15th Jun 2013

IPT IO N SC R SU B

150 Fils

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

SHAABAN 6, 1434 AH

No: 15840

MoI won’t tolerate any protests against ruling Ministry calls for public order after decision

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior warned yesterday that it would not allow any unlicensed protest marches over a court ruling next week which will say whether a new electoral system introduced by the HH the Amir is constitutional. Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah used emergency powers in October last year to change voting rules, six weeks before the state was due to hold parliamentary elections. Opposition politicians boycotted the poll, and on the eve of the election tens of thousands of Kuwaitis marched in protest against the decree.

The case is also sensitive because it questions the Amir, who is described as “immune and inviolable” in the constitution. “Whatever the decision of the constitutional court, we will never allow any rallies or marches outside Erada Square,” a statement from the Interior Ministry said, referring to a designated protest area opposite parliament. Any protesters who break the law will be dealt with “firmly”, the statement on state news agency KUNA said.

The government said the new system, which cut the number of votes per person to one from

four, brought Kuwait in line with other countries.

But opposition politicians said the decree was an attempt to stop them from forming a majority or bloc in parliament. Political parties are banned in Kuwait and the four-vote system helped opposition MPs form alliances in elections and gave them more clout in parliament. Activists have called for protests if the court rules in favour of the changes.

If the court rules in favour of the decree “it would allow the government to amend the electoral law at any time”, said Ahmed Al-Saadoun, a veteran opposition politician and former parliament speaker. He said the opposition would boycott any elections under the one-vote-per-person system. Kuwait has not experienced the kind of mass unrest seen elsewhere in the Arab region since 2011 and tolerates more political dissent than other Gulf Arab countries. However, the regional upheaval has emboldened a vocal political opposition and sharpened criticism of the authorities. Dozens of activists have been charged with insulting the Amir since late last year. — Agencies

Max 45º Min 31º

TEHRAN: Iranian women display their ink-stained fingers as they cast their votes in the first round of the presidential election at a polling station yesterday. — AFP (See Pages 7 & 8)

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Kuwait democracy on the line as court ruling looms ‘country at crossroads’

KUWAIT: Kuwait now stands at a political crossroads ahead of a crucial court ruling tomorrow on a controversial electoral law, with the decision affecting the future of democracy itself in the state. The constitutional court, whose verdicts are final, will rule whether an amendment decreed

by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah last October to the electoral law is constitutional or not.

The Amiri decree led to a political crisis that had engulfed the country in 2006, sparking a wave of street protests, some of which turned violent. Politicians, legal experts and opposition activists say tomorrow’s verdict could determine whether Kuwait, the first Gulf state to embrace democracy with its own parliament since 1962, stays democratic. HH the Amir has explicitly said he will accept the constitutional court’s verdict.

Kuwait was long looked upon by neighboring Gulf nations as a beacon of democracy with its vibrant parliament and freedom of speech. But this

image has been shattered by years of non-stop wrangling since the electoral law was changed in 2006 after popular protests, allowing each eligible voter to choose a maximum of four candidates.

HH the Amir later used a highly controversial clause in the constitution to issue his decree amending the 2006 law, reducing the number of candidates a voter can pick to just one. The clause at stake in tomorrow’s ruling gives HH the Amir powers to issue legislation when necessary and in emergency situations such as when parliament is either not in session or has been dissolved.

The current 50-seat parliament is entirely composed of government loyalists, after the opposition boycotted a general election last December 1. The verdict could restrict HH the Amir’s authority in issuing legislation and lead to parliament being dissolved for the second time in a year. “On June 16, governance will either return to the people or (there will be) autocratic rule,” leading opposition figure and

former MP Mussallam Al-Barrak told an opposition gathering this week. “The regime wants autocracy... but through the constitutional court,” he said.

Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition groups said HH the Amir’s decree was unconstitutional, enabling the government to manipulate election results and subsequent legislation as a consequence. Independent lawyer Hussein Al-Abdullah told AFP the fivejudge constitutional court could issue one of four possible verdicts. “It may decide that ruling on emergency decrees issued by HH the Amir is beyond the court’s jurisdiction, which means the amendment of the electoral law will be confirmed, though indirectly,” he said. “The second possibility is that the court may nullify the amendment decree which means scrapping parliament and holding a fresh election on the basis of the old electoral law” of 2006, Abdullah said.

“Under this scenario, the court will effectively rationalize the head of state’s powers to issue legislation in the absence of parliament.” — AFP

Kuwait weighs blocking Viber?

KUWAIT: Kuwait plans to study ways to control use of free calling and instant messaging services provided through smartphone applications, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Ministry of Communication insiders who said that such services could be banned if an agreement with developers could not be reached.

The news came days after Saudi Arabia announced blocking access to Viber after negotiations to allow government-monitoring for the service users in the kingdom broke down. “[The Ministry of Communications] is studying a proposal to form a technical committee whose job is to find ways by which the state can monitor audio and video calling services used through smartphone applications”, said the sources as quoted by Al-Anba yesterday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not have permission from the relevant authorities to speak about the subject.

The sources specifically named Viber, an application that allows users to exchange messages, photos and videos as well as make calls free of charge using online services. “Viber is surrounded with espionage accusations especially that part of the company’s developers are centered in Israel while the company’s founder is an American-Israeli entrepreneur”, the sources explained. The current plan is for the proposed committee to study whether using the applications meets local regulations as well as the mechanism ‘to keep them under control’. —Al-Anba

local SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Man drowns off Khairan, search on for another Two drug-pushers in police net

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The bootleggers with the confiscated alcoholic drinks.

Bootleggers arrested in Farwaniya, Mangaf

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Farwaniya police arrested 17 people in a successful raid on a property used to brew alcoholic drinks for sale.

During the operation, police found equipment used for brewing alcohol, as well as barrels filled with home-brewed liquor and bottles prepared for sale. The detainees who belong to an Asian nationality were referred to authorities for further action.

Meanwhile, two Asian nationals were arrested in Mangaf during another raid of an apartment which was used as breweries.

KUWAIT: Coastguards lifted a body of a man who drowned off Khairan beach yesterday morning. A search is ongoing for a second man who is reported missing. Rescue teams went on a lookout mission after receiving reports that two people went missing while swimming at the Khor Al-Khairan zone which is known for strong currents. Rescuers eventually found a dead body identified as a Gulf national who was one of the two people reported missing. Search was going on for the second man.

Drug-pushers arrested Two drug-dealers were arrested in a Drug Control General Department operation carried out yesterday. The first suspect was arrested inside his house based on information about his activity in drug trade. The stateless resident was arrested after police found 250 grams of hashish in his residence. He gave the address of his accomplice who he accused of being the source of the drugs. The Gulf national was arrested inside his home where police found additional 250 grams of hashish. The two were referred to proper authorities to face charges.

by the school’s principal who reported the theft. Criminal investigators headed to the school to examine the scene.

Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti man headed to the Salmiya police station to report a theft committed at his shop in the area.

The man said that unknown suspects broke into the shop located at the Salem Al-Mubarak Street past working hours and ran away with KD496.

Investigations are ongoing.

Forgery A Kuwaiti man filed a case at the Adan police station in which he

accused employees at a local bank branch of forgery. The man explained that he deposited KD250 into his account using the ATM machine, but never received confirmation that the transaction was successful. The man was told when he inquired with the branches management that the ATM used is not under the bank’s supervision because it uses transactions carried out through the K-Net service. The man explained to officers that he opted to press charges after the bank refused to provide him with CCTV tapes to confirm the operation.

Fatal crash A man was killed and another was injured in an accident involving two motorcycles on Thursday at the Ghous Street. The 20-year-old Kuwaiti was found in a critical condition when paramedics arrived at the scene, who later succumbed to his injuries at the Adan Hospital. Investigations went underway to determine the circumstances of the accident.

The vessels used to brew alcohol.

Thefts Investigations are ongoing into the theft of four air conditioning units at a Salwa school recently. The case was filed after local police were approached

Jordanian arrested for hacking ladies’ accounts Jleeb pedestrian killed in hit-and-run KUWAIT: Criminal investigators arrested a man who obtained personal information of a number of women through online hacking. Investigations in search for the suspect went underway after multiple reports came from women who accused an unidentified person of blackmail. They said that they have received e-mails containing personal information and photos which the suspect seized by hacking into their accounts. The detectives managed to identify the man who was arrested after the photos were found in his computer. The Jordanian national was taken to proper authorities for further action.

Hit-and-run Investigations are ongoing in search for a driver who left a pedestrian dead in Jleeb Al-Shuyuok recently. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene following a hit-and-run report. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene and eyewitnesses told police that he was hit by a white American-made

sports utility vehicle (SUV) whose driver escaped before anyone could note down the vehicle’s license plate number. A case was filed.

Fake policeman held Jahra police arrested a man hours after he mugged a pedestrian while impersonating as police detective. Investigations went underway after local police were approached by a man who said that a male driver stole his money after kidnapping him in Taima. The Bangladeshi man explained that the suspect ‘arrested’ him after identifying himself as police detective. He then drove to the parking lot of a police station in the nearby Naeem area where he took his money under threat before returning him back to Taima. The police managed to find a vehicle matching descriptions the victim provided. The driver, a 20-year-old stateless resident, was arrested and later identified by the victim as his attacker. The man was taken to the proper authorities to face charges after admitting his actions.

Man held for beating sister A man faces charges after he beat up his sister when he found her sharing a cafe table with a mixed-gender group.

According to the police report, the young man was walking in a mall when he spotted his sister with a group apparently consisting of male and female colleagues in her college. The man lost his temper and advanced to hit his sister for ‘breaking the family’s conservative tradition’. He was arrested after police arrived at the scene in response to an emergency call.

Search for sheep thieves A man was hospitalized after being run over while trying to stop suspects who he insists had stolen his sheep. The man had reported a theft happened at his private property in the Jahra desert where suspects physically assaulted the property’s keeper before running away with seven sheep. The man headed to the sheep market in Jahra where he found a herd put for sale and

identified it as being his stolen sheep. After being confronted, a group selling the sheep ran towards their vehicle and escaped while reportedly running over the man when he blocked their way. The man was rushed to the Jahra hospital where his condition is stated as stable. He gave police descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle they used.

Fugitive nabbed Salwa police arrested a man wanted for sexual assault charges after he was busted driving under the influence of drugs. Police were on a patrol mission when they pulled the suspect over for swerving. The man was arrested after police found out that he was intoxicated and they also found pills suspected to be drugs inside his vehicle. Police verified the man’s identity and found out he is wanted for rape charges pressed by a European woman earlier, as well as drug abuse charges. He was referred to proper authorities for further action.

local SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Zain: Mobile number portability a step forward KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications operator in Kuwait celebrating its 30th anniversary of providing telecommunications services in the country this year, welcomes number portability into Kuwait and advises all parties that its representatives are completely ready to accept transfer requests at any of the company’s branches spread across the country in over 75 locations. The new regulation takes effect today (June 15, 2013) and allows any current mobile customer to switch to the mobile operator of his choice and retain his original number by entering the mobile service provider store in a simple procedure, without cost. For any enquiry related to number portability, customers can call 107 on Zain’s network where over 200 representatives are ready to serve their needs.

Zain Kuwait today serves over 2.4 million customers and with the country’s largest and most advanced 2G/3G/4G LTE nationwide network covering 100 percent of the population, the company is confident that this new measure will be beneficial to the improvement of the Kuwait telecom sector as a whole, and more importantly an added gain to the country’s mobile customers.

Commenting on the MOC’s initiative, Omar Al-Omar, Zain Kuwait CEO acknowledged “the decision is a step forward in the evolution of the telecom sector in Kuwait. This new regulation

Omar Al-Omar, Zain Kuwait CEO will empower the customer with the freedom to choose the mobile service provider of his choice, while at the same time act as a stimulus for all operators to be more dynamic and focused to meet and exceed customer satisfaction.”

As the country’s undisputed telecom leader on many key performance

Crackdown begins on expat licenses KUWAIT: Kuwait has begun cancelling the driving licenses of foreign students who have graduated and working housewives, tightening already strict rules for expatriates, a daily yesterday cited a top official as saying.

“The traffic department has started cancelling the driving licenses” of those people, interior ministry Assistant undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali told Al-Anbaa newspaper.

Ali said the measure was taken because the department found that expats given licenses as students have now started working, and the same for some housewives, “which amounts to an act of forgery”. He estimated that “tens of thousands” of driving licenses will be withdrawn. For nearly a decade, Kuwait has imposed strict conditions on the eligibility of its 2.6 million expats to drive. Most foreigners are required to hold a university degree, earn KD400 ($1,400) a month and have lived legally in the country for at least two years before being able to drive legally.

Students and housewives with children had been among those exempted from the regulations, along with engineers, judges, lawyers and journalists.

But since his appointment some two months ago, Ali has led a campaign in which hundreds of expatriates have been deported without a court order for committing “grave” traffic offences such as driving without a license and jumping red lights. Kuwaiti citizens who commit similar traffic offences can have their vehicles impounded, but only under a court order. Maj Gen Al-Ali made these statements during a crackdown in Al-Dhahr area which saw nearly 23 sports cars impounded for reckless driving. He also revealed that the General Traffic Department collected during May and early June “nearly KD9 million in traffic fines that have been nonpaid for years”.

He also confirmed reports that files for serious violations in the ministry’s system have been unblocked “to allow fines to be paid directly” and avoid blacklisting when the unblocking period ends later this month. The Kuwait Society for Human Rights has called on the government to halt the deportations, describing them as “oppressive”. But the campaign has received strong backing from the pro-government parliament, with some MPs calling Ali a “hero”. — AFP

levels and innovation, Zain is confident that the new law will be an impetus to cement and further enhance such leadership. Al Omar noted, “Our many competitive advantages such as our superior nationwide 4G LTE network, and our comprehensive array of enticing mobile packages matched by exceptional service through our branch network of over 75 locations supported by over 200 call center representatives, differentiates Zain as the preferred mobile provider in Kuwait.”

To enhance and maintain its superior customer experience and innovation, Zain has invested heavily over the past few years in upgrading its network that today ranks as one of the most advanced in the world. The company’s attention to delighting customers through an enriching mobile experience is core to every employee’s focus, reflected by the company’s 9 percent customer growth (203,000 additional customers) over the past 12 months.

With the largest base of postpaid customers in the country, Zain benefits enormously from a large proportion of these customers subscribing to highspeed 3G and 4G LTE Internet plans.

“We are confident that these higher value customers are more than satisfied with their mobile experience on

our superfast and reliable networks and we believe that we will see many new Internet centric customers joining Zain,” Al Omar said. He also noted the company’s impressive 14 percent Internet services growth over the past 12 months, testament to the quality and appeal of the nationwide 4G LTE network. Ancillary to this is the company’s transparent billing system, which allows customers to track their usage and amount accumulated online 24/7 or by visiting any Zain branch.

Furthermore, Al Omar emphasized Zain’s several other strategic advantages that differentiate the company from the competition, notably the 30 years it has devoted to serving customers in Kuwait, and its strong and internationally admired brand that is supported by an unrivalled regional presence providing many cross-border benefits such as preferential roaming rates.

The recent marketing relationship with the world’s leading telecom operator Vodafone will witness many new appealing and advantageous services rolled out in the immediate future such as preferential voice and Internet roaming rates for travelers to the UK and many other Vodafone partner markets across the globe. Moreover Zain

recently launched ‘Zain Pass’, the global Wi-Fi roaming service from iPASS that provides Internet access in over 1.24 million hotspots across 123 countries, a service that will be immediately felt with many travelling this summer.

In recent times Zain has entered into agreements with world leading mobile smartphone and device providers such as Apple, Blackberry, HTC and Samsung , providing its customers the advantage of being the first in the market to benefit from such devices, a benefit matched with compelling packages.

“Complementary to all our commercial activities and other distinctions, is Zain’s unrivalled commitment to the community it serves. The countless sponsorship and socially responsible programs in place, position Zain as the most respected mobile provider in the country,” Al Omar remarked.

“Essentially, number portability will lead to greater customer choice and at Zain we believe we are well positioned and primed to benefit from this new regulation. Zain placed Kuwait on the world telecom map and today we are focused on delighting our customers through a splendid customer experience and fulfilling our brand promise of a wonderful world,” Al-Omar concluded.

Gen Al-Ali seeks to dispel expat fears Indian delegation calls on traffic chief

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Abdul Fattah Al-Ali sought to dispel fears of expatriates by assuring them that foreigners in Kuwait can feel ‘secure and safe’ if they have valid residency and have no traffic violations or criminal offense records against them. Gen Al-Ali was talking to a delegation from a leading Indian socio-welfare organization - Kuwait Kerala Muslim Association (KKMA). The delegation headed by KKMA Chairman Sageer Trikarpur submitted a memorandum to Major Al-Ali listing the concerns of the expatriate community over the ongoing campaign against illegal residents and traffic violators.

The memorandum urged the authorities to be ‘lenient and considerate’ towards expatriates while enforcing new traffic regulations and arresting traffic violators. “As representative of a law-abiding community, we fully support the Kuwaiti authorities in the campaign against illegal residents or people involved in criminal activities. However, we are requesting your kind intervention to give humanitarian consideration to the arrested and avoid misuse of authority while implementing these rules,” the memorandum said.

The delegation particularly brought the attention of the official to the issue of penalizing private car owners who travel in their cars with their friends, colleagues or relatives while going for work, shopping, prayers, hospitals, family visits, airport drops, etc.

Responding to the concern, Ali said that it is not the case and that he would be happy to see cars full of passengers as it would reduce the number of cars on the road. Maj Ali also hailed the strong relations between Kuwait and India. He said Indians are practically present in all segments of the society in Kuwait

and are known to be ‘disciplined, hard working, talented and law-abiding.’

“You people have acquired a special space in Kuwait as a brilliant and the least problematic expatriate community who works for the overall development of Kuwait,” Ali mentioned. At the same time, he underlined the importance of abiding by traffic rules and clarified that the current campaign is not tar-

traffic accidents and the risks associated with it before it becomes acute and irreversible,” he pointed out.

While thanking the ministry for implementing strict traffic rules for the sake of safety of drivers and passengers, the KKMA offered its full support to the authorities through awareness seminars and defensive driving programs for their community mem-

KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Abdul Fattah Al-Ali with the members of KKMA delegation. geted at any particular expatriate community in Kuwait. “It is a planned program based on studies to regulate our road traffic and make the roads safe for nationals and residents in Kuwait,” he stated.

Ali informed the delegation that the Middle East region records the highest rate of road fatalities in the world despite having excellent roads and traffic infrastructure.

“Today, the situation is quite alarming. The current campaign is aimed at minimizing the

bers. First of the series of seminars will be held on June 21 at Indian Community School, Salmiya in which Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta and Maj Ali are expected to attend.

KKMA Vice-chairmen Akbar Siddique, NA Muneer, President Abdul Fathah Thayyil, General Secretary K Basheer, organizing secretary Hamza Payyanur, working presidents A P Abdul Salam, Iqbal B M and Administrative secretary K C Rafeeque were the other members of the delegation.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

US mulls no-fly zone after Syria ‘red line’

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Erdogan agrees to halt contentious park project

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US leaker under criminal investigation

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TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casts his ballot in the presidential election without publicly endorsing a candidate yesterday. — AP

Iran votes for new president Khamenei doesn’t ‘give a damn’ about US misgivings DUBAI: Millions of Iranians voted to choose a new president yesterday, urged by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to turn out in force to discredit suggestions by arch foe the United States that the election would be a sham. The 50 million eligible voters had a choice between six candidates to replace incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but none is seen as challenging the Islamic Republic’s 34year-old system of clerical rule. The first presidential poll since a disputed 2009 contest led to months of unrest is unlikely to change rocky ties between the West and the OPEC nation of 75 million, but it may bring a softening of the antagonistic style favoured by Ahmadinejad.

