oil is a big thing happening to Ghana now but for us it is a positive development because oil inflows will free more resources for the government to implement new programs to further boost cocoa production,” said Yaw Adu-Ampomah, deputy chief executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, referring to programs for fertilizers and seedlings.

With rising demand from Asian countries, as higher living standards bring increased chocolate consumption, many industry watchers say global cocoa prices are set to rise in the coming years, making the sector an attractive investment bet. Moreover, to counteract oil’s effects on the currency and the broader economy, Ghana is channeling 30 percent of tax revenues from petroleum into a stabilization fund to hedge against price fluctuations and a sovereign wealth fund, which contained $72 million in 2012.

CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM Some fear that oil revenues could encourage Ghana to spend unwisely, squandering money on unproductive “white elephant” infrastructure projects or inflationary wage hikes. In Nigeria, the wash of oil money made the government less dependent on tax revenue and less beholden to its citizens. It encouraged graft as oil-related contracts become an economic honey pot and sparked conflict in the Niger Delta amid anger the region had not benefited from its oil wealth.

“Our problem is no longer money but how to spend it,” General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 to 1975, said in the midst of his country’s oil boom. Ghana’s advantages start with a strong democratic tradition that predates its discovery of oil. A series of peaceful electoral transitions of power since 2000 between the ruling National Democratic Congress of President John Mahama and the main opposition have helped empower parliament as a supervisory body of the executive.

A vibrant civil society pressing for better oil industry regulation and accountability is also key. “There is cause for optimism when you look at Ghana,” said Valerie Marcel, energy expert at the Chatham House think tank. Ghana set up a National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) before the 2007 discovery of the Jubilee field, ensuring a reservoir of expertise and a structure to handle regulation and contracts was in place. In 2012, the government established a Ghana National Petroleum Commission to oversee licensing and regulation.

The mandate of the commission is being finalized but experts praise the government’s decision to split the role of oil license holder and license giver into separate institutions. One danger is that a new law gives the energy minister too much discretion to award contracts, said Mohammed Amin Adam, director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy in Accra. “We have been talking about transparency but I don’t see the transparency being implemented,” Amin Adam said in an interview.

DANGEROUS EUPHORIA Poor allocation of revenue can reduce oil’s economic benefits. Nigeria has seen scant improvement in healthcare, education and infrastructure and inequality has deepened, according to Edward Al-Hussainy, analyst at Moody’s ratings agency. “Ghana benefits from being more open and more transparent than many African peers so it is likely to be a better steward of a commodity windfall,” Al-Hussainy said.

Mahama’s government had promised to channel oil revenues into building new school blocks and improving services, though many Ghanaians complain progress has been slow. Oil swelled GDP growth to 15 percent in 2011 but may have encouraged the government to spend freely before December’s presidential election, according to some economists. The government denies this. The budget deficit overshot its target of 6.7 percent in 2012 to stand at 12.1 percent and the government has set lowering it to 9 percent as a key fiscal priority for 2013.

Fitch in February downgraded Ghana’s outlook to negative. Ghana this year also saw public sector pay strikes that raised concerns about wage growth stoking inflation. Public expectations of oil-fuelled good times carry their own dangers, Nana Osei-Bonsu, director general of the Private Enterprise Federation, said in an interview. “The euphoria is heightened to the point where we might fail ourselves. People go to sleep arms folded and think of all the glorious things that might happen,” he said. — Reuters

Drake & Scull International wins SAR 1.7 billion contract DUBAI: Drake & Scull Construction (DSC) the General Contracting Arm of Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI), a regional market leader in the integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of General Contracting, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), Water and Power, Rail and Oil and Gas, has announced that it has been awarded a SAR 1.725 billion contract by Lamar Investment and Real Estate Development Co to complete the Lamar Towers project in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. DSC Saudi Arabia will oversee and undertake all aspects of construction works on the project complemented by the international expertise of the engineering division of DSI KSA assigned to execute all incidentals MEP works.

The Lamar Towers project was initially launched in 2007, however has undergone some challenges and was halted in 2009.

The project was restructured and refinanced in 2013 attracting a profile of elite regional and international investors while a new development company was assigned to manage the project with DSI appointed as the main contractor in light of the company’s extensive experience in completing some of the largest and most complex projects in the region.

The Lamar Towers project occupies a 34,800 square meter plot with a total built up area of 409,770 square meter on Jeddah Corniche, and comprises two-high rise towers sitting atop a 13-floor curved podium.

Tower T1 and T2 measure 322 meters and 293 meters in height and comprise 57 and 49 storeys respectively. When completed in the fourth quarter of 2015 the Commercial and Residential Towers will offer a unique lifestyle at the highest level of living standards, a remarkable stylish housing and a gateway for modern and contemporary businesses in the Kingdom for international companies.

Commenting on the award, Khaldoun Tabari, CEO of Drake & Scull International, said: “The Lamar Towers Project is a very important vote of confidence in the technical capabilities and specialized expertise of Drake & Scull International in KSA. The scope of work required for this project highlights DSI’s flexibility in managing all types of construction challenges and requirements. DSI’s strong focus on premium developments and our commitment to deliver great-value MEP and construction solutions remain the cornerstones of our regional growth strategy.

We will continue to consolidate our expertise, technologies and resources as we support the on-going boom in KSA’s construc-

Khaldoun Tabari

tion and real estate landscape.”

Saleh Muradweij, Managing Director of Drake & Scull Construction added: “The project will bring together an abundance of high profile engineering experts within our team in the region. We are quite familiar with the unique architectural design of the project as we are currently successfully executing the Jawhara tower in Jeddah which is a project of similar structural scale and engineering complexities. The construction of this extraordinary structure is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2015 and will be one the most remarkable landmarks in the region. We are delighted to have been chosen to execute this iconic project and to contribute to the landscape development of the city of Jeddah. “ Drake & Scull continues to enhance and strengthen its services offering with unmatched vertical integration and global footprint. The collaborative capabilities of the Engineering services (MEP and Water and Power), General Contracting, Oil and Gas, Rail and Infrastructure development continue to deliver strong performance quality work on project sites. Armed with a multicultural workforce, inherent financial strength and solid regional experience, the company’s outlook remains positive in terms of realizing greater profitability and improving productivity across MENA, South Asia and Europe.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

technology

Microsoft touts Xbox One as all-in-1 entertainment Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo battle it out

(From left to right) Habib Mahakain, Mohammed Amin and Ahmed Halmy

EMC establishes new operations in Kuwait

By Islam Al-Sharaa KUWAIT: EMC Corporation, a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service, announced that it is strengthening its commitment to current and prospective customers and channel partners in the Middle East region by opening an office in Kuwait.

From the new office, EMC will extend its expertise to organizations across various industries in the Kuwaiti market to help them reduce their operational costs, increase efficiency, reduce risks, and increase their competitive advantage.

Ahmed Helmy, who has been with EMC for seven years, will manage operations at the Kuwait office. Prior to this appointment, Ahmed was EMC’s Telecom District Manager for the North Gulf and Levant Area. In this role he was responsible for relationships with two major telecom operators in the Gulf region.

Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Africa and Middle East at EMC said

“Kuwait represents a fast developing Middle East market where both the government and private organizations are investing in gamechanging technologies such as virtualization and cloud computingto boost operational efficiency. As these organizations become more competitive, they continue to focus on more innovative ways to offer their customers an enhanced experience while optimizing costs. EMC is committed to helping local organizations meet their business objectives.” Kuwait Times asked Amin why they chose Kuwait to open new offices and he said that it was a necessity, not an option to open the office as their work is growing.

“We have to be close to our customer”.

Habib Mahakian, EMC Regional General Manager for the Gulf and Pakistan said “Our presence in Kuwait brings us closer to local customers and channel partners thereby giving us an opportunity to better understand their needs and requirements. We are here to help organizations lead their IT and business transformation and help them further develop their skill set through knowledge transfer, technology consultancy, and support.”

Risky behavior starts young on web: study SYDNEY: Australian children are accessing social media websites at an increasingly younger age, a new survey suggests, with one in five “tweens” admitting they have chatted to someone online they do not know. The report “Tweens, Teens and Technology” by online security company McAfee found that children in the tweens age category of eight to 12 were adopting technology faster than expected, with 67 percent using a social media website. Despite the age eligibility for Facebook being 13, one in four (26 percent) admitted to using the site-although 95 percent said they had their parents’ permission to do so.

The most popular site for tweens was Skype (used by 28 percent), but children were also using Instagram, according to the survey of 500 youngsters geograhically representative of Australia’s online population. While the survey found that one in five tweens (19 percent) said they chatted to someone online that they did not know, only seven percent said they had shared personal information.

Australia’s Communications Minister Stephen

Conroy said it was troubling that children talk to strangers online. “It shows we must remain vigilant to online threats,” he said. The findings suggest the age at which children first use social media is falling, given a 2012 McAfee survey of teens aged 13-17 found the average age they opened their first social network account was 13. On average, tweens were using three or four devices that can be Internet enabled, with 66 percent opting for mobile phones and/or tablets. Fifty-four percent said they used a tablet for more than an hour a day. Most tweens use their devices to access the Internet, and on average spend about 1.5 hours a day accessing the web, the survey said. “Both parents and schools are encouraged to keep a close monitor on their child’s online behaviour to ensure they have safe online experiences,” said Andrew Littleproud, president of McAfee Asia-Pacific. “By working closely with child psychologists, we have seen that online behaviours become entrenched in the tween age group so proactive education is critical within eight to 12 age bracket.” —AFP

Teens migrating to Twitter now

WASHINGTON: Twitter is booming as a social media destination for teenagers who complain about too many adults and too much drama on Facebook, according to a new study published Tuesday about online behavior. It said teens are sharing more personal information about themselves even as they try to protect their online reputations.

Teens told researchers there were too many adults on Facebook and too much sharing of teenage angst and inane details like what a friend ate for dinner. “The key is that there are fewer adults, fewer parents and just simply less complexity,” said Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Center, one of the study’s authors.

“They still have their Facebook profiles, but they spend less time on them and move to places like Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.”

In the poll, 94 percent of teens who are social media users have a profile on Facebook flat from the previous year. Twenty-six percent of teen social media users were on Twitter. That’s more than double the figure in 2011 of 12 percent. “Facebook just really seems to have more drama,” said 16-year-old Jaime Esquivel in an interview.

Esquivel said he still checks his Facebook account daily but isn’t using it as regularly as in the past. He sees teens complaining on Twitter, too, so Esquivel has been using the photo-sharing service Instagram more often, posting a couple of pictures each day and communicating with friends. Facebook purchased Instagram last year.

In what may be a concern to parents, more

than 60 percent of the teens with Twitter accounts said their tweets were public, meaning anyone on Twitter - friend, foe or stranger - can see what they write and publish. About onequarter of kids said their tweets were private and 12 percent said they did not know whether their tweets were public or private.

Teens are also sharing much more than in the past. More than 90 percent of teen social media users said they have posted a picture of themselves - up from 79 percent in 2006, the poll said. Seven in ten disclose the city or town where they live, up from about 60 percent over the same time period. And 20 percent disclose their cell phone number - up sharply from a mere two percent in 2006.

Even so, Parry Aftab, an attorney and online child safety advocate, says kids seem to be exercising more caution about their posts. “They are sharing. This is their life,” Aftab said in an interview. “But they tend to be sharing personal stuff far better than they ever did before.”

The poll suggested teens are also taking steps to protect their reputations and mask information they don’t want others to see. For example, nearly 60 percent of teen social media users said they have deleted or edited something that they had published. Just over half the teens have deleted comments from others on their profile or account. The researchers surveyed 802 parents and their 802 teens. The poll was conducted between July 26 and September 30, 2012, on landline and cell phones. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. —AP

REDMOND: Microsoft thinks it has the one. The company unveiled the Xbox One, an entertainment console that wants to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies, sports and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year, for an undisclosed price. For the past two years, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has outsold its rivals. But it’s been eight years since that machine came out, and Microsoft is the last of the three major console makers to unveil a new system. In those eight years, Apple launched the iPhone and the iPad, “FarmVille” rose and fell and tablets began to threaten desktop computers, changing how people interact with games and beyond.

Now, the stakes are high as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all using their latest machines not only to draw gamers but also to command the living room. The goal is to extend their reach beyond loyal legions of hardcore gamers and to become as important to our lives at home as smartphones have become to our lives on the go. Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s president of interactive entertainment business, said the company has spent the past four years working on an “all-in-one home entertainment system.”

At an hour-long unveiling at the company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters on Tuesday, Microsoft executives used voice controls to switch back and forth seamlessly between watching live TV, listening to music, playing a movie and browsing the Internet all while running apps for stuff like fantasy football and Skype chats on the side of the screen.

“It really extends the home entertainment experience,” Gartner analyst Brian Blau said. He said the console seems to appeal to “more than just a core gamer in the family” and should be of interest to all types of audiences, from sports players to TV viewers to those who are “social and want to share things.” The Xbox One unveiling follows Nintendo Co.’s launch of the Wii U in November and Sony Corp.’s tease in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4. Each of the new consoles has shifted away from simply serving as gaming machines, as they incorporate streaming media apps and social networking features.

People will be able to connect their cable or satellite set-top box and watch TV through the Xbox One. It will have its own channel guide and allow viewers to change channels by voice command. Senior Vice President Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated how the console switched quickly between channels after saying show names such as “Mary and Martha” or commands like “watch MTV.” His voice command of “What’s on HBO?” brought up the channel guide for HBO. “No more memorizing channels or hunting for the remote control,” Mehdi said. The interface for the TV goes well beyond the functionality in the Wii U, which still requires users to press buttons to change the input source on the TV. Xbox One seamlessly flipped between games, movies and TV shows with voice commands. In addition to the console, Microsoft unveiled a new version of its camera-based Kinect system with better motion and voice detection, including the ability to recognize faces, tell if you’re smiling or talking and gauge your heart rate. In a demonstration, the new sensor detected up to seven people in front of it. Microsoft said the new Kinect will be included with the Xbox One and is deeply integrated into the system, but it won’t necessarily always be watching users in their living rooms.

“There’s the ability for you to manage the privacy settings so you can turn it off,” Marc Whitten, Microsoft’s chief product officer of interactive entertainment business, said in an interview in his office after Tuesday’s presentation. “Just like the 360, the biggest thing for us is that you are in control of your privacy.” The company also introduced a more ergonomic Xbox controller, with a slightly different layout from the Xbox 360 controller and trigger buttons that vibrate. The new console will also add the ability to play Blu-ray discs, matching what Sony has in its older PlayStation 3.

The Xbox One won’t require a constant connection to the Internet, but having it will be useful for many of the gaming and entertainment features. The Xbox has been popular largely because of its Xbox Live service, which lets users play games online with other players with annual plans that cost as much as $60 a year. “The box wants to connect to the Internet,” Whitten said. “That said, we understand the Internet is flakey. It doesn’t always work. We want to make sure you can still play your games, watch movies and watch TV if the Internet is down.”

Despite talk that Microsoft might restrict the use of games previously owned by others, the company confirmed that the Xbox One will indeed play used games, but it didn’t provide details on how that would work. It said games for the Xbox 360 won’t

work on the new system because the underlying technology is different, though the company said it will continue to make games for the older machine.

