25 May 2013 by Kuwait Times

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Hard choices for Palestine, Israel: Kerry

150 Fils

RAJAB 15, 1434 AH

Syria opposition seeks to unify as talks loom

No: 15819

Palmer takes control with a 62 at Colonial

Obama seeks end to US ‘war on terror’ Cautious welcome to drones speech

WASHINGTON: Twelve years after the “war on terror” began, President Barack Obama wants to pull the United States back from some of the most controversial aspects of its global fight against Islamist militants. In a major policy speech on Thursday, Obama narrowed the scope of the targeted-killing drone campaign against AlQaeda and its allies and took steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. He acknowledged the past use of “torture” in US interrogations; expressed remorse over civilian casualties from drone strikes; and said that the Guantanamo detention facility “has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law.” Though aimed first at a domestic audience, Obama’s speech at Washington’s National Defense University was also the latest milestone in his campaign to reshape the global image of the United States - particularly in the Islamic world.But he faces obstacles from opponents in Congress who will try to block the closure of Guantanamo prison and reject his call to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force passed right after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks. The law is the legal basis for much of the “war on terror.” President Obama’s speech on the use of drones and the fate of Guantanamo prisoners was largely welcomed yesterday in two key countries affected by the policies- Pakistan and Yemen. But Pakistani officials criticized the president for not ending drone strikes in the country altogether, as they have long demanded. Obama cast drone strikes against Islamic militants as crucial to US counterterrorism efforts but acknowledged in his landmark speech Thursday that they are not a “cure-all.” The president also said he is deeply troubled by civilians unintentionally killed in the strikes and announced more restrictive rules governing the attacks - measures that his advisers said would effectively limit drone use in the future. Obama implored Congress to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, and tried to jumpstart the process by announcing a fresh push to transfer approved detainees to their home countries and lifting a ban on transfers to Yemen. The end of Yemeni restrictions is key, given that 30 of the 56 prisoners eligible for transfer are Yemeni. — Agencies (See Page14)

LONDON: Police and rescue service vehicles yesterday at Stansted Airport, Essex, England, after Pakistan International Airlines flight PK709 bound for Manchester from Lahore, was diverted to Stansted following an incident on board. — AP

UK-bound Pakistan plane diverted Two men arrested, Britain still in shock WHO to help Saudi probe new virus before Hajj

In an image made from video, actress Amanda Bynes (center and inset) wearing sweats and a blonde wig, shields her face as she is escorted after a Manhattan criminal court appearance yesterday in New York. Bynes was arrested Thursday evening and charged with reckless endangerment after police say she heaved a marijuana bong out of her Manhattan apartment building. —AP

Max 42º Min 29º

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that it would help Saudi Arabia dig deeper into deadly outbreaks of a new SARS-like virus to draw up advice ahead of the annual haj pilgrimage, which attracts millions of Muslims. The UN agency, which is not currently recommending any restrictions on travel to the kingdom or screening of passengers at airports or entry points, will sent a second team of experts in the coming weeks, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said. The virus, which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, emerged in Saudi Arabia last year and has been found in 33 people there, killing 17. They are among 44 cases and 22 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO, which has called it the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). — Reuters

LONDON: Britain scrambled fighter jets yesterday to intercept a commercial airliner carrying more than 300 people from Pakistan, diverting it to an isolated runway at an airport on the outskirts of London and arresting two British passengers on suspicion of endangering the aircraft. A British security official said the situation involving the Pakistan International Airlines flight did not appear terror-related, though police were still investigating, but the incident further rattled the UK just days after a soldier was killed on a London street in a suspected terror attack. The security official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation. Flight P709 was traveling from Lahore, Pakistan, to Manchester Airport when it was diverted by the fighter jets to Stansted Airport. The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed that Typhoon jets were launched to investigate an inci-

dent involving a civilian aircraft but gave no further details. Passenger Nauman Rizvi told Pakistan’s GEO TV that two men who had tried to move toward the cockpit during the flight were handcuffed and arrested once the plane landed. Rizvi said that after the men were taken away, the flight crew told passengers there had been a terrorist threat and that the pilot had raised an alarm. Essex Police said they were notified at 1:20 pm local time (12:20 GMT, 8:20 a.m. EDT) that a threat had been made to an aircraft. The force said that after the Boeing 777 landed at 2:15 p.m., armed officers entered it and arrested two British nationals, aged 30 and 41. The suspects were taken to a police station where they face questioning, the police said in a statement. The plane will be examined by forensic specialists but no suspicious items have been recovered so far, police added. — AP

LOCAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Kuwaiti researcher Laila Bastaki wins WHO prize GENEVA: Kuwaiti researcher Dr Laila Bastaki won the World Health Organization (WHO) prize, granted by the United Arab Emirates Health Foundation 2013, which constitutes a significant source of pride to Kuwait, stressed Kuwait’s Minister of Health, Dr Mohammad AlHaifi here yesterday. In a statement to KUNA, the minister praised Dr Bastaki’s efforts and her leading role in scientific researching in genetic diseases that have a great impact on several aspects, especially the social sphere. Bastaki’s achievement reflects the State of Kuwait’s interest in scientific researching that is fostered by the constitution as it is significant in all natural and human sciences, said Dr. Al-Haifi. “Dr. Bastaki’s choice stems from her belief in contributing to the genetic research and disorders as well as expanding the provision of such services in Kuwait,” said Mahmoud Fekri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the Health Ministry, in a speech during the award ceremony Thursday evening. He pointed out the multi-achievements of Dr. Bastaki, which include reestablishing newborn screening program to detect genetic disorders, establishing registration units for metabolic, genetic and neurological muscle disorders in Kuwait, in addition to the discovery of three new genes. He explained, before the Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan, that Bastaki’s choices were not only limited to that achievement, but her cooperation with genetic research centers in the US and Europe has a major role in the development of these programs in Kuwait.—KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad seen greeting a youth before the start of pearl diving trip. (Right) A youth taking part in the competition.

Kuwaiti youths prepare for annual pearl diving trip KUWAIT: Chairman of the Kuwaiti Marine Sports Club Lt. General Fahad Al-Fahad said that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad has sponsored the revival of the 25th annual pearls diving trip which is organized by Marine Heritage Committee during the period 15th - 22nd August, with the participation of pearl diving ships which was given as a gift from the late Amir Sheikh Jaber AlAhmad. Al-Fahad expressed honour to the club and appreciation for the kindness and care of His Highness the Amir. Pointing that this sponsor is an honor to the club and its divers and the pearl diving trip has become an attraction which represent the national activities in reviving marine heritage at the local and GCC level. This event was given special care from His Highness the Late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad and now being cared by His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad in addition to the special care given by Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad to emphasize the importance of reviving this heritage in addition that it concentrates on the fore fathers in

the marine life and the linkage of the current generation with this heritage. The club has organized the 7th trip in 1995 with the participation of all Gulf States and the 21st trip which was organized to visit Bahrain pearl fishing areas and was documented by UNESCO in 2009. Al-Fahad said that all previous trips were made in such a way to focus and achieve the national goals and this year’s trip shall be a special one with the participation of a number of young divers, especially that heritage committee has started its preparations early through a training camp to qualify them for this trip.

June 6 official day off KUWAIT: The Civil services Commission (CSC) recently issued a directive pertaining considering Thursday, June 6 a day off in various governmental establishments and organizations on the occasion of celebrating the Isra’ and Me’raj anniversary.

Kuwaiti diplomatic mission in Cairo honors students CAIRO: Under the auspices of Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr Nayef AlHajraf and Kuwaiti Ambassador to Cairo Rashid Al-Hamad, Kuwait’s Cultural office held here a celebration to honor outstanding Kuwaiti students and graduates. Ambassador Al-Hamad, Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education’s Undersecretary Rashed AlNuwaihed, and Cultural Attache at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Cairo Dr Fareeh Al-Enizi attended the event. In their statements to KUNA on the sideline of the event, each official expressed joy towards the accomplishments of the Kuwaiti students, wishing them well in their future endeavors. The officials also lauded relations between Egypt and Kuwait specifically within the educational domain. There are around 12,000 Kuwaiti students pursuing education in Egypt on all levels. — KUNA

A group photo of outstanding Kuwaiti students and graduates of Egyptian Universities honored at Kuwaitís cultural office in Cairo. —KUNA

LOCAL SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Separating citizens, expats clinic timing Organization or discrimination!

Coast guards rescue four at sea By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Coast guards patrols at the Northern Area and based on a report from one citizen that he saw a boat carrying four persons was sinking at Khor Al-Sabiya Area. Coast guards patrol immediately proceeded to the site and rescued the four persons from the sea and gave them necessary first aid and took them to Al-Sabiya coast guards center. The coast guards called upon all those who go into the sea to abide by safety regulations for their own safety.

KUWAIT: The health minister’s decision to limit providing morning medical services to citizens only at various outpatients clinics and allocating the evening period for expats starting June 1, has had its impact on the public opinion as people were divided between supporters and objectors. Commenting on the decision, the manager of Kuwait Society for Human Rights, lawyer, Mohammed Al-Humaidi told the BBC that it was against all human rights, the Kuwaiti constitution and the entire international anti discrimination treaties. Some people condemned the decision noting that it was a clear manifestation of discrimination between citizens and expatriates. On the other hand, others believed it would be a step forward towards improving the health services provided in public hospitals through reducing pressure on medical and technical staffs which had been undergoing due to overcrowding, especially at Jahra Hospital. Some citizens argued that the best solution would be by building another hospital in Jahra or by imposing health insurance on citizens, as well. Interviewing some patients at the Jahra Hospital, Fahad Al-Muttairi said that the separation would help reduce waiting times before patients could be seen by doctors or undergo certain tests or even operations. “However, this solution is only temporary. What we really need is to build an alternative hospital in Jahra or impose health insurance on citizens”, he stressed. Um Abdullah, a citizen, hailed the decision noting that it would help organize work in the hospital and that she was sure doctors would do their best on both shifts. “I’m sure Jahra hospital management will provide the best services around the clock”, she said.

Citizen Mariam, said that the experiment would succeed in reducing crowds by half on both shifts. She also believed that afternoon clinics were best for expatriates because they all have to go to work in the morning. “As for us citizens, and even though we have morning jobs, but we can take leaves to go to hospitals and rest in the afternoon”, she said. Bo Nasser described the decision as a ‘right one’ and hoped it could be extended to include all public hospitals in Kuwait. “It will help organize things until special hospitals were built for various communities........the afternoon period used to be allocated for citizens in the past.......nothing is changed except the timing”, he underlined. On the other hand, citizen Musaed Al-Thafeiri condemned the decision noting that it would be a clear embodiment of racial discrimination. “People are all equal before Allah....the decision will serve neither citizens nor expatriates”, he stressed urging MOH officials to remember that diseases cannot tell the deference between citizens and expatriates. More moderately, and though he applauds the decision, citizen Faisal Ibrahim stressed that need to exempt human and urgent cases from the timing separation. Conservatively speaking, expatriate Sayyed Rezq stressed that he was for providing good health care regardless of the timing or nationality. However, expatriate Shah Islam was more decisive and stressed that the decision has to be reconsidered. “We all live in the same place. Categorizing patients is forbidden in any religion..We all work in and serve Kuwait, we spend our lives here....is this what we get for it? This discrimination is Haram?”, he cried out.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Zain offers 50% on SMS& 20% on International calls to Jordan KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, has announced that it will oﬀer a 50% percent discount on all SMS messages to Jordan and 20% discount on

International calls to Jordan as they celebrate the National Day today. Zain, expressed its congratulations on this occasion to the people of Jordan, represented in its leadership,

Criminal court acquits citizen KUWAIT: The criminal court recently acquitted a citizen and sentenced another to four years with labor, a KD 1,000 fine and withdrawing his driver’s license for a year. Case details show that a police patrol had stopped the second suspect’s vehicle and found him driving while drunk. On searching him, police officers found some Mohammed Kamal hashish. On asking for the ID of the first suspect (who was sitting in the passenger’s seat), he refused showing any and resisted arrest till he was tied up and searched to find some Tramadol pills on him. On his part, the first defendant’s attorney, Mohammed Kamal refuted the accusations and questioned all evidence that mainly relied on witness’s testimony, which eventually led to the aforementioned verdict.

Traffic dept ready to check cars on roads KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Lt General Abdulfattah Al-Ali announced about forming seven technical committees to check cars on the roads. The sources added that Al-Ali ordered all committees’ members to be professional and to withdraw and confiscate invalid vehicles even if they were of recent models. “This measure will help ease traffic flows along various streets as bad vehicle condition is behind much of the delay on the roads”, stressed the sources urging all vehicles owners to take very good care of their vehicles’ conditions including the paint. Al-Ali warned citizens and expats not to drive vehicles without getting official driving licenses issued by traffic department. Pointing that the campaigns carried lately resulted in the arrest of a large number of people who were caught driving without licenses. 17 under-age were sent to traffic court including a policeman for driving without license. In the meantime, Lt. General Abdulfattah Al-Ali released a surgeon doctor after has was detained for 24 hours in traffic detention room. Security source revealed that a check point during the campaigns held on the different roads arrested an Egyptian doctor for driving without license, Al-Ali was informed about that and ordered to detain him for 24 hours. Thereafter he was called to the Assistant Undersecretary office and when asked for reasons to drive without license. He replied that work conditions has prevented him from having the license, after checking the doctor’s papers and found that he had a valid driving license from his country and that he was qualified to get a Kuwaiti driving license. After reviewing all necessary documents Al-Ali signed the necessary papers for the doctor which allowed him to get a Kuwaiti driving license. Further, the sources justified Al-Ali’s decision to condition a minimum wage of KD 400 for those applying for driver’s licenses by those applicants’ need to be capable to purchase good or modern vehicles. — Al Qabas

the embassy and Jordan expatriates’ residing in Kuwait. The company stressed that Zain is a global company which is always keen to participate in the celebrations of nations.

Zain added that the oﬀer is extended to all SMS & International calls sent to Jordan only today, 25th of May for both post-paid and pre-paid customers.

Women held for ATMs, jewellery thefts Man assaults woman in her apartment By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Security sources revealed that by accident four Kuwaiti women wanted for more than 14 theft cases were arrested. Sources said that a Kuwaiti woman reported to Riqqa police that her ATM card was stolen and KD 300 has disappeared from her account. After the case was filed another report was received from a shop in a commercial complex at Al-Eqaila area stating that the two women who stole the bank card were in his shop. Riqqa head police station Colonel Hmoud Misbah Al-Azemi and other officers proceeded to the shop at the instruction of the area commander Colonel Ali Mohammad Al-Mirri. As soon they arrived at the shop the thieves ran away to the parking lot and threw some bags on the ground. The officers chased them and were arrested and taken to police station. The police searched their bags and recovered jewellery and women accessories of high value and some medicine and special

needs products. They confessed to their thefts at diﬀerent places. They were handed over to concerned authorities along with the other two women to complete the investigations.

ment and broke the toilet door and began beating her with a piece of wood and ﬂed the scene. Police have taken the man details in order to call him and listen to his side of the story.

Wife beats husband KUWAIT: Security sources revealed that a Kuwaiti man reported to Al-Zahra police station against his wife, who is a Kuwaiti teacher in one of the government schools. He claimed that he was beaten by her. A case was registered and police asked his wife to report to the police station to hear her side of the story.

Maid steals KD 220 A Kuwaiti man reported to the police against his Ethiopian maid and accused her of stealing. He told Abdullah AlSalem police station that he discovered the disappearance of KD 220 and at the same time, the maid disappeared. Police have taken details of the maid in order to circulate her name and prevent her departure.

Man assaults woman A Kuwaiti woman aged 23 year reported to Abu Halifa police station against a Kuwaiti man who assaulted her. She told police that she lives with her sister in an apartment in Abu Halifa and that she was having relations with the man who is 30 year old. He called her and asked her out, but she refused, which made him break into the apart-

Fire department visit injured fireman General Director of Fire Department along with his Deputy Brig Khalid AlMikrad paid a visit to Al-Adan hospital to inquire on Sergeant Khalid Hajaj AlDawsary who was injured while on duty at Shuaiba Industrial Center. Al-Ansari said that the eﬀorts of my colleague from the ﬁre department are always appreciated.

UNITED NATIONS: Suad Al-Otaibi spouse of Kuwaiti ambassador to UN at Kuwait Heritage Expo 1. — KUNA

Kuwait heritage portrayed in NY UNITED NATIONS: The spouse of the top Kuwaiti diplomat here joined hands with other eminent Kuwaiti women in holding “the Kuwaiti soire” late on Thursday, promoting the national culture and heritage. Mrs Suad Al-Otaibi, wife of the Kuwaiti Permanent Delegate at the UN, Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, organized the night-time gathering at headquarters of the Kuwaiti diplomatic mission, drawing a large number of dignitaries and prominent guests, including spouses of ambassadors of brotherly and friendly nations as well as the wife of the UN Secretary General. The activity that coincided with the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s joining of the UN, included a documentary about history of Kuwait, its achievements in various sectors, role of the Kuwaiti woman in development of Kuwait, in addition to photographs showing tourist landmarks in the Gulf country. Kuwaiti costume designer Muntaha Al-Ajeel displayed old and modern Kuwaiti costumes and dresses and Nora Al-Ajmi contributed with photos of the national costumes. At a corner, a tent was pitched with displayed items symbolizing the Kuwaiti’s old life-style. — KUNA

Oil minister faces grilling KUWAIT: The Cabinet postponed a meeting that was scheduled Thursday till sometime next week to discuss the government’s final decision about the two grilling motions filed on the coming parliamentary session’s agenda. In this regard, a parliamentary source said that the government intends to face the grilling motion filed against the oil minister, Hani Hussein and to demand referring another filed against the interior minister to either the legislative or constitutional parliamentary committees. Meanwhile, MP, Adel Al-Kharafi said that the Independent Bloc would support MP, Nasser Al-Marri in his grilling motion against the oil minister concerning the Dow issue. He added that the bloc had held a meeting during which Al-Marri briefed the members on the documents he had to back up his motion. — Al Qabas

LOCAL SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Policeman gets death for killing colleague Immigration detective arrested KUWAIT: The criminal court recently sentenced a police officer to death for shooting a police man working with him at Qadisiya police station last September, said security sources. The sources added that the officer was accused of premeditated murder as he had prepared his gun and shot the victim to the head, which means he shot to kill. On his part, the victim’s family lawyer stressed that he had taken the case voluntarily and free of charge because the deceased had a lot of patriotic attitudes. He also stressed that the killer was, unlike what his lawyers claimed, completely sane. On the other hand, the defendant’s lawyer demanded acquitting his client on grounds that his mental powers were disturbed when he shot the victim. Notably, the murder took place when the shooter returned to the police station after the victim, upon the station commander’s orders, filed a ‘desertion’ note against him for not showing up to work. Eyewitnesses said that the officer found the victim having dinner with a colleague and that he went to the weapons room, picked up a gun and shot the victim just as he was

getting out of the pantry room after finishing his diner. The shooter then escaped till he was arrested later on. Moreover, upon the First Deputy PM and Interior Minister, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Humoud, the victim was considered a martyr who fell in the line of duty. Meanwhile, an immigration detectives arrested a Kuwaiti man who told Asians that he works in immigration detectives and can release those detained for deportation in exchange of financial payment. Security sources said that director of immigrations detective Brig. Ghazi Al-Mai received information about this man and that an Asian expat reported to police that a person offered him to release his relative who is detained for deportation in exchange of KD 150. The Asian who is Sri Lankan was told to go ahead and give the man the money. As they met at one cafÈ at Abu Hlaifa, he was caught red handed and was having the numbered notes. During investigations he told police that he made use of the situation and offered his services to expats. Adding after he receives the money he disappears the moves between cafes to look for new victims. — Al-Watan

State of Kuwait Prize for 2013 awarded to Chinese laureate GENEVA: The 2013’s State of Kuwait Prize for Research in Health Promotion was awarded to Dr Guiqi Wang, from China, for his work on early detection of oesophagel cancer. The State of Kuwait Health Promotion Foundation is a foundation established within the framework of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its purpose is to award a prize (the State of Kuwait Prize for Research in Health Promotion) to a person or persons, an institution or institutions or a non-governmental organization or organizations, that have made an outstanding contribution to research in health promotion. Following the announcement of Wang’s winning the prize, Kuwaiti Health Minister Dr Mohammad Al-Haifi told KUNA, yesterday, that the prize reflects the gulf country’s keenness on encouraging all kinds of scientific and health research and initiatives. It also projects the Kuwaiti leadership commitment to support efforts that lead to fighting and preventing chronic communicable diseases. On his part, the Chinese laureate expressed, through a statement to KUNA, his appreciation to Kuwait and WHO for granting him this outstanding reward. He also pledged to donate prize money to the sick and underprivileged people. The prize’s academic worth will be given to cancer researchers in China to motivate them for finding new mean of diagnosis and treatment of this chronic disease. The State of Kuwait Health Promotion Foundation Selection Panel met on January 23, 2013. It was chaired by Dr Joy St John (Barbados),

Chairman of the Executive Board. Other Panel members present were Dr Saleh Ali Al-Marri member of the Executive Board for Qatar, and Haider Abulhasan, representing the Founder of the Prize. The Panel members studied the curricula vitae and the background of the five candidates, together with the Administrator’s technical comments on the candidatures. Bearing in mind the Statutes and guidelines governing the award of the Prize, the Panel unanimously decided to propose to the Executive Board that the State of Kuwait Prize for Research in Health Promotion for 2013 be awarded to Dr Guiqi Wang (China). Dr Wang is being honoured for his significant contribution to early detection and treatment of oesophageal cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer in China, particularly in high-risk rural areas. Dr Wang and his colleagues have provided training courses for local and voluntary health professionals. At least 2100 health professionals from 28 provinces have been trained in endoscopy, pathology, epidemiology, and treatment for early oesophageal cancer. This increased screening capacity has optimized the primary health care system for cancer prevention and control in rural areas, including for the disadvantaged population. Dr Wang recommends an integrated strategy to cover cancer control and chronic disease screening, and the involvement of communities in planning, management, and evaluation of health promotion in the control of chronic disease. —KUNA

LOCAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

GCC faces threats, makes great accomplishments KUWAIT: Thirty-two years ago, leaders of the regional countries held a summit conference in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, where they approved constituent law of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). On that day, May 25, 1981, birth of the GCC was officially proclaimed, an event that coincided with overshadowing regional crises and problems, namely a war between Iran and Iraq. The eventful declaration meant that these six countries joined hands to set up a bloc to pool their resources and strengthen their abili-

ty to withstand challenges and determine a single destiny. Credit for establishment of the GCC, particularly, goes to the late Amir of Kuwait, HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and the late UAE President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nuhayyan. Preparatory meetings were held ahead of the summit that grouped top leaders of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The bloc proved effective in fending off external challenges and aggression. Only hours after forces of the ousted

National Guard holds religious lecture

KUWAIT: Public Relations Dept at National Guard organized a religious lecture about prayers for its members in order to improve the spiritual side for them. The lecture was given by preacher Ahmad Thaiq Dghaiman who talked about importance of prayers and its spiritual effects in individual life. He supported his argument with a number of verses from Holy Quran and Sunna. Thereafter door was open to queries and questions from audience about a number of things that concerns them.

Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, on August 2, 1990, the GCC condemned the offensive in strong terms and demanded the occupiers withdraw from Kuwait immediately and without conditions. Moreover, the GCC states put all their resources at Kuwait’s disposal, in defense of legitimacy of its leadership at various levels. Moreover, they hosted Kuwaitis who sought safe haven and took part in military operations that evicted the occupiers in 1991. On August 3, 1990, GCC foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in Cairo, calling for an urgent meeting of the Arab League on the 10th of the same month to discuss the Iraqi aggression. On December 22, 1990, the 11th session of the GCC was held in Doha, Qatar, where the member states re-affirmed their firm support for Kuwait in its quest to reclaim sovereignty. At the diplomatic level, the GCC defended the Kuwaiti cause at international quarters, namely the Security Council of the United Nations. Due to the GCC efforts, the UNSC issued Resolution 660, stipulating immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupation forces and Resolution 678 that affirmed usage of all means to restore peace and security to the Gulf region. Observers acquainted with march of the GCC noted that the member states made large steps on the path for integration, particularly at the economic level. Banks were allowed to open branches in the GCC countries to facilitate inter-Gulf trade, proceeds of which grew from USD 32 billion to USD 100 billion between 2005 and 2012. In 2011, the GCC posted USD 1.2 billion in commercial income, ranking fifth after China, the US, Germany and Japan. The GCC Custom Treaty, that came into effect on January 1, 2003, was a qualitative leap in the right direction, for it contributed to free flow of commodities among the council member countries. Custom fees were unified, at five percent for imported goods from outside the GCC, and transit was cancelled among the GCC member states. In 2007, GCC leaders adopted establishment of the common Gulf market that secured free movement of labor and capitals among the countries. GCC citizens were also granted economic and business privileges in each of the member states. The former GCC secretary general, Abdul-Rahman Al-Attiah, affirmed that the bloc was formed genuinely to furnish GCC citizens with equal and identical treatment in all the GCC states. In 2000, the top leaders affirmed a plan to issue the single GCC currency. In their 30th summit, held in Kuwait in 2009, they inaugurated the joint power grid. During the same meeting, they approved completion of the GCC railway network. One of the most tangible and major steps for sake of unification was allowing the GCC citizens to cross borders of any member state without passport. Turning to the regional level, the GCC acted as a bloc in the face of Iran’s occupation of the three UAE islands, Greater and Lesser Tonbs and Abu Moussa, affirming Abu Dhabi’s sovereignty on these islands. Moreover, the GCC has urged Iran to respect international charters, abstain from meddling in internal affairs of the countries of the region, seek to resolve problems with peaceful means, abstain from using force, cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the nuclear issues and for proliferation of deadly arms in the Middle East. Also in this regard, the council urged Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and allow international inspection of its nuclear facilities. In 2011, when the Kingdom of Bahrain witnessed a major crisis that threatened its security and stability, the GCC affirmed its role and keenness on maintaining security and sovereignty of the council member countries and foiling any conspiracy intended to sow seeds of discords among natives and countries of the GCC. Regarding the Palestinian question, the GCC has maintained support for establishing just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on basis of full Israeli pullout from occupied Arab territories to the June 4, 1967, border line. As to Yemen, the GCC had taken a major initiative to resolve the internal crisis and cooperate with the international community to secure aid to stricken natives of the Gulf country. The GCC maintained the principle of maintaining sovereignty and territorial sanctity of Iraq and backed conciliation efforts to resolve differences among the Iraqis. On Syria, the bloc called on the international community to take firm and decisive action to realize aspirations of the natives. Furthermore, the council has been following up on developments and issues in other Arab countries, namely Sudan and Somalia. — KUNA

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Syria opposition seeks to unify as talks loom

Taleban attack UN compound in Kabul

Massive quake felt in Moscow, no casualties

STOCKHOLM: Firemen extinguish a blaze at a nursery school in the Stockholm suburb of Kista after youths rioted in several different suburbs around Stockholm, Sweden for a fourth consecutive night yesterday. — AFP

Kerry: Hard choices for Palestine, Israel Iran slammed for barring election candidates TEL AVIV: US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday to take “hard decisions” to revive the Middle East peace process, which has stalled for almost three years. Kerry has been pressing Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct peace talks that broke down in September 2010, notably over the issue of Jewish settlement building. “We’re getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made,” he told a news conference in Tel Aviv at the end of his fourth visit to the region since he took oﬃce in February. He said there was “one way” to make peace a reality, “and that is through direct negotiations. “Ultimately it is the Israeli and Palestinian people who both decide the outcome... and who will get the greatest beneﬁts” from a resumption of talks, he said. Meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, Kerry admitted there was skepticism and cynicism about his bid to broker new talks. “I know this region well enough to know there is skepticism, in some quarters there is cynicism, and there are reasons for it. There have been bitter years of disappointment,” he said. But he insisted: “It is our hope that by being methodical, careful, patient, but detailed and tenacious, that we can lay on a path ahead that can conceivably surprise people and certainly exhaust the possibilities for peace.” And in a powerful message to Palestinians, who are used to just seeing American motorcades sweep by into Abbas’s high-walled headquarters compound, Kerry went for a stroll along a Ramallah street. Despite public pronouncements of support, there is growing

John Kerry frustration that there has been little sign of a shift in the long-held positions of the two sides. Complicating eﬀorts is the new Israeli government, which has moved more towards the right and includes some ministers who oppose a two-state solution. Kerry also warned on Friday that there was a time limit on the possibility of peace, after Thursday comments from British Foreign Secretary William Hague also on a visit to the region-that the prospects of a two-state solution “cannot be kept alive forever.” “It is clear that in the long run the status quo is not sustainable,” Kerry said. The secretary of state also touched on the sensitive issue of Jewish settle-

ment building in the Palestinian territories, one of the principal issues over which the 2010 talks stalled. “The US position on settlements is clear and has not changed... we believe they should stop,” he said. “Some things are beyond control... but certainly the (Israeli) government has the ability to make a difference here in the next months. It is my hope that they will.” Israel has come under mounting international criticism for ramping up construction in the settlements. Settlements in the West Bank, including annexed Arab east Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. Palestinians demand a freeze on settlement construction before they will return to the negotiating table. But Kerry stressed the priority was for talks “without preconditions.” Kerry slammed Iran yesterday for its barring of would-be candidates for a presidential election next month. “I cannot think of anyone in the world... who would not be amazed by a process in which an unelected Guardian Council, which is unaccountable to the Iranian people, has disqualified... hundreds of potential candidates according to vague criteria,” he said at a news conference in Tel Aviv. “The council narrowed a list of almost 700 candidates down to... officials of their choice, based solely on who represents the regime’s interests, rather than who might represent some different point of view among the Iranian people,” Kerry said. “The lack of transparency makes it highly unlikely that that slate of candidates is either going to represent the broad will of the Iranian people or represent a change,” the top US diplomat added. Kerry spoke at the end of a visit to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah respectively. — Agencies

International

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Iran denies its forces fighting for Assad US imposes further sanctions on Tehran

TUNIS: The 5 Fishes, a 32-meter yacht that belonged to Belhassen Trabelsi, the brother-in-law of former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, is anchored in Goulette harbor, outside Tunis, yesterday. The boat was shown to media after being returned to Tunisia by the government of Spain, where it was seized in February. It is valued at $5 million. —AP

US, Turkey, Qatar seek UN rights debate on Syria GENEVA: The United States, Turkey and Qatar called yesterday for an urgent debate on Syria at the UN’s top human rights body next week, citing the escalating conflict and the regime’s assault on the central town of Qusayr. “We ... request the Human Rights Council to hold an urgent debate on the deteriorating situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, and the recent killings in Al Qusayr,” the ambassadors of the three countries wrote in their request to council president Remigiusz Henczel. The UN human rights council is due to open its next three-week session on Monday, and the three countries called for the urgent debate to be held during the first week, lamenting “the escalating grave human rights violations” in Syria. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez told AFP that president Henczel and other administrators would now examine a possible date for the debate, adding that Tuesday or Wednesday looked likely. This would not be the first time the UN’s top rights body meets to discuss the spiralling violence in Syria. The council has previously held one urgent debate on Syria and four special sessions outside its usual four annual meetings and is already set to hear during the coming session a report from UN investigators into the human rights situation in the war-torn country. That report will be presented on June 3. The request for an urgent debate on the situation in Syria comes after the Friends of Syria group of governments that back the rebels met in Amman this week as part of the diplomatic efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva next month. — AFP

DUBAI: Iran denied yesterday it had forces in Syria supporting President Bashar Al-Assad’s army, one day after foreign backers of his rebel foes demanded Tehran withdraw its fighters from Syrian territory. “The true enemies of Syria make up these accusations to provoke the people of this country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by Iranian state television. At a meeting in Jordan on Thursday, the Friends of Syria grouping of Western and Arab governments called for the immediate withdrawal from Syria of Iranian fighters and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas. They were reported to be fighting alongside the Syrian army and militias loyal to Assad in the town of Qusair, near the Lebanese border. “In response to a question about accusations that Iranian and Hezbollah forces were present in Syria, Abbas Araqchi said Iranian forces have never been and are not present in Syria,” the state television report said. Iran, a Shiite Muslim nation, is Assad’s closest ally and has provided money, weapons, intelligence and training for his forces against a mainly Sunni Muslim uprising in which more than 80,000 people have been killed in two years. Russia and the United States are trying to arrange an international peace conference to end the war. Moscow has said Iran should attend but Western reservations about a role for Tehran already threaten to derail the conference. Iran has called for elections and reforms in Syria but does not accept Assad’s removal, saying a solution to the crisis cannot be imposed from outside. Tehran has also accused Western and Arab nations of arming opposition groups. Analysts say that losing its Syrian ally would weaken Iran’s ability to threaten its foe Israel through Hezbollah. The United States has imposed

TEHRAN: Iranian presidential candidate and lead nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili waves to supporters during a campaign rally in Tehran yesterday. —AFP curbs against 20 individuals and entities for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear activities. The US Department of the Treasury said in a statement, released late on Thursday, “that it is taking action today against 20 individuals and entities for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile proliferation networks and Iran’s continued attempts to circumvent sanctions.” It added that “these networks are responsible for moving supplies and providing essential services to Iran’s clandestine nuclear and weapons programs.” “These actions are designed to increase pressure on the Iranian regime by tightening sanctions against Iran’s energy sector and exposing key proliferation related networks that span the globe from Europe to Asia,” it stressed. In this regard, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen affirmed in a statement “as long as Iran continues to pursue a nuclear and ballistic mis-

sile program in defiance of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions, the US will target and disrupt those involved in Iran’s illicit activities.” “We will continue to work with our international partners to intensify this pressure and tighten sanctions on Iran’s energy sector as it provides much needed financial support for the Iranian regime’s proliferation activity,” he remarked. According to the Treasury, 14 of the entities and individuals being designated today are part of Iran’s international procurement and proliferation operations. Today’s designations include companies supporting IRGC attempts to clandestinely ship illicit cargo around the world, including to Syria. They also target the Deputy Defense Minister and Dean of Malek Ashtar University, who is responsible for significant contributions to Iran’s missile program, as well as companies and individuals supporting Iran’s nuclear program. — Agencies

Three Qaeda men, two soldiers dead in Yemen

CAIRO: Egyptian Salafists demonstrate in front of the Tunisian Embassy in Cairo against the Tunisian government clamp down on the islamist group Ansar AlSharia yesterday. — AFP

SANAA: A security official says Al-Qaeda gunmen attacked a military position in a southern province, touching off fighting that left three militants and two soldiers dead. The official said the Friday attack in the mountainous Al-Thalib region in the militant stronghold of Al-Bayda province was repulsed, and nearby army positions responded with heavy artillery shelling. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity according to regulations, said the attack was part of an al-Qaida bid to take positions near Radda, the province capital, which the militants briefly occupied last year but were driven out by government forces. Al-Qaeda overran much of the south in 2011, taking advantage of the turmoil caused by a popular uprising. The army supported by US military experts pushed them back, but clashes continue. Attackers blew up Yemen’s main oil export pipeline yesterday, halting the flow of crude, the government and

industry sources said. “Subversive elements” in Serwah in central Maarib province had blown up the pipeline, which leads to the Red Sea, at dawn yesterday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Arabian Peninsula state, which relies on crude exports to replenish its reserves and finance up to 70 percent of budget spending, has suffered frequent bombings of its main oil pipeline since an uprising broke out in 2011. Sabotage of oil pipelines and transmission towers in Maarib had increased dramatically in recent days, the ministry said. The pipeline had been pumping around 125,000 barrels per day (bpd), an industry source told Reuters. Yemen’s stability is a priority for the United States and its Gulf Arab allies because of its strategic position next to oil exporter Saudi Arabia and shipping lanes, and because is home to one of Al-Qaeda’s most active wings. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Syria opposition seeks to unify as talks loom Russia says regime agrees to talks

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman delivering a statement during a tour at the Defense ministry in Yarze, east of Beirut, yesterday. Sleiman cautioned Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah over its militants’ intervention on the side of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in the conflict in neighboring Syria. — AFP

Lebanon president cautions Hezbollah over Syria role BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman cautioned Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah yesterday over its militants’ intervention on the side of the regime in the conflict in neighboring Syria. “The resistance is more noble and more important than anything, and should not get bogged down in the sands of dissension, whether in Syria or Lebanon,” he said in a statement, referring to Hezbollah’s traditional focus on fighting Israel. “The resistance has fought and liberated (Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon) because it acts for a national cause and not a confessional one,” Sleiman added. The statement came as the militant group battled Syrian rebel fighters in the central town of Qusayr near the border, where Syrian troops launched an assault tomorrow. The fighting has left dozens of Hezbollah fighters dead, according the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and sources close to the group. Lebanon is officially neutral in the conflict, but the fighting has exacerbated tensions among its myriad of religious and ethnic communities. Hezbollah and its allies have backed the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad in its efforts to crush the uprising that began in March 2011. But Lebanon’s opposition parties largely support the Sunni-led rebellion against the Syrian regime. Hezbollah has acknowledged that its fighters are inside Syria, and several Lebanese Sunni clerics have urged members of their community to join the conflict on the side of the rebels. Sleiman, elected in 2008, is seen as a neutral figure who sides with neither camp. His comments yesterday were his first on Hezbollah’s role in Syria. They come on the eve of Liberation Day, which marks the Israeli army’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver an anniversary speech yesterday. The Shiite group’s intervention in the conflict has drawn international criticism, particularly from the United States, which blacklists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama called Sleiman to discuss Hezbollah’s intervention. —AFP

ISTANBUL: Turkish protestors hold placards which read “Killer Esad and his collaborators will pay the given lives” and chant slogans during a demonstration held in front of the Fatih mosque in Istanbul yesterday. — AFP

ISTANBUL: Syria’s fractious opposition scrambled to agree a new leadership yesterday in a bid to present a coherent front at peace talks which the United States and Russia are convening to seek an end to more than two years of civil war. A major assault by President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces on a rebel held town over the past week is shaping into a pivotal battle. It has drawn in fighters from Assad’s Lebanese allies Hezbollah, justifying worry that a war that has killed 80,000 people would cross borders at the heart of the Middle East. Washington and Moscow have been compelled to revive diplomacy by developments in recent months, which include new reports of atrocities, accusations chemical weapons were used and the rise of Al-Qaeda-linked fighters among rebels. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet privately in Paris on Monday to discuss their efforts to bring Syria’s warring parties together, US and Russian officials said. Russia said the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend the planned peace conference, which could take part in Geneva in the coming weeks, and had “expressed readiness” to find a political solution. Under intense international pressure to resolve internal divisions so it can play a meaningful role in the talks, Syria’s Western-backed opposition National Coalition met in Istanbul to elect new leaders and broaden its membership. Senior opposition figures said the coalition was likely to attend the conference, but doubted it would produce any immediate deal for Assad to leave power - their central demand. “We are faced with a situation where everyone thinks there will be a marriage when the bride is refusing. The regime

QUSAIR: An image grab taken from a video uploaded on Youtube yesterday shows smoke billowing from buildings in the city of Qusayr, in Syria’s central Homs province, following an alleged missile strike by Hezbollah. — AFP has to show a minimum of will that it is ready to stop the bloodshed,” said Haitham Al-Maleh, an elder statesman of the coalition. There was more heavy fighting yesterday in Qusair, a town controlling access to the coast which Assad’s forces and Hezbollah allies have tried to take in a battle that could prove an important test of Assad’s ability to withstand the revolt. Assad wants to secure the coastal region which is the homeland of his Alawite minority sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. He is backed by Shiite Iran and Hezbollah against mainly Sunni rebels supported by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition London-based monitoring group, said Syrian army and Hezbollah forces at Qusair were trying to cut off rebels in the nearby village of Hamidiya. State media said the army had destroyed “terrorist dens” in Hamidiya and also killed eight “terrorists” in another village, Daba, close to Qusair. Much to the frus-

tration of its backers, the coalition has struggled to agree on a leader since the resignation in March of respected cleric Moaz Alkhatib, who had floated two initiatives for Assad to leave power peacefully. Alkhatib’s latest proposal - a 16point plan which foresees Assad handing power to his deputy or prime minister then going abroad with 500 members of his entourage - won little support in Istanbul, highlighting the obstacles to wider negotiations. “He has the right to submit papers to the meeting like any other member but his paper is heading directly to the dustbin of history. It is a repeat of his previous initiative which went nowhere,” a senior coalition official said. Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for the rebels if Assad refused to discuss a political end to the violence, a sentiment echoed yesterday by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has been pressing the European Union to amend a weapons embargo to allow arming the rebels. — Reuters

Peace efforts leave Syrian refugees in Jordan cold ZAATARI CAMP: International efforts to organize a Syria peace conference are at fever pitch, but in Jordan’s Zaatari camp, Syrian refugees are more concerned with the misery of their daily lives than diplomatic manoeuvring. “To be honest, we’re fed up with these conferences, there have been many... without results. We want a radical solution,” said Saleh, a former laborer from Syria’s southern Daraa province. The efforts by Washington and Moscow to organize a peace conference next month mean little to the 120,000 residents of the dusty camp, where daytime temperatures hover around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). “We either want to go back or to know what is going to happen to us, we’ve been waiting for so long,” Saleh says. Zaatari is located in the middle of the desert, not far from the Syrian border, and residents complain of shortages of water and electricity and describe the food as “something even animals wouldn’t eat.” To collect their rations, men queue up under the blazing sun in front of a distribution centre, where chickens are roasting in the open air, surrounded by clouds of flies and dust. The camp has become a city of sorts, with its main road transformed into a marketplace, complete with makeshift cafes, shops of all kinds and even hairdressers. Fatigue is written across the faces of the4 residents, particularly when

journalists ask about the possibility of a conference to discuss a political solution to the conflict which has left more than 94,000 dead since March 2011. “Why another conference? To agree deals that ignore the blood that is shed by the children? We have no hope for anything,” says Adel, a former car dealer who lost everything when he left Daraa. For the last year he has tried to earn money by manning a miserable kiosk in the camp, selling coffee, tamarind juice and soft drinks to his fellow refugees. “They’re holding this conference because they’ve reached the point where neither side (the regime or rebels) can win,” adds Adel, who was detained by the regime after the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad began. For most of the camp’s residents, peace remains nothing more than a dream, and the overriding sentiment is one of abandonment by the international community. “If they had wanted to do something, they would have done it from the beginning,” says another resident, Aziz. Mohammed, a Syrian who was living in the United Arab Emirates, says he came to Zaatari to open a shop to help his countrymen. “People are in the process of building their lives here, they’re settling in,” he says. “Day by day, they’re losing hope,” he adds. “People here are waiting, but it seems that things will drag on.” —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Africa backs Kenya call for Hague court to drop Kenyatta case ADDIS ABABA: African nations have backed a request by Kenya for charges of crimes against humanity by its president to be referred back to the east African country, African Union documents show. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, are both facing trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of masterminding ethnic bloodshed in post-election violence five years ago that killed more than 1,200 people. Both deny the charges. One minister, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters that the African Union specifically avoided calling on the war crimes tribunal to drop its prosecution, but he acknowledged that the request for a local process amounted to the same thing. The document seen by Reuters yesterday said: “(The Assembly) supports and endorses the eastern Africa region’s request for a referral of the ICC investigations and prosecutions.” The proposal, drafted after foreign ministers had debated the issue late on Thursday, now has to be voted on by heads of state, which diplomats say is typically a rubber-stamping exercise. Kenya told the assembly that the ICC trials risked destabilizing east Africa’s biggest economy when it was undertaking reforms to avoid a repeat of the violence after the election in December 2007. The African Union said that a referral of the cases would “allow for a national mechanism to investigate and prosecute the cases under a reformed judiciary ... to prevent the resumption of conflict and violence in Kenya.” —Reuters

Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni (left) welcomes United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, to the State House in Entebbe, Uganda yesterday. —AP

Ban challenges African leaders over Congo KAMPALA: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday urged African leaders to implement a peace plan that the UN hopes will stabilize eastern Congo, a region long plagued by violence and which now is back on edge. Ban told a news conference in Uganda that he expects regional leaders to try to find solutions as eastern Congo once again descends into another phase of hostilities sparked partly by the UN’s deployment of a brigade of peacekeepers with a mandate to attack rebel groups. Ban said the deployment would become fully operational “in a matter of weeks,” although only about 100 members of a planned brigade of 3,000 have arrived there so far. Along with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Ban met this week with some influential leaders in East and Central Africa in hopes of keeping alive a treaty signed in February by the UN and 11 African countries. That treaty, also known as the UN’s peace and security cooperation framework for Congo, has been overshadowed by renewed hostilities between the Congolese army and the M23, the most prominent rebel group currently operating in eastern Congo. Peace talks under the banner of a regional bloc chaired by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni have hit a dead end amid fears of a return to war. —AP

Part of the uranium mine of Arlit, in northern Niger. Suicide bombers in Niger detonated two car bombs simultaneously, one inside a military camp in the city of Agadez and another in the remote town of Arlit. (Inset) Former Al-Qaeda chief Mokhtar Belmokhtar — AP

French troops raid Niger to end hostage seizure Jihadists threaten new attacks NIAMEY: French special forces and local troops raided an army base yesterday in northern Niger, ending a hostage seizure by Islamist fighters who had staged twin suicide bombings that killed at least 20 people. The dawn raid came after Signatories in Blood, a jihadist group that claimed Thursday’s blasts, threatened to continue attacking Niger until the country withdraws its forces from neighboring Mali, where they are part of a French-led military campaign against Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists. A French defense ministry official said two “terrorists” had been killed in the raid on a building at the Agadez army base, where Islamist fighters had holed up after the bombings and were holding a group of trainee soldiers hostage. An elected official in Agadez, the main city in Niger’s mostly desert north, gave a higher toll, saying three

“terrorists” and three hostages had been killed, as well as a civilian caught in the cross-fire. Niger’s government did not confirm those numbers, while the French official said the toll was preliminary. Nigerien authorities would not say how many hostages had been taken. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed France had taken part in the raid. “The situation has stabilized as we speak, especially in Agadez, where our special forces intervened to back the Niger forces,” he said on France’s BFMTV. Signatories in Blood, founded by veteran Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, first grabbed worldwide attention in January when it seized an Algerian gas plant in a brazen attack that left 38 hostages dead. Belmokhtar had been reported dead in April by Chad’s President Idriss Deby Itno, who said the one-eyed

extremist had been killed in fighting with Chadian troops in northeastern Mali. But Belmokhtar’s group said he had personally overseen the Niger attacks. “It was Belmokhtar himself who supervised the operational plans,” spokesman El-Hassen Ould Khalil was quoted as saying by a Mauritanian news agency. The group also warned of “further operations” in Niger and threatened France and other countries involved in what it called the “Crusader campaign” in Mali. It said the attacks were its “first response” and threatened to “bring the fight to the interior of his country unless (Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou) withdraws his mercenary army” from Mali. Thursday’s attacks at the Agadez army base and a uranium mine majority-owned by French nuclear group Areva killed 18 soldiers, two civilians and four attackers in all, officials said. —AFP