World powers in talks with Iran over its nuclear program are looking for any signs of a recalibration of its negotiating stance after eight years of intransigence under Ahmadinejad. Voting in the capital Tehran, Khamenei called on Iranians to vote in large numbers and derided Western misgivings about the credibility of the vote. “I recently heard that someone at the US National Security Council said ‘we do not accept this election in Iran’,” he said. “We don’t give a damn,” he

added. On May 24, US Secretary of State John Kerry questioned the credibility of the election, criticising the disqualification of candidates and accusing Tehran of disrupting Internet access.

All the remaining contenders except current chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili have criticised the conduct of diplomacy that has left Iran increasingly isolated and under painful economic sanctions. After casting his vote, Jalili said: “Everyone should respect the name that comes out of the ballot boxes and the person people choose,” according to ISNA news agency.

Hossein, a 27-year-old voter in Tehran who belongs to the Basij hardline volunteer militia, said he would vote for Jalili, 47, Khamenei’s national security adviser and a former Revolutionary Guard who lost a leg in the 198088 Iran-Iraq war. “He is the only one I can trust to respect the values of the revolution ... He feels and cares for the needy,” Hossein said. In Dubai, Iranian expatriate Zahra, 20, a first time voter, said she cast her ballot for Khamenei’s diplomatic adviser Ali Akbar Velayati because of his expertise on world affairs. “When he was foreign minister (from 1981 to 1997), Iran’s rela-

tions with all countries were better,” she said.

The Guardian Council, a state body that vets all candidates, barred several hopefuls, notably former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the Islamic Republic’s founding fathers seen as sympathetic to reform, as well as Ahmadinejad’s close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. This narrowing of the field prompted concerns of a low turnout which the supreme leader sought to counter. “What is important is that everyone takes part,” Khamenei said. “Our dear nation should come (to vote) with excitement and liveliness, and know that the destiny of the country is in their hands and the happiness of the country depends on them.”

The Interior Ministry announced that voting, initially due to end at 1330 GMT, would be extended by several hours, Iran’s Press TV reported in mid-afternoon. In the past, authorities have cited such extensions as evidence of a high turnout. Iran’s Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab neighbours are wary of Shiite Iran’s influence in Iraq and its backing for President Bashar AlAssad and his Lebanese allies Hezbollah in the Syrian war. The Sunni Arab kingdoms are backing the rebels in Syria.

Of five conservative candidates professing unwavering obedience to Khamenei, only three are thought to stand any chance of winning the vote, or making it through to a second round run-off in a week’s time. Nuclear negotiator Jalili, who advocates maintaining a robust, ideologically-driven foreign policy, is seen as the main conservative contender. The other two, Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former foreign minister Velayati, have pledged never to back away from pursuing Iran’s nuclear program but have strongly criticised Jalili’s inflexible negotiating stance.

They face Hassan Rowhani, the sole moderate and only cleric in the race. Though very much an establishment figure, suspicious of the West, Rowhani is more likely to pursue a conciliatory foreign policy. The opposition Kaleme website said Rowhani’s campaign headquarters had sent a letter to the Guardian Council urging it to remove the name of Mohammad Reza Aref - a reformist candidate who dropped out this week in favour of Rowhani - from ballot papers.

The complaint said voting slips in some polling stations carried Aref’s name and this could create confusion. — Reuters

International SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Iranians vote out of duty, hope, obligation TEHRAN: Iranians queued yesterday to vote for a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many feeling a sense of national duty, others hoping for a better future and some because they thought they had to. Mehrdad, a 22-year-old university student voting in his first presidential election, said he had rushed to his designated polling station at a mosque in western Tehran. Some 70 people had already formed separate queues of men and women before polling opened officially at 8:00 am (0330 GMT).

“I’m voting because I want to be a part of building my country’s future,” said Mehrdad, adding that his choice was Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. “I want a president who understands the pain of the middle class,” he said, arguing that conservative frontrunner Qalibaf was popular because of his track record as mayor. Like the other five candidates,

Qalibaf has pledged to fix an economy hurt by international sanctions and charges of mismanagement after eight years under Ahmadinejad. Iran has been at loggerheads with world powers over its nuclear ambitions, which the West suspects is aimed at developing atomic weapons.

The standoff has resulted in the imposition of harsh economic sanctions and Tehran’s international isolation. Another main contender is top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, whose five years of negotiations with world powers over Iran’s atomic drive have failed to yield a breakthrough. “I voted for Jalili... his comments and actions are in accordance with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s guidelines,” said a cleric, after voting in a south Tehran mosque. Another voter, Tahereh Sha’aban, 25, dressed in traditional black chador, said she too had followed Khamenei’s advice. “My

Clerics call for jihad in Syria CAIRO: Influential Sunni clerics from several Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for a holy war against the “sectarian” regime in Syria.

“We must undertake jihad to help our brothers in Syria by sending them money and arms, and providing all aid to save the Syrian people from this sectarian regime,” they said in a statement at the end of a gathering in Cairo. “The flagrant aggression of the Iranian regime, of Hezbollah and of their sectarian allies in Syria amounts to a declaration of war against Islam and Muslims.”

In a sermon to worshippers at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday, Sunni Sheikh Saoud Al-Shuraym denounced Assad as a tyrant whose troops he said had raped women, killed children and destroyed homes over the past two years. “All of that puts on the shoulder of each one of us a share of responsibility before God, on leaders, rulers, scholars, reformers, thinkers and people to take a unified and conscious stand against the mad (crackdown) on our brothers in Syria,” Shuraym said in a sermon broadcast on Saudi state television. “By God..., our brothers need more efforts and determination to be exerted to remove the merciless injustice and aggression through all means and with no exceptions,” he told followers.

“We tell our brothers in the Levant to be patient.”

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Shiite movement has been fighting alongside the forces of President Bashar Al-Assad, a member of the Alawite offshoot of Shism, against Syria’s mainly Sunni rebels.

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Abdulaziz Al-Shaikh has urged governments to punish the “repulsive sectarian group” while Qatarbased Sunni cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has called on Sunnis to join the rebels. Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria, which helped Assad’s troops overrun the strategic town of Qusair, has been roundly condemned by Arab countries. In Cairo, a senior aide to President Mohamed Morsi demanded the guerilla group “immediately end” its involvement in Syria. The Shiite group’s assistance to Assad could “further turn this conflict into a sectarian conflict that will spill over into the entire region,” Khaled Al-Qazzaz told reporters on Thursday. The conflict has drawn Sunni volunteers from several Arab countries to join rebel ranks, and Shiites from Iraq who support Assad. —Agencies

choice fully adheres to his teachings, since what the leader wants is what the people want,” she said, without specifying who she voted for. Others, disillusioned by the sit-

uation the country finds itself in, said they were voting out of a sense of national duty and as a way of confronting Iran’s enemies.

Standing in a long queue at a

TEHRAN: Iranian women show their documents as they queue to vote in the first round of the presidential election at a polling station yesterday. — AFP

school in the upscale Shahrak Gharb area of west Tehran, a 74year-old retired government employee said he would vote despite being “dissatisfied with the establishment”. “I believe we all have to vote to demonstrate to the world that we are united,” he said.

“This will force our enemies into retreat.”

All political factions have called for a high turnout in Iran’s first presidential poll since the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad in 2009 sparked massive street protests that led to a deadly crackdown.

Ahmadinejad, who is constitutionally barred from standing for a third consecutive term, has been accused of mismanaging Iran’s oil wealth and widening the economic gap between social classes. A 50year-old worker said that she too was voting for Qalibaf because she wanted improvements on the labour market. — AFP

US mulls no-fly zone after Syria ‘red line’ Damascus slams allegation as ‘lies’ DAMASCUS: The United States dramatically toughened its line on Syria, accusing it of using chemical weapons and promising military aid to rebel forces, as Damascus yesterday slammed the allegation as “lies”. President Barack Obama’s administration announced Thursday it had reviewed intelligence reports and concluded that Syrian regime forces had used banned arms, including sarin nerve gas, in attacks that killed up to 150 people. US officials refused to rule out moving towards arming rebels or imposing a no-fly zone, and said Washington would provide backing to the Syrian Military Council (SMC) armed opposition.

“The president has made a decision about providing more support to the

opposition. That will involve providing direct support to the SMC. That includes military support,” deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said, declining to elaborate. Syria dismissed the US accusation as “a statement full of lies about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, based on fabricated information”. The Wall Street Journal reported that US military proposals include a limited no-fly zone over rebel training camps. This zone would stretch up to 40 km into Syria, and would be enforced by warplanes inside Jordan airspace armed with long-distance air-to-air missiles, the Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.

The New York Times cited unnamed American officials as saying weapons for

HASS, Syria: Anti-Syrian regime protesters hold a banner and flash the victory sign during a demonstration in this town in Idlib province yesterday. — AP

the rebels would include small arms and ammunition and anti-tank weapons but not anti-aircraft weapons. Syria’s main opposition National Coalition said in a statement issued by its Washington office that it “welcomes increased US assistance including direct military support”. “The support should be strategic and decisive in order to force an end to the violence and to achieve a political transition,” it said.

Washington’s decision will hurt the chances of a new Russia-US peace initiative on the crisis, a senior foreign policy aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “What was presented by the Americans does not look convincing to us,” Yury Ushakov told reporters. “The information that has been presented, the facts that have been presented do not look convincing to us,” he said. The chances of holding a Syrian peace conference that Russia and the United States proposed jointly on May 7 would be hurt by the decision to provide military support for the opposition, he added.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement London agreed with the US assessment of chemical weapons use in Syria. “The crisis demands a strong, determined and coordinated response from the international community,” he said. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the “clear” US statement, saying Damascus should grant UN access “to investigate all reports of chemical weapons use”. The European Union also said the allegations reinforced the need for UN inspectors to be deployed in Syria, and for increased efforts to find a political solution to the conflict. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Pope, Anglican leader meet, note differences VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis and the new head of the world’s Anglicans acknowledged deep differences over issues ranging from gay rights to women priests but pledged to seek unity when they met on Friday for the first time since both took office in March. Relations between the Catholic and Anglican churches have been strained for years, especially over Anglican ordination of women as priests, and the meeting at the Vatican was billed as an opportunity to reduce tensions.

Welcoming Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to the Vatican, Francis called for Christians to work together to protect the “foundations of society” such as respect for human life and the institution of the family built on marriage.

Francis was inaugurated as the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics on March 19, following Benedict’s abdication, and just two days before Welby officially took over from Rowan Williams as head of the 80-million-strong Anglican

Communion. Welby said yesterday he hoped the proximity of the two leaders’ inaugurations would “serve the reconciliation of the world and the Church”, while noting the difficulties ahead. “The journey is testing and we cannot be unaware that differences exist about how we bring the Christian faith to bear on the challenges thrown up by modern society,” he said.

Anglican ordination of women is a thorny issue between the two Churches, with the Vatican firmly opposed to female priests, and attempts by Francis’ predecessor Benedict to woo disaffected Anglicans back to Catholicism has caused more friction. In 2009, Benedict decreed that Anglicans who feel their Church had become too liberal could find a home in Catholicism in a parallel hierarchy that allows them to keep some of their traditions, such as parts of the Anglican liturgy and the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

It was the boldest step by the Vatican to welcome back Anglicans

Necas clings on after close aide charged PRAGUE: Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas was clinging on to office yesterday after prosecutors accused his personal assistant of being at the centre of a corrupt web of political favours and secret surveillance. Police raids on government offices on Thursday signalled the most significant swoop on corruption in two decades in a country that has been mired in sleaze since its “Velvet Revolution” overthrew Communism in 1989. The main Czech opposition party said it would initiate a parliamentary vote of no confidence unless Necas quits, but in a defiant speech to lawmakers, the conservative prime minister said he would stay on, and dismissed the allegations. His fate now depends on whether the smaller parties in his coalition stand by him, and on whether President Milos Zeman, a political opponent, tries to use his limited constitutional powers to push Necas out. Jeronym Tejc, an official of the opposition Social Democrat party, said: “(We) expect the speedy resignation of Prime Minister Petr Necas and the entire government. If that does not happen, the Social Democrats will initiate a vote of no confidence.” A day Jana Nagyova earlier hundreds of police with the organised crime unit, some in balaclavas to conceal their identity, swept through the government headquarters, the defence ministry, a bank and private homes, detaining several Necas associates. He was drawn even deeper into the affair yesterday when prosecutors, giving details of their investigation for the first time, alleged the existence of corrupt dealings that intersected with Necas’ personal and political life. Tomas Sokol, a lawyer for one of the people charged, the former head of military intelligence, said prosecutors had accused his client of instructing agents to run surveillance on Necas’ wife, Radka.

Necas and his wife, his college sweetheart, announced this week they were divorcing. They said their suspicions focused on two areas: allegations that officials used the intelligence services for inappropriate purposes, and that corrupt favours were given to politicians. The prosecutors said the common factor in both sets of allegations was Jana Nagyova, who heads Necas’ office. She has worked for Necas since 2006. Elegantly dressed and with blonde, shoulder-length hair, she has often appeared in Czech tabloids. — Reuters

since King Henry VIII broke with Rome and set himself up at the head of the new Church of England in 1534. Francis said yesterday he was sure the move would help the Catholic world to better appreciate and understand the spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican community. Welby, a former oil industry executive, has inherited a Church which is itself divided over issues such as gay rights and women bishops. He is against gay marriage but favours female ordination, and is stuck in the crossfire between liberal and conservative clerics.

In January this year, the Church of England lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate, deepening a rift in the Anglican community over homosexuality.

The Church, struggling to remain relevant in modern Britain despite falling numbers of believers, published a plan in May to approve the ordination of women bishops by

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis (right) shakes hands with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby prior to a private audience at the Vatican yesterday. — AFP 2015, after the reform narrowly failed to pass last November. Welby, a pragmatist hardened by years of work as a crisis negotiator in Africa, is seen as more down-to-earth than

his academic predecessor. In that way he presents a similar image to Francis, who led an ordinary life close to the poor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. — Reuters

Erdogan agrees to halt contentious park project PM promises to abide by court decision ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday agreed to halt plans to redevelop an Istanbul park at the centre of two weeks of mass anti-government unrest, in a move protesters welcomed as “positive”. It marked the first easing of tensions in the standoff, which has presented the Islamist-rooted government with the biggest challenge of its decade-long rule and earned it criticism from the West. Hours after giving a “last warning” to defiant demonstrators camping out in Gezi Park, Erdogan made the concession in his first talks with a key group of protesters. “The positive outcome from tonight is the prime minister’s explanation that the project will not continue before the final court decision,” Tayfun Kahraman, a spokesman for the Taksim Solidary group, seen as the most representative of the protest movement, said in televised remarks.

A peaceful sit-in to save Gezi Park’s 600 trees from being razed prompted a brutal police response on May 31, spiralling into nationwide outpourings of anger against Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), seen as increasingly authoritarian.

Speaking after the late-night emergency meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Huseyin Celik said the government would respect the court-ordered suspension of the park project. He also confirmed that a referendum on the proposed reconstruction of Ottoman-era military barracks on the site would go ahead. “But Gezi Park protesters should stop their demonstration now,” he warned.

The court process is expected to take several months. In the meantime, a probe is under way to investigate the use of excessive police force in dealing with the protesters across the country,

ISTANBUL: Anti-government protesters holding Turkish flags with a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, stand at the entrance of Gezi park on the landmark Taksim square yesterday. — AFP Celik added. In an updated toll yesterday, the Turkish doctors’ association said almost 7,500 people have been injured and four killed in the nationwide unrest, which has seen police use tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators who have hurled back fireworks and Molotov cocktails. Overnight, police again clashed with protesters in the capital Ankara, fire gas and jets of water to disperse some 200 protesters, witnesses told AFP. Erdogan has taken a tough line on the mass demonstrations and on Thursday ordered people to evacuate Gezi Park, stoking fears of a police intervention if the protesters defied him. “I’m making my last warning: mothers,

fathers please withdraw your kids from there,” he said in a live television broadcast. “Gezi Park does not belong to occupying forces. It belongs to everybody.”

The Taskim Solidarity group said it would discuss its next move in talks with protesters yesterday evening. Inside Gezi Park, many campers said they were determined to stay despite the government’s conciliatory gesture to suspend the project and abide by a referendum, saying the protest had morphed into something bigger. “We’re not satisfied and this is not about this park only,” said Kivanch K, a pianist who has been entertaining protesters in nearby Taksim Square in recent days. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

US leaker under criminal investigation WASHINGTON: The United States has launched a criminal investigation and is taking “all necessary steps” to prosecute Edward Snowden for exposing secret US surveillance programs, the FBI director said Thursday. Robert Mueller, who is to step down soon after more than a decade leading the Federal Bureau of Investigation, defended the Internet and phone sweeps as vital tools that could have prevented the attacks of Sept 11, 2001. Snowden’s disclosures “have caused significant harm to our nation and to our safety,” Mueller told lawmakers at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

As to Snowden, “he is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation,” Mueller said. “We are taking all necessary steps to hold the person responsible for these disclosures.” Mueller’s comments confirm that the US government is pursuing Snowden, the 29-year-old American IT specialist who has admitted to leaking information about far-reach-

ing surveillance programs. Snowden, who worked as a subcontractor handling computer networks for the National Security Agency (NSA), is in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, where he has vowed to contest any possible extradition in court.

Mueller defended the collection of US phone records and Internet data related to foreign targets, which officials maintain are legal programs approved by federal judges and in accordance with the Constitution. “The program is set up for a very limited purpose and a limited objective, and that is to identify individuals in the United States who are using a telephone for terrorist activities and to draw that network,” he said. Mueller told lawmakers that one of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid Al-Mihdhar, had called a known Al-Qaeda safe house in Yemen from the US city of San Diego.

“If we had had this program in place at the time, we would have been able to identify that particular telephone num-

Edward Snowden ber in San Diego,” Mueller said. “If we had the telephone number from Yemen we would have matched up to that telephone number in San Diego, got further legal process, identified Al-Mihdhar.”

Many lawmakers remained skeptical. “It’s my fear we are on the verge of becoming a surveillance state,” Democrat John Conyers said, alarmed at the scale and

secrecy of the surveillance programs.

General Keith Alexander, the head of the National Security Agency, told lawmakers on Wednesday that “dozens” of terror attacks had been thwarted by programs, and that the leaks had caused “great harm” to national security.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate intelligence committee, said that the NSA on Monday will release the specific number of attacks prevented.

Some lawmakers opposed to the domestic surveillance techniques have demanded proof that the data collection yields results.

Snowden, a technician working for a private contractor and assigned to an NSA base in Hawaii, surfaced over the weekend in Hong Kong to give media interviews. In addition to disclosing the NSA’s acquisition of phone logs and data from nine Internet giants - including Google, Microsoft and Facebook Snowden also described secret global hacking operations. — AFP

2 killed in monster Colorado wildfire

Explosion at US chemical plant kills 1

Blaze could be work of arsonist

GEISMAR, Louisiana: An explosion and fire killed one person and injured 73 at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana on Thursday, unsettling an industrial town where authorities ordered people to remain indoors for hours to avoid the billowing smoke. The blast at 8:37 am (1337 GMT) sent a huge fireball and column of smoke into the air. The plant along the Mississippi River, about 100 km from New Orleans, is one of 12 chemical plants along a 16-km stretch of the river. The fire, fueled by the petrochemical propylene, burned for more than three hours, though government monitors had yet to detect dangerous levels of emissions, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told a news conference near the scene. “Once the investigations are done, once there’s a responsible party, they will absolutely be held responsible,” Jindal said.