Whitten said the Xbox 360 “is going to be incredibly vibrant for some time to come.”

Among the games previewed for Xbox One were the military shooter “Call of Duty: Ghosts” from Activision Blizzard Inc., soccer extravaganza “FIFA 14” from Electronic Arts Inc and racing simulator “Forza Motorsport 5” and time bender “Quantum Break,” both from Microsoft Game Studios. Microsoft said more games will be shown at next month’s E3 video game conference in Los Angeles.

The company said there will be more than 15 games available exclusively on the Xbox One in its first year, eight of them new franchises. In recent years, the Xbox has been the exclusive home to such

fer multiple screens, fans can get an even deeper experience on mobile devices such as tablets.

Microsoft is also branching into creating original content beyond games, following the trend of other technology companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc. Director Steven Spielberg will produce a TV series based on the “Halo” games.

The original Xbox debuted in 2001, and its highdefinition successor premiered in 2005. The Xbox represents a small fraction of Microsoft’s overall revenue, but it is an important consumer-facing business for Microsoft and offers a way to direct traffic to other Microsoft-owned services, including Skype.

Microsoft’s stock fell 23 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close Tuesday at $34.85.

Nintendo kicked off the next generation of gaming in November with the launch of the Wii U, the suc-

REDMOND: A member of the Microsoft security team watches over the newly unveiled Xbox One videogame console at the Microsoft campus. —AFP

REDMOND: Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, talks about the next-generation Xbox One entertainment and gaming console system’s capabilities for viewing live sports. —AP popular gaming franchises as sci-fi shooter “Halo” and alien shoot-’em-up “Gears of War.” Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said Tuesday’s presentation was more general than what Microsoft will likely give at E3, where games will be central as thousands of game industry insiders, bloggers and journalists gather for the annual industry conference. “They didn’t focus on games,” he said. “They focused on everything else.”

That everything else includes a multiyear agreement between Microsoft and the National Football League to develop new interactive viewing experiences for pro football games through such products as the Xbox One and Microsoft’s Surface tablet computer. Fans will be able to watch games, chat with other fans, view statistics, access highlights in real time and gather fantasy information about players and teams - all on a single screen. For those who pre-

cessor to the popular Wii system. The Wii U features an innovative tablet-like controller, though its graphics is on par with the previous-generation Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Nintendo said the console sold just 3.45 million units by the end of March, well below expectations.

Sony was next, teasing plans for its upcoming PlayStation 4 - without showing the actual box - at a February event in New York. The reaction to that console, which featured richer graphics and more social features, was mixed. The PS4 is expected by the holidays. Microsoft didn’t waste any time showing off the Xbox One console, new Kinect sensor and Xbox controller at the beginning of Tuesday’s presentation.

Barbara Ortutay reported from New York. AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima in Los Angeles and AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner in Boston contributed to this story. —AP

Restaurant learns online reviews can make or break

ROTTERDAM: The PAKS, vehicle No. 519, UrbanConcept, running on Gasoline, competing for team SKAP from Warsaw University of Technology, Poland races during Day 2 of competition at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe at The Ahoy centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The car won first prize in the Gasoline category. Teams from universities all over Europe have brought their energy efficient cars to compete in the challenge. —AP

PHOENIX: It was the customer service disaster heard around the Internet. An Arizona restaurateur, fed up after years of negative online reviews and an embarrassing appearance on a reality television show, posted a social media rant laced with salty language and angry, uppercase letters that quickly went viral last week, to the delight of people who love a good Internet meltdown.

“I AM NOT STUPID ALL OF YOU ARE,” read the posting on the Facebook wall of Amy’s Baking Co. in suburban Phoenix. “YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW GOOD FOOD.” It was, to put it kindly, not a best business practice. Add to that an appearance earlier this month on the Fox reality television show “Kitchen Nightmares” - where celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay gave up on trying to save the restaurant after he was insulted - and you have a recipe for disaster.

“That’s probably the worst thing that can happen,” said Sujan Patel, founder and CEO of Single Grain, a digital marketing agency in San Francisco.

In the evolving world of online marketing, where the power of word of mouth has been wildly amplified by the whims and first impressions of anonymous reviewers posting on dozens of social media websites, online comments, both good and bad, and the reactions they trigger from managers, can make all the difference between higher revenues and empty storefronts.

Hotels, restaurants and other businesses that depend on good customer service reviews have all grappled in recent years with how to respond to online feedback on sites such as Twitter,

Foursquare, Yelp, Facebook and Instagram, where comments can often be more vitriol than in-person reviews because of the anonymous shield many social media websites provide.

No matter how ugly the reviews get, businesses need to be willing to admit mistakes and offer discounts to lure unhappy customers back, digital marketing experts said. “In the past, people just sent bad soup back. Well, now they are getting on social media and telling all their friends and friends of friends how bad the soup was and why they should find other places to get soup in the future, so it takes the customer experience to another level,” said Tom Garrity of the Garrity Group, a public relations firm in New Mexico.

“The challenge becomes - how do you respond when someone doesn’t think your food or product is as great as you think it is?” In Amy and Samy Bouzaglo’s case, the bad reviews were compounded by their horrible reality TV experience. The couple said during a recent episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” that they needed professional guidance after years of battling terrible online reviews.

They opened the pizzeria in an upscale Scottsdale neighborhood about six years ago. “Kitchen Nightmares” follows Ramsay as he helps rebuild struggling restaurants. After one bite, he quickly deemed Amy’s Baking Co. a disaster and chided the Bouzaglos for growing increasingly irate over his constructive feedback. Among his many critiques: The store-bought ravioli smelled “weird,” a salmon burger was overcooked and a fig pizza was too sweet and arrived on raw dough. —AP

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Aviation experts see emissions deal by 2020

PHOENIX: Solar Impulse, piloted by Andre Borschberg, takes flight during the second leg of the 2013 Across America mission yesterday from Sky Harbor International Airport. —AP

Solar plane eyes new leg of cross-country US trip Project sets goal of around-the-world flight in 2015 LOS ANGELES: The first-ever manned airplane that can fly by day or night on solar power alone was set to soar early yesterday on the second leg of its journey across the United States. The fuel-free plane was due to leave Phoenix, Arizona for Dallas, Texas, organizers said. The US crossing is being billed as the plane’s first cross-continent flight.

On May 3, Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard flew the craft from Moffett Airfield near San Francisco, California to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on the first leg of the trip. But yesterday Swiss fellow adventurer Andre Borschberg will be at the controls flying the craft to Dallas on a 1,337 km (830 mile) journey that would set a world record for distance.

On the first phase of the continental crossing the plane-which has a slim body and four electric engines attached to enormous wings-flew quietly at an average speed of about 30 miles (49 kilome-

ters) per hour. Energy provided by 12,000 solar cells powered the plane’s propellers.

The project aims to showcase what can be accomplished without fossil fuels, and has set its “ultimate goal” as an around-the-world flight in 2015. The plane can fly at night by reaching a high elevation of 27,000 feet (8,230 meters) and then gently gliding downward, using almost no power through the night until the sun comes up to begin recharging the solar cells.

The US itinerary allows for up to 10 days at each stop in order to showcase the plane’s technology to the public. Another stop is planned in the US capital Washington before the trip concludes in New York in early July. The stopovers will allow Piccard and Borschberg to share duties and rest between flights.

A dashboard showing the live speed, direction, battery status, solar generator and engine power,

along with cockpit cameras of both Piccard and his view from the plane, were online at live.solarimpulse.com.

The aircraft completed its first intercontinental journey from Europe to Africa in June on a jaunt from Madrid to Rabat. The plane completed the first-ever solar 26-hour day and night trip in 2010.

However, the cockpit has room for just one pilot, so even though the plane could likely make the entire US journey in three days, Piccard decided it would be easier to rest and exchange flight control with Borschberg at the stops. Solar Impulse was launched in 2003. The slim plane is particularly sensitive to turbulence and has no room for passengers, but Piccard has insisted that those issues are challenges to be met in the future, rather than setbacks. Sponsors include the Solvay Chemical Group, Omega watches and the Swiss elevator and escalator company, The Schindler Group. —AFP

GENEVA: Senior officials from business and commercial aviation voiced cautious optimism that a long-sought worldwide framework to reduce aviation’s carbon emissions could be in place by 2020. And a key negotiator for the European Union’s Executive Commission, focus of anger from many other countries over its emissions trading scheme (ETS), said she hoped a road map towards a pact would be agreed by this autumn.

The comments came on Tuesday at a discussion on prospects for a global deal eliminating the threat of regional or national rules, which aviation leaders say would be disastrous, at an annual European show for the international aviation business sector, EBACE. “Eventually I think we’ll get there,” said Kurt Edwards of the International Business Aviation Council, IBAC, which groups plane and equipment makers and service providers for the multibillion dollar sector.

Guy Visele of the European Business Aviation Association, EBAA, agreed but argued that meanwhile his industry - which creates a tiny fraction of the emissions which contribute to global warming - should be treated less harshly by the EU. Business aviation - in which a major role is played by big manufacturers like Boeing, Europe’s Airbus, Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Embraer has been seen by many politicians as a playground for the super-rich.

But its advocates say the industry, in the doldrums since the financial crisis of 2008/9 after a decade-long boom, plays a major role in world trade and that over 80 percent of its operations involve moving businesspeople rather than elite individuals.

The EU, committed to combat the climate change blamed on carbon emissions, created an international storm when it said it would impose its rules from January this year on all flights to and from its territory. China and India, among oth-

ers, ordered their carriers not to comply and the United States said it would consider retaliatory action.

EU measures suspended The EU suspended implementation of the scheme, which would have compelled commercial and business aviation carriers from anywhere in the world to purchase offset credits for the carbon they emit over a set baseline for any flight arriving or departing European airspace. At Tuesday’s EBACE discussion, Elina Bardram of the European Commission’s climate action division said Brussels remained committed to dialogue as the best way to achieve global agreement by 2020 through the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization.

It has already suspended enforcement of its own interim scheme pending the outcome of negotiations at ICAO’s triennial assembly from Sept 24 to Oct 4, but has not yet made clear what it will do if those end in deadlock. “The path remains challenging but we can remain confident that a road map will be agreed at ICAO if political rhetoric can be dropped,” she said.

Officials from 17 countries are working with Montreal-based ICAO to shape an agreement acceptable to its 191 member countries to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint through market measures. Paul Steele, environmental specialist for the commercial airlines’ International Air Transport Association, IATA, and head of the Genevabased Air Transport Action Group, ATAG, said considerable progress had been made in the ICAO talks but quick agreement was unlikely. “We’re not going to get there this year. With 191 countries in ICAO, you’re not going to get agreement easily,” he told the EBACE session. But to reach the 2020 deadline, agreement was vital at ICAO’s next assembly in 2016, he said. —Reuters

Cancer drugs tipped to be a $35bn market

CUTLER BAY: In this undated photo, Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami, plays the guitar in his room at Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center in Cutler Bay, Fla. —AP

Face-chewing victim recovering

MIAMI: A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year appeared Tuesday to be mostly at peace with his disfigurement, strumming a guitar, making jokes and thanking people for their donations to help pay for his care. Ronald Poppo doesn’t like to leave his hospital room, though, and he won’t allow anyone to visit him, other than his doctors and nurses. “My face,” he says.

Poppo lost his left eye, his nose and most of the surrounding skin when a naked man attacked him for no reason alongside a Miami highway a year ago. In a video posted online Tuesday by the hospital caring for him, his left eye socket is a hollow shadow, his blinded right eye is covered by a skin graft and his nose is reduced to just the nostrils. Still, Poppo joked with his nurses and, though he wears a baseball cap, leaves his face uncovered to address the camera.

“People in my predicament need to be helped out, and I’m sure there’s other people also that have the same type of predicament. I thank the outpouring of people in the community, I’ll always be grateful for that,” Poppo said in the brief video, which was shot recently. He spent nearly a month in the hospital after the attack, before moving to a long-term care facility. His doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine praised Poppo for his resilience and said he’s satisfied with the surgeries and skin grafts that have closed his wounds.

Poppo could still use his own tissues or prosthetics to replace his nose or eye, but he is not interested in more facial reconstruction.

“There’s still work that can be done, but he’s more than happy with how he is now, and he’s quite grateful,” said Dr. Wrood Kassira, a plastic surgeon. A facial transplant wouldn’t be necessary, since Poppo didn’t lose any functions other than his vision.

“To put him through a lifetime of immunosuppression is not something he nor us think is

in his best interest,” Kassira said. A Miami police officer shot and killed Poppo’s attacker, Rudy Eugene. It’s still not clear provoked Eugene.

Callers reported seeing a naked Eugene swinging from a light pole minutes before the attack.

Lab tests found only marijuana in his system.

Ruth Charles, Eugene’s mother, declined comment. “To tell you the truth, I don’t feel like going back to this thing again,” she said. “I’m just trying to recover from what happened.”

Poppo doesn’t blame Eugene for what happened, said Adolfa Sigue, nurse manager at the Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center, where he lives. “The only thing that he always tells me is that, ‘I’m sure that that man had a bad day that day,’” Sigue said. Poppo, 66, still requires daily medical care for his wounds, and he’s working with occupational therapists and specialists from the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind to learn how to adjust to his blindness.

He can dress himself and is learning again to play the guitar, an instrument he had not picked up for 40 years.

He’s gained 50 pounds, and though his caretakers would like to see him exercise more, he so far refuses to leave the facility unless he’s going to the hospital to see his doctors, said Patricia Copalko, a certified nursing assistant at the medical center. He also hasn’t allowed any visitors to see him, other than his doctors, nurses and therapists. Sigue said Poppo doesn’t answer the telephone in his room and hasn’t wanted to talk with relatives other than a sister, who calls the nurse’s cellphone to get through.

“He doesn’t wander out of his room very often,” Copalko said, adding, “He needs to get out and he has refused. But also, I get it. He says, ‘My face.’” Poppo’s caretakers describe him as a charming, cooperative patient who enjoys listening to Miami Heat basketball games on the radio. He can stay at the medical center indefinitely. His care is covered by Medicaid, and a Jackson Memorial Foundation fund has raised $100,000 for his medical expenses. —AP

LONDON: A new wave of medicines that tap the power of the immune system to fight cancer could become the biggest drug class in history, with potential sales of $35 billion a year. That bullish sales forecast by analysts at US bank Citigroup highlights the growing excitement surrounding socalled immunotherapy after positive results from clinical trials conducted by companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche Holding.

“We believe this market will generate sales of up to $35 billion (a year) over the next 10 years and be used in some way in the management of up to 60 percent of all cancers,” Citi analyst Andrew Baum said yesterday. Citi’s forecast is considerably higher than current market consensus, but if it proves correct, then cancer immunotherapy would exceed the peak market value of top blockbuster drug classes such as statins for high cholesterol.

After years of puzzling over how to get the body’s immune system to respond more effectively against tumour cells, scientists are now finding a number of promising avenues. The new drugs are designed to target areas that act as brakes on the immune system. By interfering with these brakes, the drugs free the immune system to attack and kill cancer cells. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s nivolumab and Roche’s MPDL3280A are two leading contenders in the field. Both had an impressive effect against a variety of cancers, according to preliminary trial results released last week. Further details of the studies will be presented at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago early next month.