WikiLeaks releases transcript of critical US film WASHINGTON: WikiLeaks has released an annotated version of a leaked transcript of a documentary in a bid to counter a film that takes a critical look at the anti-secrecy group and which opened yesterday. WikiLeaks said it had not participated in the making of “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” a film by Alex Gibney that focuses on the website’s controversial founder Julian Assange and its chief informant Bradley Manning. Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst who admitted to leaking hundreds of thousands of secret military logs and confidential embassy cables to

WikiLeaks, faces possible life imprisonment in a military trial to resume June 3. Assange, the Australian hacker who founded the site, has been holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy for nearly a year, seeking to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning in a sexual assault case. WikiLeaks said late Thursday that the film “portrays Manning’s alleged acts as a failure of character rather than a triumph of conscience” and said the film’s portrayal of his relationship with Assange was “grossly irresponsible.” —AFP

These file two photos show Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (left) looking on at the media and his supporters from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and US Army Pfc. Bradley Manning being escorted following a motions hearing in the case US vs Manning. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Massive quake felt in Moscow, no casualties MOSCOW: A massive undersea earthquake yesterday in Russia’s Far East prompted a tsunami warning and unleashed tremors across Russia including in Moscow around 10,000 kilometers away, but caused no casualties or damage. The USGS estimated the quake at 8.3 magnitude and placed its epicenter in the Sea of Okhotsk oﬀ the shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of more than 600 kilometers (370 miles). Russia issued a tsunami warning for Sakhalin island and its region, urging residents to seek higher ground. But the warning was later

lifted with no reports of casualties. The huge magnitude and great depth of the quake meant that its echoes were felt across the Eurasian continent including in the Russian capital itself. “The whole plate-on which the continent stands-shook,” Anatoly Tsygankov of the state Rosgidromet environmental monitoring service told AFP. “And this movement of the continental plate was felt all over Russia-not just in Moscow, we received calls from Nizhny Novgorod and other cities,” In the nearest city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, around 350 kilome-

PARIS: French anti-gay marriage activist Virginie Tellene (center), aka Frigide Barjot, speaks to journalists at DenfertRochereau square in Paris yesterday two days ahead of a demonstration of the movement “La Manif Pour Tous” (Demonstration for all !), opposed to same-sex marriage. — AFP

Berlusconi’s call-girl ‘lied to investigators’ ROME: The alleged call-girl at the centre of a trial against Silvio Berlusconi told a courtroom yesterday that she had previously lied to investigators about raunchy parties hosted by the billionaire tycoon. “I am sorry I talked rubbish when I spoke to prosecutors,” Karima ElMahroug, a dancer nicknamed “Ruby the Heart Stealer”, said at a separate trial against three friends of Berlusconi’s accused of pimping for him. “The majority of the things I said were not true,” she said. The Moroccan-born 21-year-old, who is alleged to have had sex for money with the then-prime minister several times in 2010 when she was 17, had said that Berlusconi and his accountant gave her 187,000 euros ($243,000) in cash. But yetserday she said she had “made up” the sum just to show off. She also went back on testimony that Berlusconi had hosted strip shows for his “bodily stimulation” at his villa, saying that the girls who took part only stripped to their lingerie and there had been “no contact” with Berlusconi. Several other young women have come forward with details of Berlusconi orgies. Berlusconi is accused of having sex with an underage prostitute, El-Mahroug, Karima El-Mahroug and of abuse of office when he called up a police station in May 2010 to have El-Mahroug released from custody when she was arrested for petty theft. A verdict in that trial, which began two years ago, is expected in June. The main prosecutor at the trial, Ilda Boccassini, on Thursday received a death threat that referred to the trial and an envelope with two bullets in it. Boccassini earlier this month requested a six-year prison sentence against the 76-year-old Berlusconi, as well as a lifetime ban from politics. Also on Thursday a judge who upheld Berlusconi’s conviction for tax fraud related to his television empire said that the media magnate had continued managing the fraudulent business scheme even when he was prime minister. A verdict on Berlusconi’s final appeal in the fraud case is expected later this year. The sentence, which has been frozen pending the appeal, is a year in prison although even if definitively convicted, he may not serve time because sentencing guidelines for over-70s are very lenient in Italy. - AFP

ters away, the quake was felt to a magnitude of up to 5 but there were no casualties or damage, the emergency situations ministry said. “Aftershocks of a magnitude of up to 2 were recorded in Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions [of Siberia] as well as several others,” the emergency situations ministry said. The emergencies ministry in Moscow, which is eight time zones away from the region hit by the quake, said it had received reports of chandeliers swinging and water in aquariums shaking as a result of the quake. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Sri Lanka monk tries to self-immolate COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan monk set himself on fire yesterday to protest the slaughter of cattle, in the country’s first attempt at self-immolation by a monk, police said. The monk doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself ablaze near a temple in the central town of Kandy during an important Buddhist festival, police said. “Policemen near the temple doused the flames and rushed the monk to hospital,” police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena told AFP. “Just before setting himself alight,

he shouted that his action was to protest the slaughter of cattle.” The monk was in a critical condition in a Colombo hospital, police said. The protest came as the country celebrated Wesak, the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment and the death of the Buddha, in the Buddhist-majority country which marks the occasion with two days of holidays. Eating meat is common in Buddhist Sri Lanka, although according to the religion killing animals is a sin. Animal rights groups have tried unsuccessfully

to secure a ban on meat eating in Sri Lanka. An animal rights activist said she did not condone the monk’s action, but she added that the unprecedented move demonstrated the anger towards the inhuman treatment of animals. “Taking one’s life (for this cause) is also wrong,” said Sagarika Rajakarunanayake of Sathva Mithra, or friends of animals, movement. “But this also shows that many people are frustrated over the cruelty to animals.” The protest came after thousands of Buddhists and their supporters earlier

this year staged rallies and campaigned to boycott halal-slaughtered meat as well as other products that carry a halal certificate. The monks argue that Buddhists should not be forced to consume food that is prepared according to Islamic rites, saying it demonstrates the undue influence of Muslims in Sri Lanka. More than 110 Tibetans have set themselves alight since 2009, with most dying of their injuries, in demonstrations against what they view as Chinese oppression in their homeland. — AFP

Taleban attack UN compound in Kabul Two militants killed in fights

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani police officer examines a badly damaged vehicle at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Peshawar yesterday. — AFP

Three dead in northwest Pakistan suicide attack PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber yesterday hit a vehicle belonging to an Afghan Muslim scholar in northwest Pakistan, killing three people including the cleric’s guard and driver, officials said. The bomber detonated his explosive jacket close to Hajji Hayatullah’s car as worshippers were leaving a mosque following Friday prayers in the city’s congested Faqirabad neighborhood, local police chief Liaquat Ali said. “The bomber blasted Haji Hayatullah’s car from the right side, killing the driver and Hayatullah’s guard,” he said adding that a third person died of his injuries in hospital and three others were wounded. Senior police officer Khalid Hamdani confirmed the attack and the casualties. “It was a suicide attack, the target seems to be Hayatullah who had not yet boarded the vehicle,” he said. The bomber carried about six kilograms of explosives, he said adding that the vehicle was badly damaged. —AFP

KABUL: Taleban militants launched a coordinated attack on a UN compound in the centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul, yesterday setting off explosions and battling the security forces. A plume of smoke hung over the city centre after the attack was launched, eight days after six Americans, soldiers and civilians, and nine Afghans were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul. The Taleban, fighting to expel Western forces and establish Islamist rule, claimed responsibility, saying a compound used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had been attacked. Concern is mounting about how the 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces will cope with the militants after most foreign NATOled combat troops leave by the end of next year. Kabul police chief Ayoub Salangi said four attackers had entered a UN compound. “Our security forces have already killed two of them and two are still on the second floor and fighting with Afghan security forces,” Salangi said. There was no information about anyone who had been inside the com-

KABUL: Afghan police aim their weapons after a suicide attack in Kabul yesterday. A suicide bomber struck in the heart of the Afghan capital yesterday. —AP pound at the time of the attack. There were at least four large blasts and exchanges of fire were going on between the attackers and Afghan forces, supported by Norwegian special forces, at 6.20 p.m. (1350 GMT), witness said. The first blast was a suicide car-

bomb blast at about 4 pm (1130 GMT) near a main intersection, said Kabul police chief spokesman Hashmatullah Stanikzai. A Taleban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, speaking to Reuters by telephone, claimed responsibility. —Reuters

Militants kill four soldiers in Kashmir

RANCHI: Indian farmers lie on the ground with sticks as they pray for rain during the Manda Festival at a temple on the outskirts of Ranchi, the capital of India’s Jharkhand state, yesterday. The festival takes place during the hot summer months as farmers pray for rain, prosperity and good health. — AFP

SRINAGAR: Militants killed four soldiers yesterday in an ambush outside Srinagar, the main city of Kashmir, sparking a gun battle in which one rebel also died, local officials said. The soldiers were searching for militants during a patrol when they were ambushed in the village of Hardu Buchoo, 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Srinagar near the forested area of Tral, an army spokesman said. “The militants fired at the soldiers from outside the village, when the cordon was laid,” Lieutenant Colonel Ankur Vashist told AFP in Srinagar. “Four of our soldiers were killed,” Vashist said. The rebels fled into the forest and the army called in reinforcements to encircle the area and try to cap-

ture them. Three soldiers were killed in the ambush and a soldier injured in the ensuing gun battle later died, a police official said. “One militant involved in the attack was also killed during the encounter. We are ascertaining his identity,” Abdul Gani Mir, Kashmir’s police chief, said. The ambush comes a day after government forces killed a top militant from outlawed group Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT) in Srinagar during an early morning gun battle. Armed rebels have fought Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989 in an effort to secure the independence of the region or its merger with Pakistan. The conflict has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead so far. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

N Korea will take ‘positive steps’ for peace: Envoy Envoy meets Xi, Chinese officials

OSAKA: Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto (right) speaks during a news conference at Osaka City Hall in Osaka, western Japan yesterday. — AP

Two ex-sex slaves want Japan mayor to quit OSAKA: Two Korean former sex slaves demanded the resignation of an outspoken Japanese mayor and canceled a meeting with him yesterday for justifying Japan’s wartime practice of forcing tens of thousands of Asian women into prostitution for its military. Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, also co-leader of a nationalist party, enraged Japanese neighbors last week by saying the use of so-called comfort women, mainly from South Korea, China and the Philippines, in frontline brothels before and during World War II was considered necessary then to maintain military discipline and give soldiers relief. Hashimoto told reporters later yesterday that the cancellation was “very unfortunate” but that he respects their feelings. He said he had hoped to show his sympathy over their wartime sufferings as sex slaves, and would have apologized for hurting their feelings because of his remarks that he said were misrepresented by the media. Supporters of the two women in their 80s, Kim Bok-dong and Kil Won-ok, said there would be nothing to talk about because Hashimoto has showed no remorse over his remarks. They suspected he may have wanted to use the meeting - to be broadcast live on TV - to appear friendly with them and calm public criticism, the supporters told journalists. The women, who did not appear in public, said in a statement they were heartbroken by Hashimoto’s “outrageous comments” and didn’t want to be seen contributing to a less-than-sincere apology. Instead, they demanded that Hashimoto, 43, apologize and resign as mayor of Japan’s second-biggest city. “We cannot compromise our painful past as victims and the reality that we still live today for Mayor Hashimoto’s apology performance,” the women said in a statement. “We don’t need to be trampled on again.” Hashimoto also angered the US by suggesting American troops based in southern Japan should patronize legal adult entertainment establishments as a way to reduce sex crimes there. The women, regulars at a weekly protest outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and their supporters originally requested a meeting with Hashimoto last year, which was rejected. Hashimoto suddenly told them they could meet with him the day he made the inflammatory comments on May 13, Japanese supporters said. They said the timing seemed odd, and were skeptical about his motive. Both women have said in past accounts of their ordeals that they were deceived into becoming sex slaves to Japanese soldiers. Kim was recruited to work at a military uniform factory when she was 15, but ended up at a military-run brothel in Guangdong in southern China. She was dragged across Asia, from Hong Kong to Singapore and Indonesia until the end of war. She had to take an average of 15 soldiers per day during the week, and dozens over the weekend. She and other girls were closely watched by guards and could not escape. Hoping to help her poor family, Kil took a factory job in 1940 when she was only 13. But she was sent to China, where she was repeatedly raped until the war’s end in 1945. Historians say up to 200,000 women from across Asia were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers. While some other World War II armies had military brothels, Japan is the only country accused of such widespread, organized sexual slavery. —AP

BEIJING: A North Korean envoy told China’s president yesterday that his reclusive country was willing to take “positive actions” to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, as China steps up diplomatic efforts to bring Pyongyang back to talks. Choe Ryong-hae, a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, met Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, in the highest-ranking visit by an official from Pyongyang in about six months. But Choe made no new offer to abandon the North Korea’s nuclear program. Chinese state media said Choe presented a hand-written letter from Kim to Xi at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Media provided no details of its contents. “North Korea is willing to make joint efforts with all parties to appropriately resolve related issues through multilateral dialogue and consultations like the six-party talks, and maintain peace and stability on the peninsula,” the official Xinhua news service cited Choe as telling Xi. “To this end, North Korea is willing to take positive actions,” Choe added. Xi told Choe that the denuclearization of the peninsula was an aspiration of all peoples and an inevitable trend, saying problems should be resolved through talks. “China hopes all sides exercise calm and restraint, push for a lessening of tensions, restart the six-party talks process and make unremitting efforts ... for long-lasting peace and stability,” Xi said. China has repeatedly urged North Korea to return to the so-called six party talks process, aimed at denuclearization. The United States and its allies believe the North violated a 2005 aid-for-denuclearization deal by conducting a nuclear test in 2006 and pursuing a uranium enrichment program that would give it a second path to a nuclear weapon in addition to its plutonium-based program. he six-party aid-for-disarmament talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and host China,

collapsed in 2008 when the North walked away from the deal. China, North Korea’s only real ally, has been pushing for a return to talks after weeks of bellicose words from Pyongyang following new United Nations sanctions after the North’s third nuclear test in February. However, without an offer from North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, talks with South Korea and the United States look unlikely. The United States insists North Korea must take meaningful steps on denuclearization before there can be talks. China has looked on nervously at the ratcheting up of tension, fearful a misstep could plunge the peninsula into war which could envelop northeastern China. — Reuters

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) greets North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae in Beijing yesterday. — AP

Amnesty urges Malaysia to end post-poll crackdown KUALA LUMPUR: Global rights group Amnesty International urged Malaysia yesterday to end its “post-election crackdown” which has seen four critics arrested in the aftermath of the government’s worst electoral result. The arrests made in the past week under

the Sedition Act-which Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged last year to repeal-comes amid opposition claims that fraud marred the May 5 general election and cost them victory. London-based Amnesty International said the two politicians, including an

YANGON: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center) waves as he arrives with his wife (2R) at Yangon International Airport in Yangon yesterday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to Myanmar yesterday bearing almost one billion dollars in development aid and a plan for a nationwide electricity grid as Japan tries to grab the box seats in the country’s quickening development. —AFP

elected lawmaker, and two activists were arrested under the “repressive law... solely for peacefully expressing their political beliefs”. “Rather than abolishing the repressive sedition law as promised, the government is now using it against peaceful protestors,” said its Asia-Pacific deputy director Isabelle Arradon in a statement. Senior opposition politician Chua Tian Chang, his colleague Tamrin Ghafar, and activist Haris Ibrahim were detained Thursday, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said in a statement. The three were held overnight for what police said were statements made during a public post-election forum on May 13 “inciting” people. They were released yesterday after a further remand application was denied by a local judge. Earlier Thursday student activist Adam Adli Halim was also charged under the Sedition Act over a statement made at the same forum, and then released on bail. The clampdown shows no sign of slowing down. Opposition MP Thomas Su said yesterday he has been ordered to appear in court Monday to face a charge under the Peaceful Assembly Act for allegedly organising an “illegal” post-election rally. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

How is US drone policy changing? WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama defended America’s drone attacks as legal, effective and necessary in America’s campaign to counter terrorism. But he acknowledged the targeted strikes are no “cure-all” and said Thursday he was haunted by the civilians unintentionally killed. He said he had signed new policy guidelines for the use of drones and said he wanted to find ways to allow additional oversight of the program. Some questions and answers about the program: Q: What are they? A: The US has an extensive fleet of remotely piloted vehicles, known as drones, but it relies most heavily for targeted strikes on the Predators and Reapers, which are armed with Hellfire missiles. They are controlled from as far away as the US, but also from bases closer to the war zones, including Djibouti and Sicily. Q: Who conducts drone strikes? A: The US military has routinely conducted drone strikes in war zones, including a bit more than 500 in Afghanistan last year, an increase over the 2011 number of nearly 300. Those drone strikes are largely known and are part of the military’s warfighting effort. The CIA, meanwhile, conducts its own, more secret drone war, mainly concentrating on strikes in Pakistan’s border region, as well as in Yemen and Somalia. Q: How big is the CIA program? A: While the government does not disclose details about the classified program, independent groups have

collected data on the CIA drone strikes. The best estimates are that the CIA has conducted more than 350 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004 and fewer than 100 total in Yemen and Somali. US officials have only rarely referred to the agency’s secret drone program publicly, but there is now a shift to transfer authority for drone strikes to the military for all but those conducted in Pakistan and Yemen. Estimates suggest that as many as 3,000 people have been killed by US drones since 2004, the majority in Pakistan. The group New America Foundation estimates that roughly 21 percent of those killed are believed to be non-militants. Q: How will US drone policy change? A: Obama said the administration has routinely briefed Congress on drone strikes, but that information is often classified, so is not available to the public. Obama pledged Thursday to consider ways to try to increase the oversight of drone strikes outside war zones. And he said he has signed new policy guidance that spells out the guidelines for the use of drones. The policy calls for drone strikes only when the target poses a “continuing and imminent” threat to the American people and when there is no other way to effectively address the threat. The president also said that before any strike is carried out, there must be “near certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured.” Q: What is the administration’s legal rationale for using drones to kill terror suspects, including US citizens, overseas? A: Administration officials say the basis for the armed

drone program derives from the president’s constitutional power to protect the US from imminent attack. The administration has also cited the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which Congress approved shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, as legal backing for strikes against Al-Qaeda and its aﬃliates. Q: Does Obama have the authority to kill an American citizen on US soil? A: Attorney General Eric Holder, testifying on Capitol Hill, did not rule out such a possibility but said he could only foresee that happening in an extraordinary circumstance, such as the 9/11 attack or the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Obama said he does not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any US citizen - with a drone or a shotgun - without due process. He added, “Nor should any president deploy armed drones over US soil.” Q: What does the American public think of the drone program? A: Most polls show Americans broadly support the use of drones to target suspected terrorists in foreign countries, though support drops somewhat if the target is a US citizen and drops dramatically if they were to be used in the United States. A CBS News/New York Times poll in April found that 70 percent of Americans favor using drones to attack suspected terrorists in foreign countries, while 20 percent opposed it. Republicans were most supportive of drones - 79 percent favor, compared with 70 percent of independents and 64 percent of Democrats. — AP

US lifts ban on Gitmo transfers to Yemen A step toward closing military prison WASHINGTON: Crews survey the scene of a bridge collapse on Interstate 5 on Thursday near Mt Vernon, Washington. — AFP

US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river LOS ANGELES: A highway bridge over a river in the northwestern US state of Washington partially collapsed Thursday, sending cars and people plunging into the water below without causing any fatalities. Three people were fished out but there were no reports of serious injuries or fatalities in the incident, which officials said appeared to have been caused by a high-sided truck hitting a bridge span. Pictures showed a large mangled section of the bridge, which carries the Interstate 5 highway over the Skagit river north of Seattle, collapsed into the water, with traffic and crowds of people visible on the end nearest land. The four-lane road bridge, built in 1955 according to reports, is some 60 miles north of Seattle. The I-5 freeway runs up the US West Coast, from the Mexican border all the way to Canada. “The good news is, it appears there have been no fatalities,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee told reporters during a visit to the scene. “There were three people who were rescued from the river” and taken to local hospitals, he said, adding “there were some injuries,” without providing further details. Authorities called off the search and rescue operation later Thursday night. “It appears as though there was only the three victims and there is nobody else in the water. We’ve discontinued our search,” Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt told reporters. A law enforcement source cited by the Seattle Times said about 150 yards (140 meters) of freeway collapsed, sending a car, a truck and a trailer into the water some 120 feet (40 meters) below. “It’s a hell of a ride,” the source was quoted as saying. The governor said a full investigation had been launched but that the collapse-which took place at 7:00 pm (0200 GMT yesterday) — appeared to have been triggered by a large truck hitting some part of the bridge structure. — AFP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, a step toward his goal of closing the US military-run prison that he said “has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law.” Nearly 100 of the 166 terrorist suspects held at the prison in Cuba are from Yemen and have had nowhere to go even if they had been cleared for transfer. Obama wouldn’t send them home, and no other country was welcoming them. Their hopelessness after a decade or more of imprisonment has contributed to a hunger strike at the detention facility that helped reignite the longstalled effort to close it. A leadership upheaval in Yemen has improved the country’s security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists. But Obama’s decision announced Thursday is not without risk. Detainees who have been released to Yemen in the past have joined terrorist fighters in the Arab nation. The security concerns prompted Obama to suspend transfers to Yemen in January 2010 after a Nigerian man attempted to blow up a US-bound flight on Christmas Day 2009 with explosives hidden in his underwear on instructions from alQaida operatives in Yemen. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, an opposition Republican, was among those on Capitol Hill criticizing Obama’s change in policy. “Between December 2009 and today, has Yemen shown any indication that they are more capable of looking after those individuals? Absolutely not,” Chambliss said. “And If we were to transfer those individuals to Yemen, it would be just like turning them loose.” Yemeni watchers in the US say there is reason to hope security has improved since longtime authoritarian leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted after mass uprisings last

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama listens as a protester shouts during a speech about his administration’s drone and counterterrorism policies, as well as the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, at the National Defense University in Washington.—AFP year. Al-Qaeda had been on the upswing under Saleh, but his successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has made fighting terrorism a top goal and restored cooperation with the United States in the effort. Obama announced that he was lifting the moratorium on Yemeni transfers in a speech at the National Defense University in which he also defended targeted killings by US aerial drones and pushed Congress anew to authorize Guantanamo’s closure. The president did not explain his rationale behind the change in Yemen policy, but senior administration officials cited Hadi’s leadership as an increasingly able partner to the US. A Yemeni official told The AP that a delegation, including the country’s human rights minister, returned this week after a trip to Washington, where they agreed to set up of a

rehabilitation center to help reintegrate detainees with the support of the US and other Arab nations. Rageh Badi, an adviser to Yemen’s prime minister, said in an interview that the transfer ban had cast a shadow on the relations with the United States. Badi said lifting the ban is a “welcome step, a progressive one that removes much of the ambiguity and confusion between the US administration and the Yemeni government.” Yemeni authorities previously had a system to monitor returned detainees, but it ceased to function after massive anti-government protests swept most of the country, starting in early 2011. Of the estimated 30 Yemenis who returned from Guantanamo, only a handful had stayed in Sanaa, the capital, while the rest moved to remote areas where government authority is minimal, or nonexistent. — AP

Orascom Telecom is closer to delisting after tender

IMF chief grilled for 2nd day in corruption probe

Business SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Wall Street slips on anxiety

Zain Kuwait introduces new HTC One smartphone

20 19

MADRID: A man wearing a Spiderman outfit performs for money as tourists look at the main square. Spanish savers vented their fury against bailed-out Bankia yesterday after the alreadydiminished value of their stock investments in the bank plummeted by more than half in a single day. —AP (See Page 17)

Germany builds up steam for growth Govt hopes firms will start investing, economists doubtful

FRANKFURT: The German economy, after starting the year weakly, looks set to gather momentum later with consumer and business confidence on the rise, data indicated yesterday. Final data published by the federal statistics office Destatis showed that Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) notched up anaemic growth of 0.1 percent from January to March, with only consumer spending in positive territory. While weak, the numbers meant the German economy has successfully skirted a recession following a sharp contraction of 0.7 percent in the previous quarter, since a recession is technically defined as two quarters running of economic contraction. But a breakdown of the figures appeared to offer little cheer, since among the different GDP components only private consumer spending was positive, growing by 0.8 percent. Public-sector spending slipped by 0.1 percent, investment tumbled 2.4 percent, imports were down 2.1 percent and exports contracted by 1.8 percent, the statisticians calculated. Destatis blamed the unexpectedly weak start to the year to the “extreme winter weather conditions.” Nevertheless, the government, economic think-tanks and analysts are all convinced the economy will start picking up speed soon. Two new key confidence surveys also published yesterday fed such optimism. German business confidence rose unexpectedly in May, with the Ifo economic institute’s closely watched business climate index rising to 105.7 points in May from 104.4 points in April.