Louisiana State Police said the victim was Zachary C Green, 29, of Hammond, but gave no further information on him. Some 300 workers from the plant were evacuated and all the employees were accounted for, among them 10 who stayed behind in a safe room inside the plant, Jindal said. Emergency responders took 73 people to hospital, Jindal said, including at least five who were being treated at Baton Rouge General Hospital’s burn center, said Dr Floyd Roberts, a physician there. Plant operations were shut, and the company’s own emergency response crews were assisting at the scene, parent group Williams Cos said in a statement.

Authorities ordered people within a 3-km radius to remain in their homes, in part because of the smoke, said Lester Kenyon, a spokesman for Ascension Parish. That “shelter in place” order was later lifted for residents but remained in effect for four other plants in the area that scaled down their operations, Jindal said. “It’s a sad day in Geismar, and particularly for the Williams Olefins work family, and frankly for the petrochem community in this area,” Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeffrey Wiley said. “It’s an industry that practices safety every second of every day, but regrettably, things do happen.”

The same plant had an accident in 2009 when about 27 kg of a flammable mixture was released, resulting in a fire that caused property damage but no injuries, according to the Right-to-Know Network, citing data from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s risk management database. — Reuers

COLORADO SPRINGS: The remains of two people killed trying to flee the most destructive Colorado wildfire on record were found on Thursday as crews fought to keep the fierce, wind-driven blaze from roaring into the outskirts of Colorado Springs. The blaze has ripped across more than 24 square miles of rolling, forested terrain northeast of Colorado Springs since it erupted on Tuesday, forcing some 38,000 people to flee their homes. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the dead, who have not been publicly identified, were recovered on Thursday from the garage of one of at least 360 homes destroyed by the so-called Black Forest Fire near the state’s second-largest city.

Maketa indicated the blaze could be the work of an arsonist or the result of negligence, telling reporters that a criminal investigation was underway. He told Reuters there were no signs of lightning strikes in the area when the fire began.

News of the first two casualties from the monster blaze came as firefighters made their first measurable progress against the fire, managing to carve containment lines around 5 percent of the fire’s perimeter. Maketa said the victims had been on the phone as the flames closed in on their home. “The person they were speaking with said he could hear popping and cracking in the background and they (the two people) advised they were leaving right now,” Maketa said.

“We were truly hoping that we could get from day to day without coming across news like this.” With the fire still burning largely unchecked and driven by erratic 48 kph winds that showed no sign of diminishing, officials on Thursday

BLACK FOREST, Colorado: Jaycie Francis (right) remembers on Thursday how she used to sit at her aunt’s house and watch television in that spot.

She is being comforted by her boyfriend, James Folk. — AP ordered mandatory evacuations of about 1,000 homes in the northern tip of Colorado Springs that were considered to be in imminent danger. “Load your family, and pets and GO NOW,” the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet. The area lies just to the east of the US Air Force Academy. A voluntary evacuation alert was issued for another 2,000 homes in Colorado Springs, advising those residents to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, as embers drifted over the city.

Aerial photos of devastated areas showed large swaths of obliterated neighborhoods with bare, blackened

trees and houses reduced to cinders and rubble. Authorities said 360 homes were ruined and the fate of 79 others was unknown on Thursday evening. The latest tally of destroyed homes surpassed the previous record of 346 dwellings demolished last year on the northwestern fringe of Colorado Springs by the socalled Waldo Canyon fire, then deemed the most destructive blaze in state history.

That fire also killed two people and prompted the evacuation of some 35,000 people in and around the city, which lies at the eastern foothills of the Rockies about 72 km south of the state’s capital and largest city, Denver. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

As big parties flounder, minnows scent chance NEW DELHI: The popular expectation for India’s coming general election is that it will be a showdown between the scion of the grand old Congress party’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and a firebrand leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But with both big national parties deeply troubled and languishing in opinion polls, a group of increasingly powerful regional parties might emerge from the media frenzy around Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi as the dark-horse winners. A rag-tag of parties with ambitious leaders and diverse local agendas, their empowerment could be a risk for Asia’s third-largest economy, whose growth rate has already tumbled to a decade low after a long period of policy paralysis. “They won’t be thinking of the country, they’ll think of their states,” said D H Pai Panandiker, president of the RPG Foundation, an economic think-tank.

Most of these parties are keeping their options open ahead of the election, which

is due by next May. But there is mounting speculation that they could form an alternative “third front” government after the poll, a step that would break the mold of alternating power between the Congress and its rival, the BJP. Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a pivotal state in elections because it sends the most lawmakers to parliament, has come out squarely in favour of a Third Front.

Even if they fail to cobble together enough parliamentary seats to forge a coalition government of their own, opinion polls suggest that these groups will have more lawmakers - and therefore greater influence - at the national level than ever before. However, they share little ideology, they all have agendas of their own, some are rivals within the same state, and even their hostility to the Congress and BJP changes with the wind. Either as a bloc propping up a coalition led by one of the main parties or as a third front government

supported by Congress or the BJP, they would bring instability and little chance of a fresh push for economic reform. “The reform process will be the worst victim of the third front coming up,” Panandiker said.

In the past, coalitions without the Congress party or BJP at the helm were unable to hold onto power for long. Many believe a new third front would not stick together for long, and some doubt the regional parties will even manage to unite. “It’s come up several times and it’s never worked,” said B G Verghese, a political analyst. “I think it’s all whispering in the dark.”

No party has won enough parliament seats to form a government on its own since 1984, but the next election is expected to throw up the most fractured outcome yet thanks to a shift of popular support from national to regional parties. Congress, which has ruled at the head of a coalition for the last nine years, goes into these polls battered by corruption scandals and popu-

lar disgust over its handling of the economy, while the BJP is torn by infighting.

Leaders of some of the regional groups spotted an opportunity to flex their muscle this week when the BJP chose the polarizing Narendra Modi as its election campaign leader, a move that exposed damaging rifts within the party. Mamata Banerjee, the mercurial chief minister of West Bengal state who has sat in coalitions led by both the BJP and Congress, took the first step.

On Wednesday, she met a key aide of Bihar state’s chief minister, who looks set to break his party’s ties with the BJP, angry over Modi’s elevation. She also picked up the phone to win over the chief of another eastern state, and she posted a telling message of her intentions on Facebook. “Time has come for all the regional parties to come together and form a federal front in the coming Lok Sabha election,” Banerjee wrote, referring to the lower house of parliament.— Reuters

2 dead, dozens rescued as Philippine ferry sinks 2 dead, 25 missing as India boat capsizes

HYDERABAD: An Indian student holds a burning tyre with a rod during a protest demanding creation of a new state named ‘Telangan’ yesterday. The protesters have been demanding that the new state be carved out of the existing state of Andhra Pradesh. — AP

Nepal poll date raises hopes KATHMANDU: Nepal’s announcement of November elections raised hopes for stability in the deeply divided Himalayan nation, but also concerns that the long-awaited polls could still be scuppered, analysts said yesterday. The caretaker government set the Nov 19 date late on Thursday following months of political deadlock that has hampered the country’s recovery after a decade-long civil war.

Former Maoist prime minister Baburam Bhattarai, whose party won the largest share of votes at the last elections held in 2008, welcomed the move. “Now all political parties should focus on ensuring a free and fair election,” Bhattarai said.

But political commentator Tilak Pathak said it was unclear whether all of the major parties would agree to take part, since they were focused on fixing internal party problems, placing the election in jeopardy. “All major parties are battling with internal factionalism and dissents,” Pathak told AFP. “Although cadres of other parties have recently joined (the) Maoists, its leaders have said that the organisational structure is in shambles,” he said.

Nepalese politics has operated in a legislative vacuum since May 2012 when the old parliament was dissolved without producing a constitution, aimed at healing deep divisions over the conflict, amid political disagreements. Polls were scheduled for June this year but were delayed after the country’s main political parties failed to agree on some crucial electoral issues, such as whether to allow candidates with criminal backgrounds to run. Thursday’s breakthrough came after the interim government assured them their concerns would be incorporated into a new amendment on election laws, which has been forwarded to President Ram Baran Yadav for his approval.

But three opposition leaders, representing 42 smaller political groupings, late Thursday threatened to boycott the polls, saying the interim government had not consulted them before announcing the date.—AFP

MANILA/KOLKATA: Fishermen and rescue workers hauled dozens of people out of the sea after a ferry sank in the central Philippines yesterday, but at least two passengers drowned, authorities said. In the latest disaster to hit the nation’s notoriously dangerous sea transport industry, the ferry mysteriously sank in calm weather before dawn about two kilometres from Burias island.

Fishermen on small outrigger motorboats were among the first to arrive on the scene and saved many lives, said local coastguard deputy chief Bayani Belisario. “They (the passengers) were floating in their life jackets and the rescuers picked them out of the water,” Belisario told AFP. He said several people from the sunken ship were also able to make the long swim to the shores of Burias on their own. A navy plane and a coastguard ship, diverted from taking part in maritime exercises in Indonesia, joined the search and 55 people were rescued throughout the morning, according to the authorities. But Belisario said the bodies of two women were recovered from the water. Coast guard volunteer Amadeo Tan told ABS-CBN television that his wife, who was on the ship, called him by her mobile phone to say the boat had sank. “She was already floating in the water. I did not think twice and we rushed to the site,” said Tan, a resident of Masbate island, the ferry’s destination.

Tan said his group rescued dozens including his wife, who was unhurt but left traumatised by the incident. The ferry’s manifest listed 35 passengers and 22 crew aboard but local civil defence chief Raffy Alejandro said there could be as many as seven people still missing.

Seven drivers and assistants who brought two buses and a truck aboard the roll-on, roll-off ferry may not have been listed because they travelled for free, Alejandro told AFP. He said the cause of the sinking was not yet known but the ship’s captain, who was among

those rescued, reported the vessel may have been unbalanced by the buses and large truck. “He said it happened so quickly. It just went down in the darkness,” Alejandro said, adding the waters and weather were calm.

The type of roll-on, roll-off ferry that sank is commonly used in the Philippines to transport people, vehicles

the state of West Bengal, a government minister said. “At least two people died and 25 are missing after the ferry capsized in the Ganges,” Sabitri Mitra, the minister who is overseeing the rescue operation told AFP by telephone. “A total of 19 people, including a child, have so far been rescued.”

Workers are trying to haul up the

MALDA, India: Onlookers gather on the banks of the River Ganges following the capsizing of a ferry carrying passengers and livestock in this district located 270 km north of Kolkata yesterday. — AFP and cargo throughout the archipelago of more than 7,100 islands. Alejandro said the ferry, the MV Lady of Mount Carmel, was not believed to have been overloaded as it sought to make its regular journey of about four hours between the two major provinces of Albay and Masbate, more than 300 km southeast of Manila.

Separately, rescue workers battled heavy rains as they searched for survivors of a boat that capsized in eastern India yesterday, killing at least two people with 25 others still missing, officials said. The overcrowded boat was carrying more than 45 people as well as livestock when it overturned mid-river in

wooden boat which overturned in strong winds near Malda district, 270 km north of the state capital Kolkata. “The river was swollen due to heavy monsoon showers. Locals jumped into the river to rescue the passengers,” the minister said.

Authorities were trying to bring in divers from Kolkata to help search for missing passengers and crew, with rescue efforts hampered by heavy rains.

“Inclement weather and heavy rains are hampering the rescue operation,” Malda police superintendent, Kalyan Mukherjeehe told AFP by telephone.

The state government has ordered an enquiry into the accident. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Thai rebels say peace could be years away KUALA LUMPUR: Rebels from Thailand’s restive south yesterday said securing lasting peace could take years, acknowledging some insurgents were trying to undermine ongoing talks through continued violence. More than 5,500 people have died in the near decade-long insurgency in the Muslimmajority region bordering Malaysia. Talks between the Thai government and representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) began on March 28 but have so far failed to halt near-daily violence. A second rebel group, the Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), joined negotiations from the second round.

Talks could last “two or three years” or even longer, said BRN representative Hassan Taib. “There is no indication how long it will take... We hope that all sides will be patient and see these talks through,” he said in rare comments to foreign media. These talks are our best shot. War does not solve anything. This issue can only be solved through negotiations; that is the only way even if it takes a long time,” he added.

Thailand and the rebels Hassan Taib agreed late Thursday to scale back violence in the country’s south during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which is expected to last from July 9 to Aug 7. Thailand earlier Thursday, before the daylong talks, had expressed impatience at the continuing insurgent violence. Thai National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut, Bangkok’s lead negotiator, told reporters in Thailand yesterday that it would be a “test for them (the BRN) during Ramadan whether they can control the violence”.

He said Thailand would reduce seal-off and search operations of houses, except to protect “soft targets” such as teachers, scores of whom have been executed for their perceived collaboration with the Thai state. Hassan said BRN would provide Thailand with “conditions” within 10 days for a reduction in violence, but he did not elaborate. Five Thai security personnel were killed in a fresh spate of gun and bomb attacks two weeks ago, which the government blamed on insurgents seeking to disrupt the fragile peace process. Despite two rounds of peace talks since March, the bloodshed has raised questions over how much control rebel leaders have over radical militants. Hassan acknowledged that there were divisions with some trying to undermine the negotiations, but said these were “mainly individuals with their own interests” and he hoped those who wanted a resolution would join the talks. “We are only just beginning these negotiations. We intend to include all parties so it goes well,” he said.— AFP

Squalid politics plumbs new depths Down Under Host sacked for asking if PM’s partner is gay SYDNEY: Mud-slinging is nothing new in politics, but a no-holds-barred election campaign in Australia has sunk standards to depths seldom seen before. After a week of headlines filled with sexual innuendo and squalid attacks, The Australian Financial Review harrumphed: “We deserve better than this.” Voters are used to colourful language Down Under, where a high tolerance for intolerance abounds. After all, former Labor Party leader Mark Latham publicly called then prime minister John Howard an “a***licker” of the US president.

Now Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s unflinching determination to go down fighting against Tony Abbott’s cocky conservatives has the chattering classes howling at the dire level of discourse. Some had hoped that the arrival of Australia’s first female leader would help to drain the swamp of debate, political analysts noted.

Fat chance, judging by recent events. After a viciously degrading dinner menu for an opposition fundraiser surfaced on Wednesday, the Labor Party leader went on the attack, accusing the opposition of a pattern of misogynistic behaviour.

On the menu was “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail: Small Breasts and Huge Thighs and A Big Red Box”. Gillard branded it “grossly sexist and offensive”. Could anyone argue? It didn’t take long. The dish was intended for a dinner for Mal Brough, a former minister and an opposition candidate for the Sept 14 elections. Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey was guest of honour. “I’ve certainly been very clear on my view about Mr Abbott,” Gillard announced, alluding to her parliamentary tirade against misogyny last year which went viral online and won global acclaim. “Here we are yet again, Mr Abbott saying that he condemns behaviour but we see a pattern of behaviour. It doesn’t go away.”

The menu emerged a day after Gillard reignited the gender war with a feisty speech alleging the opposition coalition would set back abortion law and “banish women’s voices from the core of our political life” if, as widely predicted, Abbot’s Liberals sweep the elections. She warned

that government would be dominated by “men in blue ties”. That generated much mirth and mockery, not least because many Labor alpha males sport blue ties too. “It’s always possible for Australian political debate to get even sillier. But these are surely new lows in stupidity,” said Review columnist Jennifer Hewett. The opposition called the Gillard comments a “crude political ploy” and demanded apologies.

Abbott, dubbed the “mad monk” after he considered the priesthood in his youth, has pledged not to change abortion laws but did agree the menu went too far. “I think we should all be bigger and better than that,” he said, criticising the menu as “tacky” and “scatological”. But the prime minister-in-waiting also got in a barb of his own over the “menu-gate” affair. He defended Brough and dredged up “squalid jokes told at union conference dinners with (Labor) ministers present”.

By yesterday the menu had faded from the political agenda as it emerged that it had little or nothing to do with the Liberal Party. The Australian newspaper noted: “Facts are off the menu in this twitstorm of smear.” “It’s going to be an interminable

three months until the federal election if the quality of this week’s political debate is any guide,” the daily said.

Could the tone go any lower? Step forward shock jock Howard Sattler to bombard Gillard with blunt questions about her partner’s sexuality on his Perth radio show. Tim Mathieson, known as Australia’s “first bloke”, is an ex-hairdresser. Sattler inferred that must mean he is gay, despite the longstanding boyfriend living with the prime minister in her official residence. “Tim’s gay,” Sattler queried on his Perth radio show. “But that’s absurd,” Gillard parried. “But you hear it - he must be gay, he’s a hairdresser,” Sattler insisted. The Perth radio host refused to drop the matter and continued his line of questioning before Gillard told him to bring himself “back to Earth”. Management at the radio station at first issued a statement saying Sattler had been suspended pending an internal inquiry while apologising to Gillard.

But yesterday afternoon general manager Martin Boylen announced on air he had been fired. Reports said Sattler had six months left on a two-year contract and was planning to take legal action over the sacking.— AFP

SYDNEY: In a file picture taken on April 4, 2013, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks to the Foreign Correspondents Association. — AFP

Australia embraces new gender guidelines SYDNEY: Australia has embraced a growing global trend towards acknowledging greater gender diversity with individuals now able to be referred to as “indeterminate, intersex or unspecified” on official documents rather than male or female.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said new national guidelines, which come into force on July 1, will make it simpler for people to establish or change their sex or gender in personal records held by government departments and agencies. “We recognise individuals may identify, and be recognised within the community, as a gender other than the gender they were assigned at birth or during infancy, or as an indeterminate gender,” he said in a statement late Thursday. “This should be recognised and reflected in their personal records held by departments and agencies.”

The move comes after the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2009 rec-

ommended the government consider developing national guidelines concerning the collection of sex and gender information. The new guidelines state that “where sex and/or gender information is collected and recorded in a personal record, individuals should be given the option to select M (male), F (female) or X (Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified)”.

They state that sex reassignment surgery and/or hormone therapy are not prerequisites for the recognition of a change of gender in Australian government records. When someone requests the sex on their personal record be changed, Dreyfus said the government would accept a statement from their doctor or psychologist, a valid Australian passport (which have allowed X under sex for several years), or a state or territory birth certificate or other document which shows their preferred gender status. “Transgender and intersex people in

Australia face many issues trying to ensure the gender status on their personal records matches the gender they live and how they are recognised by the community,” Dreyfus said. “These guidelines will bring about a practical improvement in the everyday lives of transgender, intersex and gender diverse people.” The move comes just weeks after a New South Wales ruled that sex does not just mean male or female, which suggests terms like “sex not specified” could become more prevalent.

Organisation Intersex International Australia welcomed the new guidelines.

But it noted that many people who were intersex, either because they have the biological attributes of both sexes or lack some of the biological attributes considered necessary to be defined as one or the other, may still identify as male or female. “What happened yesterday was a major leap forward because it helps to

ensure there is consistency in how people are treated at the federal level,” Morgan, a spokesperson for the organisation who did not want to use his surname, told AFP. “We would rather not have to participate in these binary boxes if we don’t want to. People should be able to choose something if they really want.” Australia’s move is seen as part of a global trend towards greater acceptance of sex and gender diversity. In 2011, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described Australia as “in the vanguard of change” when it enabled its citizens to have their sex and gender identity properly recognised on their passports.