Conventional chemotherapy and other cancer drugs often have a powerful effect in shrinking tumours, but the effect is typically short-lived. The effect of immunotherapy can last much longer because the immune system has effectively been reset to remember how to keep fighting cancer cells. Citigroup said that immunotherapy has the potential to transform a significant percentage of cancers into something akin to a chronic disease, in a similar way to how HIV drugs have made the viral disease a manageable condition.

On the back of its upbeat prediction for the immunotherapy market, Citigroup has upgraded shares in Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche to “buy” from “neutral”. Roche stock was trading 1.7 percent higher by 0914 GMT, outperforming a flat European drugs sector.

Other leading players with a range of drugs, vaccines and cell therapy treatments in the cancer immunotherapy field include GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Novartis , Merck & Co and Amgen. In addition to the progress being made in research, analysts believe that the immunotherapy field could also benefit from a new US Food and Drug Administration initiative to speed approval of important and innovative drugs. The US watchdog recently started a scheme to allow quicker studies of lifesaving therapies designated as a “breakthrough”, provided that clinical data is compelling. —Reuters

Special K churns out products in evolution NEW YORK: Special K was once just a line of cereals. Today, it’s a diet food empire. The brand first hit shelves in 1955 as a no-frills breakfast alternative but now caters to dieters who see its airy chips and pastries as a way to beat cravings and lose weight. And this summer, Kellogg Co is building on its biggest moneymaker with a “hot cereal” called Special K Nourish that’s made with quinoa and other grains.

The new line, which promises to fill people up with 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, reflects Special K’s push to move in step with evolving trends. Until now, Special K products largely gave dieters low-calorie imitations of their fantasy foods. But weight watchers are increasingly looking for added nutritional benefits, rather than just counting calories.

“They’re eating better, not just eating less,” said Noel Geoffroy, vice president of marketing for Kellogg Morning Foods. The Special K Nourish hot cereal will come in individual serving cups; people add water and toppings that come in separate compartments on the lids. The products, which have less than 200 calories, are slated to hit stores in July and will come in Maple Brown Sugar, Cranberry Almond and Cinnamon Raisin Pecan. A line of Nourish bars will come in Dark Chocolate Nut, Cranberry Bliss and Lemon Twist.

Special K’s evolution to stay relevant is critical for Kellogg. The company, which also makes Frosted Flakes and Eggo waffles, has been struggling to grow cereal sales at a time when Americans are looking for more onthe-go options. Over the past decade, for example, sales of cold cereals in the U.S. have grown just 6 percent to $8.9 billion, according to the market researcher Euromonitor International.

But Special K has been standout for Kellogg, with the brand’s market share increasing to 5 percent, up from 3.3 percent a decade ago, according to Euromonitor. The broader transformation of Special K into a weight management tool is also a reflection of its “Special K Challenge” ad campaign that first aired in 2003. Those ads famously promised that women would be able to lose 6 pounds in two weeks by replacing breakfast and lunch with Special K and having a sensible dinner at night.

“It really hit on the need women had for easy, attainable way to manage their weight,” Geoffroy said. For many looking to shed a few pounds, the Special K brand became a psychological stamp of approval and Kellogg has been churning out spinoff products ever since. Shakes and bars came in 2006, fol-

lowed by cracker chips in 2009 and popcorn chips last year. Three types of breakfast sandwiches popped up in frozen food sections this past January.

Last year, Kellogg even transformed the Special K website into a more sophisticated weight management site. Visitors can sign up for meal plans that help them reach their diet goal; at least one Special K product is included each day’s plan, sometimes two or three.

The site now has more than 2 million members. Weight Watchers, meanwhile, says it doesn’t see Special K as a challenger. The company says its approach is more holistic and follows the adage that “teaching a man to fish” is better than giving him a fish to eat for just one meal.

Product-based diet plans are short-term solutions that fall into the latter category, said Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International, which promotes learning to eat all foods in moderation.

“That approach is like giving a person a cod for breakfast and a mackerel for lunch - but the person still hasn’t learned how to fish,” she said.

Miller-Kovach also noted that people also get sick of eating the same thing all the time, which is why diet food makers have to roll out so many product extensions. Other healthy eating advocates question the nutritional credentials of such packaged snacks, and whether they have any role in a healthy diet.

Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, notes that there’s a difference between trying to lose weight and eating better. So while the Special K cereal bars may only be 90 calories, for example, he notes that they’re full of corn syrup and a long list of other ingredients people may not recognize.

“It probably provides 90 calories of a tasty snack but it’s not a health food,” Jacobson said. Still, Special K has its loyal followers.

Lindsay Cobb, a 30-year-old who works in finance in New York City, got into the habit of eating Special K with Red Berries for breakfast after trying it at her mother’s house four years ago. “My metabolism was slowing down and it beat having a bagel in the morning,” she said.

She still eats it for breakfast on most weekdays, estimating that the generous bowls she pours herself clock in at around 250 calories with skim milk. And Cobb is usually willing to try whatever new Special K products she sees at the supermarket at least once. Even though she doesn’t like to snack often, she trusts that a Special K treat won’t crash her diet. —AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

British fertility team hails embryo selection method LONDON: British fertility experts have devised a new IVF technique that takes thousands of snapshots of a developing embryo that they say can help doctors pick those most likely to implant successfully and develop into healthy babies. At a briefing in London before publishing their results, the researchers said they are already using the technique to select “low risk” embryos that are the least likely to have chromosomal abnormalities that could hamper their development.

In their study, published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online, the team’s chances of producing a successful live birth after in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) were increased by 56 percent using the new technique compared to the standard method of selecting embryos that look best through a microscope.

“In the 35 years I have been in this field, this is probably the most exciting and significant development that can be of value to all patients seeking IVF,” said Simon

Fishel, a leading fertility doctor and director at the IVF clinic operator CARE Fertility where the technique is being developed.

Independent scientists not involved in the work welcomed it as a significant advance but said full randomised controlled trials the gold standard in medicine - should be conducted before it is adopted as mainstream practice.

“This paper is interesting because we really do need to make advances in selecting the best embryos created during IVF,” said Allan Pacey of Sheffield University, chair of the British Fertility Society. “The idea of monitoring embryo development more closely is being used increasingly in clinics around the world and so it is good to see the science involved submitted to peer review and publication,” he added. “All too often, developments in IVF are trumpeted as advances when they remain unproven.”

Experts say that today, as many as 1 to 2 percent of babies in the Western world are conceived through IVF. The standard meth-

ods of selecting embryos are based largely on what they look like through a microscope, and many IVF cycles fail because the embryo chosen and transferred to the womb fails to develop.

The scientists who led this study said that using time-lapse images, they had found that developmental delays in the embryo at crucial stages are good indicators of likely chromosomal abnormalities that could result in a failed pregnancy.

Viewing far more images “In conventional IVF laboratories, embryo development will be checked up to six times over a 5-day period,” said Alison Campbell, Care Fertility’s embryology director and the lead researcher on the study being published. “With time-lapse we have the ability to view more than 5,000 images over the same time period to observe and measure more closely each stage of division and growth.”

Using this new knowledge, the team

developed what they call morphokinetic algorithms to predict success (MAPS). By applying these MAPS to the selection of embryos, they predict they could reach a live birth rate for patients undergoing IVF of 78 percent - about three times the national average. Fishel, whose CARE Fertility clinics are Britain’s largest independent provider of assisted conception cycles, with around 3,500 a year, said he is charging around 750 pounds ($1,100) for IVF using the MAPS technique - compared to several thousand pounds for a standard IVF cycle.

But Sue Avery, head of the Women’s Fertility Centre in Birmingham, said it was too soon for all clinics to adopt it. “Until the new technique is compared to current practice we cannot know whether different embryos are being chosen,” she said.

“The IVF community needs a prospective randomized controlled trial to prove that the new approach delivers better results before it can be recommended to patients.” —Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

US govt signs up GlaxoSmithKline for antibiotics LONDON: The US government has signed an antibiotics development deal worth up to $200 million with GlaxoSmithKline to tackle the dual threats of drug resistance and bioterrorism. The collaboration, the first of its kind between Washington and a drug company, will allow funding to move around GSK’s antibiotics portfolio rather than focusing on a single drug candidate.

The rise of antibiotic resistance is causing alarm among governments worldwide, leading to warnings from officials such as England’s chief medical officer Sally Davies that the issue is a “ticking time bomb” threatening public health.

Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently called for an urgent fightback against “nightmare bacteria”. The collaboration between GSK and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the US. Department of Health and Human Services, will study potential new drugs to treat conventional pathogens and those that might be developed as bioterrorism weapons.

Britain’s biggest drugmaker said yesterday it would receive $40 million for an initial 18 months and up to a total of $200 million if the agreement is renewed over five years.

The problem of antibiotic resistance and the rise of so-called “superbugs” that cannot be treated with traditional medicines has been growing for years, but drug companies have been reluctant to invest in new medicines because of poor returns.—Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Exhibition of photographs of Islamic monuments of India

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n Exhibition of Photographs of Islamic Monuments of India by Benoy K Behl, Art - historian and photographer was inaugurated by Mohammed Al-Asoussi, Asst. Secretary General for Art & Theater Sector, National Council of Culture, Arts & Letters at 1900 hrs on May 21, 2013 at Al-Edwani Hall, Dahiyat Abdullah Al-Salem. The exhibition has been organized by the Embassy of India, Kuwait in association with National Council of Arts, Culture & Letters and will remain open till May 27 from 0900 hrs to 1230 hrs and 1700 hrs to 2100 hrs. The inauguration was attended by Kuwaiti dignitaries, ambassadors from a number of countries, art lovers and members of the Indian community in Kuwait.

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Greetings

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ishing you on your 25th wedding anniversary, today to K Antony Thomas and Rosily Antony. Compliments from Ritty Ann Thomas, Kevin Thomas K, Rinku Mariya Thomas and Vipin Thomas K.

Announcements Classical music at AUK he Department of Music and Drama is hosting a demonstration/ masterclass with the German classical guitarist Friedemann at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), 28 May 3 pm, Liberal Arts Building, room 205. Wuttke is a gifted performer, having played with major ensembles and orchestras. Besides various concerts in Germany, he has toured in the United States and South East Asia, as well as several European metropolises. This, his first visit to the Gulf region, has been realized with the support of the German Embassy in Kuwait, in cooperation with the Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah. The AUK performance is free and open to the public.

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AIP shaam-e ghazal he Association of Indian Professionals (AIP), Kuwait, forthcoming event has been scheduled for the evening of May 25, 2013 at 6 pm at the auditorium of Indian Community Senior School, Salmiya and is titled as AIP Shaam-e-Ghazal. We have invited Raghuram Krishnan, a Ghazal singer from Cochin, India to make this evening more melodious and vibrant. He will be supported by few local musicians also.

Ambassador of India, Satish C. Mehta will be the Chief Guest. Admission is by invitation and children below 10 years of age will not be allowed.

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The TIES Center’s ‘trip’ he TIES Center cordially invites those who are interested in its trip to the Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum, which is the first museum in Kuwait specializing in old cars on May 30th at 6:00 pm.

Revisit past memories or learn something new. If you love cars then this is the trip for you. Even if you don’t love cars, come anyway; you will enjoy the trip. For more information/registration, log onto: www.tiescenter.net.

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Kids Read celebrates World Book Day with fun-filled family event

Photography exhibition

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he Embassy of India, Kuwait in association with National Council of Arts, Culture & Letters is organizing an exhibition of photographs of Islamic monuments of India by Benoy K Behl, Art - Historian & Photographer at Al-Edwani Hall, Dahiyat Abdullah AlSalem. The exhibition is being inaugurated at 1900 hrs tomorrow 21 May, 2013. The exhibition shall be kept open till 27 May 2013 from 0900 hrs to 1230 hrs and 1700 hrs to 2100 hrs. All are cordially invited to the exhibition.

IMAX IMAX film program Thursday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 11:30am Tornado Alley 3D12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D 6:30pm

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Broken Images: Shabana Azmi captivates audience in dual role

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habana Azmi with her sheer stage presence and powerful histrionics captivated a house full audience in the acclaimed English play, Broken Images, brought to Kuwait courtesy the Al-Mulla Exchange. Written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyque Padamsee, two creative giants, the psychological thriller has Azmi portraying a dual role of two sisters simultaneously.

In the one hour performance, audiences watched silently as the story unfolded with Azmi playing two facets of the same

character. Azmi performing live interacted with herself on a TV screen playing a pre-recorded piece. With no scope for improvisation, timing and technical perfection were key to such an act.

Seasoned actress Azmi, carried off the entire performance flawlessly and received a much deserved standing ovation as the play ended with a high pitched climax. In an open interactive session with the audience following the play, she spoke about the challenges of the act and shared interesting anecdotes about past performances.

o mark World Book Day, HSBC and the British Council joined together to welcome over 200 children and parents to a Kids Read event held in Ahmadi Primary school on May 16, 2013. Now in its 16th year, World Book Day, designated by UNESCO, is a worldwide celebration of books, authors and reading and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

A joint statement released by HSBC and the British Council stated, “Good reading starts early and children who share books with others are more likely to develop language skills and advanced reading levels. Our Kids Read event is a fun way to get everyone’s imaginations fired up and to encourage them to become avid readers” The special event included storytelling with guest storytellers from HSBC, exciting arts and crafts activities and fun competitions. As well as joining in the activities, parents were able to attend workshops delivered by the British Council on how to help their children with reading and an introduction to their free websites LearnEnglish Kids and LearnEnglish Parents.

Simon Vaughan Johnson, CEO HSBC Kuwait said: “The Kids Read programme is growing in its popularity and importance in Kuwait.

The positive feedback received from staff, parents and the children is testimony to the success of the programme and its impact

in encouraging children to read.

HSBC is proud of its involvement and investment in community activities that support the development of young children and contribute to sustainable positive influences in the communities in which we operate. “ Kids Read, sponsored exclusively by HSBC Bank Middle East and Affiliates and developed by the British Council, currently works with children and teachers

in up to 12 government primary schools in Kuwait to encourage reading for pleasure at school and at home. Through their community programme, Kids Read hosts up to four events throughout the year to highlight important world issues and international days of celebration whilst encouraging reading for pleasure. Please contact your nearest British Council office to find out more about the next event.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Keep Kuwait Clean 3 (Beach Cleaning Campaign)

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. nnnnnnn

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arrefour hypermarket on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 10 am, launched Keep Kuwait Clean campaign to clean up beaches. This year’s event took place in Salmyah Plagat beach and this environmental gesture comes from Carrefour’s desire for a clean environmentin the State of Kuwait, and it should be noted that Carrefour has done this environmental initiative for the third consecutive year.

A large number of Carrefour staff and management participated in this event in addition to a representative of Kuwait environment public authority,that from their side always supporting activities that preserve the Kuwaiti environment.

Carrefour Kuwait general manager Pierre-Yves Martin stated “We at Carrefour as part of the Kuwaiti society, must do our part as an active member of this

community, by conducting environmental activities to protect and preserve the local environment, and as an example of these activities, Carrefour Kuwait few years ago launched eco-friendly shopping bags that are reusable in each shopping visit. And today this initiative of cleaning the beach comes for the third consecutive year”.