And on the consumer front, too, German households are not allowing forecasts of a euro-zone-wide recession sour their optimism and the GfK institute said its monthly consumer confidence index is forecast to rise to 6.5 points in June from 6.2 points in May. That would be its highest level since September 2007. “Firms are clearly more satisfied with their current business situation than in the previous month. The outlook for future business is unchanged and slightly positive,” said Ifo economist Kai Carstensen. “The German economy remains on track in a challenging European environment,” he insisted. Consumers “Riding to the rescue” GfK attributed the robustness of consumer confidence to “the favourable and stable framework conditions in Germany. The high level of employment, favourable wage agreements and slowing inflation are buoying sentiment,” it said. “Germany’s consumers are riding to the rescue,” said Berenberg Bank economist Christian Schulz. “With the euro crisis fading from the headlines, strong fundamentals such as low unemployment, rising wages and low inflation are starting to have their ‘normal’ effect. And more growth is in store,” he said. “In 2013, Germany will have to rely largely on domestic demand for growth,” Schulz said. Capital Economics economist Jennifer McKeown said that the renewed rise in the Ifo index and the increase in the GfK barometer “will add to hopes that the economy is recovering.”

But she believed the Ifo index “has long painted an overly optimistic picture of the German economy.” “We still expect only a modest pick-up in German GDP growth, which will not be strong enough to ensure a recovery in the euro-zone as a whole,” McKeown concluded. “Today’s Ifo data really provide a lot of relief,” said UniCredit economist Andreas Rees. It was not necessarily the jump in the current business assessment that was most reassuring, but the stabilisation in German companies’ business expectations, he said. Taking the Ifo data at face value, “our GDP tracker signals a plus of 0.3-0.4 percent in the third quarter,” Rees said. “Indeed, we think that both companies and consumers have a couple of aces in their sleeves which will make the economy running at a decent pace in the further course of 2013,” he argued. There would be a rebound in construction activity following the unusually harsh winter weather. And “there are reasons to believe that some of the positive fundamental momentum will carry over into the second half of the year,” Rees said. Schulz at Berenberg Bank warned that the outlook for German exports would “likely remain clouded for a while, but as the US economic recovery gathers strength and the euro-zone is stabilising, the outlook should be improving for German exporters, too, despite tough competition from Japan.” IHS Global Insight economist Timo Klein said he is predicting full-year GDP growth of 0.6 percent in 2013 and 1.5 percent in 2014, warning that the debt crisis “remains a restraining factor due to lingering uncertainty.” —AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Egypt’s cash-strapped rulers woo ex-tycoons CAIRO: Almost three years after an uprising fuelled by the old regime’s venality, Egypt’s cash-strapped Islamist government is making amends with businessmen who offer to pay their way back into the fold. The presidency, strapped to a free falling economy, has said it encourages reconciliation with the businessmen. The presidency has sent “a positive message to businessmen to encourage them to settle their situation legally, and the state strongly welcomes them to participate,” said presidential spokesman Ihab Fahmy. Fahmy’s statement came after the country’s tax authority reconciled with the multi-billionaire Sawiris family, accused of tax evasion through a company in their Orascom conglomerate. The dispute was settled with an agreement to pay a little over $1 billion dollars over a five year period, with an immediate payment of $357 million.

Authorities are now negotiating with Hussein Salem, on trial in absentia along with the toppled president Hosni Mubarak on corruption charges. Salem, once a close associate of Mubarak, fled to Spain after the early 2011 uprising that overthrew Mubarak. He has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison in another corruption trial. The prosecution announced that Salem has offered to forego 75 percent of his family’s wealth in Egypt, and more than half of its properties and fortune abroad. The prosecution said it was still in talks with Salem’s lawyer. It demands Salem’s former business partners abroad to drop their claims against Egypt after the cancellation of contracts with Salem’s former company, East Mediterranean Gas. Salem’s lawyer, Tareq Abdel Aziz, has been quoted in Egyptian press estimating his client’s worth at $1.6 billion.

The reconciliation deals are rooted in a decision by the former military rulers, who took charge of the country after Mubarak’s overthrow and before President Mohamed Morsi’s election last June. The military’s decree allows for reconciliation as long as court sentences against the businessmen convicted of corruption under Mubarak can be appealed. Economic analysts say the overtures to the businessmen aim at scraping in funds to cushion the economy, which has sharply declined since the 18-day uprising that ousted Mubarak. The uprising ushered almost two years of political instability, punctuated with often deadly protests and a deadlock between the Islamist Morsi and his secular leaning opposition. “The deal the government made with the Sawiris family which brings in 2.5 billion pounds (357 million dollars) almost

covers an important part of the budget, social security payments,” said Ahmed Al-Sayyed Al-Naggar. Naggar, an analyst with the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, a government-funded think tank, believes there could also be a political aspect to the reconciliation deals. Morsi’s movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, “believes that Mubarak’s businessmen are capable of funding election campaigns against them,” he said. Egypt is expected to hold a parliamentary election later this year to replace the Islamist-dominated house annulled by a court before Morsi’s election. Abdul Hafiz Al-Sawi, who sits on the economic committee of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, defends the controversial deals as long as “the state’s funds are not lost and they are done legally.” —AFP

Orascom Telecom is closer to delisting after tender 10% of shares tendered in buyout offer

MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (right) and Finance Minister P Chidambaram arrive for the function to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) yesterday. —AFP

US lauds India for reducing Iran oil NEW DELHI: A senior American official yesterday praised India for reducing oil imports from Iran and said the US government will decide soon on New Delhi’s request to renew a waiver from sanctions on Tehran. US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said that India’s reduction of oil imports was supporting US and European Union sanctions against Iran, which are aimed at deterring the country from developing nuclear weapons. India slashed imports of Iranian crude by nearly 27 percent in the financial year that ended March 31, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. However, India is reliant on imported crude and is reluctant to completely stop imports from Iran. India’s waiver from the sanctions runs out next month. “I think that India has really made a tremendous progress in reducing the level of its importation of Iranian oil,” Sherman told reporters. “All of the data is certainly in a positive direction.” She also said India had stood with the international community in telling Iran that that it should not acquire nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes Sherman was in New Delhi to prepare for US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to India next month. She said that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was expected to visit Washington in the near future. Energystarved India imports around 75 percent of its oil to power its economic growth. India’s junior minister for petroleum, Panabakka Lakshmi, told Parliament in March that Saudi Arabia was India’s main supplier of crude oil, followed by Iraq, Venezuela, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. Iran was seventh, down from its earlier position as India’s third-largest supplier of crude oil in 2011. —AP

CAIRO/MOSCOW: Egypt’s Orascom Telecom (OTH) is closer to being delisted, sources said yesterday, after holders of around 10 percent of its stock agreed to be bought out. Russia’s Altimo, the biggest owner of OTH’s parent Vimpelcom , made a $1.8 billion offer in March to buy out OTH minorities and sources said Vimpelcom wanted to delist OTH from both the Cairo and London stock exchanges. Delisting should allow Vimpelcom to cut the costs of its Egyptian office, avoid regulatory risks and political instability as well as improve efficiency by placing OTH assets under direct management by Vimpelcom. OTH management last week advised shareholders to reject the offer, saying it was too low. But Altimo on Tuesday confirmed the offer price at $0.70 per share. A source close to advisers on the offer said that in addition to the 10 percent tendered by holders of London-listed global depositary shares, three funds holding another 3 percent of OTH shares in the form of GDSs between them had expressed interest after the offer expired on May 22. They may convert their GDSs into common shares to qualify for the offer made to holders of Cairo-traded stock who have until May 27 to accept the offer, the source said, adding there is a possibility it will be extended by up to five days. The source could not provide information on the amount of shares tendered in the Egyptian part of the offer. “If 10 percent tendered in London, you would normally expect more in Cairo where the forex component is more important and liquidity is lower,” another source familiar with the deal said. “Most people tender on the last day which is Monday,” the source added. Together with subsidiaries, Vimpelcom owns 51.92 percent of OTH which has mobile businesses in Canada, Algeria, Pakistan and other emerging markets

such as Bangladesh. Some analysts have warned the delisting could expose low corporate governance standards as OTH minority shareholders are being forced to sell their shares at a set price or be left holding an untraded stock. To approve the delisting, 75 percent of shareholders present at a meeting should vote for it, said Ivan Kim, an analyst at VTB Capital. But as it is rare that 100 percent of shareholders show up, Altimo and Vimpelcom will likely need to own less than 75 percent of shares between them to have it passed, analysts said. One analyst, who asked not to be named, said the OTH shareholders may be reluctant to tender their shares due to ongoing uncertain-

ty over the fate of Orascom’s most lucrative asset, Algeria’s Djezzy. Algeria wants to nationalise Djezzy and has pushed Vimpelcom into discussing a sale of 51 percent. The talks are at a delicate stage, a source has told Reuters. A positive resolution may boost the stock well above the offer price, the analyst said. “So far I just can’t imagine on what assumptions minority shareholders should act,” he said, with speculation that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was seriously ill clouding prospects for a resolution to the talks. “The offer has not yet closed so we cannot comment on any numbers,” Altimo told Reuters when contacted for comment. Orascom could not be reached for comment. —Reuters

ATHENS: An elderly man looks in his wallet during a protest organized by a pro-communist union PAME, Thursday, May 23, 2013. About 10,000 people joined a peaceful protest march in central Athens to demand the renewal of collective labor agreements that expire this year. —AP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

IMF chief grilled for 2nd day in corruption probe Stakes high for Lagarde, IMF

Trade event combines KSA’s top energy-related trade shows RIYADH: Saudi Energy 2013 - The 16th International Trade Exhibition for Electricity Power Generation, Alternative Energy, Water Technology, Lighting & HVAC, will open tomorrow with over 200 local and foreign energy companies confirming their participation. Saudi Energy 2013 will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre and will run until May 29, 2013. Exhibitors from Austria, Bahrain, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the UAE will be attending the four-day trade event, while there will be national pavilions from China, Korea, Turkey, Romania, Khalid Daou Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Organized by Riyadh Exhibitions Company under the patronage of the Ministry of Water and Electricity, Saudi Energy 2013 comprises four of Saudi Arabia’s top energyrelated shows: SAUDI ELENEX 2013: The 16th International Electrical Engineering, Power Generation & Distribution Exhibition; SAUDI LUMINEX 2013: The 13th International Lighting Equipment Show; SAUDI AIRCON 2013: The 14th International Exhibition on Air-Conditioning Heating, Ventilation & Refrigeration; and SAUDI WATER TECH: The 10th International Exhibition for Water Technology. Khaled Daou, Project Manager of Saudi Energy at Riyadh Exhibitions Company, said: “Saudi Energy continues to attract the most influential energy-related companies, decision makers and market leaders from all over the world, creating an ideal networking platform to identify new projects, generate business leads and learn about the latest advances in energy technology. We therefore invite all specialists in the energy field to take part and benefit from the wide array of learning, business and networking opportunities that Saudi Energy has to offer. The show has consistently attracted a growing number of visitors over the years and we are confident of setting a new record because of the growing dynamism and aggressive expansion across KSA’s vast energy sector.” Saudi Energy 2013 will be providing a comprehensive technology showcase covering all energy sectors from electricity generation and distribution to alternative and renewable energy technologies; modern lighting products and technologies; water and water resources management technologies; and HVAC. Complementing the unprecedented growth of KSA’s energy sector, Saudi Energy serves as the destination of choice for all stakeholders in the energy sector including government officials, investors and buyers. Saudi Energy is certified by the UFI - The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry - in recognition of its world-class activities prepared and managed under international standards.

PARIS: French prosecutors began questioning IMF chief Christine Lagarde for a second day yesterday to decide if she should be charged over a state payout to a disgraced tycoon during her time as finance minister. Lagarde was grilled for 12 hours on Thursday over her 2007 handling of a row that resulted in 400 million euros ($515 million) being paid to controversial business figure Bernard Tapie. The chic Lagarde, considered one of the world’s most powerful women, won respect as France’s first female finance minister for her no-nonsense style, intellect and style. She greeted journalists but did not make any statements upon her arrival at the courthouse yesterday. Lagarde has downplayed the investigation, but the stakes are high for both her and the International Monetary Fund, which has expressed confidence in its first woman leader. She could eventually be named an assisted witness, whose status falls between that of simple witness and formal investigation and implies there is some evidence against the person questioned, or placed under investigation-the closest equivalent in French law to being charged. Criminal charges against Lagarde would mark the second straight scandal for an IMF chief, after her predecessor Dominique Strauss-Kahn, also from France, resigned in disgrace in 2011 over an alleged assault on a New York hotel maid. The IMF reiterated its support on Thursday, with a spokesman saying: “The executive board has been briefed on that matter, including recently, and continues to express its confidence in the managing director’s ability to effectively carry out her duties.” The investigation concerns Tapie, a former politician, who went to prison for match-fixing during his time as president of French football club Olympique de Marseille. Prosecutors working for the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), which probes cases of ministerial misconduct, suspect he received favourable treatment in return for supporting

Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election. They have suggested Lagarde-who at the time was finance minister-was partly responsible for “numerous anomalies and irregularities” which could lead to charges for complicity in fraud and misappropriation of public funds. The investigation centres on her 2007 move to ask a panel of judges to arbitrate in a dispute

would not have been able to pursue the case through the courts. The payment Tapie received enabled him to clear his huge debts and tax liabilities and, according to media reports, left him with 20 million to 40 million euros which he has used to relaunch his business career. Tapie, who recently purchased a newspaper group in the south of France, said he “is not at all worried”

PARIS: International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde (center) arrives for a second day of the court hearing at a special court house yesterday. —AP between Tapie and Credit Lyonnais, the collapsed, partly state-owned bank, over his 1993 sale of sports group Adidas. Tapie had accused Credit Lyonnais of defrauding him by consciously undervaluing Adidas at the time of the sale and argued that the state, as the former principal shareholder in the bank, should compensate him. His arguments were upheld by the arbitration panel but critics claimed the state should not have taken the risk of being forced to pay compensation to a convicted criminal who, as he was bankrupt at the time,

and that the arbitrage was transparent. Lagarde has said the arbitration was necessary to put an end to a costly dispute, and has always denied having acted under orders from Sarkozy. Lagarde, who was France’s first female finance minister from 2007 to 2011 after rising to the executive board of US legal giant Baker & McKenzie, would not automatically be forced to resign as IMF chief if she is charged. But such a ruling would certainly weaken her position and undermine her future ambitions on the world stage. —AFP

Spaniards rail at Bankia as savings evaporate MADRID: Spanish savers vented their fury against bailed-out Bankia yesterday after the already-diminished value of their stock investments in the bank plummeted by more than half in a single day. The stock market regulator, the CNMV, said it would examine trading in Bankia shares on Thursday, when the value of the stock plunged 51.4 percent to just 0.68 euros ($0.88) in brisk trade. By coincidence, the market rout came a day before chiefs of Spain’s biggest banks came to testify as witnesses at the National Court in Madrid about Bankia’s ill-fated listing in July 2011. “Thieves”, cried a group of protesters who gathered outside the court as the bank chiefs arrived. Bankia president Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri told radio Cope he welcomed the regulator’s inquiry into Thursday’s trading, which he could not explain. “It is difficult to understand, I don’t understand it,” he said. The Bankia boss said he suspected institutions had engaged in short-selling, in which traders bet that a stock price will fall. The Spanish daily El Mundo also reported several banks had engaged in short selling. As the price collapsed, many small

investors called their bank branches wanting to sell their Bankia shares, but were told they had to wait until Tuesday, Spanish media said. In theory individual investors could have sold their shares on Thursday, said Soledad Pellon, strategist at brokerage house IG Markets. “But they don’t know these practices. Institutional investors are much better informed about all the possibilities,” Pellon said, adding that she believed the trade was legal. Another brokerage house, Link Securities, said it believed the short-selling flouted Spanish regulations. “These sharp drop puts small shareholders in a weaker position because they can’t sell and now face heavy losses,” the group said. On Tuesday, Bankia will boost its share capital by 15.54 billion euros, which had been expected to lead to an average loss of 36-38 percent for existing shareholders. Thursday’s slump makes those losses much greater, however. The investigation into the share trading comes as the courts investigate the original listing of Bankia nearly two years ago, with 33 bank officials suspected of fraud, embezzlement and providing false annual accounts. —AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Luxury brands positioned for giant US boom China second to US in 2012 luxury retail growth

PARIS: Most men might balk at spending $600 on a pair of Dior sneakers but for US shoppers like Ephraim, an upbeat 30-year-old, such indulgences are becoming increasingly commonplace. Ephraim is the kind of man who gives luxury goods makers high hopes that the US market can fuel future growth, as China runs out of steam and demand in Europe sags. “There is a cultural shift,” Ephraim says while browsing at Saks Inc’s New York City flagship. “Men are becoming more fashion forward.” The growing appeal of luxury goods to men and increased confidence among affluent spenders as the US economy and asset prices recover have boosted sales and encouraged luxury brands to step up their investments in the United States.More foreign shoppers are also thronging stores as the US government eases visa restrictions to attract more tourists. Luxury spending in the United States collapsed after the 2008 financial crisis but roared back to pre-crisis levels by 2012. Last year, the world’s No.1 and No.3 luxury groups LVMH and PPR saw higher growth rates in the United States than in China for the first time in years. Sales in the Americas are expected to grow 57 percent this year, compared to 6-8 percent in mainland China and 0-2 percent in Europe, according to consultancy Bain & Co. Evidence is already showing through. Ralph Lauren this week forecast US sales growth of 4-7 percent while high-end department store Saks reported quarterly sales up 5.9 percent, almost double what analysts had forecast. “(There is) renewed confidence, a genuine rebound in fashion and luxury consumption”, said Sidney Toledano, head of

French fashion house Christian Dior, part of LVMH. Growth spurt Major brands like Prada, Hermes, Burberry, and Hugo Boss are opening shops or expanding existing ones in the United States, and are stepping up their advertising spend. In July, Alexander McQueen will open a 3,900-foot store on New York’s Madison Avenue. Next year, Burberry plans to launch a new flagship on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. LVMH and PPR, soon to be renamed Kering, are also expanding in the United States while putting the brakes on China, which had been the major driver for luxury sales until last year. “I think the US holds a lot more potential than people believe while the focus has very much been on the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries,” said Robert Chavez, head of US operations at Hermes. The French group, which opened its only shop dedicated to men on Madison Avenue in 2010, now makes about 15 percent of its sales in the United States, up from 10 percent five years ago. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao account for 20 percent. “We have noticed a rise in men’s purchases, particularly in the last two years,” said Chavez. Ties, shoes and $8,000 custom-made three-piece cashmere suits are all doing equally well. In the 212 billion euro luxury as a whole, the United States outguns China, even before the new growth spurt. Bain & Co values the US market at 59 billion euros, Europe at 74.2 billion and China-Hong Kong around 22 billion.

PARIS: David Bricaud, a valet at the luxuryhotel “Prince de Galles” (Prince of Wales), is pictured. The Prince de Galles, on the Avenue George V in Paris reopened under the “Luxury Collection” brand after two years of renovation. — AFP Tourists are coming PPR boss Francois-Henri Pinault reckons that rising numbers of tourists to the United States will enable it to narrow the gap with Europe, where visitors account for about half of luxury sales. That contrasts with 15-20 percent in the United States. “We will never have as many tourists as in Europe but I think that ratio could reach 30 percent over the next few years,” said Milton Predaza, chief executive of Luxury Institute, a US consultancy. In 2010, 6 million tourists from Brazil, India and China flew to Western Europe compared to

2.6 million to the United States. Travel agents say US visa approvals require more proof of employment history and finances than for France or Italy. The United States would earn $20 billion more from luxury sales if it had as many tourists from emerging markets as Europe, New Yorkbased brokerage International Strategy & Investment Group (ISI) estimates. The US State Department says it has cut the wait for a visarelated interview in Brazil, where most US luxury shopping tourists come from, to two days. Clerks at Saks said they had noticed an increase in Brazilian tourists. —Reuters

Market turbulence poses first test for Abenomics Bond market stability ‘extremely desirable’

SYDNEY: Ford cars sit on the forecourt at a Ford dealership after Ford announced it will cease making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, having produced its first car in the country in 1925.— AFP

Australia economy strong despite end to Ford-making SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard moved to allay fears about the economy yesterday saying it had strong fundamentals, after US carmaker Ford announced an end to production in the country. Ford said Thursday it will stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016, prompting concern for the manufacturing industry which is struggling due to the high Australian dollar. Gillard admitted the Ford decision to halt production and cut 1,200 jobs had made people anxious. But she said: “Even with Ford’s decision yesterday we can be reassured that the Australian economy is resilient and it has strong fundamentals. “Our economy has come out of the global financial crisis strong. We’ve got economic growth, we’ve got low inflation, low interest rates, relatively low unemployment and strong public finances.”