“Increasingly, states around the world are starting to recognise the need to reflect sex and gender diversity,” Pillay said at the time, saying pioneering steps had been taken in recent years in Nepal, Portugal, Britain and Uruguay.”— AFP

Business Britain’s G8 tax test for Cameron

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Singapore slams 20 banks in benchmark rate review

Moody’s puts Bahrain debt on watch

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SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

NYC debates crackdown on counterfeit goods

TOULOUSE: The flight test crew, Peter Chandler, Patrick Du-Che, Guy Magrin, Emanuele Costanzo, Fernando Alonso and Pacal Verneau wave to people after the maiden flight of the Airbus A350 at Blagnac airport yesterday. — AP

Airbus A350 completes maiden flight Competition expected to dominate Paris Airshow TOULOUSE: Europe’s newest jetliner, the Airbus A350, successfully completed its maiden flight yesterday, stepping up the battle with arch-rival Boeing for sales of a new generation of sleek, lightweight passenger aircraft. Watched by more than 10,000 staff and spectators, the aircraft’s curled wingtips sliced into clouds above the Airbus factory in southwestern France and flew over the Pyrenees mountains, with a crew of six wearing orange jumpsuits and parachutes. The flight, with two former fighter pilots at the controls, lasted about four hours and capped eight years of development estimated to have cost $15 billion.

“The airplane is behaving extremely well,” said British chief test pilot Peter Chandler, speaking by radio link from an altitude of 13,000 feet. French co-pilot Guy Magrin took the controls for the take-off at 10:01 local time (0801 GMT), giving the

plane air under its wings for the first time in front of a podium of airline chiefs who have ordered 613 aircraft. It touched down at 14:05 local time, after flying past the Toulouse production site.

“It is a great day for Airbus. A maiden flight doesn’t happen that often. It is not like the auto industry, where you launch a new model every two years or even less,” said Tom Enders, the head of Airbus parent EADS. The long-awaited sortie is a milestone for Airbus as it battles against Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner for sales of a new generation of lightweight jets made from carbon-plastic material designed to save fuel and open up new long-distance routes.

Boeing was quickest off the mark with the revolutionary carbon-composite technology and its Dreamliner has outsold the A350 with sales standing at 833 aircraft for 57 customers. Airbus hopes to catch up and also mount a challenge to the US manufac-

turer’s larger, metallic 777 using a later version of the A350.

Setting new standards Airbus’s ebullient New York-born sales chief, John Leahy, lost no time in talking up the plane’s benefits moments after its RollsRoyce engines opened up to full power.

“Did you hear how quiet it was? We are going to set new standards ... People round airports won’t even know we are taking off,” Leahy said. Didier Evrard, a top European missile developer who was selected to run the A350 programme because of its complexity, smiled broadly but refused to relax.

“I will still be nervous until it comes back.

I’m an engineer so I have to be connected to the ground and make sure everything is fine,” he said during the flight. Competition for wide-bodied jets is expected to dominate next week’s Paris Airshow, where the

A350 could steal attention with a brief roar over the aviation industry’s largest showcase. Airbus is finalising orders from Singapore Airlines , Kuwait Airways and Air France and may add a new customer at the June 17-23 show, analysts say. Evrard said that Airbus would soon add a customer in the United States, where industry sources say that United Airlines is negotiating to upgrade and expand an existing order to 35 jets. Airbus initially dismissed the threat posed by the new generation of mid-sized aircraft as it focused on building the world’s largest airliner, the A380 superjumbo. But faced with burgeoning Dreamliner sales, it changed tack and overhauled the design of the A350 by adopting similar composites technology in 2006. To boost sales, Boeing is expected to confirm plans to build a larger version of its Dreamliner. It is also overhauling its 777 with new engines and wings. — Reuters

business SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

India’s inflation cools but rate cut unlikely India delays clearance of Jet-Etihad tie-up NEW DELHI: India’s inflation cooled to a more than three-year low in May, data showed yesterday, but the rupee’s plunge will likely stall any interest rate cut to kickstart the ailing economy. The Wholesale Price Index, India’s most most closely watched inflation gauge, dropped to 4.7 percent in May on an annual basis, down nearly two-tenths of a percentage point from its 4.89 percent level in April. The broadly based wholesale price inflation reading, the lowest since late 2009, was well below market forecasts of a 4.9 percent rise.

It was also inside the central bank’s so-called 5.0 percent “comfort zone”, even though the narrower-based retail inflation measure is double the level near 10 percent. But the Indian currency’s slide to a lifetime low of 58.98 rupees to the dollar earlier in the week has sparked fears inflation could resurge as a key problem in India, which buys 80 percent of its crude oil from abroad.

“We doubt this (inflation fall) will persuade the central bank to cut the repo rate,” said Credit Suisse economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde, citing a

combination of rupee’s weakness, high retail price inflation and expected poor trade data. The rupee was at 57.80 to the dollar after ceding early gains on fresh selling pressure. The weak state of the rupee, which three months ago was at 45.80, was expected to prompt the bank to keep its lending rate on hold at 7.25 percent at its Monday meeting as lower rates could translate into an even weaker currency.

India vitally needs foreign currency as it imports more than it exports and has a ballooning current account deficit-the broadest measure of trade.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced plans Thursday to further liberalise India’s still heavily state-controlled economy to draw more foreign capital and shore up the rupee.

The bank has cut its main lending rate three times since the start of 2013 to spur an economy growing at a decade-low of five percent. Meanwhile, March inflation was revised down yesterday to 5.65 percent from an earlier 5.96 percent while industrial output growth for April was raised to 2.2 percent from a previously announced two

percent. India’s Central Statistics Office has a history of making frequent revisions, which analysts in the past have said raises doubts about the reliability of its data.

Meanwhile, Indian authorities yesterday delayed approval of a plan by Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad to acquire a stake in Jet Airways, as they sought more details on ownership of the merged carrier. The Jet-Etihad deal, announced in April, is the first overseas investment in an existing Indian carrier since New Delhi eased restrictions to allow foreign firms up to a 49 percent stake in the country’s airlines.

Etihad will pick up a 24 percent stake in Jet Airways under the agreement. The government’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board deferred the decision on the 20.6-billion rupee ($389 million) deal-the largest foreign investment in the Indian aviation sector-saying it needed more information.

“It (Jet Airways-Etihad proposal) has been deferred. We need more details of the effective control and ownership,” Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram told reporters in New

Britain’s treasure islands make G8 tax test for Cameron UK seeks tougher rules on beneficial ownership at G8 LONDON: Pitching tougher rules on tax evasion to the G8 is a precarious undertaking for Prime Minister David Cameron. Britain’s own tax havens are world leaders. Britain’s list of exotic Overseas Territories reads like an accountant’s dream menu for a cashrich Russian oligarch with something to hide, while British lawyers lead the field as gatekeepers for elaborate global mazes of offshore trusts. Global tax evasion could be costing more than $3 trillion a year according to researchers from Tax Justice Network while as much as $32 trillion - twice the size of US gross domestic product - could be hidden by individuals in tax havens.

“British tax havens are world leaders in providing a particular type of secrecy,” said John Christensen, an economist who directs the Tax Justice Network and who began investigating offshore havens in 1978. From the families of Asian government officials to the new rich of the former Soviet Union, court cases and data leaks have shown many wealthy individuals favour Britain’s modern day treasure islands as the place to park their millions. Tax authorities scouring a huge batch of leaked data said last month that the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands were among those housing shell companies and trusts to hide wealth.

Once buccaneer havens, many of the sleepy former British colonies now live off a blend of beach tourism and exotic finance that activists say leaves both

LONDON: Protestors dressed as businessmen do a “high five” on a protest site named by participants as the “Isle of Shady Tax Haven” yesterday. —AFP locals and distant taxpayers shortchanged. Stung by revelations that the likes of Google and Starbucks have sharply cut their corporate tax bills in Britain using legal loopholes, Cameron has put tax avoidance at the heart of the agenda for the G8 summit. “No one country can on their own effectively stamp out either tax evasion or aggressive tax avoidance and this is exactly the sort of issue that the leaders of the eight major economies should address,” Cameron said. The British leader has focused on trying to get a deal to create a public register on the beneficial own-

ership of thousands of shell companies and to achieve greater exchange of information between tax authorities.

Global Witness, a campaign group, says a public register would be an achievement even if only one or two G8 members signed up as it would help reveal the real owners of the shell companies it describes as “the worm at the heart of the apple of all money laundering and corruption”. But sceptics doubt the effectiveness of such unilateral steps unless the kind of opaque tax structures used by Britain’s offshore territories are tackled head on. —Reuters

Delhi after the panel meeting. India’s market regulator and competition watchdog has also sought more information from the domestic carrier about the transaction.

They want to make sure that Etihad’s ownership powers in Jet remain in line with its plan to take a 24 percent stake in the company’s expanded share capital. The delay comes as the Congress-led government, which is desperately seeking foreign investment to upgrade dilapidated infrastructure such as highways and ports, has been promising to make it easier to conduct business in India.

Under the agreement, which capped months of discussions between the two airlines, Jet ownerfounder Naresh Goyal will retain 51 percent of the airline. The Etihad investment will allow Jet to reduce its hefty debt and expand its global reach by using the UAE airline’s network. In March, the foreign investment panel cleared a proposal by AirAsia to set up a joint venture airline company with the giant tea-to-steel Tata conglomerate and another partner. — Agencies

Moody’s puts Bahrain debt on watch PARIS: Moody’s credit rating agency put debt issued

by Bahrain on watch yesterday, warning of a possible downgrade because the country could face strains over its debt given the weak outlook for oil prices. Bahrain is a Gulf oil-producing country, but Moody’s warned that it could be entering a period of making a loss on every barrel of oil produced. The agency also warned that political and social tension could undermine confidence and growth prospects. The rating agency highlighted “the country’s rising government debt burden, which introduces uncertainty into the country’s longerterm debt sustainability.”

Saying that it had placed “Bahrain’s Baa1 government issuer rating on review for possible downgrade”, Moody’s said that the oil price needed by Bahrain to make a profit was rising and that this would have an effect on the budget. The agency gave three reasons for its rating decision. First, “the fiscal implications of Bahrain’s high and rising break-even oil price”.

Secondly, “the outlook for lower trend economic growth in the country over the medium term.” And finally, “the impact of a low-growth, high government expenditure and weaker oil price scenario on Bahrain’s long-term debt sustainability.” The review of the rating would focus on the extent to which the structure of the economy in Bahrain had been weakened, and the outcome of the study was expected within three months.

However, Moody’s added that it expected the rating attributed to Bahrain to remain within the range of investment grade ratings. Moody’s said that although Bahrain’s budget deficit in 2012 was 2.6 percent of gross domestic product, which it described as “moderate”, and was smaller than the deficits in 2009 and 2010, the International Monetary Fund had estimated that the price of oil needed by Bahrain to cover production costs was $118.70 per barrel.

This, Moody’s said, was “above our forecast of $106 per barrel for the average oil price in 2013.” The benchmark price of oil, for light sweet crude for delivery in July, fell by 21 cents to $96.48 in trading in Singapore yesterday. — AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

World stocks bounce back after Tokyo drop AMSTERDAM: Global stocks drifted upwards yesterday as Asia rebounded from a sharp selloff following a strong close in Wall Street. It also appeared that investors have begun to reassure themselves that central bank cuts to stimulus measures still appear to be some way off.

Brenda Kelly, Senior Market Strategist at IG Market said she sees “signs of exhaustion in the overall downward equity correction” of recent weeks, which was prompted by fears the US Federal Reserve might wind down its bond-buying program and that the Bank of Japan has done all it is prepared to do to stimulate the Japanese economy.

But “the suggestion from the Bank of Japan minutes overnight was that more aggressive action could occur, should the policymakers deem it necessary,” she said, and “it is extremely unlikely that Federal Reserve President Ben Bernanke will hurry to completely remove the liquidity punchbowl” though she said the possibility of a rate hike could not be ruled out completely. Worries about what the Fed’s next move might be will continue to keep markets on edge until its Open Market Committee meets next week.

In Europe, Britain’s FSTE 100 rose 0.3 percent to 6,321.94. France’s CAC-40 gained 0.2 percent to 3,805.50

and Germany’s DAX rose 0.5 percent to 8,157.88. US markets rose Thursday on data showing US retail sales rose 0.6 percent in May, their strongest showing in six months.

Also, the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was smaller than expected last week. Futures forecast a slightly lower open yesterday, with the S&P 500 seen down 0.2 percent and the Dow Jones Industrials seen flat at 15,115. Kelly of IG Markets said that US data due out later will determine the tone for the second half of the European session. Manufacturing data for May is expected to show an increase of 0.3 percent, compared to a fall of 0.5 percent in April. —AP

Singapore slams 20 banks in benchmark rate review Probe finds 133 traders tried to rig rates

PAPHOS: A picture shows a general view of the Petra Tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s Rock) and the clear azure waters of the eastern Mediterranean off the southwestern Paphos region in Cyprus. — AFP

Crisis-hit Cyprus returns to holiday island mode PAPHOS: After Cyprus’s bloated banking sector was hit by a body blow this spring, sending the economy further into recession, cut-price summer holiday offers are attracting tourists but not the spending needed. On the pebbly beach in front of Aphrodite’s Rock, where legend has it the goddess was born out of the foam, tourists bask in the sun and bathe in the clear azure waters of the eastern Mediterranean.

“I’ve been here many many times, and the crisis didn’t change anything for me,” said John, a 55-year-old consultant from Britain. “I just brought more cash. But I can see that restaurants are emptier.

Everything is emptier.” His caution about cash was prompted by the banks’ 12-day closure in March and long queues at ATMs after they reopened-seen on television and in newspapers around the world-as a crippling EU bailout was being hammered for the near bankrupt country.

The banks have long since reopened, and long queues almost a remote memory. The government has since put the priority on tourism, long a major money earner, as an anchor for the economy. As part of that policy, it has vowed to keep struggling flag carrier Cyprus Airways afloat until the end of the summer season, even as it sinks deeper into the red.

“Surprisingly enough, this season is starting better than last year, but people are on a narrow budget,” said George Nicolaou, 48, owner of a hotel apartment facing the sea near Larnaca on the south coast. “The bar and the restaurant are often empty,” he said, but more than 50 percent of the rooms are booked out for the month of June, not counting last-

minute arrivals. On the terrace of her restaurant in Paphos harbour, Eleni Ionannou also pointed to low-budget tourism and package tours.

“Many people are coming but not as many as expected... They don’t spend anymore,” she lamented. This time last year, she had 300 customers a day and that number has been halved. Instead of an average outlay of 25 euros ($32), the average customer now spends only 15 euros. After a fall in April, from 162,000 last year to 189,000, reservations and projected figures have recovered to last year’s levels, based on statistics from travel agents and airlines, according to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

The sector is a lifeline for Cyprus. Last year, 2.46 million tourists brought in 1.92 billion euros, or 10.5 percent of GDP. To counter all the negative publicity over the Cypriot economy, travel agents have been offering cut-price holidays, “leading to the arrival of a class of tourist who spends less,” said tourism official Doros Georgiades. Mauro Protopapa, a 29-yearold veterinarian from Italy, came with his archaeologist girlfriend. They paid a mere 50 euros each for their plane tickets and are spending 40 euros a night for accommodation.

“Before, it was too expensive but with the crisis prices have come down, and so we decided to come, especially for the archaeology and history of this country.

Thanks to the crisis, we have been able to come, by paying less,” he said. But tourism officials on the island, where the recession could reach double digits this year, see bleak days ahead despite the sunshine. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s central bank censured a record 20 banks yesterday after it found more than 100 traders in the city state tried to rig key borrowing and currency rates. The probe by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) marks the latest development in a global crackdown on rate-rigging and adds more banks, including ING and Bank of America , to the list of lenders involved. The watchdog said 133 traders had tried to inappropriately influence the rates.

It did not fine the banks, but ordered them to set aside additional reserves for a year.

The city state’s banking and market associations also unveiled reforms of how banks will set the benchmarks, including basing some of them on actual trades rather than estimates submitted by banks.

Europe and the United States are also pushing for benchmark rates to be based on actual trades. Financial market reference rates are under intense scrutiny around the world following the discovery that some had been rigged, most notably the LiborLondon Interbank Offered Ratebenchmark for interest rates.

Barclays was the first bank to be fined for Libor manipulation, and US and UK authorities have slapped fines of hundreds of millions of dollars on Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS and are investigating more banks. The regulatory focus has now expanded to the foreign exchange market.

Britain’s financial watchdog is looking into a report that traders manipulated benchmark foreign exchange rates.

The Singapore watchdog ordered UBS, RBS and ING to set aside the most in additional reserves, with each having to post between S$1 billion ($800 million) and S$1.2 billion extra with the central bank. The money will be returned if the banks take the required remedial action.

Review expanded to forex The regulator said of the 133 traders found to have acted inappropriately, three quarters had either been fired or resigned. The remainder would be subject to disciplinary action, including forfeiting their bonuses. UBS said these were the actions of a few in the past. A UBS

spokesman said it had significantly strengthened its internal procedures and controls. ING said it had taken disciplinary action against the small number of individuals involved. RBS said it would comply with any required remedial measures.

Other banks censured included BNP Paribas, Bank of America, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Barclays , Credit Suisse, DBS, Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered. “The punishment is not light. It is a good reminder to banks to keep their governance in order. The opportunity cost of not lending the money can be quite hefty,” said Roger Tan, CEO of SIAS Research, the equity research arm of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore).

The Singapore regulator first ordered banks in the city-state to review benchmark borrowing rates nearly a year ago. That review was extended in September last year to foreign exchange benchmark rates used to price currency derivatives, particularly instruments known as non-deliverable forwards. Reuters reported in January how the banks’ investigations had found evidence

that traders were manipulating rates in the offshore foreign exchange market.

Singapore’s two main lending benchmarks, the Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (Sibor) and the Swap Offer Rate (SOR) are used to price mortgages and other types of loans.

The Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee and the Association of Banks in Singapore announced that the US-dollar linked version of Sibor would be scrapped, with banks relying on US-dollar Libor instead.

It also said that, while Singapore dollar Sibor would continue to be based on banks’ estimates of borrowing costs, other benchmark rates, including the SOR, the Indonesian rupiah and the Thai Baht would now be based on traded prices.

Benchmark rates for the Malaysian ringgit, Vietnamense dong, and swap offer rates for the Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht will be scrapped.

Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Reuters News, calculates and distributes the benchmark rates for the Association of Banks in Singapore. — Reuters

SINGAPORE: A person walks along a bridge in front of the skyline of the financial district yesterday. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

French must pay into pensions for longer PARIS: The French should pay contributions for longer to get a full pension and well-off pensioners should pay more taxes, a much-awaited advisory report to President Francois Hollande’s government said yesterday. Pension reform, a controversial issue for decades in France, will be closely watched by its euro-zone partners, which expect changes in the generous but costly system in return for giving Paris more time to bring its public finances back in line. The study does not propose a radical overhaul of the pay-as-you go scheme but calls for measures that ask more of workers and pensioners. It also recommends a fractional increase of employers’ pension contributions.

The government has said it will study proposals from the report but is not bound by them for its planned revamp of the pension system later this year. The objective of the reform is to balance the accounts of the pension system by 2020, which would otherwise face a funding deficit of about 20 billion euros ($26.6 billion) by then.

Past governments have sought to

overhaul France’s costly system of oldage provision but have run up against fierce street protests. In a sign of how sensitive pension reforms are in France, President Francois Hollande angrily told the European Commission it could not “dictate” French policy after the EU executive urged it last month to reform its pension system by the end of 2013 and made recommendations on how best to do that.