Sheraton Kuwait celebrates 47th anniversary

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ne more year has unfolded and the Sheraton Kuwait celebrates yet another year of success marking the hotel’s 47th anniversary. It was in the year 1966 that the Sheraton Kuwait was inaugurated to be the first managed Sheraton property to open outside North America and the first Starwood property worldwide to continue operating under the same management company for over 40 years.

Sheraton Kuwait has proven throughout the past 47 years to be the undisputed pioneer in the hospitality industry, locally as well as regionally. During this journey, Sheraton Kuwait has won tremendous admiration from global

leaders and numerous awards from prestigious organizations. Moreover; the Sheraton Kuwait has been awarded ‘Kuwait’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards 2013 to mark the year’s achievement.

On this special occasion, Fahed Abushaar the Area Director/General Manager of Sheraton Kuwait, expressed his satisfaction at the superlative performance of the hotel and reiterated the importance of being the pioneer in providing high standards of hospitality in the region.

He added “we are so proud of the great success of the opening of the new restaurants at the Grand Avenue, The

Avenues, which was very appreciated by the guests. Looking forward for yet another development with the opening of the new expansion of the Four Points

by Sheraton Kuwait scheduled for completion last quarter of this year which will further underline our commitment to this important market. On this occasion, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all the associates of Sheraton Kuwait for their hard work, playing a major role in the success of the hotel by providing quality services to the guests and I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all those who have supported the hotel during the last 47 years”.

Fahed Abushaar

Rajiv Gandhi’s 22nd Martyrdom Day observed

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he 22nd Martyrdom Day of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was observed on May 21, 2013 at a solemn event organized by the Rajiv Gandhi Awards Committee (RGAC) at the

residence of RGAC Chairman Markos Williams. Speakers from the Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Sikh communities representing the diversity of India paid rich tributes to the assassinated Prime

Minister. Dr Tejinder Singh Arora, Dr Jitendra Ariga, Dr Roy Francis, Veluthadath Baderuddin, Jacob Channapetta and Gurumeet Singh spoke on the occasion.

Shaji Abraham, RGAC General Secretary

administered the Anti Terrorism Pledge which calls for eschewing and communal harmony. At the conclusion of the event everyone participating paid floral tributes to the departed leader Rajiv Gandhi.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on shortstay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. nnnnnnn

KNES excels in Arabic competitions

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa will be closed on Tuesday, 28 May 2013, for an official event. The Embassy will resume it’s normal working hours on Wednesday, 29 May 2013, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the Working hours will be from 8h00 to 16h00 & the Consular Section operation hours will be from 8h30 to 12h30, for any emergencies please contact: 94924895. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, AlQibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF SOUTH KOREA

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he students of Kuwait National English School participated in all the Arabic competitions held during the current academic year and we are proud to announce that our students won all the top

spots amongst all the Foreign, Bilingual and Arabic schools in Kuwait. Following their achievements, Kuwait national English School received the Prestigious Cup from the Ministry for being placed first

amongst all schools in Kuwait. A hearty congratulation to the Arabic staff and students from Kuwait National English School for their efforts.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kuwait will organize 2013 K-POP Contest on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 6:00 pm. The aim of the contest is to provide an opportunity to the participants to showcase their exciting talents to the audience. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the contest. Application forms can be downloaded from the Embassy’s website: http://kwt.mofa.go.kr (Select English from the menu at the top of the page then Bilateral Relations) or visit the “Korean Culture Diwaniya” Facebook Group. Interested applicants must send their application forms to Kuwait@mofa.go.kr by 24 May 2013.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Your Worst Animal Nightmares 01:35 I’m Alive 02:25 Queens Of The Savannah 03:15 Wildest Africa 04:05 Galapagos 04:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life 05:20 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 05:45 SSPCA: On The Wildside 06:10 SSPCA: On The Wildside 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 The Really Wild Show 07:25 Groomer Has It 08:15 Dogs 101 09:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 10:05 Queens Of The Savannah 11:00 Animal Cops Phoenix 11:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Safari Vet School 13:15 Safari Vet School 13:45 Animal Precinct 14:40 Queens Of The Savannah 15:30 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Dogs 101 17:25 Your Pet Wants This 18:20 America’s Cutest...

19:15 Escape To Chimp Eden 19:40 Bondi Vet 20:10 Shamwari: A Wild Life 20:35 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 21:05 Queens Of The Savannah 22:00 Biggest And Baddest 22:55 Nick Baker’s Beautiful Freaks 23:50 Animal Cops Houston

00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals 02:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix 03:05 To Build Or Not To Build?

03:30 Cash In The Attic 04:15 Bargain Hunt 05:00 House Swap 05:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix 06:35 To Build Or Not To Build?

07:00 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 07:25 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 07:55 Homes Under The Hammer 08:50 Bargain Hunt 09:40 Antiques Roadshow 10:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 11:20 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:10 Come Dine With Me 13:00 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:30 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 13:55 Bargain Hunt 14:40 Cash In The Attic 15:25 Antiques Roadshow 16:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:00 Homes Under The Hammer 17:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 18:20 The Roux Legacy 19:00 The Hairy Bikers USA 19:20 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 19:50 Come Dine With Me 20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Homes Under The Hammer 23:55 Cash In The Attic

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30

BBC World News America BBC World News America Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report

03:45 Sport Today 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 BBC World News 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 BBC World News 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 16:30 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 Hardtalk 18:00 Global With John Sopel 18:30 Global With John Sopel 19:00 Global With John Sopel 19:30 World Business Report 19:45 Sport Today 20:00 BBC World News 20:30 BBC Focus On Africa 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 21:30 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 23:30 Hardtalk

00:30 Grim Adventures Of...

01:20 Johnny Test 02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 02:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Regular Show 03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 04:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 04:40 Powerpuff Girls 05:05 Evil Con Carne 05:30 Cow & Chicken 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:30 Angelo Rules 07:00 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 07:25 Johnny Test 07:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 08:10 Evil Con Carne 08:55 Adventure Time 09:45 Regular Show 10:35 Angelo Rules 11:25 Ben 10: Alien Force 11:50 Ben 10: Alien Force 12:15 Hero 108 12:40 Hero 108 13:05 Mucha Lucha !

13:30 Angelo Rules 14:20 Evil Con Carne 15:10 The Amazing World Of Gumball 15:35 Adventure Time 16:00 Regular Show 16:30 Johnny Test 17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 17:25 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 17:50 Gormiti New 18:15 Young Justice 18:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:05 Total Drama Island

19:30 Total Drama Island 19:55 Mucha Lucha !

20:20 Ben 10: Omniverse 20:45 The Amazing World Of Gumball 21:10 Adventure Time 21:35 Regular Show 22:00 Ben 10 22:25 Ben 10 22:50 Mucha Lucha !

23:15 Mucha Lucha !

23:40 Powerpuff Girls

00:30 Grim Adventures Of...

01:20 Johnny Test 02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 02:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Regular Show 03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 04:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 04:40 Powerpuff Girls 05:05 Evil Con Carne 05:30 Cow & Chicken 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:30 Angelo Rules 07:00 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 07:25 Johnny Test 07:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 08:10 Evil Con Carne 08:55 Adventure Time 09:45 Regular Show 10:35 Angelo Rules 11:25 Ben 10: Alien Force 11:50 Ben 10: Alien Force 12:15 Hero 108 12:40 Hero 108 13:05 Mucha Lucha !

13:30 Angelo Rules 14:20 Evil Con Carne 15:10 The Amazing World Of Gumball 15:35 Adventure Time 16:00 Regular Show 16:30 Johnny Test 17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 17:25 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 17:50 Gormiti New 18:15 Young Justice 18:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:05 Total Drama Island 19:30 Total Drama Island 19:55 Mucha Lucha !

20:20 Ben 10: Omniverse 20:45 The Amazing World Of Gumball 21:10 Adventure Time 21:35 Regular Show 22:00 Ben 10 22:25 Ben 10 22:50 Mucha Lucha !

23:15 Mucha Lucha !

23:40 Powerpuff Girls

00:00 Amanpour 00:30 World Sport 01:00 Piers Morgan Live 02:00 CNN Newsroom Live From Hong Kong 03:00 Anderson Cooper 360 04:00 Piers Morgan Live 05:00 Quest Means Business 06:00 The Situation Room 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Talk Asia 08:00 World Report 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Sanjay Gupta MD 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 World One 12:30 Winning Post 12:45 The Gateway 13:00 Amanpour 13:30 CNN Newscenter 14:00 Piers Morgan Live 15:00 News Stream 16:00 World Business Today 17:00 International Desk 18:00 Global Exchange

IRON SKY ON OSN ACTION HD

18:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 19:00 CNN Football Club 19:30 Winning Post 19:45 The Gateway 20:00 International Desk 21:00 Quest Means Business 21:45 CNN Marketplace Europe 22:00 Amanpour 22:30 CNN Newscenter 23:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson

00:15 You Have Been Warned 01:10 James May’s Man Lab 02:05 Mythbusters 03:00 Mythbusters 03:55 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 04:20 Auction Hunters 04:50 Storage Hunters 05:15 How Machines Work 05:40 How Stuff’s Made 06:05 Sons Of Guns 07:00 Mythbusters 07:50 Jesse James: Outlaw Garage 08:45 Gold Rush 09:40 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 10:05 Auction Hunters 10:30 Auction Kings 10:55 How Machines Work 11:25 How It’s Made 11:50 You Have Been Warned 12:45 James May’s Man Lab 13:40 Mythbusters 14:35 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 15:05 Auction Hunters 15:30 Auction Kings 16:00 Fast N’ Loud 16:55 Gold Rush 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Sons Of Guns 19:40 How Machines Work 20:05 How It’s Made 20:35 Auction Hunters 21:00 Storage Hunters 21:30 Sons Of Guns 22:25 Amish Mafia 23:20 Amish Mafia

00:05 How Tech Works 00:30 Sci-Fi Science 01:00 Bad Universe 01:50 Sport Science 02:45 Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design 03:35 Bad Universe 04:25 Superships 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 How Tech Works 06:05 Meteorite Men 07:00 James May’s 20th Century 07:25 James May’s 20th Century 07:50 Finding Bigfoot 08:40 The Gadget Show 09:05 How Tech Works 09:30 Da Vinci’s Machines 10:25 What’s That About?

11:20 Superships 12:10 Meteorite Men 13:00 Finding Bigfoot 13:50 Sci-Fi Science 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:45 How Tech Works 15:10 James May’s 20th Century 15:35 James May’s 20th Century 16:00 Scrapheap Challenge 16:55 Future Weapons 17:45 Engineered 18:35 Meteorite Men 19:30 James May’s 20th Century 20:20 Finding Bigfoot 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 How Tech Works 22:00 James May’s 20th Century 22:25 James May’s 20th Century 22:50 Sport Science 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:20 03:45 04:05 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:05 09:30 09:55 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:45 14:10 14:35 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35

Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Prankstars Suite Life On Deck Cory In The House A.N.T Farm Austin And Ally Jessie Good Luck Charlie Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse A.N.T Farm Jonas So Random Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Kim Possible Shake It Up Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T Farm Suite Life On Deck So Random Good Luck Charlie Jessie Shake It Up A.N.T Farm Austin And Ally Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Cory In The House Wizards Of Waverly Place That’s So Raven A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place So Random Hannah Montana Jonas Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck

00:00 00:55 01:25 03:15 03:40 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 09:45 10:15 12:05 13:05 13:35 14:05 York 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:30 23:30

Dirty Soap Style Star Too Young To Kill Style Star Extreme Close-Up THS THS THS Style Star E! News Ice Loves Coco Ice Loves Coco THS E! News Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Kourtney & Kim Take New Style Star E!es Extreme Close-Up Playing With Fire E! News THS Kourtney And Kim Take Miami Chasing The Saturdays Fashion Police E! News Chelsea Lately

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:10 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:35 Unique Sweets 03:00 Unique Sweets 03:25 Food Wars 03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:15 Unique Eats 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Food Network Challenge 07:00 Guy’s Big Bite 07:25 Guy’s Big Bite 07:50 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 08:15 Kid In A Candy Store 08:40 Unique Sweets 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:30 Food Network Star 10:20 Extra Virgin 10:45 Extra Virgin 11:10 Cooking For Real 11:35 Food Crafters 12:00 Ultimate Recipe Showdown 12:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Food Wars 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Food Wars 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:05 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 19:30 Chopped 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Food Network Caters Your Wedding 22:00 Food Network Challenge 22:50 Food Network Caters Your Wedding 23:40 Food Wars

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Nightmare Next Door Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Nightmare Next Door Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Murder Shift Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill On The Case With Paula Zahn I Escaped Death I Almost Got Away With It

00:45 Around The World For Free 01:40 Deadliest Journeys 02:05 The Best Job In The World 02:35 Bondi Rescue 03:00 Bondi Rescue 03:30 Danger Beach 03:55 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 04:25 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 05:20 Long Way Down 06:15 Graham’s World 06:40 Market Values 07:10 The Frankincense Trail 08:05 Around The World For Free 09:00 Deadliest Journeys 09:25 The Best Job In The World 09:55 Bondi Rescue 10:20 Bondi Rescue 10:50 Danger Beach 11:15 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 11:45 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 12:40 Long Way Down 13:35 Gone to save the planet 14:00 Market Values 14:30 The Frankincense Trail 15:25 Around The World For Free 16:20 Deadliest Journeys 16:45 The Best Job In The World 17:15 Bondi Rescue

BEWARE THE GONZO ON OSN CINEMA 17:40 Bondi Rescue 18:10 Danger Beach 18:35 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 19:05 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 20:00 The Frankincense Trail 21:00 Gone to save the planet 21:30 Market Values 22:00 Long Way Down 22:55 Graham’s World 23:20 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 23:50 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita

12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. New York Eureka Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Finder Switched At Birth Fairly Legal Suits The Hollow Crown

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Burning Bright The Last Exorcism Imago Mortis The Ring Vengeance Iron Sky Hide And Seek Mission: Impossible Iron Sky Deadly Hope Mission: Impossible Sultanes Del Sur

The Last Exorcism-18 Imago Mortis-PG15 The Ring-PG15 Vengeance-PG15 Iron Sky-PG15 Hide And Seek-PG15 Mission: Impossible-PG15 Iron Sky-PG15 Deadly Hope-PG15 Mission: Impossible-PG15 Sultanes Del Sur-PG15 Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18

01:00 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 03:00 The Lincoln Lawyer-PG15 05:00 Golden Christmas 3-PG15 07:00 Encounter With Danger-PG15 09:00 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 11:00 Sammy’s Adventure: The Secret Passage-FAM 13:00 No Surrender-PG15 15:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG15 17:00 Ike: Countdown To D-DayPG15 19:00 Leaves Of Grass-PG15 21:00 Cowboys & Aliens-PG15 23:00 Paranormal Activity 3-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Weeds 02:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 02:30 The Big C 03:00 Ben And Kate 03:30 The Simpsons 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Hope & Faith 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Seinfeld 08:30 Hope & Faith 09:00 Ben And Kate 09:30 Modern Family 10:00 The Mindy Project 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Arrested Development 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Hope & Faith 14:00 The Simpsons 14:30 The Mindy Project 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Arrested Development 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 New Girl 18:30 Friends 19:00 Community 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The League 23:00 The Big C 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00

Eureka The Client List Castle Bones Castle Eureka Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. New York Bones Castle Touch