Gillard told reporters the Australian economy was in transition as the investment boom in the mining and resources sector wound down, and there would be a loss of jobs as a result. “We do need other sectors of our economy to step up and grow more strongly,” she said, adding that Australia’s proximity to Asia and its rapidly growing middle class would provide opportunities. But she said she was not in favour of increasing tariffs on imported cars, a measure suggested by several backbenchers within her centre-left Labor government to counteract the high Australian currency. “I would rule that out, I don’t think that that’s going to assist our manufacturers in the long term,” she said. “I don’t believe that imposing tariffs and getting in the way of us being able to be an exporting nation by potentially sparking trade reprisals is the right strategy for Australia.”—AFP

TOKYO: This week’s turbulence in Tokyo markets exposes a key risk of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s all-in strategy to revive Japan’s economy - if investor confidence falters, the government and the Bank of Japan may be left with few options to turn the tide. Yesterday, the Nikkei share average had another tumultuous session, traversing a 7.1 percent range between positive and negative territory before ending up 0.9 percent. The violent moves kept investors on edge after a 7.3-percent slide on Thursday, the sharpest drop for the Japanese stock market since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. At the same time, the 10-year-bond yield, a key interest rate linked to home mortgages and business loans, has almost tripled from the 0.315 percent record low it plumbed in early April just after the central bank announced its plans for a massive increase in asset purchases. The wild market gyrations represent the first serious test for Abe, who has become a popular figure at home and on Wall Street for pro-growth policies featuring massive monetary easing, a big burst of government spending and a promised “growth strategy” centred on deregulation and trade liberalisation. Another issue is the danger of the debilitating sideeffects on asset markets stemming from the eventual rollback of the US Federal Reserve’s massive stimulus - external risks that Tokyo could do little to overcome. In fact, Thursday’s Nikkei rout was triggered by weak factory activity data in China, Japan’s second-biggest export market, and on concerns sparked by Fed chief Ben Bernanke’s suggestion that its bond-buying could be tapered this year. Most analysts and many overseas investors seemed ready to write off the Nikkei’s tumble as an inevitable wave of profit-taking. The average has only slipped back to its levels as of early May and remains up nearly 70 percent since mid-November when it became clear Abe was likely to be become premier and implement his reflationary policies. “It’s just a speed bump, in my view,” said New Yorkbased fund manager Audrey Kaplan at the $656 million

Federated InterContinental Fund who has increased the Japan weighting in her fund to 20 percent from 15 percent at end-March. “The economic conditions in Japan are substantially better than they were a few months ago. That will support the market.” But one challenge for Abe and his hand-picked BOJ chief, Haruhiko Kuroda, is that the positive wave of investor and consumer sentiment has run far ahead of sustainable gains in the world’s third-largest economy in key measures such as income or corporate spending, analysts say. ‘The market effect’ Consumption has picked up and exports have stabilised on Abenomics, especially the unprecedented easing by the BOJ, which has vowed to end 15 years of entrenched deflation and tepid growth by doubling the supply of money to generate 2 percent inflation over the coming two years. Supporters of Abenomics say it’s the best chance Japan has of escaping the liquidity trap as changing perceptions will create a virtuous circle of consumption, bigger company profits, investment and higher wages that ultimately revitalizes growth. In his first response to the market turbulence, Kuroda, largely unruffled, told a seminar that bond market stability “is extremely desirable.” The BOJ chief also struck an optimistic stance on the bank’s policies. “What’s most important is that the effect (of our monetary easing) creates a positive cycle of production, income and expenditure in the economy, leading to a gradual rise in prices. That’s our hope and something that’s achievable. We’re in the process of this taking shape,” Kuroda said. The yen is down more than 20 percent against the dollar and interest rates have remained relatively low, cheering investors and Japanese exporters. Japan’s seven automakers, one of the main beneficiaries of the weaker yen, have outlined plans to increase capital spending by almost 15 percent this financial year on a global basis but those plans will take time to play out.—Reuters

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Latin America’s free trade bloc eyes Asia Pacific Alliance advocates foreign investment BOGOTA: A Latin American bloc that includes Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile on Thursday agreed to eliminate tariffs on most goods to promote free trade between the countries and increase exports to Asia. The members of the nascent Pacific Alliance group also aim to promote free market policies as the key to economic growth, attract more foreign investment and integrate their capital markets and energy networks. At a meeting in the city of Cali, Colombia, the presidents of the four member countries agreed to remove tariffs on 90 percent of the goods traded between them, and to eliminate duties on the remaining 10 percent in the medium term. The tariffs will be lifted in July, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos told a press conference after the summit. “The door to our destiny is the construction of an area of deep integration that will allow us to become part of the global economy more successfully and more forcefully - particularly in the Asia Pacific region,” Santos told reporters. The cluster of nations includes some of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies. They have

a combined population of 210 million and their total gross domestic product accounts for more than a third of Latin America’s GDP, said Santos, dubbing the Alliance the “new economic and development motor” of the region. Latin America is broadly divided between the Pacific countries that are free-trade advocates, and the Mercosur states on the Atlantic side that have been more reluctant to drop barriers to trade. Robust economic growth, high commodity prices and explosive domestic demand have lured high levels of capital to much of Latin America in the past decade. According to the United Nations, the region’s economy is seen growing 3.5 percent this year, up from 3 percent in 2012, boosted by strong growth in Brazil and Argentina, surging domestic demand, as well as agriculture and investment. However, the shaky global scenario, characterized by persistent uncertainty and low growth, will likely dampen demand for commodities produced in Latin America. Many countries in the region, whose exports include soy, copper and oil, are

dependent on avid Chinese demand for their products. Mesh of blocs Despite recent moves by Latin American nations toward “regional integration,” there are bitter internal differences over trade policy. The Pacific Alliance will aim to gain more clout in Latin America by promoting free trade and focusing on fast-growing Asian economies as an alternative to the protectionist policies championed by Mercosur members such as Argentina and Venezuela. Even though it is only a year old, the Pacific Alliance seems to be gaining momentum. Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala have already expressed a desire to become members. The group’s progress may be helped by the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who spearheaded a batch of leftist nations that rejected US “imperialism” and free trade. His death in March after a long battle with cancer left Latin America without one of its most influential presidents, leading to a power vacuum that could be filled by more pragmatic leaders. —Reuters

4 tips on managing your 401(k) plan effectively The run-up in stock prices this year could tempt even the most hands-off investor to wade into their 401(k) and make some changes. The Dow Jones industrial average, Nasdaq and Standard & Poor’s 500 indexes are each up more than 20 percent over the past 12 months. But experts suggest investors tread cautiously and avoid major changes aimed at timing the market. “It’s a retirement account. You are investing for not months or even years, but decades into the future,” says Eric Tyson, author of “Personal Finance for Dummies.” He adds: “Most people, including most professional investors, are not very good at market timing.” Even if you’re a set-it-and-forget-it investor, unless you’ve pulled out of stocks altogether - as some investors did right after the 2008 financial crisis - it’s likely the stock portion of your 401(k) account has grown significantly in the last few years. Data released Thursday from Fidelity Investments show that the average balance of its 401(k) accounts hit a record high in the first quarter of $80,000. That’s up 8.4 percent from the same period last year, and represents an increase of 75 percent since the stock market hit bottom in the first three months of 2009, the company said. In contrast, some 1.6 percent of investors age 55 or older who eliminated stocks from their portfolios when stocks collapsed in 2008, and never rebalanced their holdings, saw their portfolios grow just under 26 percent since the first quarter of 2009, Fidelity said. Still, making periodic adjustments to your plan’s asset allocation is a wise move, and part of remaining engaged with your overall retirement strategy. Here are six ways to efficiently manage your 401(k): 1. Get the basics right Don’t leave money on the table. If your company offers to match up to a certain amount of your 401(k) contribution, make sure you’re putting in enough to qualify for the maximum. Once you

have that covered, save as much as you can, as early in your working years as you can. How much? Experts vary on this, but a common benchmark is to set aside 15 percent of your pay, including any matching funds from your employer. Under IRS rules, the maximum contribution is $17,500 this year. That means, if your employer is matching up to 3 percent of what you put in, you need to pitch in another 12 percent. If your employer’s match is more generous, you can put in less, says Beth McHugh, a vice president of market insights at Fidelity. 2. Don’t bank entirely on winning investments The market rises and falls, and timing may not be on your side - just ask folks who began relying on their retirement savings as the market hit the skids in 2008. One good way to maximize your savings is to put more money into the plan. “Those who continued to not just remain invested, but remained committed to making contributions, are the ones that were able to come out ahead in the end,” McHugh says. Since the first quarter of 2009, Fidelity’s 401(k) accountholders have, on average, contributed 8 percent of their pay to their plan. It was slightly higher before that. 3. Periodically assess retirement costs Making sure you’re financial needs are met in retirement requires having a sense of what those costs will be. And not just the basics, but any travel or other major purchases. You’ll also need to update that plan, particularly as you get closer to your post-work life. By some estimates, retirees will need 85 percent of their pre-retirement income coming in from several sources, including Social Security, 401(k) plans and other retirement accounts, a pension or similar employer-sponsored plan, and personal assets, such as other investments, savings or real estate.

“If you’re behind saving or want to retire at an earlier age, you may find when you crunch the numbers that to reach your goal you should be saving 15 or even 20 percent,” Tyson says. “If you’re at a point in your earnings career where your earnings are relatively high but you don’t think it’s going to last, you don’t want to keep working as hard, you may want to save 20 percent to 25 percent of your income during a certain period.” Fortunately, there are a bevy of online calculators that can help craft an estimate for how much you’ll need to put away for retirement. Look for these on the websites for large 401(k) plan managers such as Vanguard, Fidelity or T Rowe Price. A couple of alternatives: The AARP’s calculator and Bankrate.com’s. 4. Rebalance your asset mix Experts recommend taking a look at your asset mix - how much you have invested in certain funds of varying risk, or say, the proportion of your 401(k) invested in stocks versus bonds or other investments - and tweak them occasionally. “Whether the market is up or the market is down, it’s always a good time,” says Philip Rousseaux, president of Everest Wealth Management Inc. “It’s kind of an automatic way of always selling high and buying low.” Simply put, if you’re heavily invested in a segment of stocks that have gone up sharply, you bring down your position on that a bit and shift the funds over to a segment that’s undervalued. Rousseaux recommends rebalancing at least on a quarterly basis. Tyson, on the other hand, says every three to five years is just fine, unless the market has undergone a significant downturn. As a general rule, stocks are going to be more volatile and risky in the short term, but reduced over the long-term. With bonds, it’s reversed. They’re less volatile in the near term, but there’s a chance that they’re not going to give enough of a return in the long term, sapping your funds for retirement. —AP

Zain Kuwait introduces new HTC One smartphone KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, announced yesterday the launch of the new flagship HTC One smartphone. HTC is a global leader in mobile device innovation and design, and its latest product benefits from Zain’s 4G LTE nationwide network in Kuwait. The HTC One smartphone is crafted with a distinct zero-gap aluminum unibody and introduces HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound, key new HTC Sense innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard for smartphones. Omar Soud Al-Omar, Zain’s Chief Executive Officer commented: “Zain is always interested in launching the latest and most up-to-date technologies to its customers, and by introducing the new HTC One smartphone we are confirming just that. The unveiling of the new device mirrors the company’s belief in satisfying a customer’s passion for high-tech telecommunications apparatus.” Jon French, Vice President, HTC MEA said: “The HTC One smartphone is the beginning of a journey that will revolutionize the smartphone space. We are introducing game-changing technologies that push the boundaries of smartphone accomplishments further than ever before. The new HTC One gives our consumers what they want: easy access to everything that’s important to them. Every aspect of the HTC One, from its aesthetics to its user interface and ground-breaking technology, was designed because we listened to our consumers, and to the market.” The new HTC One introduces HTC BlinkFeed, HTC UltraPixels Camera with HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound - all new HTC innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard for smartphones. With a zero-gap aluminium unibody, 4.7” Full HD screen, and the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system with LTE network technology, the new HTC One packs a real punch through premium design with breakthrough build quality. The new HTC One smartphone was named winner in the Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet category at the GSMA Awards, held at the Mobile World Congress. HTC BlinkFeed is a personalised live stream right on the home screen, giving you all of your relevant updates - social, entertainment, lifestyle, news, photos and more - in one easy-access place. HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe takes breakthrough smartphone camera technology to the next level. By focusing on UltraPixels, which gather more than 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone cameras, the HTC One takes astounding pictures no matter where you are or what you’re doing. HTC BoomSound introduces front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier to smartphones for the very first time, making the new HTC One the best audio experience of any mobile phone available today.

Austrian bank chief quits under cloud VIENNA: The chief executive of one of Austria’s biggest banks, Herbert Stepic of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), tendered his surprise resignation yesterday after magazine revelations about personal foreign investments. Stepic, 66, credited with helping Raiffeisen become a major lender in central and eastern Europe, said that his decision to end his 40-year career at the bank was “to avoid any damage to Raiffeisen’s reputation”. Not taking questions from reporters, Stepic said that the investments reported by the News weekly were made in good faith on advice from Swiss bank UBS and were not “offshore” vehicles aimed at evading tax. According to News, they involved two firms based in the British Virgin Islands and in Hong Kong that Stepic, a widely respected figure in the banking sector, used to buy two apartments in Singapore in 2006 and 2008. —AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Wall Street slips on anxiety over longevity of Fed stimulus Durable goods orders rise more than expected NEW YORK: US stocks fell for a third day yesterday amid lingering concern the US central bank may scale back its support to the economy. Trading has been choppy in the second half of the week as market participants assess the Federal Reserve’s evolving stance towards markets. Fed support has been instrumental in a rally that has boosted US stocks to

long positions. Since Wednesday, the markets have been focused on the possibility of Fed purchases being scaled back later this year, in the wake of recent congressional testimony by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and the minutes from the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting. “Markets are looking for a reset

NEW YORK: Trader David O’Day works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading. —AP record highs this year. However, many analysts say the eventual tapering of Fed stimulus will come with an expansion in the economy and corporate earnings, which will continue to support equities. Market pullbacks have been short and shallow since November as traders take any weakness as an opportunity to increase

and a retracement lower, closer to more compelling valuations,” said Peter Kenny, chief market strategist at Knight Capital in Jersey City, New Jersey. He said on Wednesday there was a shift that “reintroduced a sense of caution that has long been absent” in markets. The minutes, Kenny said, showed a degree of fracture in the FOMC “in terms

of the approach moving forward, specifically the time frame” of the unwinding of the Fed’s stimulus efforts. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 79.56 points or 0.52 percent, to 15,214.94, the S&P 500 lost 11.95 points or 0.72 percent, to 1,638.56 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 25.28 points or 0.73 percent, to 3,434.13. Major indexes were on track to post their first negative week in five. Futures briefly pared losses earlier after the Commerce Department said durable goods orders rose 3.3 percent last month, exceeding expectations for an increase of 1.5 percent. Prior readings for orders were revised to show a smaller decline in March than previously estimated. Procter & Gamble shares rose 3.9 percent to $81.77 after the world’s largest household products maker brought back AG Lafley as chief executive Thursday, replacing Bob McDonald in the midst of a major restructuring. Abercrombie & Fitch shares dropped 11.2 percent to $48.28 after the teen clothing retailer said quarterly comparable sales fell 15 percent, which it blamed in part on inventory shortages. Shares of Sears Holdings tumbled 18 percent to $47.66 after the US retailer reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday, hurt by cooler spring weather. Pandora Media shares jumped 8.1 percent to $18.55 after the streaming music service said Thursday first-quarter revenue grew on the strength of mobile advertising. At least five research firms raised their price target on the stock, which earlier hit $19.36 -its highest since July 2011. —Reuters

3i hopes to raise new infrastructure funds LONDON: 3i Group PLC is to buy the European infrastructure fund management business of British bank Barclays as part of a drive to boost its fee income from public-private partnerships and renewable energy projects. The private equity firm, aiming to become one of Europe’s biggest investors in the infrastructure sector, said yesterday the deal would help it to raise new funds and source new investment opportunities for its 3i Infrastructure business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. With yields on staple investments like UK Gilts and German Bunds hovering around record lows, pension funds are bankrolling more government-backed projects to build new roads, bridges and public buildings in the hope these will deliver higher, inflation-protected returns. 3i has been undergoing a restructuring following shareholder frustration at weak results from its buyout

business, moving away from just private equity to balance this better with its infrastructure and debt-management businesses. “This is in our view a transformational deal for the existing infrastructure business line. Not only does it improve its profitability, but it will result in improved deal flow and provide a platform for future fund raising opportunities,” JP Morgan analyst Christopher Brown said in a note. Barclays Infrastructure Funds Management Limited (BIFM) has around 780 million pounds ($1.2 billion) of assets under management and is run by an investment team based in London and Paris. Since its launch in 1996, the business has invested 1.7 billion pounds across six funds. The assets include hospitals, schools, water treatment facilities, local government buildings and transport schemes, which typically generate inflationlinked cash flows based on 25-30 year operating concessions offered by the

government. Barclays has been weighing up options for its future involvement in BIFM for about a year since it became clear that new regulation on bank capital reserves would render its riskweighted returns less attractive than before, one industry source, who declined to be named, told Reuters. The bank is currently a limited partner in the funds managed by BIFM and is keen to retain an interest in their performance following the proposed sale to 3i, which has more cost-effective access to capital for new buys, the source said. Both 3i and Barclays declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal but the annual asset management fees earned by BIFM are expected to cover its operating costs, 3i said. At 1045 GMT, 3i shares were down 1.3 percent at 357.9 pence, while Barclays’ were down 0.9 percent at 318.65 pence in a lower overall UK market. —Reuters

AG Lafley

P&G brings back ex CEO NEW YORK: Household products giant Procter & Gamble Co is hoping its former CEO can work his magic once again. The Cincinnati company said late Thursday that former CEO AG Lafley, a 33-year industry veteran, is returning its top post. The surprise move comes as the world’s largest consumer-products maker tries to spur growth in the face of stiff global competition. Lafley, 65, replaces CEO Bob McDonald, effective immediately. McDonald, who will retire June 30 after a transition period, has served as CEO since 2009. Lafley, who led P&G from 2000 to 2009, also is taking the president and chairman titles. The 175-year-old company’s Tide detergent, Crest toothpaste and other products can be found in 98 percent of American households. But it is struggling to grow. In his first stint at the helm, Lafley helped right an ailing P&G, emphasizing innovation and a “consumer-is-boss” focus. That included spending more time in personal observation and interviews with consumers. He also pulled off the blockbuster $57 million acquisition of the Gillette Co. in 2005, expanding P&G’s reach into male-oriented products with Gillette’s shavers and razors. “A.G.’s track record and his depth of experience at P&G make him uniquely qualified to lead the company forward at this important time,” said board director Jim McNerney. P&G is known for its premium products that cost more than competitors but are perceived by customers to be of higher quality. But growth for the company has slowed in developed markets like North America and Europe. Like many of its rivals, P&G has been expanding into rapidly growing emerging markets such as Latin America, India and Russia. But there, it has faced tough competition from already entrenched smaller rivals such as Dutch consumer-products maker Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive. In order to spur growth, P&G has been cutting costs and rolling out new products. The company is in the middle of a belt-tightening plan aimed at saving $10 billion by 2016. And it has introduced new products or brand expansions including Tide Pods single-use laundry pellets, Downy Unstopables, a washer sheet that adds scent to clothes, and a stronger version of Secret deodorant called Clinical Strength. But investors have been frustrated by the company’s slow revenue growth and stagnant market-share gains globally. The pressure stepped up last July, when activist investor William Ackman took a 1 percent stake. He has been vocal about the company’s need to streamline operations and improve results. “It sounds like the board needed a change at the top,” said Bernstein analyst Ali Dibadj. “We thought maybe there would be a little bit more of a test runway for current management, but clearly, frustration was very high.” P&G last year acknowledged that it had made missteps in some emerging markets - which make up nearly 40 percent of its sales - when it expanded in some product areas too quickly. And it introduced a plan to focus on its 20 biggest new products and its 10 most-profitable emerging markets, which has led to improving market share. The moves seemed to be working. In P&G’s most recent January-to-March quarter, net income rose 6 percent to $2.57 billion, as revenue inched up 2 percent to $20.6 billion. But that fell slightly short of analysts’ expectations of $20.72 billion. It had also begun to gain market share in North America. But fourth-quarter guidance was below expectations as the company spent more to market new products. —AP

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Lessons Hollywood can learn from ‘The Fast & The Furious’

www.kuwaittimes.net

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Glitzy amfAR raises $25 million for AIDS research PAGE 28

This picture shows Vladimir Kouklatchev performing with a dog during a show in the Moscow Cat Theatre, founded by his father, famous Russian clown Yuri Kouklatchev, shortly before the fall of the USSR. — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

he pair were married from 2000 to 2005 and although both have moved on - Brad has six children with his fiancee Angelina Jolie while Jennifer is engaged to Justin Theroux - they are still close. Brad’s make-up artist Jean Black told Esquire magazine: “I think Brad was ready to soar when he met Angie. This is not to say anything negative about Jennifer. I was part of that and I know that he and Jennifer are very good friends and he cared deeply for her “But in Angie, he saw a very adventurous person who was grabbing on to life and taking it to its nth degree. It was intriguing because I felt Brad had that in him and wanted to unleash it.” While they are close now, Brad, 49, recently hinted he

was unhappy during his marriage to Jennifer, 43, because of his drug use. He said: “For a long time I thought I did too much damage - drug damage. I was a bit of a drifter. “A guy who felt he grew up in something of a vacuum and wanted to see things, wanted to be inspired. I followed that other thing. “But then I got burnt out and felt that I was wasting my opportunity. “About a decade ago [I made a] a conscious change... It was an epiphany - a decision not to squander my opportunities. “It was a feeling of, ‘Get up.’ Because otherwise, what’s the point?”

he 75-year-old actor was meant to be promoting his new movie ‘Now You See Me’ but his busy schedule has clearly taken its toll after he was spotted dozing off on air during a talk with US television show, FOX affiliate Q13. The show hosts Kaci Aitchinson and Bill Wixey were firing questions at the ‘The Olympus Has Fallen’ star and actor, Sir Michael Caine about their current film when Morgan began to catnap on camera, but instead of waking the movie star, they just continued to interview Michael, who was oblivious to the awkward situation. At one point, Morgan appeared to slump into a deep sleep before shaking himself awake, blinking a few times and attempting to follow the discussion. Speaking after the footage went viral, Morgan jokingly said: “I wasn’t actually sleeping. I’m a beta tester for Google Eyelids. I was merely updating my Facebook page!” Bill and Kaci were quick to make a joke out of the stars’ brief sleep on air and took to Twitter almost immediately to share the funny news with fans. Kaci tweeted: “Morgan Freeman just fell asleep to the sound of our soothing voices.”

he 33-year-old singer will open up about his life in the Backstreet Boys, his struggles with substance abuse and his family tragedies, including the death of his sister Leslie from a suspected overdose last year, in ‘Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It’. The tome will be published by Bird Street Books on September 24. Nick proposed to his girlfriend of four years Lauren Kitt, in the Florida Keys with a seven-carat diamond ring from XIV KARATS in February and admitted he was desperate to pop the question. He said: “I was like, ‘I don’t want [the ring] anymore!’ It was driving me insane. I just wanted to get it out of my hands and on to hers. “She said, ‘Yes,’ and I’m, like, ‘I don’t know what to do. She said, ‘You’re supposed to put it on my finger.’ So I did. I was in shock.” Fitness expert and actress Lauren, 29, admitted she was shocked by the proposal and acknowledged wedding dates will have to be worked around the upcoming Backstreet Boys tour. She said: “I wasn’t expecting it. It just felt very surreal. We both are just so happy in love right now and on cloud nine. “Our first thought was, ‘We need to contact the Backstreet Boys and find out when their schedule will permit. “It’s not up to us. It’s up to the schedule. We’re just excited and looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.”

he JLS hunk and proud new dad - who welcomed his first child with The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes - was beaming with pride as he shared a snap of him holding his newborn on Instagram. Marvin, 28, is seen smiling from ear-to-ear while looking down at little Alaia in the photo, which is captioned: “Daddy’s Girl...?” The adorable picture also gives a glimpse into what appears to be the newborn’s nursery, which features a dedication to each member of the family emblazoned on the wall. The letters ‘M’, ‘R’ and ‘A’ - representing Marvin, Rochelle and Alaia respectfully - can be seen patterned diagonally in the background of the snap, with the letter ‘M’ in blue and the other two letters in pink. In her first public comments since giving birth, Rochelle, 24, said she was “blessed” to welcome “little angel” and revealed that Alaia has already developed a bond with her father. She wrote on Twitter: “Thanks so much for all of your lovely messages. I feel so so blessed. Alaia-Mai is just a little angel. We’re all very happy. Thanks again. “Marvin is a great daddy. Absolutely in love with his princess. Definitely a daddy’s girl situation already started. So beautiful x. (sic)”