After receiving the consultative report yesterday, Prime Minister JeanMarc Ayrault said pension reform was “absolutely within reach” and that the efforts asked of the French people would not be “overwhelming.” The panel recommends increasing the contributions period needed for a full pension from 41.5 years now to up to 44 years, which could mean that many could end up having to work longer although the statutory retirement age would not change.

“The committee considers that increasing the duration of contribution is the most relevant way of adapting the pension system... to longer life expectancy,” the report said. The statu-

tory retirement age, which was raised to 62 from 60 in 2010, should be looked into in the medium to long term, the panel. The report proposes only a fractional increase in employers contributions after the European Commission and IMF both recommended that employers should not see their costs rise. It suggests increasing part of the pension contributions by 0.1 percentage points per year between 2014 and 2017, and to share that equally between employers and employees. Well-off pensioners would get smaller tax rebates, pay more social security contributions and their pension would temporarily not be fully indexed to inflation.

Protests France has tried for more than 20 years to reform its pension system but successive governments have only pushed through minor reforms in the face of staunch opposition. Some of the toughest strikes and protests France has ever known were triggered by pension reforms, with the country paralysed for weeks in 1995 when the then conservative Prime Minister Alain Juppe

tried to push through reforms. Major labour unions have said they would oppose an increase in contribution periods as well as a change in how public sector pensions are calculated. They have warned of protests if they were unhappy with the upcoming reform, which they will discuss with employer groups on June 20-21.

More than one in seven French say change is necessary but 80 percent consider the upcoming proposals will not guarantee the sustainability of the pension system, a Tilder-LCI-Le Figaro poll showed. A reform that falls short of seriously addressing the failings the pension system risks rattling investors in French debt, which has seen record low interest rates this year.

“For the investors that we have contact with, the retirement reform is very important and is followed closely,” the head of the Agence France Tresor public debt management agency, Ambrose Fayolle, told Les Echos newspaper.

“They’ve taken note that the French authorities’ intention to push this file through before the end of the year,” he said. — Reuters

EU ministers press France over US free trade talks Washington, Brussels want free trade deal by 2014 LUXEMBOURG: France was holding out yesterday in defence of its prized ‘cultural exception’ as EU trade ministers tried to get Paris on-board and agree a mandate for free trade talks with the United States. France “rejects this mandate,” French Commerce Minister Nicole Bricq told her EU colleagues. “France will refuse any mandate which does not come with protection of the cultural sector and a clear and explicit exclusion of the audiovisual sector,” Bricq said, according to a copy of her comments.

For its part, Washington says no areas should be excluded and EU officials have repeatedly warned that any exceptions will only hand the US an early bargaining chip in what promise to be very tough negotiations.

At the same time, ministers are under great pressure to agree the guidelines on which the European Commission will negotiate the EUUS Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) so the talks can be formally launched at next week’s G8 meeting.

In an effort to convince France all will be well, the Commission has offered Paris a right of review and approval of any decisions taken on the cultural sector. Bricq did not directly address this issue, which the Commission had touted as an important concession, and noted that when the EU approved a mandate for free trade talks with Japan last year, the cultural sector was excluded.

Minister Richard Bruton of Ireland, which holds the current EU presidency, stressed the positives as he went into the talks while recognising there are “a number of sensitive issues” to be settled. “We fully realise that the audiovisual sector ... is a very major concern to France,” Bruton said. “Within the mandate we have sought to develop compromises that would give reassurance and protection to the sector.”

He described the review and approval option as an “opening position” to be dis-

cussed further, noting it was in addition to an earlier compromise that would ring-fence the audiovisual sector in the US talks to further protect them. Germany, which has found itself opposed to France on several issues in recent months, emphasised the need for compromise and said Paris should give some ground.

“France should move a bit ... (we all) have to do that from time to time,” said Anne Ruth Herkes, the top official in the German trade ministry. “We are all for cultural diversity ... but the German economy, Europe and the world would benefit from a free trade deal with the United States,” she said.

France jealously guards it cultural sector, with French TV stations required to air at least 40-percent home produced content while another 20 percent must come from Europe before American TV soap operas even get a look in.

Cinema-goers pay a levy on each ticket to help fund the French film industry which many believe could not survive without such support in the face of Hollywood’s dominance. Washington and Brussels hope the TTIP will deliver a major boost to growth and jobs, especially in Europe where the debt crisis has left the economy stuck in the doldrums.

An accord would be the world’s largest Free Trade Agreement, with bilateral trade in goods last year worth some 500 billion euros ($670 billion), another 280 billion euros in services and trillions in investment flows. The EU says it would add some 119 billion euros annually to the EU economy, with 95 billion euros for the United States. While France and the cultural sector dominated the opening, ministers also have to review other issues yesterday, not least a series of trade disputes with China which have also exposed deep differences within the EU-notably between Berlin and Paris. — AFP

ATHENS: An ERT employee sits at the reception desk of the state television headquarters. — AFP

Turn Greek channel on: Europe TV chief ATHENS: The European Broadcasting Union yesterday asked Greece to reopen state broadcaster ERT after the government sparked protests with a surprise decision to pull it off the air in a bid to cut state spending.

“We ask the government to reverse this decision, we ask the government to reestablish the signal on TV, radio and web,” said JeanPaul Philippot, president of the EBU, which aims to promote public-service broadcasting and is the world’s largest association of national broadcasters.

ERT employees and journalists are protesting for a fourth day after Tuesday’s shock decision, which saw the broadcaster shut down within hours of a government legislative act. Hundreds of ERT staff have been staging sit-ins at company offices in major cities, while the main headquarters in Athens is running a rogue broadcast on the Internet and through the Communist party TV channel. “We will continue the occupation until ERT reopens and the legislative act is withdrawn,” ERT unionist Nikos Tsimbidas told

AFP. “You will go down in history for blackened television,” main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras told the government in parliament. Tsipras has already likened the shutdown to a “coup d’etat.” For the first time since the decision, criticism also emerged from inside Prime Minister’s Samaras conservative party yesterday.

“No means justify the ends, particularly when euthanasia is used as a cure,” conservative European Parliament member Ioannis Tsoukalas said on his website. Tsoukalas also called ERT’s silencing “repulsive”. European Parliament chairman Martin Schulz also weighed into the debate yesterday, calling on Samaras to reconsider his decision. Samaras heads a fragile three-party coalition in a careful balancing act to enact unpopular austerity reforms in return for bailout loans from the European Union and International Monetary Fund . He has now risked his government’s cohesion just as investor confidence was beginning to return in recession-wracked Greece. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

S&P leaves Spanish debt just above junk status MADRID: Standard & Poor’s held Spain’s sovereign debt rating at just above junk bond status yesterday, predicting a weak economic recovery in 2014 but sounding the alarm on high foreign debt levels. The New York-based credit rating agency confirmed Spain’s long-term debt at “BBB minus”, a single notch above junk bond status. The rating was given a negative outlook, meaning it could be lowered to junk bond status in the next 12-18 months if Spanish economic reforms falter, euro-zone support fails to satisfy investors or government debt runs out of control.

Spain’s economy will shrink by 1.5 percent this year before enjoying 0.6-percent growth in 2014 as the recovery is crimped by high unemployment, low wages and a budget squeeze, Standard & Poor’s said in a statement. “Positively, we believe that the Spanish economy is recalibrating,” it said.

“The focus appears to be moving toward external demand as strong goods and services exports have shown since 2010,” the agency said. Spain’s competitiveness had also improved, it said, with labour costs sliding by 10 percent since mid-2009. But external debt posed a risk, it said, with net international liabilities hovering just below 100 percent of annual economic output. The high cost of borrowing for the private sector slowed the economy, too, it said. The jobs outlook remained grim in Spain, where the unemployment rate shot above 27 percent in the first quarter of 2013.

“Despite the robust export performance we expect unemployment to remain very high at above 26 percent at least until there is a sustained economic recovery,” Standard & Poor’s said. Weak investment in Spain, where firms face high borrowing costs, and demographic changes such as Spain’s ageing population,

were undermining the country’s medium-term growth potential, it said.

The agency said it expected Spain to meet targets agreed with the European Union of cutting the public deficit to 6.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2013 and 5.8 percent in 2014, but extra austerity measures may be needed.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government could find more savings by reducing tax exemptions, squeezing public salary end-of-year salary payments or changing the social security system, including pensions, it said. Spain’s deficit-cutting targets for the following two years — 4.2 percent of GDP in 2015 and 2.8 percent in 2016 — were at risk, however, from the weak economic prospects and political temptations to spend in a likely election year in 2015, Standard & Poor’s said. — AFP

Brazilians back on street against high travel fares Police arrest 60 for demanding rollback

NEW YORK: A woman looks through a display of purses on Canal Street. — AP

NYC debates crackdown on counterfeit goods NEW YORK: Bargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan’s Chinatown for bags, jewelry and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street.

Among the goods are luxury items labeled “Prada” or “Louis Vuitton” or some other luxury brand - counterfeits sold for a pittance. In some cases, handbags going for $2,000 on Fifth Avenue can be had downtown for, say, $20.

They’re seductive fakes. Until now, the law enforcement focus has been on catching the sellers. But if a proposed bill passes the City Council, customers caught buying counterfeits could be punished with a fine of up to $1,000, or up to a year in prison. The New York City legislation, if passed, would be the first in the United States to criminalize the purchase of counterfeits.

Council member Margaret Chin, who introduced the bill, said at a public hearing Thursday that counterfeits deprive the city of at least $1 billion in tax revenue a year that could support community improvements. What’s more, she says, the counterfeit trade has been linked to child labor and the funding of organized crime and terror groups. “For tourists, it’s fun, it’s a bit of adventure,” Chin says. “We have to let people know that if you engage in this activity you are committing a crime.”

On the street, day after day, sellers press their hard-sell routines. “Rolex! Chanel!” a man on a street corner whispers someone walking by. “Get this before the police do!” he adds with a grin. Buyers are walked to a designated spot where they’re quietly shown photos of the desired goods. Choices are then signaled to another person who disappears to an undisclosed location - a vendor’s back room, a nearby apartment, the back of a van.

The item arrives within minutes, and cash exchanges hands.

The counterfeit vendors are also a hassle for those who live in the area, says John Hagen, a resident there for the last 30 years. He says the counterfeit vendors have ruined his block. “I walk out of my house every day into it,” he says. “I’m sick of what this has done to our neighborhood.” Some at Thursday’s hearing were concerned about how the new law would be enforced and whether it would hurt both businesses and buyers.—AP

SAO PAULO: Thousands of youths clashed with riot police across central Sao Paulo late Thursday in a fresh round of rowdy protests over higher mass transit fares. Police reported at least 60 arrests following running battles with demonstrators demanding a rollback of an increase in bus, metro and train ticket prices from $1.50 to $1.60. Small groups of vandals set fire to garbage in the streets, while others smashed store windows or spray-painted buses.

Protests over higher bus fares were also held in Rio, a major tourism gateway and a host city for the Confederations Cup that kicks off today.

More than 2,000 people, most of them students, marched down Rio’s central Rio Branco Avenue to demand lower bus fares, which rose from $1.29 to $1.38. In the central Brazilian city of Goiania, the local transport company suspended the fare hike in response to protests. The Sao Paulo demonstration began with an estimated 5,000 youths, many of them students waving red flags of the Trotskyist Unified Socialist Workers’ Party (PSTU) and chanting leftist slogans, massed outside the Baroque-style Municipal Theater near City Hall. Some banners read “We will not tolerate being exploited” or “Our rights have a price.”

“We want the fare increases to be scrapped and a free (transport) pass for students,” 23-year-old Alina Bailo of the Union of Rebel Youth told AFP. But Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad told reporters that the new fares would be maintained because they are “well below inflation.” After a tense standoff outside the Municipal Theater, two dozen helmeted riot police, armed with batons, shields, tear gas and shotguns, mounted a show of force.

Backed by other members of the tactical squad in SUVs and motorcycles, they methodically cleared the area as six police helicopters circled overhead. But the young demonstrators fanned out in other parts of Brazil’s economic capital and most populous city. Police sealed off Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo’s main

thoroughfare, under strict orders not to allow the demonstrators to enter.

Some of the demonstrators linked their struggle to a strike launched earlier in the day by rail workers of the Metropolitan Train Paulista Company demanding higher pay and other work benefits. The strike affected three of the six lines operated by CPTM, which carries 2.6 million passengers each day. It sparked traffic chaos across the metropolitan area, home to 20 million people.

But the strikers later agreed to return to work and await a court ruling on their demands next week. Late Tuesday, Sao Paulo demonstrators ransacked 87 buses, hurled petrol bombs and smashed windows during clashes with police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Shops, public telephone booths, banks and some metro stations were also vandalized.

The Free Pass Movement, one of the sponsors of the Sao Paulo protests that began last week, meanwhile accused the military police of provoking the demonstrators. In an op-ed published in

the daily Folha de Sao Paulo, three members of the movement said the police’s “violent actions” had “transformed the protest into a popular revolt.” “The immediate popular demand is that the fare increase be rescinded. And it is on those terms that any dialogue must be established,” they added.

Reporters Without Borders slammed the military police’s treatment of journalists covering the protests. Three journalists were arrested during clashes between police and demonstrators, including two who were charged with obstructing police before being released an hour later, the Paris-based media freedom organization said. The third was charged with “forming a criminal gang” and “property damage,” and is still being held. “These police abuses constitute serious violations of freedom of information,” the group said.

“Journalists must not be treated as if they were demonstrators. The police must undertake to respect their neutrality and their physical integrity.” — AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: A couple of demonstrators embrace each other as they are hounded by riot police during a protest of students against the recent rise in the fare of public transport yesterday. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Weaning E Africa from aid is proving a taxing affair NAIROBI: East Africa’s economies - Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda - may need to do more than just present their budgets simultaneously if they are to draw the foreign investment they need to wean themselves off aid. The countries are working towards a single currency to increase trade and harmonise their economies further under the East African Community, and the partner states agreed in 2005 to read their budget on the same day.

There has been some progress on a customs union, but the region remains administratively disparate with differing levels of population and wealth, but most enjoy political stability. The bloc is struggling to open up commerce among its member states due to red-tape at border points and lack of a common currency.

So for now, the four states are betting on the traditional African fallback of natural resources in the shape of huge discoveries of oil and gas to attract the higher foreign cash to boost economic growth rates presently around 5-7 percent.

The countries are striving to achieve double-digit growth in the short-term. The oil money will come, but meanwhile growing popuations craving jobs and difficult lenders exerting political agendas mean there is a need for immediate cash if budget ambitions are to be met. On Thursday, the four finance ministers sought even more taxes from investors, in a bid to reduce dependancy on fickle foreign aid.

“Foreign donors have a role to play in helping strengthen economic policies, which in turn help improve the private sector operating environment. Seeking to reduce donor budget assistance has implications,” said Angus Downie, head of economic research at Ecobank. Kenya’s re-introduction of a tax on capital gains on real estate and marketable securities that was suspended in 1985 was the most direct hit on investors. Kenyan stocks have drawn demand from yieldseeking foreign investors after March’s presidential election passed off peacefully, lifting the main share index over 20 percent, making it the third-best performer in Africa after Uganda and Nigeria, up some 35 and 34 percent respectively.

“I think it will harm investment, especially in the short-term,” said Melissa Verreynne, an economist at NKC Independent Economists. “(But) given that there are a number of attractive investment opportunities in the country, the introduction of capital gains tax is not expected to lead to a substantially lower investment level in the medium- to long-term.” Kenya’s Finance Minister, Henry Rotich, said the tax will mainly target ‘wealthy’ member of the society, referring to a growing middle class that has lifted investments in real estate and securities in the east Africa’s biggest economy. In Uganda, the withdrawal of donor funding during the 2012/13 fiscal year pushed Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka to introduce an array of new taxes on petroleum products, financial services and telephony service to plug the deficit. “The increased taxing of the telecom and financial services sectors makes sense given that these have been the fastest growing in the economy and the limits on raising direct taxes,” Mark Bohlund, of IHS Global Insight, said.

Royalty tax Tanzania, a largely conservative country with stiff regulations on foreign investors and repatriation of earnings, plans to review mining taxes and royalties upwards. Bohlund said tax exemptions for foreign investors in Tanzania has been a big issue and a review at a time when commodity prices are falling globally could lead to job losses, similar to the ones witnessed in South Africa. “Falling commodity prices have already led to reduced production and job losses in the mining sector and this will be aggravated if sovereigns push forcefully to increase their take,” Bohlund said. Rwanda, which plans to finance 40 percent of its budget from external sources, also said it will introduce a new royalty tax on minerals to compliment its increased taxes on its fasted growing sectors, telecom and financial services.

The country successfully issued its first Eurobond in April after several donors withheld aid support over the alleged backing of rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, a charge Kigali denies. Finance Minister Claver Gatete told a news conference yesterday that although investors were clamouring for another debt offering, it would not issue one just yet.—Reuters

China to scrap iron ore import licence system Companies only require routine licenses to import iron ore SHANGHAI: China plans to scrap its decade-old iron ore import licensing system this year, an industry source said on Thursday, a move that may further lift imports in a market that takes twothirds of the world’s international iron ore trade. The move could also cut costs for domestic steel mills by eliminating licensed middlemen charging commissions for imports. It could also mark the end of years of efforts by China to strictly regulate the trade due to worry over its growing dependence on imports and in an effort to wrest pricing power away from big miners such as Rio Tinto and Vale.

“China will open up its iron ore trade from the second half of the year,” said the source, with direct knowledge of the matter, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. “Import qualification licences will no longer be required in order to make the industry more market-oriented and give steel mills more choices,” the source added. China imported a record 743 million tonnes of iron ore in 2012, up 8 percent from the prior year.

Iron ore traders will need only the same routine licences that are issued to other importers and will no longer need approval by government-backed industry bodies such as the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA). The licensing system was part of China’s efforts to make the iron ore industry speak with “one voice” when dealing with major foreign suppliers. The system was also meant

to exclude unlicensed traders who were blamed for driving up prices through speculative buying.

That campaign proved counterproductive, however, instead creating a grey market for middlemen to rent out their permits. “I don’t see any immediate impact on market prices now, but many steel mills would not need to pay extra agent fees to licensed importers for getting the raw material, which would help them reduce cost,” an iron ore trader in Beijing said.

“At some point, this may be good news for miners as more buyers could help support iron ore prices and higher flow of imported raw materials may also bring pressure on domestic miners,” he added. CISA and the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters (CCCMC), a unit that helps regulate iron ore trade on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce, worked together to issue licences to importers.

No one at CISA or CCCMC were available to comment. “Some traders that held licences made a huge profit by selling imported iron ore to those unlicensed buyers over the past few years and the move means that they might lose the advantage,” said an iron ore trader in Shanghai. China has been trying to reduce government interference in the workings of the market, with its new leaders also seeking to streamline approvals procedures to rejuvenate the country’s slowing economy and promote economic reform. — Reuters

JAKARTA: An employee counts Indonesian Rupiah at a money change outlet yesterday. Indonesia’s central bank unexpectedly hiked interest rates for the first time in more than two years as it seeks to boost confidence in the rupiah after the currency fell to a four-year low. — AFP

Bank of England’s Tucker set to quit LONDON: Bank of England Deputy Governor Paul Tucker, beaten to the central bank’s top job by Mark Carney, will stand down later this year, giving the Canadian an early chance to start reshaping the BoE’s upper echelons. Tucker, part of the majority of policymakers which opposes further bond buying, had been expected to stand down ever since Carney, the former head of Canada’s central bank, was named in November as the surprise choice for governor.