00:00 Girl Walks Into A Bar-PG15 02:00 The Janky Promoters-18 04:00 Sorority Wars-PG15 06:00 Wayne’s World 2-PG15 08:00 Arthur-PG15 10:00 Scrooged-PG15 12:00 Sorority Wars-PG15 14:00 Police Academy 3: Back In Training-PG15 16:00 Scrooged-PG15 18:00 The Wish List-PG15 20:00 The Giant Mechanical ManPG15 22:00 Girl Walks Into A Bar-PG15

01:30 03:15 05:30 07:15 PG15 09:00 10:45 12:45 14:30 16:15 18:45 21:00 23:00

Toast-PG15 The Flowers Of War-PG15 Krach-18 An Invisible Sign Of My OwnNomads-PG15 Paws-PG Roger And Me-PG15 Nomads-PG15 Tora! Tora! Tora!-PG15 Moneyball-PG15 Roadie-18 Woodstock-18

01:00 Coriolanus-PG15 03:15 Love Will Keep Us TogetherPG15 05:00 Take Shelter-PG15 07:00 Brave-PG 09:00 Puss In Boots-PG 10:45 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol-PG15 13:00 Boy-PG15 15:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG 17:00 Puss In Boots-PG 18:45 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel-PG15 21:00 Project X-18 23:00 The Grey-18

01:15 Princess Sydney: The Three Gold Coins 02:45 The Nimbols: Part II 04:15 Emperor’s Secret 06:00 A Monster In Paris 08:00 Supertramps 10:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits 11:30 Emperor’s Secret 13:00 Arrietty 14:30 A Monster In Paris 16:00 Ploddy Police Car 18:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits 20:00 Flicka 3 22:00 Arrietty 23:45 Supertramps

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00

Prime Mover-PG15 Last Holiday-PG15 Chronicle-PG15 Butter-PG15 Rio-FAM

10:00 Melinda And Melinda-PG15 12:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted-PG 13:45 The Conspirator-PG15 15:45 Rio-FAM 17:30 The Avengers-PG15 20:00 Damsels In Distress-PG15 22:00 21 Jump Street-18

00:30 HSBC Sevens World Series 03:30 Trans World Sport 04:30 NRL Premiership 06:30 ICC Cricket 360 07:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 10:00 Inside The PGA Tour 10:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 11:30 PGA PGA European Tour Weekly 12:00 Live PGA European Tour 20:00 Inside The PGA Tour 20:30 Trans World Sport 21:30 Inside The PGA Tour 22:00 Live PGA Tour

00:00 Inside The PGA Tour 00:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 01:00 NRL Full Time 01:30 Futbol Mundial 02:00 Super League 03:30 AFL Premiership 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Futbol Mundial 07:30 Super League 09:00 Premier League Darts 12:30 Futbol Mundial 13:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 16:00 Super Rugby 17:00 Trans World Sport 18:00 Live Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters 21:30 WWE NXT 22:30 PGA European Tour

00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 13:30 14:30 17:30 18:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

ICC Cricket 360 Golfing World World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Super Rugby Trans World Sport Golfing World PGA European Tour Weekly Total Rugby World Pool Masters World Cup Of Pool Super Rugby Total Rugby Trans World Sport Marathon Total Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series Super Rugby Highlights AFL Premiership Highlights Trans World Sport

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 20:30 22:30

UFC Countdown NHL Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE SmackDown Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottom Line Mass Participation Ironman Mass Participation Ironman UIM Powerboat Champs UFC Prelims UFC Prizefighter

01:25 03:10 04:55 07:00 08:15 10:05 FAM 12:05 13:45 16:00 17:25 20:10 22:00 23:55

Telefon-PG 3 Godfathers-FAM The Clock-FAM Texas Carnival-FAM Rebel Without A Cause-PG Robin And The Seven HoodsThey Drive By Night-FAM The Prize-PG The Honeymoon Machine-FAM Quo Vadis-PG Roberta-FAM The V.I.P.S-FAM The Dirty Dozen

Classifieds THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM :00 PM :00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

SHARQIA-2 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG-3D) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

SHARQIA-3 THE CALL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1 THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM

MUHALAB-2 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM

MUHALAB-3 DINO TIME (DIG-3D) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (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) NO SUN+ TUE+WED FANAR-2 PHANTOM (DIG) IRON MAN 3 (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) IRON MAN 3 (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) IRON MAN 3 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (23/05/2013 TO 29/05/2013) PHANTOM (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

7:15 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG-3D) IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-2 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

AL-KOUT.2 AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

MARINA-3 DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG-3D) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

AL-KOUT.3 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

2:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:30 PM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-1 DINO TIME (DIG-3D) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-2 STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-3 SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-2 AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) THE GREAT GATSBY (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

BAIRAQ-3 THE CALL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) THE CALL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

PLAZA FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG)

5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM

LAILA IRON MAN 3 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG)

5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM

360º- 1 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 12:30 PM FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 3:30 PM FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 6:00 PM FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 8:45 PM NO THU Special Show“FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG)” 8:45 PM THU FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 11:30 PM NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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

360º- 2 STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

FANAR-3 STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

1:15 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

360º- 3 DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-1 PHANTOM (DIG) PHANTOM (DIG) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1 IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D) DINO TIME (DIG-3D)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:15 PM

2:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM

I, Shri. DONATO BEVINDO MORAIS residing at Bencleam Vaddo, Cuncolim, SalceteGoa have changed my name from DONATO MARAES to DONATO BEVINDO MORAIS. Hereafter, in all my dealings & documents, I will be known by the name DONATO BEVINDO MORAIS. (C 4423) 22-5-2013

FOR SALE

AJIAL.1 LADIES & GENTLEMAN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 6:30 PM LADIES & GENTLEMAN (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 9:30 PM AJIAL.2 AT ANY PRICE (DIG) SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) AT ANY PRICE (DIG)

CHANGE OF NAME

6:00 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM

AJIAL.3 ISHKQ IN PARIS (DIG) (HINDI) ISHKQ IN PARIS (DIG) (HINDI) ISHKQ IN PARIS (DIG) (HINDI)

5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM

AJIAL.4 FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG)

5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM

KIA Mohave jeep, full option, silver color for sale.

(2011 model - 47,000 kilometers). Please contact 66399051 23-5-2013 Mitsubishi Jeep Pajero, model 2012, engine v6 3.5L, brown color, done km 19,000, registration till 15-215, alloy rim, fog lamp, CD, wooden interior, shaded roof sahallah etc. (installment possible). Cash price KD 5,250/-. Contact: 66507741 (C 4421) 21-5-2013

LOST Original document Policy No. 633002599 of LIAQAT ALI by the state Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Gulf Zone is reported to have been lost.

Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the Manager, Kuwait State Life office - Ph: 22452208.

(C 4424) Original document Policy No. 633004170-3 of MR. MOHAMMAD ATIF SULTAN by the state Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Gulf Zone is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the Manager, Kuwait State Life office - Ph: 22452208.

(C 4425)

112 Prayer timings Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:21 04:52 11:45 15:20 18:38 20:06

No: 15817

SITUATION VACANT Required English speaking nanny / maid. Contact: 99824597. (C 4422) 21-5-2013

MATRIMONIAL I am an American Muslim man looking for a Muslim woman from ages of 23 to 33. Please only Muslim woman reply. My email is: ibngrant2000@hotmail.com (C 4417) 18-5-2013

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines BBC QTR SAI THY JZR JZR ETH GFA UAE ETD FDB MSR RBG QTR THY DHX FDB BAW FDB JZR JZR JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE IRA IZG ABY QTR IRA FDB ETD SYR GFA MEA MSC UAE MSR THY KNE QTR FDB JZR JZR UAE KAC KAC KAC KAC ABY SVA KNE OMA KNE QTR RJA ETD

Arrival Flights on Thursday 23/5/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 441 LAHORE 764 SABIHA 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 555 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 53 DUBAI 529 ASSIUT 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 332 TRIVANDRUM 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 302 MUMBAI 382 DELHI 855 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 4161 MASHAD 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 617 AHWAZ 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 341 DAMASCUS 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 403 ASSIUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 165 DUBAI 241 AMMAN 4987 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 362 COLOMBO 284 DHAKA 672 DUBAI 121 SHARJAH 500 JEDDAH 472 JEDDAH 645 MUSCAT 470 JEDDAH 134 DOHA 640 AMMAN 303 ABU DHABI

Time 00:05 00:15 01:30 01:40 00:20 00:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 03:10 03:15 03:15 03:30 04:35 05:10 05:50 06:30 07:45 06:40 07:40 06:20 07:55 06:15 07:25 07:50 07:30 08:25 08:40 08:45 08:50 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:30 10:10 10:40 10:55 12:40 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:20 13:45 13:50 11:35 12:35 10:35 8:05 8:45 12:05 13:40 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:40 15:05 15:45 15:55 16:35

UAE ABY GFA SVA UAL TAR QTR FDB NIA GFA AXB JAI RBG OMA FDB KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR ABY MEA AFG MSC MSR KNE MSC ALK UAE ETD QTR FDB ABY KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR GFA QTR JAI FDB THY AIC UAL DLH JAI KLM THY KAC

857 127 215 510 982 327 144 63 251 219 393 572 553 647 61 542 618 257 777 535 177 125 787 189 129 402 415 405 618 474 401 229 859 307 136 8057 123 562 788 774 786 176 614 674 546 502 104 513 185 239 217 146 576 59 6512 981 981 636 574 411 772 118

DUBAI SHARJAH BAHRAIN RIYADH WASHINGTON DC DULLES TUNIS DOHA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA MUSCAT DUBAI CAIRO DOHA BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI SHARJAH BEIRUT KABUL SOHAG ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI SHARJAH AMMAN JEDDAH RIYADH JEDDAH GENEVA BAHRAIN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BEIRUT LONDON SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DOHA COCHIN DUBAI ISTANBUL CHENNAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI AMSTERDAM ISTANBUL NEW YORK

16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:25 18:00 18:25 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:15 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:00 18:15 19:10 14:30 17:50 16:10 17:30 16:25 16:15 20:10 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:30 20:50 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 15:50 14:50 14:40 15:00 19:25 18:30 17:45 19:35 19:25 14:15 18:50 18:45 23:20 22:40 22:30 21:45 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:40 23:45 23:30

Airlines AIC AXB JAI UAL DLH BBC JZR THY SAI THY ETH UAE FDB RBG MSR ETD QTR QTR FDB GFA THY JZR KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC IRA IZG UAE FDB IRA ETD QTR KAC KAC SYR GFA KAC KAC MEA UAE JZR JZR KAC JZR JZR MSC MSR THY KNE UAE FDB QTR

Departure Flights on Thursday 23/5/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 490 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 44 DHAKA 502 LUXOR 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 765 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 70 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 240 AMMAN 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 561 AMMAN 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 606 MASHHAD 4162 MASHHAD 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 616 AHWAZ 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 501 BEIRUT 342 DAMASCUS 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 4988 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 124 BAHRAIN 406 SOHAG 611 CAIRO 767 ISTANBUL 481 TAIF 872 DUBAI 58 DUBAI 141 DOHA

Time 00:05 00:15 00:20 00:25 00:30 01:30 01:30 02:20 02:30 02:40 02:45 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:15 04:20 04:25 05:15 06:30 07:00 07:10 07:10 07:20 07:25 08:25 08:25 08:50 09:10 09:25 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 09:50 09:55 10:10 10:15 10:25 10:25 11:10 11:10 11:25 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:00 13:20 13:30 13:40 14:00 14:10 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:55

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

ABY KAC ABY KNE OMA KAC KAC KNE SVA JZR KAC FDB RJA JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR UAL TAR QTR FDB GFA NIA AXB RBG JAI FDB ABY KAC KAC OMA KAC MEA AFG MSC MSR KNE DHX MSC ETD ALK UAE QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC JAI QTR JZR KAC KAC JZR

122 673 124 473 646 617 773 471 505 188 613 8058 641 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 216 511 184 266 982 328 145 64 220 252 394 554 571 62 120 331 343 648 351 403 415 404 619 475 171 402 308 230 860 137 301 218 60 205 575 147 554 411 283 528

SHARJAH DUBAI SHARJAH JEDDAH MUSCAT DOHA RIYADH JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN TUNIS DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM CHENNAI MUSCAT KOCHI BEIRUT JEDDAH ASSIUT ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD KOCHI DOHA ALEXANDRIA BANGKOK DHAKA ASSIUT

15:05 15:05 15:30 15:30 15:40 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:35 16:40 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:40 18:50 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:00 20:15 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:45 21:50 22:05 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:15 23:20 23:40 23:45 23:55

34

stars CROSSWORD 198

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Your determination to accomplish some project today may be interpreted as a sign of stubbornness. Others may not realize that you desire perfection. You may have to read instructions or ask advice before you can really get into action. Patience will win out and you will be able to plan your method of operation, so to speak. Be aware of your words and maintain low tones if possible, because there will be interruptions. Considering the current general feelings—it may be best to take mental notes of other things you want to accomplish and save those projects for a day over which you know you will have more control. An artist has your attention this evening, perhaps Norman Rockwell’s works.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You cherish personal freedom and may have the urge to go exploring sometime today. Perhaps you work at home or, if you happen to work in an office, a walk would do you a lot of good—invigorating. You will feel much more like working after you have moved around a bit. You may channel your energies in the direction of friends later this afternoon. You have a great desire to understand the motivation of a special friend.

You may be moved to help this friend through giving advice—trust your instincts. You possess a penetrating mind that will attempt to sway others to positive outcomes. This is a nice day that should just flow along well. In particular, you will do well in activities that include children, young people and your home.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. The month following February and pre-

ceding April.

4. Type genus of the family Macropodidae.

12. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.

15. How long something has existed.

16. Weaponry used by military or naval force.

17. The former capital and 2nd largest city of Brazil.

18. A ridge that forms a seam between two parts.

20. Brief and to the point.

21. A barrier constructed to contain the flow or water or to keep out the sea.

22. A mountain in the Andes in Argentina (22,047 feet high).

23. Explosive consisting of a yellow crystalline compound that is a flammable toxic derivative of toluene.

24. Sour or bitter in taste.

26. An analgesic for mild pain.

27. Give a nickname to.

28. (informal) Being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition.

30. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.

31. (British) An informer or spy working for the police.

36. A unit of resistance equal to one million ohms.

39. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

40. A form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain.

42. Any of various deciduous or evergreen ornamental shrubs of the genus Abelia having opposite simple leaves and cymes of small white or pink or purplish flowers.

44. Relating to or using sight.

45. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

46. Mentally sluggish.

48. The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet.

49. A unit of current equal to 10 amperes.

52. A drug (trade names Atarax and Vistaril) used as a tranquilizer to treat anxiety and motion sickness.

55. Worn away as by water or ice or wind.

57. Fragrant resin obtain from trees of the family Burseraceae and used as incense.

58. Lower in esteem.

61. A disorderly crowd of people.

64. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

66. Type genus of the family Alopiidae.

70. Situated in a particular spot or position.

73. Gone by.

74. Belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself ).

75. Small family of usually tropical butterflies.

77. An extension at the end and at right angles to the main building.

78. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

79. Order of mammals having few or no teeth including.

80. A resource.

DOWN 1. Made from residue of grapes or apples

after pressing.