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

he 31-year-old singer is currently in the midst of her ‘Mrs. Carter Show’ tour and her devoted husband with whom she has 16-month-old daughter Blue Ivy is planning a lavish bash to coincide with the French Riviera’s Formula One Grand Prix as a celebration of his wife’s hard work, inviting along various celebrity friends who are visiting to join in the fun. A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “Jay’s having a gold and black-themed do for celebrity pals such as Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Scherzinger, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Campbell, who will be in town for the Grand Prix.” The ‘Grown Woman’ hitmaker is rumoured to be pregnant and was forced to cancel her gig in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 14 but promised to reschedule the show for “disappointed” fans who missed out on seeing their idol live. In a handwritten letter posted on her Facebook the following day of the cancellation, Beyonce said: “To my dearest fans in Antwerp. I’ve never postponed a show in my life. It was very hard for me. I promise I will make it up very soon. I’m sorry if I disappointed you.”

he 31-year-old actress says her ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ director JJ Abrams was once told by an astronaut that he had come across extra terrestrials in space and JJ revealed all during a Skype chat with other astronauts aboard the International Space Station. She told chat show host Jimmy Kimmel: “JJ said he sat next to an astronaut once who had told him that he had seen ‘forms or shapes’ that make him believe in alien life which you know is really scary. And exciting. “And so the response the NASA base gave us when JJ asked this question, ‘Have you seen alien life?’ was so rehearsed and so clear that they have seen [aliens].” Alice previously revealed she feels “incredibly lucky” to have landed a part in the ‘Star Trek’ sequel. She said: “I feel incredibly lucky. I would say it’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not once-in-a-lifetime, but it is rare. “It’s one of life’s great pleasures to enjoy the group you work with, because we all know what it’s like when you don’t.” — Bangshowbiz

he country singer pledged the generous sum to provide help for people affected by the brutal tornado which swept through her native state of Oklahoma earlier this week. She said: “I have watched the devastation in my home state of Oklahoma over the past several days with great sadness. “With the help of my fans who attended my concerts over the past year, we can offer the Red Cross a little extra help in comforting those affected by the recent tornados.” Former ‘American Idol’ winner Carrie, 30, grew up on a farm in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and was an active member of her local community growing up, so decided to donate all the proceeds from her recent tour to the charity. Neal Litvack, chief development officer for the Red Cross, praised Carrie’s involvement, saying: “The impact of the tornadoes in Oklahoma and the Midwest

he reality TV star hopes when she and her husband, LA Clippers basketball star Lamar Odom, eventually start a family they will have a son because she wants a future ball player. She told Hollyscoop: “They always say you don’t care, and I really don’t know if I do care...But I think it would be fun to have a boy because Lamar is a basketball player. “[I want] to take him to the games and dress him and up and be like ‘oh, lets cheer.’ A lot of their players will like take their kids to practice with them on certain days, they allow players to do that, which I think is so good for the team, so I would love for my son to do that. “But I guess girls could do [basketball] too.... I always see basketball players and their

was devastating and the road to recovery will be long for many families. “Through the generosity of Carrie, the American Red Cross can quickly respond with shelter, food and comfort now and with lasting help as they move toward recovery.” The cause has also been supported by US celebrities like actor David Spade, who donated $200,000 to the hurricane relief fund, and Oklahoma City Thunder basketball player Kevin Durant, who also gave $1 million.

wives- they have girls too and they do the same thing. So I don’t know, but I just think it would be SO CUTE [to have a boy].” Khloe, 28, recently embarked on a strict fitness plan in a bid to lose 25 pounds and get bikini ready in time for summer and says she feels more positive after her health kick. She explained: “I’ve been on a workout kick and even if it’s not necessarily to lose weight, I just think what it does for my mind, it makes me feel like I’ve released so much stress, and I do think that makes me then feel like I’m ready to take on the world today. “I’ve been trying to have a lifestyle change and just work out consistently and try to make that a way of my life.”

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

The Opera House is lit up by a projection during Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of light, music and ideas, in Sydney yesterday. More than 60 interactive and immersive light sculptures and installations across Circular Quay, The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour and North Sydney took part in the festival. — AFP

ith two cars, foreign holidays and a cook for their apartment, one Beijing family epitomises the new middle class created by China’s decades of rapid economic growthand its resulting worries. Li Na, 42, a caterer at the capital’s zoo, and her husband Chi Shubo, 48, who works for a state-owned investment company, have seen their fortunes transformed since she arrived in Beijing 20 years ago from Shandong, a coastal province. Then, she cycled for hours from a shared dormitory to visit her husband’s workplace. Now she commutes in a car made by an American firm and they holiday with their 11-year-old daughter in Japan, South Korea and the United States. Tens of millions of others have made a similar transition. About 10 percent of China’s 1.35 billion people now count as middle class, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a figure set to rise to 40 percent by 2020. But their concerns about air pollution, food safety and China’s education system show the challenges facing the country’s newly appointed leaders, who have promised a shift away from the model of growth at all costs. Every year, Li and her husband set a goal to improve their lives. “We always have a plan,” Li said. “For example, this year I might want a new camera, and my husband will help make that come true.” The family’s four-bedroom apartment in a Beijing suburb was the most important purchase of their lives. “We struggled half our lives to buy it,” Li said, over a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon. In a picture of comfortable suburban living, their daughter, who goes by the English name Nancy, sprawls on a vast sofa opposite a huge flat-screen Sony television, nuzzling the family’s fluffy brown dog. Li says her top priority is Nancy’s education. It is not a school day, but her

iPhone alarm rings to signal that it is time for the girl’s first lesson. She steers her Chevrolet Epica sedan past forests of near-identical apartment blocks to the Haidian Youth Palace, a relic of Maoist-era China which now holds classes aimed at boosting children’s creativity. At weekends Nancy has sessions in traditional Chinese calligraphy, and a badminton class “with a private coach”, Li said. In the past year, the young girl swapped learning the piano for a new instrument, the ocarina, a pocket-sized flute. Nancy has only three or four hours of free time a day on weekends, Li said, as she seeks to hold her position in China’s highly competitive education system. What you know, and who you know A glut of graduates created by the expansion of China’s university system means the graduate unemployment rate is higher than for the general population making winning a place at the very best colleges ever more crucial. Getting into a top school is also not always about ability, Li said, with cash donations sometimes involved. “Sometimes parents need to do extra work, give out red envelopes, and even then success can depend on your contacts,” she said. This year has bought some more worrying lessons. When thick smog blanketed northern China, sending pollution levels soaring in the capital, Nancy learned about PM 2.5, the name given to invisible pollutants which can damage children’s lungs. She reached into the pocket of her mother’s car seat and pulled out a face mask. “My mum made me wear this every day in January and February because the PM 2.5 was very bad,” she said.—AFP

Two men play Chinese chess at a park in Beijing yesterday. — AFP

This photo shows cave paintings found in the San Carlos mountain range in the Burgos municipality of the Tamaulipas State, Mexico. —AFP

rcheologists have found nearly 5,000 cave paintings made by hunter-gatherers in a northeastern Mexico mountain range where pre-Hispanic groups were not known to have existed. The yellow, red, white and black paintings depict humans, deers, lizards and centipedes, suggesting that the groups hunted, fished and gathered food, according to the National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH). They also painted religious, astronomical and abstract scenes and most of the images are very well preserved. The archeologists were not able to date the 4,926 paintings, but they could conduct chemical and radiocarbon analyses to try to determine how old they are. The ancient artwork was discovered in 11 different sites in the caves and mountain gaps of the municipality of Burgos in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders the United States. More than 1,550 images were painted in one location dubbed “The Cave of Horses.” “It’s important because with this we were able to document the presence of pre-Hispanic groups in Burgos, where before we said there were none,” said archeologist Martha Garcia Sanchez of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas. The paintings were made by at least three groups known as the Guajolotes, Iconoplos and Pintos. There is evidence that other groups moved around the San Carlos mountain range, such as the Cadimas, Conaynenes, Mediquillos, Mezquites, Cometunas and Canaimes. “These groups escaped Spanish control for almost 200 years,” Garcia Sanchez said. “They fled to the San Carlos mountain range where they had water, plants and animals to eat. The Spaniards didn’t go into the mountain and its valleys.” — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

This photo shows Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Mass.

his may be hard to believe in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but an annual list of the best beaches in the country has a New York beach ranked No. 1. Less surprisingly, that beach is in East Hampton, the vacation playground for the rich and famous. In an announcement that coincides annually with the unofficial start of summer, coastal expert Stephen P Leatherman on Friday released the 23rd version of his Top 10 Beach List, placing Main Beach in East Hampton at the top. “The thing about the Hamptons is that people are so proud of their beaches out there,” Leatherman told The Associated Press in an interview in advance of the release of his list. “People pick up their litter there, the bathrooms are clean; they provide good services.” Leatherman, who goes by the nickname Dr. Beach, visited Main Beach earlier this month. He said that unlike many beaches farther to the west and in New Jersey, the beaches on eastern Long Island saw less erosion and flooding from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. “Considering the magnitude of the storm, people will be very pleased to see that Main Beach is the way they remember it,” he said. Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University in Miami, has visited beaches around the world and uses criteria like water and sand quality, as well as safety and environmental management, to compile his annual list. Once a beach reaches the pinnacle of No. 1, it is retired from future consideration, he said. Coopers Beach in nearby Southampton, NY, was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 survey. Sarasota, Fla.’s Siesta Beach was tops in 2011 and Coronado Beach in California earned the top spot in 2012. The other nine on Leatherman’s 2013 list after Main Beach are: Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Hawaii; St. George Island State Park, Fla; Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii; Waimanalo Bay State Park, Oahu,

Hawaii; Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park, Bonita Springs, Fla.; Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla; Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC; Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.; and Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, SC. East Hampton village residents have free access to Main Beach, although parking permits are required from May 15 to Sept 15. Non-residents can buy parking passes at $25 per day but they are limited in number, with only 40 non-resident daily parking passes sold on weekends and holidays. Max Scainetti, a lifelong East Hampton resident, said the tiny grains of tan sand and the cleanliness of the beach are two of the things that make Main Beach special. “This is one of the best beaches in the country and I’ve been to a lot of beaches,” Scainetti said. “I think basically it’s a lot to do with the sand. A lot of Long Island beaches tend to be rocky where these are more sandy beaches.” Javier Baldo, an East Hampton cook, said he has visited Main Beach regularly for about eight years. “It’s fairly civilized. It doesn’t get too crowded. The water is delicious,” he said. Delicious? “It’s really great water, it’s really clean. You just have a lot of space.” Baldo said celebrities are sometimes seen at the beach, but people generally keep to themselves. “It’s quiet, there’s no loud music playing. It’s obviously very safe; great lifeguards. There are really great lifeguards. They’re actually fit and very well experienced. That’s a big thing, just the safety,” he said. — AP

This undated file photo shows Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii. — AP photos

In this image, a woman relaxes on Waimanalo Bay Beach Park in Oahu, Hawaii.

This file photo shows Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Hawaii.

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Kid Rock, Rolling Stones on scalping, summer tours

id Rock is a scalper. The 42-year-old Grammy winner, who is launching a summer tour where most tickets are priced at $20, said he’s scalping about 1,000 tickets from each show to make up for the cheaper regular price. “I’m in the scalping business, but you know what? We told everyone. A lot of artists have been doing this for years behind fans’ backs, taking all these backdoor deals,” he said. “We look at StubHub and other places and see what they’re selling them for and we just undercut them.” Kid Rock’s “$20 Best Night Ever Tour” kicks off June 28 in Bristow, Va, and the Detroit native, who released his debut album in 1990, said he likely scalped secretly on past tours. “I’m sure we have,” he said. “I can’t say for sure, but I’m not going to say that we haven’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if we did.” Kid Rock’s discount ticket pricing is leading a change in tours where scalpers play a major role as the marketplace for secondary sources for tickets continues to grow, especially in a summer when key acts like The Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z are on the road. “If I see a scalper, I’ll scalp him,” the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards said, laughing. He said he would like to play free shows to balance the high cost for tickets; The Rolling Stones’ “50 & Counting Tour” has a range of ticket prices, and

Pollstar reported that the average price of a ticket among the tour’s seven shows was $355.14. “I’d do some free shows. I’d work my butt off and I don’t care how much. But these are set up above my head, man,” Richards said in a recent interview. “You’re kind of locked in a thing here

nate the chance of scalping the tickets, which were just $20. But Mick Jagger said there isn’t much the artists can do about scalping and secondary sources for tickets. “The artist is totally powerless in this. People have made a lot of fuss about it before, but on the other side, some

“You can look at it like, ‘Well, no one’s making any money except these secondary ticket selling companies and they’re making more money than anyone,’” Jagger continued. “It’s completely legal so until it’s illegal, there’s nothing much anyone can do about that.”

Paul McCartney —AP photos

Justin Timberlake

Kid Rock

whether you like it or not. I wish it was five bucks a ticket.” The Rolling Stones did play a secret show at the Echoplex club in Los Angeles last month, where fans got in by winning a lottery and had to be ID’d and given photo bracelets to elimi-

people are like, ‘We might as well participate in it.’ And you can’t really blame the artist for participating in it because why shouldn’t they in a way?” he said. “I know we don’t participate in it, but nevertheless, I don’t blame people if they wanted to do it.”

Ticketmaster’s North American President Jared Smith said Kid Rock’s deal, which he completed with Ticketmaster partner Live Nation, is a first of more to come, though they might not be as risky as Kid Rock’s plan, which also includes $20 T-shirts. —AP

Lessons Hollywood can learn from ‘The

“F

ast & the Furious 6” is widely expected to dominate the Memorial Day box office and potentially become the highest grossing film in the lucrative franchise’s history. For a franchise to keep growing as it enters its second decade and sixth installment is nearly unheard of in Hollywood, where sequels tend to burn hot and fast, dying out quickly. Yet Universal Pictures has adroitly managed the car racing series by tapping into international markets, catering to under-appreciated movie-going audiences and recognizing the power of Diesel fuel - Vin Diesel that is. Here are six takeaways from the “Fast & the Furious” franchise’s success for rival studios trying to engineer their own box office Maserati’s.

on any big-budget confection. It’s an essential ingredient to making the sprawling community of moviegoers feel like they are watching their dreams and lives reflected back to them on the big screen. The reward for this cosmopolitanism? “Fast & Furious 6” is off to a white-hot start at the foreign box office; its opening in the UK and Ireland last Friday gave Universal the studio’s biggest opening day ever in that market with $4.6 million. “Fast Five,” the previous film in the franchise, more than doubled the largest foreign gross in the fran-

Fast & The Furious’ a study by the Motion Picture Association of America. In the case of “Fast Five,” catering to this crowd resulted in a monster turnout, with Latinos representing 33 percent of its opening weekend U.S. audience. ...Oh, and so do women Casting women as more than scantily clad helpmates and arm candy has further broadened “The Fast & The Furious” franchise’s appeal. Women represent 51 percent of the USpopulation and 52 percent of the movie-going

Vin Diesel is an A-Lister, get used to it He may not wield the clout or boast the magazine covers of a Depp or a Pitt or a Smith, but make no mistake, Diesel is a star. After getting lost on the C-list in the midaughts and seeing his once white-hot career fizzle out with bombs like “Find Me Guilty” or artistic embarrassments like “The Pacifier,” Diesel cannily returned to the franchise that made him a powerhouse with 2009’s “Fast & Furious.” In the process, he helped the series consistently build its audience with each new film, allowing the franchise to gross nearly $1.6 billion globally. With this September’s “Riddick,” Diesel will see if he can revive another of his action franchises that has run out of steam. If he can pull it off, that will give him two massive tentpole roles in his quiver. Few actors other than Robert Downey Jr with “Sherlock Holmes” and “Iron Man” can match that kind of track record. The US is nice, but foreign countries are king Though “The Fast & The Furious” started out as a depiction of LA street racing, few franchises have done a better job of embracing the global marketplace. Starting with 2006’s “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the third film in the franchise, the series has traipsed around the globe, conveniently stopping in many of the movie business’ most important emerging markets. Along the way, the crew of car racers and thieves have evaded the law in exotic settings like Brazil, Mexico and, in the latest iteration, Spain and the United Kingdom. With 70 percent of box office revenue coming from abroad, an international flavor is no an longer exotic icing

chise’s history and most box office analysts predict the latest adventure will eclipse the last film’s $416 million international take. Newsflash! Latinos go to movies Latino audiences have pushed “The Fast & The Furious” series into rarified blockbuster terrain. Thanks to stars like Michelle Rodriguez, and a healthy amount of Spanish dialog, the films have gone out of their way to court this too often neglected demographic. Pay heed studios! Latinos represent just 17 percent of the US population, yet account for 26 percent of ticket sales, according

public, but according to a 2012 study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, only 11 percent of the protagonists in top grossing films are female. Yes, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are the top-billed stars in the series, but what’s refreshing about “Fast & Furious 6” is that Rodriguez and co-star Gina Carano have roles that are integral to the action. In fact, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Universal Pictures co-president of production, told TheWrap that the most recent “Fast” film is the highest testing among women. He added that the on-screen throw down between Rodriguez and Carano is a key sell-

ing point of the film and “trumps” the fight between Diesel and Dwayne Johnson that was a heavily promoted part of “Fast Five.” Don’t idle at the starting line Beginning with the fourth film in the series, 2009’s “The Fast & the Furious,” Universal has rigidly adhered to a release schedule of one “Fast” picture every two years. The studio is accelerating the schedule with “Fast & the Furious 7,” which will roar into theaters in 2014, roughly a year after the sixth film was unleashed on the summer box office. At CinemaCon, the annual exhibition trade show in Las Vegas, Diesel told theater owners that the studio was able to rush into production on a follow-up to “Fast & the Furious 6” because they had carefully mapped out a direction for the series. In a digitally connected age where platforms like Twitter and Facebook have intensified the rate at which entertainment and media is anticipated, consumed and discussed, it is critical that studios move nimbly to exploit buzz before this morning’s hot thing become that afternoon’s tired idea. Allow a director to grow with a franchise Justin Lin didn’t have the kind of CV that would instantly make a studio feel comfortable about handing over the keys to one of its crown jewel franchises. When Universal tapped the UCLA grad to inject new life into the “Fast” series, Lin was best known for the Sundance breakout “Better Luck Tomorrow” and the James Franco bomb “Annapolis.” But whatever studio executives saw Taiwanese-born director has allowed the series to reach new heights. Under Lin, the four “Fast” films he has directed have grown more global in scope, more financially successful, more technically audacious and more critically acclaimed. The decision to move up production on “Fast & the Furious 7,” so it can open next year, means that he will have to yield the director’s chair to James Wan (“Saw”), but studio executives and producers tell TheWrap that after the success of the “Fast” movies, Lin can write his own ticket. “He’s on the A-list,” a rival studio executive enthused. “If he wants to do a Bond film, he can. If he wants to do a Chris Nolan-type ‘Inception’ movie or a smaller personal movie, he can. Everyone wants to work with him.” —Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Trip into space

eonardo DiCaprio is going to get closer to stars of a different kind as he heads into space aboard the Virgin Galactic, and a well-heeled bidder at the Cannes Film Festival has paid 1.2 million euros (1.5 million) to be his travel buddy. The Holywood star’s suborbital trip was among 20 goodies up for grabs at the 20th amfAR bash, a gala auction that is one of the glitziest festival events and that this year helped raise a record-breaking $25 million for AIDS research. Other big-ticket items were a role as an extra in four Hollywood movies, including a feature starring DiCaprio (1.5 million euros); two VIP seats for the 2014 Oscars awards (140,000 euros); a private acoustic concert for 45 people by Simon Le Bon and John Taylor of Duran Duran (400,000 euros); and a game of six-a-side against a team led

by Zinedine Zidane (380,000 euros). DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Janet Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Audrey Tautou, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Kristin Scott Thomas and Paris Hilton were among the 900 people who attended the charity dinner event at Antibes’ Eden Roc hotel. A table for 10 cost 120,000 euros, and an individual seat nearly 3,000 euros. Entertainment was provided by Duran Duran, who played their classic “Girls on Film,” Shirley Bassey, who sang the signature Bond song “Goldfinger,” and American Music Awards winner Hot Chelle Rae performed their smash “Tonight, Tonight.” This year’s auction raked in more than twice the amount collected in 2012. Since 1993, the gala has raised 87 million euros. —AFP

Iranian filmmaker makes it to Cannes amid secrecy

ranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, jailed in 2010 for anti-regime propaganda, told the Cannes Film Festival yesterday he knew his latest picture would also come under fire in his own country. Rasoulof reportedly filmed his censorship drama “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” secretly in Iran following a ban, and the circumstances of his visit to Cannes and where he now lives remain strictly confidential. Rasoulof’s wife in 2011 accepted his best director award in the new talent section, Un Certain Regard, for his film “Goodbye” about a young Tehran lawyer trying to get a visa to leave Iran. At the time, he was unable to travel as he was on bail in Iran pending an appeal against a sixyear jail sentence. Rasoulof was arrested with fellow director Jafar Panahi after they tried to make a documentary on the unrest that followed the disputed 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rasoulof was jailed in 2010 for six years for acting against national security and propaganda against the regime and banned from making films for 20 years. The sentence was reduced to one year on appeal. This year Rasoulof was able to appear in person to introduce his new film although he said the occasion was tinged with sadness because of the friends who could not be there with him. “I’m a little sad because there are a lot of people who cannot be here. It is because of the Iranian situation they couldn’t come,” he told the audience before a screening of his film in the same section. Rasoulof said he fully expected criticism of the film because Iranian journalists at the festival might feel they had to write articles about it that would not anger the regime. “I don’t care and I Mohammad Rasoulof excuse them,” he said. Iran has in the past accused festival organisers of being political for screening movies by Iranians who backed the Islamic republic’s opposition movement, including Panahi. The secrecy surrounding Rasoulof’s appearance follows another high-profile case in 2011 when actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in Iran. The actress was arrested after appearing in “My Tehran for Sale,” which came under harsh criticism in conservative circles. The film, an Australian co-production, told the story of a young actress in Tehran whose theatre work was banned by the authorities, forcing her to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically. —AFP

with DiCaprio costs $1.55m

This image shows Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan (right) and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from “The Great Gatsby.” —AP

At the movies, violence is the new high

ex may be a turn-off for Hollywood audiences but violence is all over the big screen, as filmmakers seek to capture the youth market, industry figures at the Cannes film festival said yesterday. With online porn readily available, sex scenes are no longer prized by producers who look to action sequences or special effects to fill the gap. “The Paperboy” in which Nicole Kidman played a woman attracted to Death Row prisoners and the sex surrogate film “The Sessions” with Helen Hunt are examples of recent films with sex that flopped at the box office. Michael Lavey, of the Los Angeles-based sales agents Taylor & Dodge, told AFP the need to pull in younger audiences was driving an explosion of violence on our screens. “I think that young kids are just immune to violence. It’s video games, it’s almost (as if) you’ve got to have some violence for them to go (to the cinema),” he said. “Directors could be more restrained (in their use of with violence) but the smart ones are going to do what people like me say works. If they’re open to that feedback they’re going to make money,” he added. A number films screened at Cannes over the past 10 days-including China’s “A Touch of Sin” (Tian Zhu Ding) and Japan’s “Shield of Straw” (Wara No Tate) — have shocked audiences with their levels of violence. Mexican director Amat Escalante was forced on the defensive after his ultra-violent film “Heli” left many critics feeling queasy. Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Only God Forgives” was equally blood-spattered with one critic describing it as a “sickening pornography of violence”. Many at a press screening found the Bangkok-set revenge drama starring the bankable Ryan Gosling almost unwatchable. And even co-star Kristin Scott Thomas described it as “hyper violent and quite disturbing” adding “this kind of film is really not my thing”. Edmee Cuttat, film critic for the Geneva Tribune daily, who has covered the festival for two decades, said she had witnessed an increase not in the level of violence but in the level of “gratuitous violence”. She described “Heli” as “appalling” and said she was unable to watch “Only God Forgives” in which a man in one scene is pinned to an armchair with knives and then stabbed in the eye. “What I don’t like is gratuitous violence. I don’t find it useful but perhaps the directors think it corresponds with the era,” she said. Gratuitous violence would appear to have replaced gratuitous sex as a marketing tool. Sex scenes were once written into scripts “no matter what the plot”, Vincent Bruzzese, president of the film division of market research company Ispos, was quoted as saying earlier this year by Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper. But now producers tended to ask “do we really need the sex? Can we fill the space with special effects instead and keep the family-friendly rating?”, he added. Indian director Dibakar Banerjee said he preferred films that used only violence essential to character and plot such as Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull”. “That film is about a violent man who deals with everything in his life through one answer, one response. That violence is necessary. “(But)

sometimes filmmakers use violence as a way of showing off and attracting a kind of notoriety because that’s the fastest way of getting written about,” he said. In other cases, he added, it was just “there for the lack of a better idea”. French-born Australian filmmaker Chantal Denoux urged directors to remember the power of what was not shown. “It is a bit like sex. Sometimes it is completely important to see the violence, however sometimes now you have the feeling it is gratuitous,” she said “Hitchcock never shows anything but we are terrified. If the shower scene (in “Psycho”) was made today we would see blood everywhere. I think the imagination is more important,” she added. —AFP

Actress Marion Cotillard poses for photographers.