He will replace Mervyn King, who retires from the BoE at the end of this month. But the timing of the announcement took some by surprise - Tucker’s term was due to end next February and might be a sign that other top policymakers will bring forward their departures, said Tom Vosa, an economist at National Australia Bank. “The interesting bit will be whether the replacement is an internal or external candidate, which will probably give you some clues as to how Carney expects to position the bank under his governorship.” Carney will head up a central bank that now has much greater powers, and he is widely expected to start giving markets guidance on monetary policy soon after he takes over.

He has already decided to bring his former chief spokesman from the Bank of Canada with him, in a possible sign he may pursue a more open communications style than King and that more external appointments are in the pipeline. Tucker is likely to stay on at the BoE for the first months of Carney’s term, which starts on July 1, and the exact date of his departure will be confirmed in due course, the BoE said in a statement.

When British finance minister George Osborne announced Carney’s appointment in November, he said he hoped Tucker would continue to work for the central bank. But the disappointment of losing out on the governorship was widely seen as too bitter for Tucker, who has been with the bank for more than 30 years. Tucker, who is responsible for financial stability, had been seen as a strong candidate to succeed King.

But his chances took a knock in July last year when the BoE came under fire for failing to act on signs a few years earlier that banks had been rigging the LIBOR interbank interest rate. Tucker was the BoE’s executive director for markets at that point and was in close contact with Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond, who later resigned over the scandal.—Reuters

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013 www.kuwaittimes.net

From YouTube to the big screen, Filipino prisoners dance to fame PAGE 25

Sting, Billy Joel, Elton John at Songwri ters Hall PAGE 22

Creations by New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya made of LEGO bricks are on display during the opening of “The Art of the Brick” exhibition at Discovery Times Square in New York, yesterday. Sawaya’s art focuses on large-scale sculptures using only LEGO bricks and he was the first artist to ever take LEGO into the art world. The exhibition is scheduled to run June 13, 2013-January 5, 2014. — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Mercer Award winners Elton John and Bernie Taupin during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013 Annual Induction and Awards Ceremony June 13, 2013 in New York.

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Inductees Joe Perry and Steven Tyler speak during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013.

Inductees Joe Perry and Steven Tyler perform.

Sting introduces Mercer Award winner Elton John.

ting performed in honor of Elton John, Billy Joel sang snippets of Foreigner’s hits when introducing the band and Smokey Robinson debuted part of a new song he wrote about Berry Gordy. The 44th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony was full of star power that included Alison Krauss, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Nickelback, Petula Clark, Wiz Khalifa, Jordin Sparks and a video message from Bill Clinton.

Tyler, Perry, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Holly Knight, JD Souther and Tony Hatch were inducted Thursday into the Songwriters Hall 2013 class in New York City.

John and writing partner Bernie Taupin received the Johnny Mercer award, and Sting kicked off the night with a performance of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” Sting also called John and Taupin “my two heroes.” John, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall in 1992, said songwriting, is often taken for granted. “I don’t mean this lightly, but when you get an Ivor Novello award or an American songwriter’s award, it means so much more than a Grammy because this is where the whole process starts,” he said.

John also used the stage to try to clear his differences with Joel.

“I didn’t see you tonight Mr. Joel, but I want to see you,” he said.

Joel responded later when he was onstage with light jokes. “Is Elton still here by the way?” he asked. “Anyway, we’re OK. Call me.

It’s the same phone number.” Joel introduced Jones and Gramm, who gave the night’s most rousing performance when they sang the Foreigner hits “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is,” which had the crowd singing along, standing and swaying side-to-side at the black tie event. Foreigner also got a boost thanks to The Anthony Morgan’s Inspirational Choir of Harlem.

Petula Clark also stunned with her performance of “Downtown,” which Hatch wrote and produced in 1964. Hatch, too, was entertaining on the piano as he sang a medley of tunes

he wrote, including Clark’s “My Love” and Bobby Rydell’s “Forget Him.” Hatch also provided the laughs after thanking Universal Music, who owns his publishing. “I hope that plug will get me more royalties in the future,” he said. “I’m still under those 1966 contracts.”

Nickelback was impressive with their rendition of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” which was followed with the rock icons singing “Walk This Way.” Krauss was soft when she sang for Souther, and Patty Smyth was a firecracker when she performed “The Warrior” in honor of Knight, who has written hits for Tina Turner and Pat Benatar. “I want to dedicate this to all of my exes,” Knight said before singing “Love Is a Battlefield” on piano. Robinson, who gave a lengthy, 15-minute introduction to Gordy, said he was

Sting performs at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013.

Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner pose with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Billy Joel inducts Lou Gramm and Mick Jones.

Rob Thomas presents Starlight Award to Benny Blanco.

Inuctees Lou Gramm and Mick Jones perform. recovering from inflamed vocal cords and hadn’t performed in two months. Then he sang part of a new song he wrote about his relationship with Gordy, who he called his mentor, brother, sometimes dad and best friend.

“Did you know all the joy you’d be bringing,” he sang. Some of the cast of “Motown: The Musical” followed with a medley of classics. Benny Blanco, the 25-year-old who has co-written No. 1 hits for Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Ke$ha, earned the Hal David Starlight award. “They picked the wrong person,” said Blanco, who has also worked with Khalifa, Nicki Minaj and Bruno Mars.

“I’m in a room with people I should probably be serving food to.”

The event also featured a video from Clinton, who spoke about the significance of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” during the Civil Rights Movement. The song, performed by Jordin Sparks, was honored with the towering song award. The night also paid tribute to Hal David, who died last year, and Phil Ramone, who died in March. — AP

Petula Clark presents inductee Tony Hatch.

Petula Clark and Tony Hatch perform.

Jordin Sparks performs.

Inductee JD Souther during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013.

Inductee Holly Knight speaks.

Patty Smyth performs.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

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ollywood legends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have sparked a surge of debate in Tinseltown after warning that the film industry is set to implode, amid soaring budgets and cable TV rivalry. “E.T.” icon Spielberg revealed that his Oscar-winning political biopic “Lincoln” almost didn’t make it into theaters last year, while Lucas said the path to release films in theaters is “getting smaller and smaller.” Pricing structures could also change with, for example, theaters charging $25 for the next “Iron Man” blockbuster but only $7 for a ticket to see “Lincoln,” or even a Broadway-style structure, with much costlier tickets and longer runs.

There has long been a trend in the major Hollywood studios towards more sure-fire commercial hits, either with bankable A-list stars or blockbuster sequels to already tried-and-tested franchises. But the constant introduction of new technologies, from DVDs to BluRays to on-demand entertainment, as well as the widespread illegal peer-topeer sharing of movies, have steadily eaten into the industry’s bottom line. Speaking at a debate Wednesday at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Spielberg said some young filmmakers’ ideas were often “too fringe-y for the movies.”

“That’s the big danger, and there’s eventually going to be an implosion-or a big meltdown,” he said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He added: “You’re at the point right now where a studio would rather invest $250 million in one film for a real shot at the brass ring... than make a whole bunch of really interesting, deeply personal” films, he was quoted as saying. “There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen megabudget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm,” he said.

“Star Wars” legend Lucas added: “You’re going to end up with fewer theaters, bigger theaters with a lot of nice things. Going to the movies will cost 50 bucks or 100 or 150 bucks, like what Broadway costs today, or a football game.”

Lucas said: “I think eventually the ‘Lincolns’ will go away and they’re going to be on television.” “As mine almost was,” Spielberg interjected, physically illustrating how near “Lincoln” was to being released on cable TV channel HBO. “This close-ask HBO-this close,” he said. Lucas added: “We’re talking ‘Lincoln’ and ‘Red Tails’ (a 2012 film which Lucas executive produced) — we barely got them into theaters. You’re talking about Steven Spielberg and George Lucas can’t get their movie into a theater.”

The trend towards making “edgier” films for cable TV rather than theater was highlighted recently by “Behind the Candelabra,” Steven Soderbergh’s biopic of flamboyant entertainer Liberace, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. The film’s gay theme prompted mainstream Hollywood to shy away from financing the picture. As a result, Soderbergh turned to the US cable TV giant HBO, meaning it cannot be an Oscar contender. Films with budgets of $250 million are increasingly common, and a number have failed in recent years, including last year’s “John Carter,” which led to the departure of a top Disney boss and cost the studio some $200 million. Hollywood Alister Will Smith’s latest movie “After Earth,” with an estimated budget of $130 million, flopped badly earlier this month, making a less-than-stellar $27.5 million on its opening weekend. — AFP US director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas wave as they arrive to attend the screening of their film ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival in this May 18, 2008 file photo in Cannes, France. — AFP

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he Replacements will be reuniting this year - more than two decades after the American rock band’s last concert for three stops on the Riot Fest & Carnival tour. The band said on late Wednesday that it will perform during the Riot Fest in Toronto Aug 24-25, in Chicago for the Sept 13-15 stop and in Denver on Sept 21-22. The Replacements, credited with giving punk rock an emotional edge during their 1980s heyday, have not played together since 1991.

Singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg, brothers Tommy and Bob Stinson and drummer Chris Mars formed the band in the late 1970s and

were part of a musical renaissance in Minneapolis that included artists such as Prince and rock band Husker Du. The Replacements released seven albums between 1981 and 1990, most notably 1984’s “Let It Be” and 1985’s “Tim.” Bob Stinson died in 1995 and Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reunited last year to record a benefit album for the band’s former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who had suffered a stroke. The group’s lineup for the summer concerts has not been announced. — Reuters

anadian pop starlet Avril Lavigne has pulled out of a music festival in the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima, Japanese organizers said yesterday. The singer of teen anthem “Skater Boy” had agreed to perform in the city’s 10-day World Peace Concert, which runs to August 5, the day before the 68th anniversary of the first ever nuclear attack. But the 28-year-old star has informed organizers she will not be playing her July 31 gig, the event’s website said. It gave no reason for the cancellation. The festival is scheduled to feature composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, singer Saori Yuki and US music producer Quincy Jones, amongst others.

“Through this project, Hiroshima will aim to be a leader in sending the message about the need for a globally-linked sustainable society that presents a new way of living based on true peace,” the website said. Tens of thousands of people died instantly when the US airforce dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. Many more died in the months and years afterwards as a result of their injuries or the effects of radiation.

Nagasaki was hit with an atomic bomb on August 9. Tokyo surrendered on six days later.

The two cities have subsequently campaigned for an end to nuclear weapons. —AFP Chad Kroeger and Avril Lavigne arrive for the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013 Annual Induction and Awards Ceremony in New York. — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

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hey first gained fame on YouTube, dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Now, the orange-uniformed men at a central Philippine jail make their big screen debut in a movie about prison reforms. The 98-minute movie, “Dance of the Steel Bars”, was shot at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, with 750 prisoners forming the backdrop to a story about an American wrongly accused of murder and the bond he forms with a fellow inmate with a talent for dance. “This film talks about redemption, about brotherhood,” Cesar Apolinario, a television journalist and the film’s co-director, told Reuters. “I did not only see them as brilliant dancers, but they are actually brilliant actors.”

The plot revolves around the real-life reforms carried out in the Cebu jail, where a security adviser introduced daily dance routines in 2007 to instill discipline and camaraderie. The film was screened inside the Cebu jail on June 7. “I’m thrilled to see it. And my family will be happy to see the film,” said one

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umford & Sons has canceled its headlining performance at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee.

The decision comes after bassist Ted Dwane received treatment this week for a blood clot on his brain. The band made the announcement on its Facebook page. The band postponed three shows earlier this week after the blood clot was discovered, but hoped to play Bonnaroo on Saturday night.

of the inmates, Macario Sambarihan. The fastpaced movie features fight scenes portraying gang wars, common in crowded Philippine prisons, juxtaposed with dance sequences in the jail courtyard familiar to millions who have viewed the inmates’ Michael Jackson tributes.

“We did not simplify the steps for them,” said Los Angeles-based dancer Cindera Che, who choreographed four dance sequences.

“We want them to rise up, to our level. And they did.” The producers are betting on the inmates’ Internet fame for the project’s commercial success. The prisoners’ dance on YouTube has been viewed by more than 40 million people, said Stu Higton, executive producer of Dubai-based Portfolio Films International. “Dance of the Steel Bars” opened in the Philippines on Wednesday and will be distributed in Asia, the Middle East and the United States. —Reuters

There is no word on what act will replace Mumford & Sons in the headlining slot in front of 80,000 fans. Dwane is recovering from the procedure and was not ready to play Saturday. Rather than perform with a replacement, the London-based Grammy-award-winning folk rock band decided to pull out.—AP

File photos shows members of the musical group Mumford & Sons, from left, Ted Dwane, Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett and Winston Marshall, pose backstage with the best long form music video award for ‘Big Easy Express’ and the album of the year award for ‘Babel’ at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. — AP

This June 6, 2013 photo shows singer Ozzy Osbourne, right, and musician Geezer Butler of the rock band Black Sabbath posing for a portrait in Los Angeles. — AP

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zzy Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath worked hard to create a dark aura around their band in the late 1960s, laying down a proto-metal blueprint for a legion of groups to follow. As the band’s original lineup attempted to reform over the last 10 years to record a long-anticipated new album - the first with Osbourne singing since he was fired in 1979 there was no need to manufacture that sense of doom. Time and again events conspired to interfere. On its latest attempt, things went more awry than usual. Drummer Bill Ward left the band over a contract dispute. Guitarist Tony Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma. And Osbourne began to drink again.

“Things always get messed up,” Osbourne said.

“Like Bill had the heart attack on one (in the late 1990s). When Tony got stricken by cancer, we went ‘This is ... insane. But he turned up every day.

We all thought that if we don’t get our march on with this thing we’re going to be ... dead, by the next time we could all be ... dead. So we had to really march on with our project. We couldn’t wait.” Sabbath releases the Rick Rubin-produced “13” this week after more than two years of writing and recording and it’s expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s meant to be a return to the band’s most powerful period - its defining first three albums “Black Sabbath,” “Paranoid” and “Master of Reality” released in 1970-71 - and mostly succeeds with the help of Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk. It was Rubin’s idea to return to Sabbath’s roots, and bassist and principal lyricist Geezer Butler said the producer served as a fifth member of the band, keeping it focused something the band had been unable to do in a previous attempt. It took longer to record than any other album with the original lineup, but the time was necessary. “It’s like the old saying, you do what you know best,” the 63-year-old Butler said. “You sort of forget all the keyboard bits and all the multi-instruments and just get back to the basics like on the first three or four albums, and just keep that live feel. We had the sort of philosophy that if it wasn’t done in four takes, then forget it.”

Sabbath’s early period remains among the most influential series of recordings in rock ‘n’ roll history. Blending a darker shade of the blues with horror movie and post-apocalyptic imagery, Sabbath was unlike any other band. It belongs in a very small group of 1960s bands that serve as the wellspring for all that was to come in rock along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. The group’s sound was heavier than anything rock has yet produced, reliant on the complex, muscular and surprisingly funky interplay of Ward and Butler with Osbourne and Iommi layering weird vibes over the top. They did not write songs about girls or cars. They wore dark

clothes and made music that mirrored society’s blacker aspects. They wrote anti-war songs disguised as dystopian nightmares, and songs about space travel, mental illness, creepy children and marijuana.

And they wrapped it in a bottom-heavy musical concoction that was relentlessly grinding yet as insidiously hummable as a sunny pop song.

“When they started there was no such thing as heavy metal and it feels like the whole genre of heavy metal really is based on Black Sabbath,” Rubin said. “It may not have always sounded the same and it’s gone through a lot of changes and there’s a lot of really interesting metal that doesn’t sound like Black Sabbath. But it feels like they were probably the first with the idea that this dark, heavy music could be the whole trip.”

Their popularity would eventually do them in.

The quality of their music declined due mostly to drug abuse, and the band fired Osbourne after eight albums and 11 years together. Osbourne went on to a popular solo career and reality TV fame. And the remaining members of the band continued to play together in some combination over the years with other lead singers, most notably the late Ronnie James Dio. And they’ve occasionally reformed to tour. But the long-talked-about reunion album had always eluded them, and it seemed this time would be no different. Ward started writing with the band but soon left, a development Osbourne found sad.

Then Iommi’s diagnosis came in December 2011.

“You know the thing (that) is the easiest part of getting the reformation of Black Sabbath is just saying, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it,’” the 64-year-old Osbourne said. “The hard part is getting us in one place all on the same day playing our stuff. If Tony Iommi can be treated for ... cancer and turn up to rehearsal and come up with great riffs, it’s not fair that any one of us don’t come up to the bench, you know?”

Iommi, who’s now in remission, traveled back and forth from Los Angeles to London for treatment. Both Osbourne and Butler expressed admiration for the guitarist. “Tony, he’s my hero because I don’t know how he did it,” Osbourne said. Osbourne also had his struggles during the recording. He was fired from the band for substance abuse problems and has worked on changing his lifestyle after meeting and marrying his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne. She expressed anger earlier this year when Osbourne began drinking while making the album. He says it’s been four months since he’s had a drink and things are well with his family. —AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

A horse-drawn vehicle on Mackinac Island.

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roducers of the 1980 movie “Somewhere in Time” didn’t need to build elaborate sets to depict the tale of a playwright who travels back to 1912 to find romance. They simply filmed on Mackinac Island, a Great Lakes enclave that retains its Victorian-era charm thanks to its ban on motor vehicles. Motor vehicles have been banned on the island since the start of the 20th century after an automobile frightened some of the horses. These days, people still travel by horse-drawn carriage, as well as by bike and by foot.

Mackinac Island, located off the Straits of Mackinac separating Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, was an important outpost in the region’s fur trade, but that gave way to fishing and eventually tourism.

Among the main attractions: the Grand Hotel, a 385-room luxury hotel that played a central role in “Somewhere in Time.” In fact, fans of the movie, many in period costumes, descend on the island and the hotel every fall for a weekend of reenactments and a screening. You get reminders of a bygone era before even leaving the mainland by ferry. Crews cart overnight luggage onto the ferry, the way full-service porters used to at train stations and hotels. The Grand Hotel stands out as your ferry approaches the island.

Closer to the dock, you pass a pair of quaint lighthouses, including one featured in the movie. Once you’re on the island, you have plenty of options. Head to the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center for an orientation. About 80 percent of the island is controlled by the state park, but staff there can also point you to other things to do, too.

History Native Americans were the first settlers on the island.

Europeans missionaries came to the area in the 1670s, followed by fur traders. The British moved operations from the mainland to the island in 1780 as protection from Americans in revolt.

So important was the outpost that the British didn’t cede the island until 1796, well after Americans won the Revolutionary War. The British got Mackinac Island back briefly after a surprise attack at the start of the War of 1812.

Through those years, the island’s military center was Fort Mackinac, built on top of a hill a short walk from the main village. For $11, visitors can stroll through Fort Mackinac. You can witness demonstrations of old-style guns and a cannon -

be sure to heed the demonstrators’ advice to cover your ears.

You can also see some of the buildings once used for distributing supplies, housing soldiers and more.

During the summer months, the admission also gets you into historic buildings in the main village, including a blacksmith shop and the former site of American Fur Co. Recreation Despite the lack of motor vehicles, Mackinac Island has a state highway, running some eight miles around the island.

You can walk or run it - consider the Mackinac Island EightMile Road Race in September. You can also rent bikes.

File photo shows a sign highlighting the dress code at the 385-room luxury Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

also see lots of horses and carriages in lieu of cars. If you want to ride one, several companies offer tours and taxi service.

Tours cost $24.50 and last nearly two hours. You can get off and get on as many times as you like, so you can use it as a bus service to get around. Expect to pay $100 or more an hour for private taxi service. You can also rent horses to ride yourself.