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

3. Show a response or a reaction to something.

4. The lean flesh of a saltwater fish found it warm waters (especially Hawaii).

5. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

6. A metric unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter.

7. Climbing palm of Sri Lanka and southern India remarkable for the great length of the stems which are used for Malacca canes.

8. A sign of something about to happen.

9. Disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed.

10. A transuranic element that has not been found in nature.

11. The function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another.

12. A unit of dry measure used in Egypt.

13. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.

14. An explosive device fused to denote under specific conditions.

19. Any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds.

25. Shackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist.

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

32. An association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens.

33. A city in central Lithuania.

34. United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918).

35. A member of the Siouan people of southeastern Mississippi.

37. Footwear usually with wooden soles.

38. Celebes megapode that lays eggs in holes in sandy beaches.

41. Black-and-white diving bird of northern seas.

43. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

47. Goddess of fate.

50. (physics) Of or pertaining to a meson.

51. Be earlier in time.

53. Australian evergreen shrubs.

54. A city in northwestern Syria.

56. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

59. Be in contradiction with.

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

62. English monk and scholar (672-735).

63. The sound of sheep or goats (or any sound resembling this) v 1.

65. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

67. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

68. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin.

69. Disposed of to a purchaser.

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

72. A successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball).

76. A colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube.

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

The more creative you are, the better able you will be to come up with a few problem-solving ideas. Take some time now to do some writing on what makes you happy and how you can reach this goal of being more creative. Your creative ideas lift your spirits and bring your thinking to a max in most work situations, particularly if you deal with difficult people. This is a good day and you should receive some good insights. Phone calls, letters and visiting neighbors are an important part of building your circle of relationships and you enjoy bringing out the best in another person. You would make a good teacher or a volunteer with young people. You show your charming side this evening and a romance or marriage is very possible soon.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your relationship with others is usually most harmonious. A young person or family member would do well to use you as a mentor in his or her relationships. This is also a good time to effect subtle changes in your profession. If you are observant today, you will be able to find little non-outstanding chores that will bring positive attention as you complete them without fanfare. You are dependable and you will discover this is a quality that is hard to find within the position you hold. You go out of your way to understand what is bothering a friend or relative this afternoon. This is a great time to get to know the goals and dreams of your loved ones. Learn to ask questions that will culminate in truthful answers. You are in a festive spirit this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You have made some real headway with regard to healing any disgruntled type of individual. Additional responsibilities may be placed on you in the workplace today but you are able to achieve a positive end. You have plenty of time to complete whatever you feel you need to accomplish. You have a tremendous drive to create a positive atmosphere at work and home. Doing just about anything with friends or family will create good memories and an opportunity to take a few pictures. You may find yourself being entertained by a young child or attending an art show. Careful however, money seems to escape your grasp, even when you are not aware. Hold cash carefully, the wind is strong.

Smile, someone has you in a camera lens.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a fundamental day with much passion and lots of action. You have lots of physical vigor today and it would not be a bad idea to take your breaks out-of-doors; perhaps the noon break you could take a swift walk and then come back and eat a good lunch.

Working off the excess enthusiasm or anticipation will help you to focus this afternoon. You could find yourself in the limelight this afternoon—everyone wants your attention. After work you may want to spend some time riding a bicycle or some other similar activity, perhaps with friends or family. You may feel very radiant. There may be a little time to do things around the house or with family tonight. There is an open door to some relationship healing which could include a parent or other relative.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) This marks a time when you enjoy good relations with co-workers. Plans for a camping trip or plans for a summer get-together are great ways to build good coworker relations. Your thinking process is invigorated and you are able to clearly express your ideas to your work partners or to customers. If you are honest with others, you should expect the same in return. Outside of work, your financial position improves because of your association with a relative. You should work hard at this time to keep close relatives, just that—close. You are a caring spirit and may also feel great sympathy for friends; many people turn to you for psychological help. You may be of great help to someone today without even realizing it. Romance is present.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You seem automatically motivated to be productive—one thing you may concentrate on the most today could be on reorganizing and making files thinner and more accessible, perhaps by putting part of the files on a computer file in some way. Your optimism is not an illusion; you build your life strong and solid, just like you appear to others. People would benefit by your way of thinking and you may want to consider giving to the community through teaching young people. These could be called financial smarts, fast links to an organized life or a life well lived. Teachers will many times teach what they need to learn, yet your abilities will lead to many accomplished subjects. Going home this early evening, you may enjoy a visit with neighbors or friend.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You have a strong urge to work through some internal changes and you may have found a mentor to help you learn and acclimate yourself to some new working equipment or method or attitude. Push too hard, however, and you could be too bothersome to yourself. Give yourself some credit; you are smart and quick and can learn as well as the next person. Go ahead and move forward at your own understanding; if you make a mistake, consider it a learning tool—just learn the safety rules. Create peaceful situations as much and as possible. Groups of friends just magically seem to gather around you after work; perhaps a pizza party is in order. You find yourself appreciating what is quite ordinary. You and your mate are happy when life is simple.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) CAPRICORN An instinctive urge to get serious about taking care of yourself at many levels is emphasized now. This may mean an early morning exercise program, as well as some vitamin regimen. You encourage good health and positive thinking to others. Being involved in helping your loved ones can bring you a great deal of satisfaction. Professionally speaking, this is the type of day with lots of questions and answers. After work, there is talk of learning how to blend with others and have others blend with you. Although this could prove to be a learning time, much is accomplished and you are able to create some positive ideas for future changes in the production line. Tonight is healthy and fun. By the way, this is one of your best days for love.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Many little chores seem to block your progress this morning but there is something about today that brings with it good luck. These slowdowns may have been meant to be, so to speak. A project needs one more person and it would be best to draw straws, particularly if this project comes with good pay or overtime and you are in charge of the decision making. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your ability to act and get things done. This is not, however, a good time for you to try out new things or break away from the old routine. Your passion is high and you may feel as though you could conquer the world.

There is an opportunity to partake in some group get-together this afternoon. Other people pay for the food—yum.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) The behavior of another person may have you completely surprised today. You have a lot of mental drive. In trading and speculating, your choices are good and will gain good results in a short period. It is time to skim a bit of funds off the top and make some new investments. A little animal gains your attention after the workday and you may spend some time in helping to make decisions about animal control or finding lost animals. Some political office may become available and this is a good time to think ahead about ways you think you might be able to instigate some positive changes. This evening is a great time to reflect on your own situation, just how you feel about yourself and your future goals. Expect money soon.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

lifestyle G o s s i p

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scar winner Ang Lee canceled his plans to direct the pilot of new US television series “Tyrant,” saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film “Life of Pi.” Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.” “It is one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that I’ve seen and one about which I was very excited,” Lee said in a statement. “However, after spending over four years making and promoting ‘Life of Pi,’ I have recently realized that I need some rest.” “Tyrant” tells the story of an American family that is pulled into the workings of a restive

Middle Eastern nation, and Lee was slated to begin filming the pilot this summer. It would have been the Taiwaneseborn director’s first foray into television. “Tyrant” is produced

by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who also are producers on Showtime’s Emmy-winning counter-terrorism thriller “Homeland.” FX, which did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment, is owned by Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corp.

Franklin taking

June off, postponing shows

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ara Delevingne has had her initials tattooed onto her hand. The 20-year-old model went back under the needle of celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang on Monday for the second time in a week to have the letters ‘CJD’, including her middle name Jocelyn, etched on the side of her right hand in italic writing. Sharing a photo of the design on her Instagram account, Cara wrote: “My new CJD (Cara Jocelyn Delevingne) tattoo by @BangBang (sic)” The catwalk beauty also tried out her own tattooing skills on Bang Bang - whose other A-list clients include Rihanna, Demi Lovato and Cara’s best friend Rita Ora - and left a permanent reminder of her visit on the artist’s leg. In another picture showing the party girl holding the needle, she added: “Me tattooing a tattoo legend!!

You must be crazy @BangBang (sic)” Cara’s new design is located close to her first inking

by Bang Bang, a lion on her right index finger.

The New York-based artist often allows his celebrity clientËle to tattoo him and he now has designs on his body created by Rita, Cara, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry among others.

retha Franklin is taking off the month of June. A spokesman for the 71-year-old singer says Franklin will reschedule two shows and resume her touring schedule in July. Publicist David Brokaw provided no other details Tuesday. Franklin announced earlier this month that she would cancel scheduled performances in Chicago and Connecticut this week to undergo medical treatment. She did not specify what type of treatment she was receiving. Franklin appeared on the season finale of the TV singing competition “American Idol” last week via satellite, singing a medley of her hits with the show’s female finalists.

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obert Pattinson was left “angry and upset” after discovering texts from Rupert Saunders on Kristen Stewart’s phone the morning of his birthday. The ‘Water For Elephants’ actor was looking at his on/off girlfriend’s phone when he saw the messages from the director - who Kristen had an affair with when the pair shot ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ leaving him heartbroken on his 27th birthday on May 13. He decided to leave right away, end their four-year relationship and told his ‘Twilight’ co-star to leave him alone. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Rob was looking at her phone on the morning of his birthday as he wanted to take a picture of something when she was in the shower. “Suddenly this message flashes up and it’s not what he wanted to see.

He got straight up and left. Despite Kristen’s pleas, he told her not to come to his birthday party at his friend’s that night. “He’s extremely angry and upset. No matter how many times she calls or texts, friends say he’s had enough.” Despite the couple managing to patch things up after a two-month break following Kristen’s “momentary indiscretion” with Rupert last year, it is thought their relationship is over for good this time after Rob was spotted moving his belongings out of her home in Los Feliz on Sunday where they both lived over the last few months. The source added: “After everything that happened and the hurt she caused, he’s furious she’d be back in touch with him, even if she is saying it’s completely innocent. “It does look like this it’s over for good. He simply can’t trust her.”

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ustin Bieber’s monkey has become the property of Germany. The ‘Beauty and a Beat’ hitmaker’s beloved pet Mally was seized by authorities in March when the singer failed to provide proper vaccination and import documents when he arrived in Munich to perform a concert as part of his ‘Believe Tour’. German authorities have now filed legal documents to transfer ownership of the capuchin monkey after Justin failed to meet a deadline set for Tuesday to provide the required documents. Mally is now expected to be sent to an unspecified zoo in Germany.

Germany’s environmental minister Peter Altmeier said: “Monkeys are very sociable animals. That’s why we’re going to take Mally to a place where he can live safely and in the company of others.” German officials had been housing the 20-week-old pet at an animal shelter in Munich and have revealed they will attempt to bill the 19-year-old pop star for its care, which is thought to have exceeded several thousands of dollars. The shelter also criticized the ‘Baby’ singer for keeping Mally as a pet, claiming the newborn shouldn’t have been taken away from his mother until he was at least a year old.

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annii Minogue says fame made her feel “awful”. The former ‘X Factor’ judge was crippled with anxiety when she launched her pop career in the 90s after constantly being compared to her older sister Kylie and being dubbed her sibling. Dannii - who started her career as a child actress in the 80s, just like Kylie did - said: “I think it’s because if you build something up in your head you get a fear of it. It was just like having a fear of heights - it’s all in your head. I’m better now, but when I started it was awful.” The 41-year-old star will soon step back into the spotlight as a judge on ‘Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model’, and she admits she finds it hard to act natural on camera and believes most celebrities have a different persona in public. Dannii confessed to Ponystep magazine: “The microphones on stage, the camera pointing at you, the lights. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to walk into a room full of strangers and act natural. “You can say it’s almost like stepping into a superhero suit. The Lady Gaga you see - I don’t think that’s the real person at all. She’s amazing.” Dannii recently revealed she would love to have more children in the future in order to give her twoyear-old son Ethan - who she has with her former boyfriend Kris Smith - a brother or sister. She said: “I’d like to have more kids, but we’re into the terrible twos with Ethan so we’ll see. He requires a lot of time, which is why I changed my schedule to be with him more.”

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eather Graham won’t marry unless she’s sure she’s making the “right choice”. The 43-year-old actress has dated a string of famous men - including the late Heath Ledger and singer Adam Ant - but admits she has never been in a rush to wed because she is content with her own life and doesn’t need a guy to validate her existence. She said: “I want to make the right choice. I feel I have a happy, good life, so someone would have to make my life better. “We’re not economically dependent on men. We’re free. You can choose to be with someone or to be on your own and this is great.” The ‘Hangover Part III’ star who shot to fame with roles in films such as ‘Boogie Nights’ and cult TV show ‘Twin Peaks’ - is ecstatic to reprise her role as former call girl Jade in the comedy sequel, but she worries about the amount of movie roles available to women in Hollywood.

Heather plans to make her own movie as a result, blasting the “sexist system” in the movie industry. In an interview with The Sun newspaper, she said: “There aren’t so many good parts for women. I think that in any given movie, 75 per cent of the roles are for men. Overall, I think it’s a very sexist system. “I just wrote a script that I want to act in and also produce. It is about how hard it is to make movies about women. It’s all about my own frustration in the business, I guess.” — Bang Showbiz

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

lifestyle F e a t u r e s

An artwork by Marnie Weber titled ‘Log Lady and Dirty Bunny’.

An artwork titled ‘State of Being Sliver Buddha 2013’ by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, front, is displayed at the first Art Basel in Hong Kong yesterday. — AP/AFP photos

A piece of art entitled ‘Man Loses History’ by South African artist Clive Van Den Berg.

T A man sits at a booth displaying paintings by Fernando Botero.

A visitor walks near an artwork titled ‘Van Gogh’ by South Korean artist Hyung Koo Kang.

he first Art Basel fair to be hosted by Hong Kong boasts a prestigious array of international art, highlighting the city’s new role as a global arts hub amid an explosion of personal wealth in mainland China. The four-day annual show is the world’s premier art fair and has until now only been held in Switzerland and the United States. Yesterday wealthy VIPs flocked to the waterfront exhibition centre hosting the fair, which opens to the wider public on Thursday. Dressed in glamorous outfits and against a backdrop of popping drinks corks, they perused an eclectic mix of works from more than 3,000 international artists exhibiting through 245 of the world’s leading galleries.

The main section showcases work from an international group of 171 modern and contemporary art galleries, with selections of paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and video. In one room a Volkswagen Beetle had been compressed into a giant sphere. Another installation drawing crowds featured a disheveled human-sized rabbit sitting on a log, created by the American artist Marnie Weber. Internationally renowned artists whose work is on display include Britain’s Damien Hirst, French artist JR and the German photographer Andreas Gursky.

Other sections feature selections from the Asia-Pacific region curated for the show, large-scale sculptures and a section with solo and two-person exhibitions from emerging international artists. The boom in Hong Kong’s international art market is largely a result of the fast-growing wealth of mainland Chinese, some of whom are investing heavily in art. “Having seen the high quality and vast range of presentations from galleries across the globe, I can assure you that the first edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong promises many discoveries and delights,” Art Basel director Marc Spiegler told reporters.

Art Basel also exhibits in the Swiss city of Basel and in Miami Beach in the US, but the Hong Kong show will emphasise works from Asia, Spiegler said. Hong Kong is “a place where all Asia feels at home and with many bridges to the west”, he said. “Here in Hong Kong, we will provide a global stage of international exposure for galleries and artists in Asia.” There is also a growing interest among Asian collectors in different types of art aside from traditional works.