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

US actress Sharon Stone speaks on stage, surrounded by models during the amfAR’s 20th Annual Cinema Against AIDS during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, southern France. — AP/AFP photos

ith an apt rendition of “Goldfinger,” singing legend Shirley Bassey roused celebrity revelers to dig deep into their pockets at the 20th amfAR gala in the Cap D’Antibes, helping to raise an estimated $25 million for AIDS research. The Britishborn singer was one of several performers including Duran Duran who sang at the gold-themed auction event near the Cannes Film Festival, hosted by actress Sharon Stone. The annual gala has for two decades attracted the film and fashion industries’ rich and powerful. This year was no exception, with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Chastain, Janet Jackson, Milla Jovovich and Goldie Hawn sitting side by side. Items auctioned included an Andy Warhol lithograph of Elizabeth Taylor, a chance to have a family portrait taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz, a week in fashion designer’s Donna Karan’s Caribbean hideaway and a shimmering 53-carat diamond necklace. amfAR says AIDS still affects some 34 million people worldwide. “Yes, you can think it’s a silly little dinner, you can deride it as full of celebrities dressed up,” said Leibovitz. “But that’s missing the point. 80 million dollars amfAR has raised since it began. That’s the point. It has saved lives.” Weinstein took the mike several times to praise the film industry’s commitment to AIDS, stressing that while two decades ago the illness was a “looming plague,” a cure might well be seen within “our lifetime.”

US heiress and model Paris Hilton (left) and her partner River Viiperi pose.

US actress Sharon Stone (left) conducts the auction of a painting.

For the second time in amfAR’s history, the event’s penchant for excess translated rather well into a glimmering catwalk show, curated by stylist Carine Roitfeld. It featured some 38 gold and black looks from designers such as Dior, Chanel, Lanvin and Prada worn by models such as Karlie Kloss, Karolina Kurkova, Angela Lindvall and Alessandra Ambrosio. The standout dresses were a custom gold embroidered longsleeved gown courtesy of Valentino, and a custom gold pleated minidress from Givenchy. All the dresses went to a single bidder, selling in just a couple of minutes for $1.56 million. Though celebrities were in a generous mood, news that thieves outsmarted 80 security guards and made off with a necklace that creators say is worth 2 million euros ($2.6 million) - the second such jewelry heist during this year’s Cannes - had celebrities clinging more closely to their jewels. “Well yeah, I’m going to be watching how much champagne I drink,” said Jovovich, smiling. “Because you never know somebody might come up and just shwoop, take it off.” — AP

amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole (left) and his wife Catie pose.

US actress Sharon Stone (left) tries a necklace on US burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese as they stand on stage.

US model and actress Olivia Palermo (right) and her partner US model Johannes Huebl pose.

Puerto Rican model Joan Smalls poses.

Italian model Bianca Balti poses.

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

he neon brights that peppered the 1980s are back, in fashion and dÈcor. Highlighter hues and glow-in-the-dark tints provide a shot of adrenaline after a few seasons of mellow, mushroom-y color palettes. Of course, these colors aren’t for everyone. But if you’re ready to play, here are some fun options and expert advice on how to go sassy but stylish. Tanika Nayak, an interior designer and sheltershow host on HGTV and the Food Network, loves bright hues. She says the key is to make them look up-to-the-minute and not circa 1983. “Use neon in small doses,” she advises. “You don’t want to blind anyone. My favorite use of neon is against a crisp white backdrop. In a dining room, start with a glass table, white walls and pop it with bold colorful neon dinnerware, placemats, and vases - affordable and fun! If you dare to go even bolder, use neon print accent chairs.” Nayak says balance is everything when working with these powerhouse hues. “If you have a big, colorful personality and really want that bedroom or bathroom to glow, then go ahead and paint the entire room with your bold color. But balance it with white, black, gray or even a pastel. For example, a bedroom painted in bold green neon can work if the bedding, rug and window treatments offset it with a calming white and/or a pale soft blue,” she suggests. Take the same tack with a bathroom; add light-colored towels and mat to cool things down. HomeGoods has some wellpriced accessories, like bright orange and green ottomans, a ceramic lamp in citrus, a large selection of colorful kitchen tools and mirrored decorative boxes. Brooke Jones offers an array of tangerine-hued home accessories at her online shop. A little elephant and

a set of dinosaur-topped jars are part of the collection. Jones says, “I want to make color accessible to everyone. Painting a wall a bright color might not be realistic, but people can still bring in that fun, bright pop of the unexpected through home accessories. I hope my work inspires people to take chances and not take decorating too seriously.” Los Angeles-based designer Byron Samayoa’s laser-cut coasters embossed with elemental information were not initially intended to be neon acrylic. “The coasters found their way to neon via the creative process - my original Idea was to start with a wood set and a clear acrylic set, but every time I went back to my samples, the neon ones always stood out from the rest.” Canadian textile artist Christine Skaley Reid works out of her studio in Mission, British Columbia, creating eclectic throw pillows in color-banded and right-on-trend ‘70s-style floral prints. Fuchsia and pink set the trendy tone. At Z Gallerie, find several great pieces in a zingy chrome yellow, including Mariposa candleholders, the Palmer ceramic stool and Pasadena picture frames. Zazzle.com has a great group of photographic rose prints called the Neon Collection, tinted in sapphire, lime and purple. And if you’re up for outfitting your home office in some pumped-up hues, consider CB2’s Go-cart furniture series, which includes a rolling cart, bookcase, task lamp and desk in vibrant yellow or orange powder-coated steel. The Eclipse pillow features kaleidoscopic mod petals, and the Ska pillow has a pattern of persimmon-on-white abstract figures a la Keith Haring. —AP

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Search for China’s missing kids goes online BEIJING: It took dozens of volunteers half a year searching old Chinese maps and villages, but finally the online-organized group helped Luo Gang find where he was kidnapped 23 years ago-and his birth family. The search for China’s missing children-mainly boys abducted by traffickers to feed a traditional hunger for sons exacerbated by the one-child policy-is moving into cyberspace as desperate families turn to websites and social media. Taken aged five from Sichuan province in the southwest to Fujian on the east coast in 1990, Luo shared detailed childhood memories with the website Baby Come Home and a far-flung crowdsourcing venture followed, culminating in a reunion. “Luo Gang looked at the satellite map that (a volunteer) had circulated online... and soon discovered that an area near Yaojia village looked very similar to his home,” said an account of the search on the site. “Let us wish him a healthy and happy life going forward!” Success stories such as Luo’s remain the exception, but Chinese who say they receive little help from authorities see few other options. “It’s better than nothing, better than not having just a little help,” says Hong Peiping, a 35-year-old factory worker in the southeastern province of Fujian, whose son went missing in 2009 at the age of six. Like other parents, she says the police made little effort to find her son and instead “just took his physical description and what clothes he was wearing, and let us go find him ourselves”. Hong’s brother gave her a computer to post details

of her boy Yang Weixin online, arrange with other parents to look for their children together, and form an informal support group. “A lot of online friends talk to us and comfort us,” she said. “They encourage us not to give up, to keep living our lives and not to fall apart, so the child will still have a come to come home to.” Reliable estimates of the numbers of kidnapped children in China are difficult to come by, but the Xinhua state news agency said in December that since 2009 authorities had freed 54,000 minors and broken up 11,000 trafficking rings. In its latest annual human rights review, the US State Department cited media reports as saying that as many as 20,000 Chinese children were kidnapped each year for illegal adoption, many within the country. Domestic media have reported others being forced to beg on the streets or work as prostitutes. In a separate review last year, Washington said China “does not fully comply with the minimum standards” to eliminate trafficking, nor did it “demonstrate evidence of increasing efforts”. Instead parents are using social media to harness the potential of China’s online population, the largest in the world at more than 560 million. The Internet remains heavily censored in China, but still enables people to more easily organize, share information and air their opinions. One well-known website for finding children-an account on the Twitter-like service Sina Weibo of Yu Jianrong, a scholar known for highlighting social problems-has gained 220,000 followers since being set up two years ago. More than

Science, tech should reduce disaster risk GENEVA: Experts in disaster risk reduction yesterday said that science and technology should be applied more effectively to disaster management policy and practice. Their discussions, organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, were part of the fourth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which is meeting here this week to build consensus ahead of a 2015 world conference. Despite advances in the natural and social sciences, natural hazards have continued to increase, the experts said. “The number of lives lost in disasters has tripled in the past 30 years, but science can act as a bridge between the private sector, Governments, the media and society as a whole in the search for solutions”, said the experts in the meeting. “Risks and opportunities are the same. And there is no development without risks,” said Walter J Amman, CEO of the Global Risk Forum Davos, Switzerland. Disaster risk reduction meant disaster management dealing not only with actual risks but also with preventing potential ones. A paradigm shift called for moving from a riskbased to a proactive approach, in which science had valuable insights to provide. Greater priority should be given to sharing and disseminating scientific information and finding ways to mainstream science into policies, regulations and implementation plans for reducing disaster risk, the experts stressed. Science should also play a greater role in education and media campaigns, not in a top-down fashion but through dialogue and community outreach. Experts presented case studies on how science could be used for disaster risk reduction based on assessment data, best practices and management and monitoring models. In Indonesia, for example, where tsunamis were the most frequent hazard, the Government was tack-

ling the problem head-on by investing in prevention, and building local-level resilience with community mapping and simulations. “Science can be useful, usable, and used in disaster risk reduction,” said Takashi Onishi, President of the Japanese Science Council. He explained that different areas of the country were affected differently by natural hazards, depending on their levels of vulnerability and exposure. Simulations, early warning systems and seawalls were in place, but more efforts were needed to make the scientific applications a real part of daily life. Virginia Murray of the United Kingdom Public Health Office, observing that climate change was contributing to the severity and frequency of disasters, suggested how effective planning such as air conditioning and food stocks could help mitigate the impact of such increasing phenomena as heat waves and drought, particularly on the most vulnerable. Tailor-made approaches were needed to manage disaster risk now and improve risk reduction in the future, when hazard forecasting would become even more important. Other speakers this afternoon said that technology was often underestimated in disaster risk reduction and suggested that a technology transfer mechanism could help policymakers. Social media, networking and texting could also be useful. The experts concluded that there should be a regular and strengthened dialogue between scientific communities and political leaders; that more use should be made of science and technology to inform policy and enable action; and that science should be better integrated into the post-2015 framework for reducing disaster risk. That framework was one of the main topics of discussion at the week’s meeting, which was helping to lay the groundwork for a 2015 world conference on disaster risk reduction. —KUNA

20,000 people have posted photos of red-cheeked babies and wide-eyed toddlers along with written descriptions on Baby Come Home-though much of it is hopelessly outdated. One family in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing looking for their girl who went missing 23 years earlier offered glimpses of a child who no longer existed: “Short hair, big eyes, cross-eyed, a little chubby.” “She might not remember her family members’ names, but she might remember her favorite sister’s name Li Zhenggui. She might remember that her mum was a little deaf,” they offered. Grown children have also uploaded pictures of themselves in search of families they had left behind as infants-including one man, Du Fusheng, who went missing at nine months old and now well into his 50s. But for some children, such as Luo, the long years of hope paid off. He searched his earliest memories and shared with Baby Come Home volunteers details such as a bridge, a river and a newly repaved road where he was kidnapped. The group hunted down matching details from other sources, including lists of roads resurfaced around that time. They scouted out potential villages and cross-referenced with those that had reported missing children, and after hitting several dead ends, finally found his family. “Thanks to the volunteers who helped Luo Yang find his way home,” said the account on Baby Come Home. “And thanks to all those online friends whose names we don’t know.” —AFP

57% of companies fail to control applications used by employees DUBAI: Restricting the launch of third-party applications enhances the security of corporate workstations and increases employee efficiency. However, 57 percent of companies do not use any specific tools for application control, according to a survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab in collaboration with B2B International in November, 2012. Cybercriminals have plenty of tricks up their sleeves for infecting a system. Passing malware off as a popular application, for example-so that when an employee tries to run the application, the whole infrastructure is compromised. To prevent such incidents, companies need to develop and enforce security policies specifically addressing the installation and launch of applications; but not all are doing so. According to the survey, the majority of companies have no means of controlling applications and 17 percent of companies have no interest in using new application control technologies or even aren’t aware of them. It’s a similar story when it comes to connecting external devices and data carriers: only 44 percent of companies pay enough attention to this issue and deploy device control tools, while 17 percent of companies aren’t aware of device control tools or have no interest in using them. Meanwhile, malware distributed through USB carriers represents a continuous threat: in 2012 alone, Kaspersky Lab security solutions pre-

vented more than 3 billion local infection attempts. Moreover, giving employees total freedom to connect any external device to the corporate network increases the probability of data leakage. ENDPOINT CONTROLS The use of endpoint control scan be highly beneficial to any business. Application control provides additional protection from malware and restricts the use of leisure applications such as games or torrent clients. Control over portable external devices prohibits unauthorized connections, lowers the probability of data leakage and helps prevent workstation infection through inappropriate devices. Finally, web control allows either a total ban on, or time limitations on visiting, certain websites. This may stop employees wasting time on sites which are not work related, and can also add extra protection against malware and fraudulent websites. The Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business platform incorporates all three control technologies into the Endpoint Controls feature. This enables businesses to tackle all the issues described above, offering many important benefits. The controls are easy to configure and are centrally managed, allowing administrators to create and apply flexible security policies simultaneously across any number of corporate endpoints.

technology

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

VideoCare brings video conferencing to seniors CALIFORNIA: Redwood City, Calif, resident Kelly Ilnicki is very close to her 89year-old grandmother, who until recently lived alone in her home in Oceanside, near San Diego. Three or four times a day, Ilnicki talks to her grandmother via VideoCare, a video conferencing system for seniors and their extended families and caregivers that was developed by a Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup of the same name. “In February, we were talking on VideoCare and Grandma was sitting on the couch. I watched her fall over and, to be honest, I thought she’d had a mini-stroke,” said Ilnicki. “I was able to yell at her. We called the paramedics in Oceanside and they came to her house. I could hear the paramedics beating on the door.” When the paramedics arrived, Ilnicki was able to explain via VideoCare what had happened, as well as discuss what medication her grandmother was on. “The paramedics were thrilled,” said Ilnicki. “VideoCare has been the most amazing thing for our family. To be able to see each other versus just having a phone call makes a huge difference.” VideoCare’s premise is a simple one. Today’s 80- and 90-year-olds retired from the workforce before the Internet and smartphones were a staple of daily living, and they are the generation least able to navigate the onslaught of new technology. “If you are a middle-aged person, the biggest problem you have is worrying about your parents,” said Dave Trescot, 48, the co-founder and CEO of VideoCare. “My parents live in Florida, and their biggest problem isn’t using a computer. It’s setting up the computer.” VideoCare’s technology basically strips down the operating system to make it as simple as possible for the senior. All of the management of the device happens remotely, by the caregiver or family member. Many seniors use it to have video chats with relatives or see family photos. But there are other applications as well, like alerts to take medication or a reminder that it’s bingo night. “The senior doesn’t see an operating system, files, folders, browsers or applications,” said Trescot. “They touch the call button to make a call or the photo button to see a photo. We’ve reduced everything to one

touch. We have users in Alzheimer’s wards who can use our system.” VideoCare launched in November. Trescot is the former CEO of Rhozet, a video compression company that was sold to Harmonic. VideoCare, which has just six employees, recently raised $1.25 million in venture funding from Aphelion Capital and California Technology Ventures. The system is marketed to seniors who either “age in place” in their own homes or live in assisted living facilities. The company has not yet sold any units, but is partnering with elder-care agencies to get feedback on how well the system works. Eventually, the hope is to sell the service with a monthly subscription fee, much like a cable TV bill. Among the early adopters of VideoCare are 10 of the 107 seniors who live at Vintage Silver Creek, an independent and assisted living facility in San Jose, Calif., who are currently getting the service free of charge under a pilot program. “The people who are in senior housing now are not really tech savvy,” said Steve Mattingly, executive director of Vintage Senior, the facility’s parent corporation, which oversees 31 facilities. “The beauty of this program is there is no keyboard involved. Seniors and keyboards is an automatic disas-

ter.”As people age, their world often becomes smaller. They move from houses to small apartments, which often make them feel more secure. They give up driving. Their social worlds shrink as friends pass away. Many suffer from isolation, particularly if family members live far away. “Senior living has been looking for this type of assistance for a number of years,” said Mattingly. “It’s the new telephone in some sense.”The US market for “advanced remote patient monitoring,” which includes not just videoconferencing but also the ability to remotely monitor patient care and link to electronic medical records, grew from $8.9 billion in 2011 to $10.6 billion in 2012, according to a March report by Kalorama Information. The report found that the aging of the population, increasing health care costs, dwindling health care resources, advancing technologies and the proven cost effectiveness of patient monitoring all fuel the market’s growth. VideoCare sees enormous potential for elder care facilities themselves to use the technology. “Some of our facilities use the VideoCare system to remind seniors that there’s an ice cream social, or to ask if they want fish or chicken for dinner,” said Trescot. —MCT

CALIFORNIA: Pat Holland, 88, demonstrates VideoCare in her room at Vintage Senior Living in San Jose, California. VideoCare enables seniors to stay in touch with family members. — MCT

Mobile app to help fight against racism in France PARIS: A French anti-racism association is launching a mobile application it hopes will help eradicate racist graffiti by enabling users to take photos of offensive tags, geo-locate them and get them removed. Licra-the International League against Racism and Antisemitismsaid the app was a “digital response” to “a big increase in racist and antisemitic acts” in France, and would be available for download from June 11. Users who have the app will be able to take a snap of racist tags they come across with their smartphones,

attach the location and send the information to Licra, which will work with local authorities to have them quickly removed. Several buildings have been defaced by racist tags in recent months in various parts of Francemost of them mosques but also in one case a building housing local headquarters of the Socialist party. One mosque in Limoges in central France has been repeatedly defaced since July last year-first by racist graffiti, then by excrement, and more recently this month by red liquid that appeared to be blood. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: Brian Knapp demonstrates use of a personal monitoring system from BioControl Systems. — MCT

Neurotech industry puts its mind to video games LOS ANGELES: Fly toy helicopters with your mind. Be a DJ and shift musical tracks based on how you feel. Wiggle robotic cat ears by increasing your state of calm. Astonishing advances in the ability to harness brain waves have made the fantastic notion of moving and controlling objects with the mind possible. Now neuroscientists are grappling with another challenge: Find a “killer app” that will demonstrate the true potential of tapping into brain waves and ignite the neurotechnology revolution. TRY VIDEO GAMES In the past decade, video games have helped push cutting-edge technologies such as sensor-based computing - Nintendo’s Wii and gesture-based computing - Microsoft’s Kinect - into the mainstream. Neurotech boosters hope video games can do the same for their budding industry. In a sign of how serious they are about courting the video gaming industry, the two camps staged the NeuroGaming Conference & Expo earlier this month in San Francisco, the first event of its kind, according to organizers. “Now is the time to bring these communities together,” said Zack Lynch, the conference organizer and founder of the Neurotech Industry Organization. “We want to start the conversation to see where we could actually take these technologies and to begin to create new experiences that really push the boundaries of reality.” The event drew 300 people, including entrepreneurs, neuroscientists and venture capitalists, anyone organizers believe could help spark the ideas that could create a full-blown neurotech industry. The ability to read brain waves has been around at least since the 1920s through a technique for capturing the brain’s electrical impulses called electroencephalography, or EEG, by attaching sensors to the head. Now, brain waves can be read by small sensors that continue to become more powerful and less expensive. At the same time, sensors of various kinds are being built into all sorts of gadgets such as smartphones and health monitoring wristbands such as those made by Jawbone. Observers say this is making people more comfortable with the idea of wearing technology that includes sensors that collect tremendous amounts of the most intimate data. “I think it’s a really exciting time right now,” said Anders GrunnetJepsen, director of advanced technology and perceptual computing at Intel Corp. —MCT

TV listings

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

00:45 Monster Bug Wars 01:35 I’m Alive 02:25 Wildwives Of Savannah Lane 03:15 Shark Feeding Frenzy 04:05 Whale Wars 04:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life 05:20 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 05:45 Animal Airport 06:10 Animal Airport 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 Dogs 101: Specials 08:15 Crocodile Hunter 09:10 Baby Planet 10:05 Monkey Life 10:30 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 11:00 Bondi Vet 11:25 The Really Wild Show 11:55 Wildest Islands 12:50 Wild France 13:45 Wild France 14:40 Wild France 15:30 Wild France 16:30 Wild France 17:25 Wild France 18:20 Speed Of Life 19:15 Mutant Planet 20:10 How Sharks Hunt 21:05 Roaring With Pride 22:00 My Cat From Hell 22:55 Karina: Wild On Safari 23:20 Karina: Wild On Safari 23:50 Untamed & Uncut

00:40 Food Poker 01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals 02:15 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 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 Clothes Roadshow 06:35 To Build Or Not To Build? 07:00 Homes Under The Hammer 07:55 Homes Under The Hammer 08:50 Homes Under The Hammer 09:50 Homes Under The Hammer 10:40 Cash In The Attic 11:25 Come Dine With Me 12:15 Perfect Day 12:40 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:05 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:30 Food Poker 14:15 The Roux Legacy 14:50 Food And Drink 15:15 Bargain Hunt 16:00 Antiques Roadshow 17:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 18:20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 19:00 Celebrity MasterChef 19:55 Celebrity MasterChef 20:20 Come Dine With Me 21:15 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 23:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:45 Ty Pennington’s Homes For The Brave

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:10 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:10 Reeve 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:10 10:30 11:00 11:10 11:30

BBC World News America BBC World News America BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News Our World BBC World News Weekend World Talking Books BBC World News Horizons BBC World News Indian Ocean With Simon BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News The Culture Show BBC World News Middle East Business Report BBC World News Click BBC World News Weekend World Talking Books BBC World News Football Focus Horizons

17:55 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Total Drama Island Total Drama Island Total Drama Island Total Drama Island Total Drama Island Star Wars: The Clone Wars Star Wars: The Clone Wars Evil Con Carne Ben 10 Ben 10 Mucha Lucha ! Mucha Lucha ! Powerpuff Girls

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:45 06:00 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 10:00 10:30 10:45 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30