Planning your visit Mackinac Island is about 300 miles north of Detroit.

Interstate 75 will get you to the Straits of Mackinac in about 4 1/2 hours. Ferries leave several times a day from Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula. Tickets cost about $25, though you can save money by buying online or finding a coupon at your hotel. You can also fly there. Delta offers service to Pellston, Mich., from Detroit, while Lakeshore Express flies from both Detroit and Chicago. From Pellston, you can take a cab or shuttle to the ferry, or take a charter flight to a smaller airport on the island.

As for accommodations, you can splurge for a room at the Grand Hotel or find several cheaper options on the island. The mainland has far more economical lodging, not far from the ferry terminals. Whether you’re at Mackinac Island for just the day or with an overnight stay, be sure to stop by one of the many shops selling fudge - the island’s specialty cuisine. Just leave your diet on the mainland. — AP File photo shows a cannon being loaded for a demonstration at Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Mich, on Lake Huron. — AP photos

If eight miles is too much, there are shorter hikes you can take, including ones to natural stone formations such as Arch Rock and Sugar Loaf. There are more than 60 miles of trails to choose from throughout the 1,800-acre state park.

In fact, Mackinac was the second national park created after Yellowstone. But with the closure of Fort Mackinac, the park didn’t have caretakers in the form of U.S. soldiers. The state took it over in 1895.

Charm The Grand Hotel is such a draw among tourists that nonguests must pay a $10 admission fee. That allows you to shop, dine or browse an art gallery inside and lets you walk through the flower gardens in front of the hotel. Check out the Cupola Bar on the top floor for a wonderful view of the Straits of Mackinac. There’s a dress code in the evening, so plan accordingly.

It’s free to walk along the streets downtown, where you’ll find shops, churches, museums and other buildings. You’ll

Lake Huron as seen through Arch Rock, a natural stone formation on Mackinac Island.

The ferry to Mackinac Island, Mich., and the Round Island Lighthouse, which dates to the 1890s but is no longer a functioning lighthouse.

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Visitors take pictures of artwork by Adriana Varenjao, entitled ‘Carnivoras’.

A visitor snaps a picture of Sean Landers’ artwork entitled ‘Moby Dick (Merrilees)’.

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The sign of ArtBasel is seen on a building in Basel before the opening of Art Basel 2013.

An artwork by US artist Sherrie Levine, entitled ‘Pink Skull’.

‘La beaute d’une Cicatrice’ (2012) by French artist Lionel Esteve, represented by the gallery Baronian (Brussels).

ith private jets filling the air and lines of luxury limousines on the ready, deep-pocketed collectors from around the world have flocked to Switzerland this week for Art Basel, the biggest contemporary art fair on the planet. The 44th edition of the show opened to the public on Thursday, but the doors were nudged open already on Tuesday for special VIPs wanting an advance peek at the wide range of artwork displayed across a whopping 31,000 square meters (334,000 square feet) of exhibition space.

On Wednesday, an estimated 110 private jets landed and took off from the Basel-Mulhouse airport, after 83 flew through there on Tuesday despite a strike that reduced the airport’s capacity and forced some wealthy patrons of the arts to change their travel plans. It was important to be among the first to squeeze through the doors, Annka Kultys, a Swiss art collector based in London, told AFP.”The rule in Basel is that you cannot put (artwork) on hold before the art fair, so we need to be here the first day, and just run to the booths that we are interested in,” she said.

“I know exactly where I want to go when I come here, which gallery I want to see, which artist,” she added. Some 65,000 visitors are expected to come to Art Basel this year to see exhibits by a lucky 304 galleries, picked from more than 1,000 that vied for a spot at the lucrative fair. “There’s been a buzz immediately,” Tim Marlow, director of exhibitions at the London-based White Cube Gallery told AFP, just a few hours after the buying frenzy began. “We’ve sold two Sergei Jensen paintings, a Tracey Emin, we sold this Mark Bradford work for $725,000,” he said, pointing to the large abstract canvas behind him.

“And there is serious interest in the Damien Hirst pill cabinet, at four million pounds,” he added with a broad smile, nodding to a large mirror wall lined with tightly spaced, narrow metal shelves covered with pills in different colors and shapes. Art Basel’s impact on a gallery’s bottom line does not stop with what is sold at the fair, he said. “It’s about connections made and clients made, and museums. A lot of muse-

ums come... and then conversations are hatched, work is bought... exhibitions are planned.”

The art world appears to have bucked the global economic crisis, with income from global auction sales more than doubling since it hit bottom in 2009, passing eight billion euros last year, according to French specialized website Artprice.com.”I think the art market is actually in a very strong position,” Art Basel director Marc Spiegler told AFP. Case in point: a few hours after the opening Tuesday he said he was noticing “a lot of frustration among collectors because the things that they want to buy are already sold.”

‘From five percent of world’s rich to 40 percent’ Amid all the stock market turmoil in recent years, the world’s wealthy are increasingly turning to art as a good and safe investment, experts say. “I reckon that in the next 10 years we’ll see the market going from about five percent of the world’s rich having art to around 40 percent,” said Philip

Visitors walk past artwork by German artist Carsten Hoeller, entitled ‘Snake’.

A visitor takes a picture of an artwork by Indian artist L.N. Tallur, entitled ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)’.

Visitors watch on June 11, 2013 an artwork by Polish artist Piotr Uklansk during a preview day for the Art Basel 2013, the world’s premiere modern and contemporary art fair.

— AFP photos

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Visitors walk past an artwork by Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty, entitled ‘Path to Water’.

Chinese artist He An poses in front of his artwork entitled ‘Hubble’.

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uctioneers are pinning their hopes on “uber-collectors” to help London summer art sales top last year’s $1 billion total when the series kicks off later this month. Estimates from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and smaller rivals such as Phillips and Bonhams for sales over the next few weeks in the British capital show that the paintings, sculptures and furniture under the hammer are on course to defy a sluggish global economy again this year.

The top two houses have put more than $300 million worth of their most expensive works up for sale on public show until June 11 at their London galleries in Mayfair, hoping pre-sale exhibitions might inspire a bit of impulse-buying from serious collectors making the London stop on the art trail. “What we hope is that the rather more transitory uber-collectors who are in London, Basel and Venice will come in and see things that they wouldn’t normally look at,” deputy chairman of Christie’s Europe, Orlando Rock, told Reuters.

Christie’s, the world’s biggest auctioneers, has a star lot that is a price-on-request (around $23 million) diptych by 20th century American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and a painting from Russian Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky, which could set a lifetime record for the artist if it sells north of $23 million. Its top estimate is $24.86 million. Nearest rival Sotheby’s has French Impressionist Claude Monet’s “Le Palais Contarini” with a top estimate of $31 million and paintings by 18th century Frenchman Claude-Joseph Vernet ($7.7 million) and British contemporary artist David Hockney ($4.6 million).

Continued weakness in a battered euro zone and slowing Chinese economic growth have made investors wary in the last two years, but high-end art sales have continued to break records. New York has long been considered the global capital of the auction

‘Enough Tiranny’ (1972) by French artist Marc Camille Chaimowicz, represented by the gallery Cabinet (London).

Hoffman, the head of the Fine Art Fund Group, which advises wealthy clients on what pieces to add to their collections. But Art Basel is not only about investment; it is also about the enjoyment of seeing a wide range of work by the great artists of the 20th century, such as Picasso, Kandinsky and Warhol, mixed in with the cutting edge of today, Spiegler said.

For those more interested in looking than buying, a whole hall has been reserved for the “Unlimited” collection of large and sometimes astonishing works that are not for sale at the fair. Unlike in the crowded section next door, there is plenty of space to stroll through the 11,500-square-metre exhibit, admiring works by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, British sculptor Antony Gormley, or Japanese Chiharu Shiota, who has covered chairs and a grand piano in a massive web of black string. There are also less well-known artists on display, like Chinese He An. “This is my first time here,” he says through a translator, as he shields his eyes to gaze through his piece, “Hubble”, a massive metal tube made from billboards with the powerful light usually used in advertising shooting out at the observer “as if from a cannon.” Swiss art collector Marco Stoffel, who has been coming to Art Basel for the past 20 years, says he likes starting in the Unlimited section before heading to the buying frenzy next door. “I start here, where I can remain calm, and then, afterwards, it’s off to the circus,” he told AFP. — AFP

world - most recent records have been set there. This year’s spring auctions were no different, ending on a record-shattering high as Christie’s May 15 post-war & contemporary art sale achieved the highest total - $495 million - in the history of art auctions. None of the star London lots currently come near the $58.4 million paid at the Christie’s sale in New York for US artist Jackson Pollock’s “Number 19, 1948”.

Silkworm A closer look at the estimates from Christie’s and Sotheby’s give a mixed picture of a London season that looks healthy but may not blast the record books. Estimates from Christie’s of about $388 million for this year are lower than sales of just under $600 million last year, although the top estimate from Sotheby’s for $562 million easily eclipses last year’s nearly $385 million.

Alongside the Old Masters, modern and fine art, auction houses have mixed in precious objects such as a Georgian coffee pot expected to become the most expensive piece of English silver ever sold and a 15th century Virgil manuscript, as well as collectibles like a watch worn by James Bond in “Thunderball” and unreleased lyrics from singer Bob Dylan. London, a natural fit for Russian tycoons who have homes in the city and Middle Eastern buyers just a midhaul flight away, will offer sought-after sculptures from antiquities to Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore and Elisabeth Frink, as well as fine Louis XIV furniture.

A jeweled automaton silkworm lurks near a pair of Louis XVI vases among the 80 works chosen by Sotheby’s for public display, along with a 17th century El Greco painting and a 1927 piece from Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. “This will be an exhibition that speaks to the catholic taste of today’s collectors as well as to everyone who

A visitor watches an artwork by Wolfgang Laib entitled ‘Passageway, Inside - Downside’.

Visitors watch an artwork by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota entitled ‘In Silence’.

loves great works of art and enjoys the thrill of the unexpected,” said Mario Tavella, Sotheby’s deputy chairman for Europe.

Soaring prices for art at a time of global economic uncertainty have long prompted warnings of a sharp correction and even collapse, but time and again in the last four years the market has defied the gloomiest predictions. Chinese demand has weakened and tastes can be fickle, but the very best works of art have generally risen in value since a sharp but brief drop in auction turnover in 2009. The only copy of Edvard Munch’s seminal image “The Scream” still in private hands came up for sale at Sotheby’s in New York last year. After nearly 15 minutes of intense bidding, made in million-dollar increments, it sold for $120 million including commission, a new auction record for any work of art.

The two previous records were also recent - Pablo Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” fetched $106.5 million in 2010, having sold for $19,800 in 1951. In the same year Giacometti’s “Walking Man I” made $104.3 million. Institutions have played a key role in the recovery, with Qatar emerging as one of the biggest buyers of art in recent years as it fills a growing network of museums.

According to widespread reports, the Gulf state paid $250 million for Paul Cezanne’s “The Card Players” in a private deal in 2011, which is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a work of art.

— Reuters

technology SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

3-D TV falls flat: ESPN to kill 3-D broadcasts NEW YORK: ESPN’s decision to shut down its 3-D channel by the end of the year is the latest sign the format won’t revolutionize entertainment as the industry once hoped. Troubling signs for 3-D have been on the horizon for a last year or so. ESPN 3D’s audience ratings were below The Nielsen Co.’s measurable threshold, and in March, the Motion Picture Association said box office revenue for 3-D showings in the US and Canada was flat in 2012 from a year earlier at $1.8 billion. The number of 3-D films released in the period dropped by 20 percent.

“The ESPN decision is a sign that the 3-D ecosystem is not healthy,” said Laura Martin, an analyst with investment banking firm Needham & Co. “It must be there’s not enough demand for 3-D TV.” The sports network said Wednesday that there weren’t enough viewers to make 3-D broadcasts worth it. It didn’t say exactly how many viewers it had, but the number was “extremely limited and not growing,” the network said. Last year, an estimated 6 percent of TVs in the US were able to show 3-D programming, according to the most recent data from research firm IHS Screen Digest. Even homes that have 3-D TVs don’t appear to be using them very much, said IHS analyst Sweta Dash.

The lack of programming and the discomfort of having to wear special glasses could be contributing to the problem, she said. “It’s not convenient for people to watch for hours and hours with glasses,” Dash said. “They get tired.” ESPN 3D launched in 2010 as one of nine 3-D channels that followed the release of James Cameron’s blockbuster film, “Avatar.” TV makers rushed to introduce 3-D sets as well. ESPN said at the time that it expected a “3-D tsunami” in the industry. 3net, a 24-hour-a-day 3-D channel that launched in February 2011 under the ownership of Sony Corp, Discovery Communications Inc. and Imax Corp., appeared to be unfazed by ESPN’s announcement.

“Although we don’t comment on the activities of other companies, their decision has no impact on our business,” the venture said in a statement. IHS’s analyst Dash said there appears to be a bigger appetite for 3-D TVs overseas in markets such as China. TV manufacturers have recently switched their focus from 3-D to “ultrahigh definition,” a format that increases the pixel count of high-definition TVs by four times. At the International Consumer Electronics Show in January, companies like Sony, LG Electronics Inc, Sharp Corp, and Samsung Electronics Co. all showed off so-called “ultra HD” sets that were meant to be within the price range of middle income early adopters. Sony’s 55-inch model sells for $5,000.

One benefit of the ultra HD format is that viewing doesn’t require special glasses, and because people can sit closer to the screen without a loss in quality, bigger screens can replicate the immersion of 3-D video. Ultra HD is also easier to handle on the production end. With 3-D TV, two cameras have to be rigged together on a special mount to create the 3-D effect.

And because viewers can get dizzy with quick cuts, camera operators specialized in 3-D stay focused on single shots for longer. That makes it hard for producers to simply use “one eye” of a 3-D camera for 2-D broadcasts. Instead, camera positions and personnel costs were just multiplied for events shot in both formats. Along with higher costs, any viewing on 3-D platforms draw viewers away from the standard broadcast, said Rob Willox, director of large sensor technology for Sony Electronics, in an interview last month about the differences between the two formats. “There are a lot more costs, and you’re not increasing audience share, you’re dividing it,” he said. In contrast, ultra HD video is more easily scaled down to regular HD, meaning that high-end cameras can be used for viewers watching on TVs of either standard. — AP

Apple eyes bigger iPhone screens, multiple colors Apple has floated cheaper model price of $99 NEWYORK: Apple Inc is exploring launching iPhones with bigger screens, as well as cheaper models in a range of colors, over the next year, said four people with knowledge of the matter, as it takes a cue from rival Samsung Electronics. The moves, which are still under discussion, underscore how the California-based firm that once ruled the smartphone market is increasingly under threat from its aggressive South Korean competitor. Samsung has overtaken Apple in market share through the popularity of its bigger-screen Galaxy “phablets” and by flooding the market

been approached with plans for the larger screens, but noted it is still unclear whether Apple will actually launch its flagship product in the larger sizes. “They constantly change product specifications almost to the final moment, so you’re not really sure whether this is the final prototype,” said one person with direct knowledge of the matter. Apple declined to comment.

Under pressure Apple’s possible shift to offer what is often referred to as “phablets” chunkier smartphones not quite big

GENEVA: A robot helps passengers to find their way yesterday at the baggage claim area of the Geneva International Airport. Geneva airport is using as World premiere a mobile robot with a touch screen, completely autonomous, looking for contact and accompanying travelers to a dozen destinations such as trolleys, ATM, lost luggage room, showers or toilets. —AFP with a range of products at different prices. Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen - said the sources, including those in the supply chain in Asia. They said suppliers have

enough to qualify as tablets - comes as the long-time consumer and investor darling faces pressure to deliver more than one new handset model a year. Critics say its pace of innovation has slowed since the death of legendary co-founder Steve Jobs.

The iPhone 5 launched last September was the first to veer away from the Apple phone’s 3.5-inch screen, which Jobs famously deemed “the perfect size for consumers” and had been used in every iPhone since the iconic device was unveiled in 2007.

The current iPhone 5 has one of the smaller screens among the best-selling smartphones in the mobile market, where consumers spend more time browsing the web and streaming content. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 have 5-inch and 5.5inch screens, respectively.

For this year, Apple is expected to launch two new models, widely referred to as the iPhone 5S, with new fingerprint technology, and a cheaper version in plastic casing, supply chain sources have said. Apple plans to dress up the cheaper phone in a range of 5-6 colours to differentiate it from the more expensive model that has traditionally come only in black and white.

The US firm has discussed a price of $99 for the cheaper phone, the timing of which could slip to next year, one of the people said. It’s not yet clear what the final price would be. Apple whose revenue growth has decelerated from the heady days of 2010 when it introduced the iPad and when the iPhone was the world’s top selling smartphone - has sought ways to reenergize its flagship line.

Broader product range Analysts say the company needs a cheaper gadget to push on in growth markets in China and India, and to counter Samsung’s edge in having phones priced up and down the spectrum. China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, is set to grow 48 percent this year, outpacing the global increase of 31 percent, according to industry forecasts. — Reuters

Facebook adds Twitter-style hashtags for topics SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Wednesday added Twitter-style hashtags to help the more than one billion members of the social network tune into topics of interest at the leading social network. “To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what’s happening or what people are talking about,” Facebook product manager Greg Lindley said in a blog post. “Similar to other services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest, hashtags on Facebook allow you to add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion.”

Twitter made the “#” symbol part of Internet Age culture by letting users of the globally popular one-to-many text messaging service label comments with terse topic descriptions marked with the punctuation mark. Facebook users can search the service based on hashtags or click on a hashtag to get a list of posts people have put in the category, according to Lindley. “Hashtags are just the first step to help people more easily discover what others are saying

about a specific topic and participate in public conversations,” Lindley said. “We’ll continue to roll out more features in the coming weeks and months.” This is not the first time that the leading social network has taken a lesson from Twitter. Last month, Facebook began authenticating the pages of famous folks and big brands at the social network in a move that follows in Twitter’s footsteps.

Facebook launched Verified Pages “to help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook,” the California-based Internet giant said in a blog post. Verified Pages display small blue circles with a white check mark in the middle to indicate that identities have been confirmed. The blog post used a verified Facebook page of singer and actress Selena Gomez as an example. “Verified Pages belong to a small group of prominent public figures (celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brands and businesses) with large audiences,” Facebook said. — AFP

technology SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Windows becomes the latest Best Buy store-in-store NEW YORK: Best Buy is partnering with Microsoft to feature a store-within-astore for its Windows products, the latest major consumer electronics retailer to acknowledge advantages of the brick-and-mortar format. The storewithin-store will begin opening this month and offer Windows-based PCs, tablets, Xbox and accessories, as well as trained staff to explain Windows 8 to customers. The move comes as the Minneapolis-based retailer continues to battle the “showrooming” effect, as more and more people browse in stores and then buy items cheaper online. This has led to fears that the big-box store format is growing obsolete. But major electronics retailers are finding advantage in having a destination where trained sales staff can explain its products to shoppers. Best Buy Co. Inc has similar store-withinstores for Apple, Samsung and Magnolia products.

Belus Capital Markets analyst Brian Sozzi said the move “absolutely makes sense,” and he expects more storewithin-store formats at Best Buy. “The fact is Best Buy has prime floor space up for grabs, and tech companies want their best offerings in there (along with the customer service), instead of buried on Amazon,” he said in a note to clients.

The chance for demos is a particular advantage for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp, which has seen slow sales of Windows 8 products as the tileformat has confused some consumers.

The look is a complete break with more than two decades of Windows history, and offers few signals about where to tap and click to perform basic functions.