Gagosian, White Cube, Acquavella, Lehmann Maupin and Galerie Perrotin are just some of the big-name galleries to have arrived in the city in the past two years despite sky-high rents. “Art Basel in Hong Kong is evidence that Asia is becoming paramount to the international art world,” Pearl Lam, who runs galleries based in the southern Chinese city and in Shanghai by the same name, said in a statement for Art Basel’s opening. Art Basel replaces Art HK, Hong Kong’s former art fair which was set up in 2008. It was recently taken over by the high-profile Swiss Art

An artwork titled: ‘Dollar Sign’ by US artist Andy Warhol.

The Art Basel Hong Kong fair logo is seen in Hong Kong.

Basel franchise, which has been showcasing modern and contemporary art since 1970. “This is a truly historic moment for the art scene in Hong Kong and in Asia”, Art Basel Asia director Magnus Renfrew told reporters. “The arrival of Art Basel in Hong Kong strengthens the city’s position as the leading art hub in Asia.” — AFP

An artwork titled ‘Sakuhin, 1978’ by Japanese artist Sadamasa Motonaga.

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alking the red carpet of the world’s most famous film showcase is a test of nerves for celebrities, not helped by wind, rain and the chaos of hundreds of photographers shouting their names. From choosing the perfect dress and hairdo, to trying not to trip on the famous red steps, the pressure is on for movie stars and glitterati at the 12-day Cannes film festival on the swanky French Riviera which wraps up on May 26.

“It’s always scary and I’m always intimidated by these things,” actress Carey Mulligan told Reuters TV after her entrance in the pouring rain at the festival’s premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” in a pale pink Dior

gown. “There’s always a lot of pressure. Girls have lots of pressure. But I felt great and comfortable. Apart from the rain it was all pretty smooth,” she said.

An actress who can smile, wave to the cameras and sign autographs while battling wet feet, goosebumps and mussed hairdos deserves an acting award. “I’m going to blow away! I feel like Mary Poppins!” joked jury member Nicole Kidman, wearing a spring-like floral gown, also by Dior, on opening night. In the latest celebrity wardrobe malfunction, “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria inadvertently exposed herself as she hiked up her gown to avoid red carpet puddles on Saturday.

French actress Marion Cotillard

The foul weather has meant local stores have done brisk sales of jackets, sweaters, closed-toe shoes and umbrellas.

Some stars still managed to stay immaculately groomed.

French actress Marion Cotillard arrived at Monday’s premiere of “Blood Ties” by director Guillaume Canet and costarring Clive Owen with a high beehive hairdo that would have been impossible without a girl’s best friend - hairspray. Even less-glamorous dealmakers who head to the festival to buy and sell new films have been affected by the weather. “If this Cannes market turns out to be slower than usual, I will blame it entirely on wet socks,” tweeted Magnolia Pictures executive Peter Van Steemburg.

Clashing pink With all eyes in the entertainment industry on Cannes, making a memorable red carpet entrance is a must for stars, and brands from Swarovski to L’Oreal also seek to benefit. “Now the movies, and especially the red carpet, are becoming the new fashion catwalks,” said Swarovski’s public relations director Francois Ortarix. “As a brand, we had to be here also.” Stars managed to keep the fashion stakes high, with fashionistas like China’s Fan Bingbing showing off new outfits at a series of parties.

US actor and singer David Hasselhoff and his partner British model Hayley Roberts — AFP/AP photos

Actress Milla Jovovich

US actress Jessica Biel

Dior, with its full skirts and elegant appeal, appeared to be the favorite of the fashion set this year as new designer Raf Simons has made wooing the A-listers a priority.

Cotillard and actress Jessica Biel attended Dior’s cruise collection fashion show in Monaco on Saturday night. It was marked by bold colors and pointy-toed shoes.

But some opted for Chanel, such as “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson who chose a pink and black sequined dual-tone dress for the premiere of Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring”. Model and actress Milla Jovovich chose a black and white floral sequined Chanel in one of the few bold prints to hit the red carpet. An even more striking choice was made by “Baywatch” actor David Hasselhoff, in town to promote his new movie “Killing Hasselhoff”, who wore a fuchsia pink shirt under his tuxedo. “Red carpet, pink shirt ... I know, sorry,” he quipped. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

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M o v i e s

Singer-songwriter Carole King performs during an event to honor her with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress. — AP photos

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arole King isn’t done with music - not yet anyway. The 71-year-old singer-songwriter known for such hits as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got A Friend” was awarded the nation’s highest prize for popular music in a concert Tuesday. She received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress and will be honored today by President Barack Obama at the White House King told The Associated Press it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized at such an historic place with a place in history that she never would have expected. King is the first woman to receive the Gershwin Prize. Previous honorees include Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.

“It is yet another of the many important messages to young women that women matter, women make a difference,” King said. “That popular music is recognized by the Library of Congress as being worthy of a place in history is especially significant to me.” A concert in King’s honor Wednesday at the White House will include performances by Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sande, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood. It will be broadcast May 28 on PBS. Last year, King hinted that she would like to retire from music as her memoir, “A Natural Woman,” began to sell. But since then, she’s gone on tour in Australia and plans to sing at a benefit concert to support victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Now she plans to introduce a new song during the Gershwin Prize concert that she wrote with Hal David, entitled “I Believe in Loving You.” She told the AP she plans to release it as a single next month as a tribute to David, who won the prize and died last year. “I’m hoping that this will become a song that people will want to play at their weddings,” she said. “It’s so romantic. Hal is such a great writer, and his words live on forever.”

King said she’s staying too busy to retire. This month she received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music along with Willie Nelson and Annie Lennox. There’s even a Broadway musical in the works based on King’s life. “I still feel that it would be lovely to retire, but that time is not yet here apparently,” she said. King got her start in music from the time she could barely reach the piano growing up in Brooklyn, NY,

Louise Lynn Goffin, the daughter of Carole King, performs. constantly asking her mother, “what’s that note?”

The piano, she said, brought a “magical connection” for her innate interest in music. She was hooked from the start, she said. “I think I was drawn to it and it was drawn to me.

Whatever it was, it was not something I tried to manipulate,” King said. “The only thing I did do was seek to have the songs heard.” King wrote her first No. 1 hit at age 17 with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles with her then-husband Gerry Goffin. Her breakout 1971 album “Tapestry” remains one of the best-selling records of all time. It is the first female solo album to reach Diamond status, surpassing 10 million copies sold.

The album included No. 1s “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move, as well as “You’ve Got a Friend” recorded by James Taylor. Hundreds of artists have recorded her songs, including The Beatles, Mary J Blige, Cher, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin,

Gian Marco from Peru performs.

Barbra Streisand and many others. That’s in part what makes King so remarkable, said Librarian of Congress James Billington. “When the Beatles got off the plane, the first person they wanted to meet was Carole King when they first came to America,” he said. “She was kind of a phenomenon among the performers themselves. That’s an important endorsement.”

In 1990, King and Goffin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Singer Colbie Caillat, who performed “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” in King’s honor Tuesday night, told the AP she grew up listening to King’s records, especially “Tapestry,” at home with her parents. She said she most admires the honesty in King’s music and the simple chords that allow melodies and vocals to soar. “When I think of her, my heart just has a warm spot because her songs just inspire me to be better as a songwriter and to be genuine and honest and open in my lyrics and melodies,” Caillat said. “With the tone of her voice,

she doesn’t try too much. She just lets it be what it is.”

Producers aim to replay King’s rise to fame next year on Broadway with “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” But King is keeping her distance. Her daughter and manager, Sherry Kondor, is shepherding the project. King said she went to a reading for the production but couldn’t stay through the end.

It was just too painful. The story focuses on the 1960s when King was married to Goffin and her rise to become a musical icon, as well as their personal difficulties along the way. “I love the idea. I support it. I think it’s a wonderful story in many ways that will have resonance for people,” she said. “Maybe there are things people can learn from my mistakes and also what I did right.” — AP

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revor Bolder, the bass guitarist in David Bowie’s Spiders From Mars band, has died at the age of 62 following a battle with cancer, it was announced yesterday. Bolder joined the British rock star’s backing group in 1971, appearing on classic albums including “Hunky Dory” and “Aladdin Sane”.

“Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with. But he was foremostly a tremendous guy, a great man,” Bowie said. Bolder went on to join Uriah Heep in 1976 and only stopped playing with the hard rock band a few months ago due to his health.

“It is with great sadness that Uriah Heep announce the passing of our friend, the amazing Trevor Bolder, who has passed away after his long fight with cancer,” the band said in a statement. “Trevor was an all-time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced.

“His long time membership of Uriah Heep brought the band’s music, and Trevor’s virtuosity and enthusiasm, to hundreds of thousands of fans across the world. “Prior to joining Heep he was a founder and ever-present member of David Bowie’s legendary Spiders From Mars band, performing on all of their key albums and at countless shows.” — AFP Trevor Bolder

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wo emotionless prison guards watch Ai Weiwei as he eats, sleeps, paces, showers - and even sits on the toilet - in the Chinese artist’s new obscenity-filled, metaphor-rich music video mocking state power. The video accompanying the visual artist’s single “Dumbass” - released yesterday but blocked online in mainland China - is meant to reconstruct his 81-day detention in 2011, which was part of an overall crackdown on dissent. Ai’s subsequent conviction for tax evasion has been seen as punishment for his activism.

“People who are detained suffer traumas, and those who detain us know this very well,” Ai said at a video premiere ceremony in Beijing. “This is why we are secretly detained, blindfolded, cuffed, not allowed to meet with lawyers and relatives. “I had been thinking about how to recover from the trauma.

And I came up with the idea of using music to convey a sentiment that is tremendously secret, and private, to the public,” Ai said.

After his release, Ai’s design firm was slapped with a $2.4 million tax bill, which he fought unsuccessfully in the Chinese courts. Ai has irked Beijing by using his art and online profile to draw attention to injustices in China and the need for greater transparency and rule of law.

His music video, screeching with heavily distorted guitars, depicts an insensitive, overbearing state power that tramples on indi-

vidual rights. The Chinese-language lyrics are full of obscene insults, and the video images include animals that have become euphemisms for defiantly circumventing strict censorship. “This video was not shot for me, and this song, I am not singing for myself,” Ai said. “This is dedicated to all those people who do not have the opportunity to raise their voice, who will never be able to raise their voices. This is not just one generation. In the past 60 years there have been innumerable amounts of people who have been killed or sent away from their homes, even tortured to death.”

However, web surfers in China are unlikely to see it. During the premiere, Ai and his assistants posted links to the video on social media and file-sharing sites that are blocked in China, including Twitter and YouTube.

They also tried - in front of reporters - to post to Chinese sites including tudou.com, but those attempts weren’t successful, apparently because censors who review the content before it becomes public rejected the video.

The music video has Ai himself singing the song’s explicit lyrics. “Dumbass” is the first single from Ai’s forthcoming music album “The Divine Comedy.”—AP

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Singer Kellie Pickler attends the Maxim Hot 100 Party at Vanguard. — AFP

ountry singer Kellie Pickler won the 16th season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” on Tuesday night, winning over judges and TV audiences with her graceful style and high-jumping jives with partner and professional dancer Derek Hough. Pickler, who first grabbed attention as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2006, screeched and jumped up and down when she learned she had won. “This is amazing! Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, before fellow finalist and NFL player Jacoby Jones hoisted her on his shoulders to celebrate.

Pickler beat out Jones, former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, and Disney Channel star Zendaya, who goes by her first name. The show began with 12 celebrity contestants including singer Wynonna Judd and former Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, who were paired with the show’s professional dancers.

Raisman and her dance partner Mark Ballas were eliminated early in the two-hour finale after failing to garner enough judge points and audience votes for their performances on Monday night’s show, leaving Pickler, Jacoby, and Zendaya to compete in an instant dance round. The instant round, which allowed less than an hour for preparation, was scored by the show’s judges, and helped determine

the winner along with Monday’s scores and votes.

All three remaining contestants earned perfect scores in the instant round, but fan votes and strong scores from Monday’s show pushed Pickler over the top. She and her partner were also selected by audiences via Twitter to do an encore performance of their Monday freestyle dance. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba called Pickler’s freestyle performance “one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.”

The barefoot routine was meant to tell the story of a tormented couple, and was noted for its focus on grace and simplicity instead of flashy tricks.

Pickler and Hough brought back the energy on Tuesday with their upbeat jive to the song “Rockin’ Robin,” which included lifts and spins but was praised by judges for its precision. The finale also featured musical performances by former contestant Judd, Korean pop star Psy, and recent American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez. —Reuters

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

“D

aring” isn’t a word you would use very much to describe 2011’s “The Hangover Part II,” the disappointingly lazy, beatfor-beat rehash of the wild and wildly successful original “Hangover” from 2009. And yet, here we are with “The Hangover Part III,” which runs a different sort of risk by going to darker and more dangerous places than its predecessors, both artistically and emotionally. It dares to alienate the very audience that made “The Hangover” the highestgrossing R-rated comedy of all time because, well, it isn’t exactly a comedy. Sure, there are some outrageous lines and sight gags, mostly courtesy of Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong, who function as central figures this time when, previously, a little bit of them went a long way. (This was also a potentially alienating decision.)

But director and co-writer Todd Phillips signals early and often that he’s much more interested than ever before in exploring matters of real consequence, rather than simply mining them for brash laughs. Phillips and co-writer Craig Mazin have placed the unusual challenge on themselves of trying to create something bold and new while simultaneously remaining true to the trilogy and wrapping it all up in a satisfying way. They succeed somewhat; simply trying to be creative marks a huge improvement from part two. This time, Galifianakis’ insufferable, inappropriate man-child Alan has gone off his meds and is out of control.

His family and friends - including fellow “Wolfpack” members Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) - stage an intervention and offer to drive him to a treatment center in Arizona.

And so the four venture off on yet another journey, once again assuming their familiar roles: arrogant English teacher Phil is the de facto leader, Stu is the

cautious and neurotic dentist and Doug is the bland and stable voice of reason.

In theory, this should be a pretty innocuous trek through the desert. But this is a “Hangover” movie.

So, naturally, they get run off the road by masked thugs who work for crime boss Marshall (John Goodman, who improves everything merely by showing up). Turns out, some of their actions in Las Vegas four years ago have tied them to the evil, effeminate gangster Leslie Chow (Jeong) and put them in trouble with some powerful, volatile people. (Chow, we see in the prologue, has escaped a Bangkok prison, sparking an epic riot captured in dramatic, visceral detail by Phillips’ frequent cinematographer Lawrence Sher.)

Now, they must make things right by finding Chow. And of course, there’s a deadline, with Doug serving as collateral. Their assignment takes them to Tijuana and the rolling hills of northern Mexico until, inevitably, they must end up back in Vegas. In keeping with the tone of part three, this depiction of the city isn’t sparkly and full of promise, but rather seedy and foreboding. Las Vegas does, however, serve as the location for some rare moments of heartfelt emotion. One comes courtesy of Melissa McCarthy, in typical scene-stealing fashion, as the pawn-shop clerk who turns out to be Alan’s trashy, mulleted soul mate. The guys also revisit Stu’s first wife, ex-stripper Jade (Heather Graham), and find that she’s living a happy suburban life with her son, who’s now 4.