Amanpour World Sport Piers Morgan Live World Report Backstory Anderson Cooper 360 Piers Morgan Live Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa The Situation Room World Sport Leading Women Fusion Journeys World Report CNN Marketplace Africa Backstory World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East Sanjay Gupta MD World Sport Winning Post The Gateway The Best Of The Situation Room World Report The Brief Amanpour Inside Africa Talk Asia I Report For CNN World Report On China News Special Backstory International Desk African Voices CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief World Sport Open Court International Desk Inside Africa International Desk Leading Women

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III ON OSN ACTION HD 12:00 12:10 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:00 16:15 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:10 Reeve 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:15 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00

BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News World Features Newsnight BBC World News Our World BBC World News Weekend World Talking Movies BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track BBC World News Dateline London BBC World News Indian Ocean With Simon

00:45 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:00 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:00

Wacky Races Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas

BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News The Culture Show BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track BBC World News Click BBC World News

05:25 05:45 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 08:55 09:20 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:00 13:50 14:40 15:30 15:55 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:55 21:20 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:50

Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Ha Ha Hairies Baby Looney Tunes Cartoonito Tales Krypto: The Super Dog Lazytown Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Jelly Jamm Ha Ha Hairies Baby Looney Tunes Cartoonito Tales Krypto: The Super Dog Lazytown Ha Ha Hairies Gerald McBoing Boing Baby Looney Tunes Jelly Jamm Tiny Toon Adventures What’s New Scooby Doo Tom And Jerry Tales The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Sylvester & Tweety Mysterie What’s New Scooby Doo Tom And Jerry Tales The Looney Tunes Show Taz-Mania Taz-Mania The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Tom And Jerry Tales Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Moomins Duck Dodgers

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 Thundercats 07:25 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 07:50 Young Justice 08:15 Hero 108 08:40 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:05 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:35 Ben 10: Omniverse 10:00 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 10:25 Johnny Test 10:50 Gormiti New 11:15 Evil Con Carne 11:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 12:05 Adventure Time 12:55 Regular Show 13:45 Angelo Rules 14:10 Ben 10: Omniverse 14:35 Dreamworks Dragons Riders Of Berk 15:00 Gormiti New 15:25 Young Justice 15:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 16:15 The Amazing World Of Gumball 16:40 Adventure Time 17:05 Regular Show 17:30 Johnny Test

00:15 Wheeler Dealers 01:10 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up 02:05 Fifth Gear 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 James May’s Man Lab 07:50 You Have Been Warned 08:45 Mythbusters 09:40 Mythbusters 10:30 Igenius 11:25 The Ipod Revolution 12:20 Fifth Gear 13:15 Fifth Gear 14:10 Fifth Gear 15:05 Fifth Gear 16:00 Fifth Gear 16:55 Fifth Gear 17:50 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up 18:45 Gold Divers: Under The Ice 19:40 Alaska: The Last Frontier 20:35 Sons Of Guns 21:30 Storage Hunters 21:55 Storage Hunters 22:25 Storage Hunters 23:20 Storage Hunters 23:45 Death Row: The Final 24 Hours

00:05 00:30 01:00 01:50 02:45

How Tech Works Sci-Fi Science The Future Of... Sport Science Tech Toys 360

03:10 Tech Toys 360 03:35 The Future Of... 04:25 Engineered 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 How Tech Works 06:05 Meteorite Men 07:00 James May’s Man Lab 07:50 X-Machines 08:40 The Gadget Show 09:05 How Tech Works 09:30 Superships 10:25 Superships 11:20 Superships 12:10 Engineered 13:00 Engineered 13:50 Sci-Fi Science 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:45 How Tech Works 15:10 X-Machines 16:00 Unchained Reaction 16:55 Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design 17:45 Tech Toys 360 18:10 Tech Toys 360 18:35 X-Machines 19:30 James May’s Man Lab 20:20 James May’s 20th Century 20:45 James May’s 20th Century 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 How Tech Works 22:00 James May’s Man Lab 22:50 Dark Matters: Twisted But True 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:45 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:35 06:45 07:10 08:30 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:20 10:40 11:05 Alex. 12:05 12:25 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:45 14:10 14:35 14:55 15:25 15:35 16:00 Alex. 17:00 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:40 20:05 20:25 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 Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Suite Life On Deck Toy Story Prankstars Good Luck Charlie Code: 9 Shake It Up Jessie Austin And Ally A.N.T Farm The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Dog With A Blog Prankstars A.N.T Farm Hannah Montana Austin And Ally Good Luck Charlie That’s So Raven A.N.T Farm Code: 9 Prankstars Dog With A Blog The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Bolt A.N.T Farm Code: 9 Jessie Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T Farm Jessie Jessie Hannah Montana Jonas Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Opening Act 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E! Investigates 03:15 Style Star 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 THS 05:05 THS 06:00 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

TV listings

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 10:15 11:10 12:05 13:05 14:05 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:30 23:30

E!es THS E! News Scouted Playing With Fire Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays E! News Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Chasing The Saturdays Fashion Police E! News Chelsea Lately

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 Jones 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 Jones 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 Jones 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:15 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Most Evil 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? True Crime With Aphrodite Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives True Crime With Aphrodite Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry? Disappeared Murder Shift Forensic Detectives True Crime With Aphrodite

17:50 18:15 18:40 19:05 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Barefoot Contessa Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Chopped Chopped Ultimate Recipe Showdown Food Wars Food Wars Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

00:45 International Open House 01:10 International Open House 01:40 Earth Tripping 02:05 Earth Tripping 02:35 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 03:00 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 03:30 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 03:55 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 04:25 Somewhere In China 05:20 On Surfari 05:45 On Surfari 06:15 Roam 06:40 Graham’s World 07:10 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 08:05 Treks In A Wild World 08:30 Treks In A Wild World 09:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 09:25 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 09:55 Don’t Tell My Mother 10:50 International Open House 11:15 International Open House 11:45 George Clark’s Amazing Spaces 12:40 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 13:05 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 13:35 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita

14:00 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 14:30 Somewhere In China 15:25 Scam City 16:20 Treks In A Wild World 16:45 Treks In A Wild World 17:15 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 17:40 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 18:10 Don’t Tell My Mother 19:05 On Surfari 19:30 On Surfari 20:00 Roam 20:30 Graham’s World 21:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 22:00 Scam City 22:55 Finding Genghis 23:20 Finding Genghis 23:50 Don’t Tell My Mother

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 09:45 11:45 14:00 16:00 17:45 20:00 22:00

Exorcismus-18 Arena-18 Arctic Blast-PG15 Mission: Impossible II-PG15 Brake-PG15 The New Daughter-PG15 Mission: Impossible III-PG15 Brake-PG15 Superman vs. The Elite-PG15 Mission: Impossible III-PG15 The Corruptor-18 Backdraft-PG15

01:00 03:00 PG 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:45 13:00 15:00

Once Brothers-PG15 Marley & Me: The Puppy YearsThe Proud Family Movie-FAM The Game Of Their Lives-PG15 Once Brothers-PG15 John Carter-PG15 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 Twins Mission-PG15

17:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World-PG 19:00 Violet & Daisy-PG15 21:00 Cedar Rapids-18 23:00 Meet Monica Velour-R

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Unsupervised 02:00 Unsupervised 02:30 Legit 03:00 Breaking In 03:30 Friends 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 Breaking In 09:30 Go On 10:00 Cougar Town 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Arrested Development 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Hope & Faith 14:00 Friends 14:30 Cougar Town 15:00 Go On 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 Breaking In 18:30 Happy Endings 19:00 The Neighbors 19:30 The Office 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill I Was Murdered Stalked: Someone’s Watching Stalked: Someone’s Watching On The Case With Paula Zahn

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 02:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 02:35 Heat Seekers 03:00 Heat Seekers 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 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 07:25 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 07:50 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 08:15 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 08:40 Cooking For Real 09:05 Cooking For Real 09:30 Cooking For Real 09:55 Cooking For Real 10:20 Tyler’s Ultimate 10:45 Tyler’s Ultimate 11:10 Tyler’s Ultimate 11:35 Tyler’s Ultimate 12:00 Staten Island Cakes 12:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Unique Sweets 14:30 Unique Sweets 14:55 Unique Sweets 15:20 Unique Sweets 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Barefoot Contessa

21:30 22:00 23:00 23:30

The Colbert Report Saturday Night Live Legit Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Eureka Survivor: Caramoan Red Widow Smash Eureka Smallville The Finder Last Resort Red Widow Survivor: Caramoan Smallville Eureka Smallville The Finder The Glades Criminal Minds White Collar Sons Of Anarchy

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:45 13:45 16:00 18:00 19:45 22:00

Fertile Ground Exorcismus Arena Arctic Blast Mission: Impossible II Brake The New Daughter Mission: Impossible III Brake Superman vs. The Elite Mission: Impossible III The Corruptor

00:00 Dazed And Confused-PG15 02:00 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard-18 04:00 Back To The Future-PG15 06:00 Barnyard-PG 08:00 Snowmen-PG 10:00 Smooch-PG15 12:00 Back To The Future-PG15 14:00 Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol-PG15 16:00 Smooch-PG15 18:00 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult-PG15 20:00 A Few Best Men-18 22:00 Dazed And Confused-PG15

01:00 Middle Men-18 03:00 Shadows & Lies-18 05:15 Dying Young-PG15 07:15 The Presidio-PG15 09:00 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 11:00 Would Be Kings-PG15 13:00 Trust-PG15 15:00 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 17:00 Super 8-PG15 19:00 The Last Gamble-18 21:00 Incendies-PG15 23:15 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid-PG

00:00 Marley-PG15 02:30 Real Steel-PG15 04:45 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.2-PG15 07:00 A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song-PG 09:00 A Thousand Words-PG15 10:45 Real Steel-PG15 13:00 Marion Jones: Press PausePG15 14:00 We Bought A Zoo-PG 16:15 A Thousand Words-PG15 18:00 The Descendants-PG15 20:00 Phil Spector-PG15 22:00 Best Laid Plans-18

JOHN CARTER ON OSN CINEMA

01:15 Princess Sydney: The Legend Of The Blue Rabbit 02:30 The Ugly Duckling In The Enchanted Forest 04:15 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America 06:00 Princess Sydney: The Legend Of The Blue Rabbit 07:45 Tom Tom & Nana 09:15 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil 11:00 The Search For Santa Paws 12:45 Hugo

15:00 Cats Don’t Dance 16:30 Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure 18:00 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil 20:00 Wheelers 21:30 Hugo 23:45 Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure

00:00 MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 01:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 02:00 Live NBC Nightly News 02:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 03:00 MSNBC All In With Chris Hayes 04:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 05:00 MSNBC The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell 06:00 NBC Nightly News 06:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 07:00 Live NBC Nightly News 07:39 ABC Nightline 08:06 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 10:00 MSNBC Morning Joe 13:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera 14:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 16:00 MSNBC Up With Steve Kornacki 17:57 Live MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 18:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show 19:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 20:00 Live ABC 20/20 21:00 MSNBC Weekends With Alex Witt Saturday 23:00 MSNBC News

01:00 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:00 21:00 22:00

Test Cricket Top 14 Futbol Mundial Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket 360 Live Test Cricket Trans World Sport Live PGA Tour

00:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 13:30 15:30 16:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line Super Rugby Super Rugby Live AFL Premiership Trans World Sport ICC Cricket 360 Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby NRL Premiership

02:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:30 19:30 20:00 20:45 22:45

AFL Premiership Trans World Sport Golfing World PGA Tour Total Rugby Trans World Sport NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership Live PGA European Tour Total Rugby Futbol Mundial Live Super League Top 14

00:00 02:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 18:45 21:15 22:15 22:45

NHL Prizefighter NHL WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage Collection Live AFL Premiership Live Super League WWE SmackDown Mobil 1 The Grid Live Pro 12 UFC Countdown Mobil 1 The Grid Live Super League

W H AT ’ S O N SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Greetings

ishwa Pal Goel - We’ll always remember that special smile, that caring heart, that warm embrace you always gave us. Your being there for all of us through good and bad times, no matter what. We’ll always remember you because there will never be another one to replace you in our hearts, and the love we will always have for you. From loving wife Sneh Lata (Nuna) Goel, children Sheena, Simi and Vishal Goel, family and friends.

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.

Kuwait Mar Thoma Church golden jubilee celebrations

he valedictory meeting of the yearlong golden jubilee celebrations of Kuwait Marthoma parish will be held as “Ecclesia - 2013 on Friday, May 31, 2013 at NECK with Holy Communion service starting at 6.00 AM followed by public meeting. On the occasion ‘Valiya’ Metropolitan Rev Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, who completed the diamond jubilee of his Episcopal ordination will be honored. The blood bank donated to Kattanam Mission Hospital to commemorate the jubilee will be informally inaugurated. The declaration on starting of a professional Counseling & Guidance Center in Kuwaitas part of the jubilee celebrations and release of a book

on the meditations of Mar Chrysostom will be released on the occasion. Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Metropolitan, Dr Joseph Marthoma, will lead the Holy Communion with Episcopa Dr Joseph Mar Barnabas. The public meeting will be attend apart from the Bishops, Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta, distinguished guests like former Kuwait Health Minister Dr. Hilal Al Sayer, Marafi Foundation Chairman Abdul Ilah Marafi, Abdul Fatah Marafi Immanuel Gareeb, the vicars of various Episcopal churches in Kuwait and other dignitaries. Committees of 111 members are working for the success of Ecclesia 2013.

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.

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.

Raghav Juyal show on June 7 he Dancing Divas is organizing its 5th Annual Jubilation on the 7th of June 2013 at Cambridge School, Mangaf, between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The program will be attended by Raghav Juyal (Dance India Dance Fame) who will be judging the show as well as entertaining the audience with his dance performances. Another highlight of the show is the presence of Raja Sagoo (Comedy Circus Fame) who will be anchor for the event. Raghav will also be conducting a dance workshop on the 8th of June at the Salmiya Model School. Workshop will be for participants within the age group of 8 and 30 and will be open for registration till the 30th of May.

IEI executives meet Chairman Kuwait Society of Engineers

he Executive Committee Members of IEI, Kuwait Chapter met newly elected Chairman of Kuwait Society of Engineers 14th May 2013 at KSE Office to congratulate him and his team. IEI, Kuwait chapter team was led by Chairman Dr Abdul Razzak Rumane who was accompanied by Chapter General Secretary Engr Karunagaran, Treasurer Engr Mohammed Fareedul Haq Imadi, Members of the Executive Committee Engr. Somasundaram, Engr Philip Chako, Engr Thomas John, Engr Yusuf Ali Sabir and Engr Ashish Koranne Engr Ayad Abdul Hameed Al Hamoud greeted the IEI, Kuwait Chapter Executive Committee Members and said “This is not

a Kuwaiti Society of Engineers; This is a Kuwait society of Engineers . A common platform for Kuwaiti and all other nationality engineers in Kuwait.” Chairman of IEI Kuwait Chapter Dr Rumane also exchanged his greetings on behalf of all the Indian Engineers working in Kuwait and recalled his memoirs about the longlasting relationship between the IEI Kuwait chapter and Kuwait Society of Engineers (KSE) since 1996 and how the seminars and various discussions took place in the KSE premises. The Chairman of Kuwait Society of Engineers also discussed the present concerns and challenges of the Society and his new look and vision in addressing

those issues with the support and valuable experience of all engineers from different engineering associations in Kuwait. He expects more cooperation specifically from the Institution of the Engineers Kuwait chapter. He suggested technical seminars, workshops, training, exchange of technical ideas/discussions jointly under the umbrella of KSE in which engineers from all the nationalities, including Kuwaitis engineers can participate. KSE Chairman assured his continued support and contribution to the Indian Engineers and to foster a spirit of mutual cooperation between IEI Kuwait chapter and Kuwait society of engineers.

W H AT ’ S O N SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

ICSK bags table tennis team championship in CBSE meet

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.

he under-16 boys’ table tennis team of the Indian Community School, Kuwait has brought laurels to the school by winning the team championship and the individual championship event in the 15th CBSE Kuwait-cluster table tennis tournament. The members of the winning team are Pranav Jogiani, class X, Sarthak Jogiani, class V, Adeep Singh, class X and Irwin, class XI. The tournament was held during the first week of May, 2013, at Indian Educational School, Kuwait. It is a moment of double pride as the individual championship in the same category was also bagged by PranavJogiani of the ICSK. Also, the under-19 table tennis girls’ team comprising Saloni Gandhi, Khushboo Chandwani, Asha Thomas, Sadiya Gulam (all from class XII) was the runners-up in the tournament. ICSK congratulates the winners.

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. ■■■■■■■

KNES Big Tree Society initiative

he Big Tree Society launched by the UNESCO, in cooperation with Boubyan Bank, is a unique initiative, being a program directed to schools with the objective of

enhancing the awareness about environmental conservation. Kuwait National English School excelled in the Competition held by Boubyan Bank, taking first place amongst the

private schools in Kuwait. Kuwait National English School are very proud of our achievement and our involvement with all UNESCO activities since 1996.

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 short-stay (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.

HEALTH SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Unions angry about health care overhaul Employers will be tempted to drop coverage WASHINGTON: When President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some unions leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law - problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members. The issue could create a political headache next year for Democrats facing re-election if disgruntled union members believe the Obama administration and Congress aren’t working to fix the problem. “It makes an untruth out of what the president said, that if you like your insurance, you

could keep it,” said Joe Hansen, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “That is not going to be true for millions of workers now.” The problem lies in the unique multiemployer health plans that cover unionized workers in retail, construction, transportation and other industries with seasonal or temporary employment. Known as Taft-Hartley plans, they are jointly administered by unions and smaller employers that pool resources to offer more than 20 million workers and family members continuous coverage, even during times of unemployment. The union plans were already more costly to run than traditional single-employer health

CINCINNATI: In this Sept. 7, 2009, file photo President Barack Obama speaks at the AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic at Coney Island in Cincinnati. Some labor unions that initially backed Obama’s health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the plan that could hurt their members. —AP

plans. The Affordable Care Act has added to that cost - for the unions’ and other plans - by requiring health plans to cover dependents up to age 26, eliminate annual or lifetime coverage limits and extend coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. “We’re concerned that employers will be increasingly tempted to drop coverage through our plans and let our members fend for themselves on the health exchanges,” said David Treanor, director of health care initiatives at the Operating Engineers union. Workers seeking coverage in the state-based marketplaces, known as exchanges, can qualify for subsidies, determined by a sliding scale based on income. By contrast, the new law does not allow workers in the union plans to receive similar subsidies. Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant, said the real fear among unions is that “a lot of these labor contracts are very expensive and now employers are going to have an alternative to very expensive labor health benefits.” “If the workers can get benefits that are as good through Obamacare in the exchanges, then why do you need the union?” Laszewski said. “In my mind, what the unions are fearing is that workers for the first time can get very good health benefits for a subsidized cost someplace other than the employer.” However, Laszewski said it was unlikely employers would drop the union plans immediately because they are subject to ongoing collective bargaining agreements. Labor unions have been among the president’s closest allies, spending millions of dollars to help him win reelection and help Democrats keep their majority in the Senate. The wrangling over health care comes as unions have continued to see steady declines in membership and attacks on public employee unions in state legislatures around the country. The Obama administration walks a fine line between defending the president’s signature legislative achievement and not angering a powerful constituency as it looks ahead to the 2014 elections. Union officials have been working with the administration for more than a year to try to get a regulatory fix that would allow low-income workers in their plans to receive subsidies. But after months of negotiations, labor leaders say they have been told it won’t happen. —AP

HONG KONG: A man (R) weighs a chicken in a poultry market in Hong Kong yesterday. According to local reports, the H7N9 bird flu virus can be transmitted not only through close contact but by airborne exposure, a team at the University of Hong Kong found after extensive laboratory experiments. —AFP

Obesity weighs down ontop soda guzzler Mexico MEXICO CITY: Artemio Martinez balanced his corpulent frame on a stool in a Mexico City street taco stand, downing a sweet soda and eating a final pork-filled corn tortilla. “Can you give me another soft drink to quickly wash down the fifth taco? And the bill please,” Martinez, a 42-year-old accountant weighing in at 140 kilograms (309 pounds), asked the cook. The damage for his wallet is relatively light: 40 pesos ($3) for five meat tortillas and 18 pesos ($1.4) for two sodas. But Mexico is paying a heavy price for its diet, giving it the dubious distinction of being the world’s top consumer of sodas and home of the world’s second most obese population after its giant northern neighbor, the United States. Latin America’s second biggest economy after Brazil has lived through lean times in the past, with a damaging peso crisis in 1994 and the global financial debacle in 2009. But it has enjoyed periods of growth. And Alejandro Calvillo, director of the Consumer Power nongovernmental organization, said the free trade pacts credited with helping Mexico’s economy grow have stuffed the country with less healthy foods. “There has been a change in eating habits that has sharply increased in the past 20 years, with a bigger infiltration of the processed foods industry” like bubbly soft drinks,” Calvillo, whose NGO lobbies for the regulation of such foods, told AFP. With trade pacts, Mexico has “surrendered to the commercial values of transnational companies that displaced the traditional Mexican diet,” he said, blaming also the “relentless” advertising for such products. Mexico’s obesity rate soared from 9.5 percent in 1988 to 32 percent last year in the nation of 112 million people, according to the National Medical Academy. And a staggering 70 percent of the population is overweight-even though almost half the population lives in poverty. Mexico guzzles down 163 liters (43 gallons) of soda per capita per year, according to a Yale University study. The country accounts for 22,000 of the 180,000 annual deaths worldwide associated with sugary drink consumption, a Harvard University study found. —AFP

WHO warns countries not to hoard secrets of coronavirus GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries with possible cases of the SARS-like novel coronavirus on Thursday that they must share information and not allow commercial labs to profit from the virus, which has killed 22 people worldwide. Saudi Arabia, where the first case occurred, has said the development of diagnostic tests for the disease has been delayed by a foreign laboratory’s patent rights on the SARS-like virus. “Making deals between scientists because they want to take IP (intellectual property), because they want to be the world’s first to publish in scientific journals, these are issues we need to address,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan told health ministers attending the WHO’s annual con-

ference in Geneva. “No IP will stand in the way of public health actions.” The virus was identified in September last year, three months after a scientist took a sample from Saudi Arabia to the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. “There was a lag of three months where we were not aware of the discovery of the virus,” Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Health Minister Ziad Memish told the Geneva meeting. He said it was taken out of the country without permission and Saudi Arabia only learned of its discovery from ProMED, a USbased internet-based reporting system. The Rotterdam-based Erasmus lab then patented the process for synthesising the virus, meaning that anyone else who wanted to

use their method to study it would have to pay the lab. The patenting had delayed the development of diagnostic kits and serologic tests for the disease, Memish said. “The virus was sent out of the country and it was patented, contracts were signed with vaccine companies and anti-viral drug companies and that’s why they have a MTA (Material Transfer Agreement) to be signed by anybody who can utilise that virus and that should not happen.” Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced another death from the virus in its central al-Qassim region, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 17. Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, France and Britain have all had cases of the the virus.

Chan told the health ministers “you are the boss” and urged them to ensure scientists shared their specimens with WHO’s network of collaborating laboratories. The patent does not break WHO rules on sharing such information on a possible pandemic, which only apply to flu viruses, but there is a legal requirement for countries to notify WHO of any outbreak of disease of international concern. Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s assistant directorgeneral for health security, said there was still a “huge amount” unknown about the virus and great concern about its potential to spread. Among the gaps in the knowledge of the virus was information about its geographical spread, and many countries may only have minimal surveillance for the disease, he said. —Reuters

HEALTH SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

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CHANGE OF NAME I, Shri. DONATO BEVINDO MORAIS residing at Bencleam Vaddo, Cuncolim, Salcete-Goa 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

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