The child actor who plays him, Grant Holmquist, was one of several infants used in the original “Hangover” as Baby Carlos and is the one featured prominently in that film’s posters. It’s a nice touch.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Chow is more than just a silly, bisexual cokehead this time

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around. He’s clearly a sociopath, and the group’s association with him is more than just a nuisance.

Jeong gets a bit more room to explore the role and finds a bit more shading, but if you hate this character, you might just hate this entire movie, as well.

Similarly, Galifianakis gets way more screen time here; he’s essentially the star of “The Hangover Part III,” with Cooper and Helms fading into reliable supporting roles.

(Bartha once again misses out on the adventures.) The character of Alan is still odd and offputting, unorthodox and unpredictable. But his loneliness and neediness shine through, which makes one of the more out-there figures in the “Hangover” universe unexpectedly relatable. Your

expectations - and keeping them in check - are a crucial factor here. This isn’t a party: This finally, truly is the hangover. And it’s also the recovery. “The Hangover Part III,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity. Running time: 100 minutes. Three stars out of four .— AP

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apper Pitbull has taken his blend of American pop music fused with Latin beats from theclubs of Miami to international pop charts, but he now is crossing into film with his first acting role as an animated character in the upcoming movie, “Epic.” Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, has become a staple in the pop music field with lively dance-floor tracks including recent chart hits “Feel This Moment” with Christina Aguilera and “Live it Up” with Jennifer Lopez. The rapper, 32, plays street-smart frog Bufo in “Epic,” due to be released on Friday and which explores a secret universe where the natural world is battling evil forces. Pitbull talked to Reuters about his film debut, working with Lopez and the origins of his numerous nicknames.

Q: What do you make of this whole animation world you got a chance to work in?

A: Before I didn’t understand what it meant to put a voice to animation and see it come to life. But I’m always game for trying new things. I love how those artists could see my voice on the character before it was even drawn up.

Q: How did the animators bring your influence to the character of Bufo the frog? Did they capture your essence?

A: They captured a piece of my essence, absolutely.

The suits, the business/hustler, knowing how to navigate his way through the good and bad. Bufo knows how to play the middle. It’s business, not personal for him. I think they captured about 75 percent of my essence. The gestures, the hand movements, the way he walks - I think they watched me a lot in the studio when I was there.

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he Cannes Film Festival is missing one of its biggest stars of this year’s festival: Ryan Gosling. The 32-year-old Canadian actor was unable to attend the premiere yesterdayof director Nicolas Winding Refn’s film “Only God Forgives.”

Gosling stars in the Bangkok noir about a boxing club owner pressured by his mother to his avenge his brother’s murder. At a press conference yesterday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux read, in French, a letter from Gosling apologizing for his absence.

The actor is currently in Detroit shooting his directorial debut, “How to Catch a Monster.”

“I can’t believe that I’m not in Cannes with you,” Gosling wrote. “I was hoping to be coming but I am in the third week of shooting my movie. I miss you all. “Nicolas, my friend, we really are the same, simply in different worlds and I am sending you good vibrations. I am with you all.” His absence is a blow to the festival, which depends on top stars like Gosling to walk its red carpet and draw the world’s media attention to the annual French Riviera extravaganza.

Fremaux said he was sad that Gosling couldn’t make it.”He is not with us physically, but as he stated, his thoughts are with us,” said Fremaux.”Only God Forgives” is Gosling’s second collaboration with Refn following 2011’s “Drive.”“Only God Forgives” was screened for the media early yesterday at Cannes, where it drew mixed reviews for its extreme violence and nightmarish treatment of such a Greek tragedy. — AP

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Q: Many musical artists have made their way to film. Why haven’t you transitioned sooner?

A: It’s all about timing. I’ve had projects on the table but I didn’t have the time to do them. This caught me at the right time ... I hope there’s a sequel because I would love to see more of Bufo in number two. I have a lot of good ideas for them, ideas that would capture the rest of that 25 percent of the essence they may have missed.

Q: Your stage moniker ‘Pitbull’ is named after a dog that tends to get a lot of bad press unfortunately.

he problem with New York these days is there’s just not enough litter. At least, that’s French director Guillaume Canet’s experience. He had to supply his own garbage to recreate the grubby streets of 1970s Brooklyn for his debut Englishlanguage feature “Blood Ties.”“Every day,” the director laughed during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, where his movie is screening out of competition. “We had a big truck with garbage and we were throwing papers and stuff all the way.”

The lack of litter was just one of the logistical and cultural hurdles that Canet had to overcome to make the tale of sibling tensions in which two brothers - one a straight-arrow cop played by Billy Crudup, the other a charismatic criminal played by Clive Owen - find themselves on a collision course. Canet, a 40-year-old French screen heartthrob-turned-successful director, had several offers of work in the US after his 2006 French film “Tell No One” - a taut adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel - became a surprise hit in the US. He said he turned down the chance to do big-budget pictures in favor of the independently produced and modestly budgeted “Blood Ties.” The movie is a remake of the 2008 French thriller “Les Liens du Sang” (literally Blood Ties, but titled “Rivals” in English), which starred Canet as the policeman brother. He collaborated on the script with American director James Gray, whose own Big Apple saga “The Immigrant” screens at Cannes on Friday. Gray was the one who helped translate Canet’s dialogue into fluent New Yorkese. The film is steeped in Canet’s love of ‘70s American movies

A: Pitbulls are misunderstood and that’s the same thing with me when I first came into the music business. Being Cuban-American made me politically incorrect. My whole life was trying to make people understand that we all come from the same place. It’s the same with the dog. The pitbull is a very loyal, very loving dog that doesn’t understand the concept of losing. I believe in fighting hard for what you believe in and never giving up.

Q: How important is your Cuban heritage?

A: It’s very important. I’m Cuban-American, first generation. The Latin culture is everything. But I’m very careful to not let that box me in. I want to represent (my heritage) and I’m proud of who I am, but it’s about letting others know that we are just like everybody else. We don’t want people to judge us, we want people to understand us, to see that we’ve gone through the same things everybody else has gone through and suffered the same struggles.

Q: What were some of the pivotal moments in your career that really changed things for you?

A: The record that took it global was “I Know You Want Me” (in 2009). Before that, I lived in the clubs and in the streets as far as my music. But that song took it to the next level. “Give Me Everything” (in 2011) was a turning point. This record coming out (on May 28) called “Outta Nowhere” will be another turning point I think.

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Q: How so?

A: It’s a different side of me. It’s going to show everything that we’ve been speaking about here motivation, believing in yourself, not giving up.

With this record, I wanted to come out of nowhere, which is why the name is perfect.

Q: “Live It Up” is your third collaboration with Jennifer Lopez, following “On The Floor” and “Dance Again.” What’s your partnership like?

A: Jennifer is a hard worker, very professional, gorgeous and she’s a walking empire. Anytime I’m around her, I’m watching, learning, studying. It’s a natural combination, like a student and teacher.

I’m a student all day. I think it would be an honor for Jennifer to watch me grow and say, ‘That kid did learn.’

n auction of items belonging to late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman has been cancelled, the auction house said yesterday, after police said the objects were likely stolen from the family. Photos, letters-most of them addressed to his fourth wife, pianist Kaebi Laretei, now 90 — and a sketch from a 1944 draft manuscript were to have gone under the hammer at Bukowskis auction house in Stockholm on May 28. But Bukowskis chief curator Carl Barkman said the auction had been scrapped after “irregularities concerning the origin of the items.”

Police officer Lars Alm said one of Bergman’s sons, Daniel, had filed a complaint after seeing an article about the auction in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. “He was very surprised because he thought these objects were in the possession of his mother, Kaebi Laretei,” said Alm. “It turned out that it was Kaebi’s daughter, Linda, who took them, pawned them, and

and evokes “Mean Streets” - Martin Scorsese’s breakout 1973 drama - and other films of the era, such as director Jerry Schatzberg’s junkie drama “The Panic in Needle Park.” Canet refers to Schatzberg’s movie as a touchstone and screened it for his cast and crew so they could understand where he was coming from.

But it was only once he started making the movie that he grasped how much things have changed in New York. “When they were shooting ‘Panic in Needle Park’ you can see that they were stealing shots in the streets, and you cannot do this in New York now,” he said. “You can’t shoot without permission, without authorization. It’s really difficult.” Permits were one problem; another was U.S. cinema’s working practices, which struck the Frenchman as both foreign and hierarchical.

“Not being able to talk with the extras was very frustrating for me,” Canet said. “You have to go through your first assistant, who is going to - in front of you - talk to the extras. “When you have someone in front of you, you want to talk to him directly, you don’t want to have someone repeating what you just said. So it’s just weird.”

He got used to it, but audiences at Cannes have been divided on how well his trans-Atlantic hybrid of a film succeeds. The ‘70s look of the film is powerfully evocative - all polyester, vast cars and even vaster moustaches - and the soundtrack is chock-full of killer tunes.—AP

Recording artist Pitbull onstage during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. — AFP

sold the pawn shop receipt to an antique dealer who picked up the items and brought them to Bukowskis,” added Alm. Daniel Bergman and Linda do not have the same father.

Police said they had launched an investigation into the suspected theft and planned to interrogate suspects. “We have previously worked with the family and we reacted as soon as we were informed of the situation,” Bukowskis curator Barkman said. He stressed the decision to cancel the sale was taken together with the family and the seller. Ingmar Bergman died on July 30, 2007, at the age of 89 after directing more than 40 films during a career that spanned the second half of the 20th century. — AFP

(From Left) actors Billy Crudup, Noah Emmerich, director Guillaume Canet, actors Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Jamie Hector and Lili Taylor pose for photographers as they arrive for the screening of Blood Ties at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. — AP

Library honors Carole King with US pop music prize

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THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013

File photo shpws Muppets Fozzie Bear, left, a Whatnot, center, and Kermit the Frog make a television appearance in New York. — AP photos

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Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, poses with Kermit the Frog.

he Muppets may have taken Manhattan, but they’re getting a spiffy new home in Queens. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Bert and Ernie of “Sesame Street” fame, the stars of “Fraggle Rock” and other puppets, costumes and items from throughout Muppets creator Jim Henson’s career have been donated to the Museum of the Moving Image, which is building a new gallery to house them, the institution announced Tuesday. Encompassing almost 400 items ranging from original puppets to behind-the-scenes footage, the gift is a boon for the 25year-old museum, which saw attendance skyrocket in 2011 and 2012 during a temporary exhibit of Henson’s work. And it fulfills a cherished goal for Henson’s widow and collaborator, Jane Henson, who died last month at 78.

“She loved the Muppet characters as though they were part of her own family,” and the actual puppets themselves were special to her, one of the couple’s daughters, Cheryl Henson, said at a news conference. “It was her dream to have these dear friends find a good home where they could be seen and enjoyed, and where new audiences could learn about the many facets of my father’s work.” The exhibit is to open next year at the museum in the Long Island City neighborhood, across the East River from midtown Manhattan. The city is chipping in $2.75 million toward the $5 million cost for a project it sees as furthering its goal of persuading more tourists to venture beyond Manhattan. “The only major item that I know will

Muppets Bert, left, and Ernie, from the children’s program ‘Sesame Street.’

not be represented is the Muppet that they made of me,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked at the news conference, where he bantered with Miss Piggy about the city’s film and television industry and reminisced about their joint work in the 2008 TV special “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa,” which featured Bloomberg as himself.

“You were wonderful - almost lifelike,” the porcine prima donna quipped Tuesday. (For the record, Bloomberg’s personal Muppet has a nice home of its own, in a reading room at the mayor’s Manhattan town house.) A puppeteer, screenwriter and producer, Henson introduced a raft of beloved and familiar characters during a career that spanned from the 1950s until his death in 1990, at 53.

Some, including his Muppets and Fraggles, appeared in both television shows and movies, among them the 1984 film “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” which depicted the fuzzy crew striving to stage a Broadway musical.

While being a shrewd and innovative businessman, “Jim Henson created indelible, memorable characters that live with us throughout a variety of media,” said Carl Goodman, executive director of the Museum of the Moving Image. Henson’s career showed “that you can march to the beat of a different drummer and succeed in this world,” Goodman said. Ten Henson puppets from the 1950s TV show “Sam and Friends,” including the original version of Kermit the Frog, were donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in

2010. The Smithsonian already had a Kermit puppet from the “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show” era. — AP

Miss Piggy arrives at the premiere of The Muppets at the El Capitan Theater.

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami poses in front of one of his sculptures during a press preview of his solo exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in Hong Kong. The exhibition, which runs from 21 May to 6 July 2013 will display in particular a set of new paintings featuring Murakami’s alter-ego Mr Dob and self-portraits of the artist surrounded by characters including ‘Kaikai’ and ‘Kiki’ with backgrounds of skulls patterns.—AFP

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unique first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” annotated by author JK Rowling has sold for a record 150,000 pounds ($227,421) at a London charity auction, Sotheby’s said on Tuesday. The 1997 book, featuring handwritten notes, 22 original illustrations and a 43-page “second thoughts” commentary by the author, fetched the highest price to date for a printed book by Rowling, Sotheby’s said in a statement.

The auction house said the sale room fell silent on Tuesday as buyers engaged in a bidding war for the coveted book, which eventually went to a unidentified buyer bidding over the telephone. The full sale featured 51 first editions, all unique one-offs featuring annotations and commentary from authors, as part of the “First Editions, Second Thoughts” sale to benefit charity organization English PEN, which promotes freedom of expression.

Other top sellers included Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” with new illustrations by Quentin Blake for 30,000 pounds ($45,470), Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day” for 18,000 pounds ($27,278) and Julian Barnes’ “Metroland” for 14,000 ($21,216).

The total sale fetched 439,000 pounds ($665,410). “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was the first in a series of seven novels by Rowling, about the adventures of a boy wizard living in a world of “muggles” and magic. Only 500 first editions of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” exist, making them the rarest of the series, which has become the best-selling book series ever and was adapted into a multibillion-dollar film franchise. — Reuters

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A member of staff poses holding a first edition copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ by British author J K Rowling annotated by Rowling that will form part of the ‘English PEN First Editions, Second Thoughts Sale’ at Sotheby’s auction house in central London. — AFP

he pants worn by actor Mark Hamill in the first Oscar-winning “Star Wars” film went under the hammer Tuesday for $36,100, according to auction house’s website. The young Jedi Knight wore the sand-colored regular Levi’s pants throughout the 1977 movie, which launched the world-beating franchise by director George Lucas. The pants had a presale estimate of $70,000-$100,000, said Los Angeles auctioneer Nate D Sanders, who called the film “one of those rare cinematic experiences that most people remember their whole lives.” There were 13 bids.

The original movie, which launched the career of a young Harrison Ford, was soon followed by the equally popular “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983). In the late 1990s, Lucas drew mixed reviews when he resurrected the blockbuster series with a prequel trilogy: “The Phantom Menace” (1999), “The Attack of the Clones” (2002) and “The Revenge of the Sith” (2005). Walt Disney Company announced plans to revive the series in October, when it bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Sci-fi and action filmmaker JJ Abrams will direct “Episode VII,” scheduled for release in 2015. — AFP

This image courtesy of Nate D Sanders Auctions shows the pants worn by Luke Skywalker as a Jedi Knight in ‘Star Wars’.

— AFP