More than 1,200 Microsoft-trained workers will staff the kiosks. “The Windows Store offers a large-scale, hands-on customer experience,” that

explains Windows and Microsoft devices and services, said Tami Reller, chief marketing officer and chief financial officer for Windows.

The move is a “vital strategic step forward,” in Microsoft’s retail strategy, wrote Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder in an online post. It isn’t as ambitious a move as it could have been if Microsoft had opened more of its own stores, for example, he said, but acknowledged that would have been more expensive. — AP

CALIFORNIA: File photo shows a Google sign is seen inside Google headquarters in Mountain View. —AP

Forecast sees big payoff for Google’s mobile ads SAN FRANCISCO: Google will sell more mobile advertising than the rest of its rivals combined for the second straight year, according to a new forecast that highlights the expansion of the Internet search leader’s moneymaking prowess from personal computers to smartphones and tablets. The report released Thursday by the research firm eMarketer projects Google Inc. will generate nearly $8.9 billion in mobile ad revenue throughout the world this year. The figure reflects the anticipated amount that Google will retain after paying commissions to its ad partners.

The prediction calls for Google to hold a 56 percent share of the overall mobile ad market, which is expected to approach $16 billion this year. In 2012, Google accounted for 52 percent, or $4.6 billion, of the worldwide mobile ad market, according to eMarketer.

Facebook Inc, the owner of the largest online social network, is expected to rank a distant second in mobile advertising this year with about $2 billion in revenue from phones and tablets, eMarketer predicted.

Although still far behind Google, Facebook has been making rapid inroads in the mobile market. Last year, Facebook sold less than $500 million in mobile advertising. The report marks the first time that eMarketer has released digital ad numbers spanning the entire globe. The firm’s previous estimates, which are closely watched in the industry, have been confined to the US ad market. EMarketer’s figures are intriguing because Google doesn’t disclose how much of its total advertising revenue flows from the rapidly growing ad market. — AP

Lightweight Microsoft Office available on iPhone NEW YORK: Microsoft’s Office software package is coming to the iPhone for the first time yesterday, offering people the ability to read and edit their text documents, spreadsheets and slide presentations at the doctor’s office or at a soccer game. The company isn’t making an iPad version, though, nor is it offering the app on Android devices.

Microsoft Corp. is treading a fine line as it tries to make its $100-a-year Office subscription more compelling, without removing an advantage that tablet computers running Microsoft’s Windows system now have - the ability to run popular Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Office Mobile for iPhone is available free through Apple’s app store, but an Office 365 subscription is required to use it. That subscription lets you use Office on up to five Mac and Windows computers for the annual fee. A subscription can be more expensive than buying the package outright for just one or two computers, but the iPhone version won’t be sold separately for those who resist the recurring fee.

Microsoft has been pushing subscriptions as a way to get customers to keep paying for a product that has historically been sold in a single purchase. The company touts such benefits as the ability to run the package on multiple computers and get

updates for free on a regular basis.

Microsoft said it wants to give customers yet another reason to embrace subscriptions by offering Office on the iPhone only with a subscription.

Chris Schneider, a marketing manager with Microsoft’s Office team, would not comment on any plans for the iPad or Android. Office is available on those devices through a Web browser, but it’s not as rich or powerful as having stand-alone software installed directly on the device.

The Web app also requires an Internet connection, something not

always available with many tablets.

The regular version of Office works on Windows 8 tablets, and most of the features are available on a version designed for tablets running a lightweight version of Windows called RT. Customers needing to use Office on a larger screen than a phone might be drawn to the Windows tablets, which have lagged behind in sales and cachet compared with Apple’s iPad and various devices running Google’s Android system.

The iPhone app will come with Word, Excel and PowerPoint and will sync with Microsoft’s SkyDrive online storage service. Microsoft said people will be able to pick up a Word document exactly where they left off on another computer tied to the same account, while comments they add to a Word or Excel file will appear when they open it up on another machine. Although documents will be reformatted to fit the phone’s screen, the company said the iPhone app will preserve charts, animation, comments and other key properties. That’s not always the case with programs offered by Google and other companies to work with Office files on mobile devices.

But Microsoft said the app won’t offer the same range of features available on regular computers. It’s meant for lightweight editing, not

complex calculations or heavy graphical work, Schneider said.

Someone about to give a speech can review a PowerPoint presentation and fix a typo, for instance. Someone getting a Word or Excel document as an email attachment can add comments or make changes, then send it back, either as an email attachment or through a sharing feature on SkyDrive. Rather than have it do everything, Schneider said, “we designed the Office Mobile for iPhone to meet the scenarios that make the most sense.”

The iPhone app also won’t have Outlook for email, Publisher for desktop publishing and Access for databases. Microsoft’s OneNote software for note-taking has been available for free separately for iPhones and iPads. People with Office 365 subscriptions will be able to run the new app on up to five iPhones, in addition to the five Mac or Windows computers. People in the United States will be able to get it from Apple’s app store yesterday.

Availability in other countries will follow in the coming days. Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash., already makes a version for phones running its Windows Phone 8 operating system. An Office 365 subscription isn’t required for that, and those apps do not count toward the five mobile devices permitted for each subscription. —AP

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:35 21:30 21:55 22:25 22:50 23:20 23:45 00:40 01:10 01:35

Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up Mythbusters Gold Divers: Under The Ice Alaska: The Last Frontier Sons Of Guns Storage Hunters Storage Hunters Storage Hunters Storage Hunters Storage Hunters Inside The Gangsters’ Code I Escaped: Real Prison Breaks I Escaped: Real Prison Breaks Ultimate Cops

14:20 14:50 15:20 15:45 16:40 18:25 19:20 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50 00:45 01:35

Hero Factor Hero Factor Hero Factor Combat Countdown Animal Gladiators The Real Sherlock Holmes American Car Prospector Conquering The World Reign Of The Dinosaurs Combat Countdown American Car Prospector The Real Sherlock Holmes Death Machines Death Machines

18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 02:00

03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 Leno 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 Leno 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30

C.S.I. Body Of Proof Criminal Minds White Collar Top Gear (US) Greek Kyle XY Criminal Minds

Wilfred Friends Seinfeld The Tonight Show With Jay Two And A Half Men All Of Us Til Death Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Seinfeld Two And A Half Men Wilfred Go On 2 Broke Girls Til Death The Tonight Show With Jay All Of Us Seinfeld Two And A Half Men Til Death Friends 2 Broke Girls Go On The Daily Show With Jon

Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 All Of Us 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Wilfred 18:30 Happy Endings 19:00 The Neighbors 19:30 2 Broke Girls 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Veep 22:30 Veep 23:00 Legit 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Veep 02:00 Veep 02:30 Legit

05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:35 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55

Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Suite Life On Deck A.N.T Farm Jessie That’s So Raven

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

14:20 Food Factory 14:45 Food Factory 15:10 X-Machines 16:00 Unchained Reaction 16:55 Fire In The Sky: A Daily Planet Special 17:45 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 18:10 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 18:35 The Gadget Show 19:00 The Tech Show 19:30 Storm Chasers 20:20 X-Machines 21:10 Kitchen Chemistry 21:35 Kitchen Chemistry 22:00 Storm Chasers 22:50 Dark Matters 23:40 Kitchen Chemistry 00:05 Kitchen Chemistry 00:30 How Do They Do It? 01:00 Scrapheap Challenge 01:50 Scrapheap Challenge

14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30 00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00

Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars American Pickers Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Counting Cars Counting Cars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars

14:00 C.S.I. 15:00 Kyle XY 16:00 Smallville

THE BIG YEAR ON OSN MOVIES HD

Gravity Falls Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Jessie Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Code: 9 Cinderella II: Dreams Come A.N.T Farm Code: 9 Gravity Falls Jessie A.N.T. Farm That’s So Raven Good Luck Charlie Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Shake It Up Jessie A.N.T. Farm Finding Nemo Prankstars Gravity Falls Good Luck Charlie Jessie Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm That’s So Raven Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Stitch

00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35

Stitch A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements

14:05 Ice Loves Coco 14:30 Ice Loves Coco 15:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:00 Married To Jonas 17:30 Married To Jonas 18:00 E! News 19:00 THS 20:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:00 Chasing The Saturdays 21:30 Fashion Police 22:30 E! News 23:30 E! News Special: Country Music Festival 00:00 Opening Act 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E! Investigates

03:05 Coastal Kitchen 03:30 Food Poker 04:15 Bargain Hunt 05:00 House Swap 05:45 Cash In The Attic 06:30 Coastal Kitchen 07:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 10:40 Cash In The Attic 11:25 Come Dine With Me 12:15 Perfect Day 12:40 Planet Cake 13:05 The Good Cook 13:30 Food Poker 14:15 The Roux Legacy 14:50 Food & Drink 15:15 Bargain Hunt 16:00 Antiques Roadshow 17:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 17:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 18:20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 19:00 Celebrity MasterChef 19:55 Vacation Vacation Vacation 20:20 Come Dine With Me 21:15 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:45 Superhomes 00:35 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent

03:00 Food Wars 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 17:50 Barefoot Contessa 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:30 Chopped 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Amazing Wedding Cakes 22:00 Food Wars 22:25 Food Wars 22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Food Wars

04:15 Planet Ocean-PG15 06:15 The Bourne Legacy-PG15 09:00 Brave-PG 10:45 The Big Year-PG 12:30 My Own Love Song-PG15 14:30 Underground: The Julian Assange Story-PG15 16:15 Brave-PG 18:00 The Lucky One-PG15 20:00 Playdate-PG15 22:00 Albert Nobbs-18 00:00 A Little Bit Of Heaven-18 02:00 The Lucky One-PG15

07:00 09:00 10:30 13:45 15:15 17:00 19:00 PG15 21:00 23:00 01:00

Saving Grace B. Jones-PG15 The Decoy Bride-PG15 Gandhi-PG No Surrender-PG15 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 Ceremony-PG15 Love Will Keep Us TogetherBel Ami-18 The Rum Diary-18 Ceremony-PG15

04:00 Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked-PG 06:00 The 16th Man-PG15 07:00 Tim Richmond: To The LimitPG15 08:00 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings-FAM 10:00 Vickery’s Wild Ride-PG 12:00 The Girl-PG15 14:00 Three Inches-PG15 16:00 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings-FAM 18:00 I Don’t Know How She Does ItPG15 20:00 Another Earth-PG15 22:00 Attack The Block-PG15 00:00 Three Inches-PG15 02:00 I Don’t Know How She Does ItPG15

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:00

The Presence-PG15 Ip Man 2-PG15 Source Code-PG15 Do No Harm-PG15 Interview With A Hitman-PG15 Source Code-PG15 Boiler Room-PG15 Interview With A Hitman-PG15 Mad Max-18 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-PG15 Paintball-18 Mad Max-18

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

08:00 Monte Carlo-PG15 10:00 Bowfinger-PG15 12:00 Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear-PG15 14:00 Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate-PG 16:00 Bowfinger-PG15 18:00 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult-PG15 20:00 The Romantics-PG15 22:00 30 Minutes Or Less-18 00:00 Jackass: The Movie-18 02:00 The Romantics-PG15

09:45 11:45 13:30 15:30 17:30 20:00 21:45 23:30 02:00

Honey 2-PG15 Wuthering Heights-PG15 Planet Of The Apes (1968)-PG15 Honey 2-PG15 Catch Me If You Can-PG15 Carmel By The Sea-PG15 Yelling To The Sky-PG15 Hemingway & Gellhorn-18 Bruc-PG15

00:00 01:00 01:30 03:00 05:00 07:00 10:00 10:30 11:30 12:00 15:00 16:00 20:00 21:30 22:00

PGA European Tour Highlights ICC Cricket 360 International Rugby League NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Live AFL Premiership Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport ICC Cricket 360 Live British & Irish Lions Super Rugby Highlights Live International Rugby Union ATP Tennis ICC Cricket 360 Live International Rugby Union

00:00 00:30 06:30 07:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 14:30 15:00 19:00 22:00

Futbol Mundial ATP Tennis Futbol Mundial ATP Tennis ICC Cricket 360 Live International Rugby Union Live NRL Premiership European Tour Weekly Live ATP Tennis British and Irish Lions Tour ATP Tennis

00:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:30 21:30 22:30

NRL Premiership Trans World Sport PGA European Tour Weekly Inside The PGA Tour Golfing World International Rugby League ICC Cricket 360 Total Rugby NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership NRL Premiership ICC Cricket 360 AFL Premiership PGA Tour Highlights PGA European Tour Highlights NRL Premiership

01:30 03:30 04:00 05:00 07:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 22:00

NHL Mobil 1 The Grid WWE Bottom Line NHL UK Open Darts WWE Vintage Collection Mobil 1 The Grid Live AFL Premiership WWE Smackdown Mobil 1 The Grid Live Nations Cup UIM Powerboat Champs

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aura Poitras’ skill and boldness as a documentary filmmaker have gained her Oscar and Emmy nominations, Sundance Film Festival honors and a public TV showcase, even if her work fell short of making a “Super Size Me” splash. But her role as the first point of contact for disclosures about US surveillance programs has drawn the glare of attention to the independent filmmaker who, abruptly, has pushed documentaries deeper into the realm of journalistic immediacy. For peers and backers of Poitras, the 2012 recipient of a $500,000 “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, it’s unsurprising that she has seized a story worth telling. However, her crucial involvement with a confidential source and two newspapers on the same big exclusive is extraordinary.

“She’s incredibly driven and determined and she doesn’t let obstacles get in the way,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive producer of PBS’ documentary series “POV,” a home to Poitras’ work. “She really works at the intersection of journalist and artist and storyteller.” Poitras, 49, who has said she was Edward Snowden’s first media contact on the story she helped break, shared bylines on The Washington Post and The Guardian of London articles revealing vast and secret phone and Internet surveillance. She was behind the camera for a gripping video interview, posted online, in which the former spy agency contractor responsible for the leaks calmly defended his actions.

She told Salon.com this week that she has more footage of Snowden taken in Hong Kong, where he has sought refuge, and which she intends to use in a film.

Poitras has previously discussed working on a documentary on state surveillance and whistleblowers, the final part of her trilogy on the aftermath of Sept 11.

Snowden was drawn to her because of her work on government snooping and the personal fallout that’s resulted, including what she called persistent US “border harassment” during her travels, Poitras said. “You probably don’t like how this system works. I think you can tell the story,” she recounted Snowden telling her.

Their early exchanges had cloak-and-dagger overtones, including his request that they communicate in encrypted type.

He first emailed her anonymously in January and, independently, the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald around February, she told Salon. She contacted her other collaborator, Barton Gellman for the Post, about the same time to get the experienced journalist’s assessment of Snowden’s legitimacy. In a statement, Gellman said his connection to the story “began with Laura,” a friend who had been a fellow with him at New York University, and later included extensive conversations between him and Snowden. Greenwald, who didn’t reply to a request for comment, also is a friend of the filmmaker.

Poitras was guarded with Salon in detailing how the reporting unfolded, saying, “I feel a certain need to be cautious about not wanting to do the work for the government.” She added she wasn’t ready to tell the “whole story now. ... I want to tell it in my own words.

I’m a storyteller.” Kirsten Johnson, who works with Poitras as a cinematographer, has been in touch with her. “She is doing well, and I think she feels the responsibility of the importance of this historical event,” Johnson said Thursday.

With the National Security Agency revelations, Poitras has taken the lead on a growing trend in which documentarians are rivaling the speed of “history-in-ahurry” news reporting while they develop more detailed film accounts. “Laura has expanded her capacity to explore the story even as she is making the story,” said Cara Mertes, director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program and a longtime producer and supporter. “She’s one of the most remarkable filmmakers working today.” Other documentarians have changed the national conversation, said veteran filmmaker and activist Robert Greenwald (no relation to Glenn Greenwald).

But the one-two-three punch of combining traditional news outlets, social media and video “is quite extraordinary and my hat goes off” to Poitras and the newspaper reporters, said Greenwald, who recently completed the film “War on Whistleblowers.” “We used to wait five, 10, 15 years before we did a documentary,”

he said. “Now we’re right in the middle and it gives you the ability to affect the story. The old model of waiting for the finished film is less and less important. It’s more about getting pieces out.” Not all are swayed by the approach; one observer is downright cynical. Marvin Kalb, professor emeritus of press and public policy at Harvard University, said he could think of no precedent for a situation where a documentarian drove a story in this manner. His gut feeling is that “she’s blown it” and should have kept this information for herself and her documentary, “and in one glorious moment have all of it,” said Kalb, a longtime reporter for CBS and NBC News.

It might not have been her choice, he said: Snowden may have been driving the decision to get the material out as quickly as possible. Poitras hasn’t been one to shrink from a challenge or challenging material. “Flag Wars” was her 2003 Peabody-winning look at urban gentrification; the Oscar-nominated 2006 “My Country, My Country” examined Iraqi life under US occupation, and 2010’s “The Oath” was about the effect of anti-terrorism measures on two Middle Eastern men, including one of Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguards. The latter two films are part of her post-9/11 series, topics that have earned her industry respect if not the attention given less-weighty films such as Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” account of a healthchallenging month on a McDonald’s menu.

In a “filmmaker statement” posted on the “POV”

For more than six years, since starting her 9/11-related work that often took her to the Middle East, Poitras has said that she’s been repeatedly questioned by US officials here and abroad. “I’ve actually lost count of how many times I’ve been detained at the border, but I think it’s around 40 times,” she said in an April 2012 appearance on “Democracy Now!” an independent news program that airs on public broadcasting TV and radio stations and elsewhere. When she was questioned by Department of Homeland Security officials in London around that time, “I told them I was a journalist and my work was protected and I wasn’t going to discuss it,” she said on the news program.

In a statement, US Customs and Border Protection said it is prohibited from discussing specific cases due to privacy laws. US citizens returning from foreign travel cannot be denied entry into the country and are not considered “detained” unless there’s an outstanding warrant for their arrest. Travelers can be referred for further inspection “for a variety of reasons to include identity verification, intent of travel, and confirmation of admissibility,” the agency said. “She was incredibly patient with the process until the people who were questioning her started to (imply) it didn’t matter if she would answer or not: they would get their answers electronically,” said her colleague, Johnson. For Poitras, that was a deep infringement, she said. An interview request emailed this week to Poitras’ New York-based Praxis Films generated what appeared to be an auto-

File photo originally provided by the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Laura Poitras, a documentary filmmaker and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation genius grants, is shown in Berlin. — AP website in connection with “The Oath,” Poitras said she intended to create an “on-the-ground record that can help us understood this history as time passes. I believe the world will be grappling with the tragedy of 9/11 and America’s reaction to the attack for generations to come.” She’s on the board of directors of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, which describes itself as helping to defend and support journalism “focused on exposing mismanagement, corruption, and law-breaking in government.” Her fellow board members include foundation co-founder Daniel Ellsberg of 1970s Pentagon Papers fame and the Guardian’s Greenwald, who interviewed Snowden for the online videos.

Greenwald, a former contributing writer for Salon, told the website that Poitras is “easily one of the bravest and most brilliant people I’ve ever met.” She shares with the reporter a distrust of government intrusion.

He’s the author of three books in which he argues the government has trampled on personal rights in the name of protecting national security. Poitras joined the foundation in part because “she felt her own journalism was being chilled by the fact that his surveillance had happened to her. ... She’s suffered at the hands of unnecessary and overbearing government surveillance herself,” said Trevor Timm, foundation executive director and co-founder.

matic reply from her account: “I’m traveling and don’t have regular email access. Thanks for your patience.”

“She’s an incredibly warm person, soft-spoken, very smart, but she’s a private person and doesn’t like to be out in front of the camera,” Timm said. “She doesn’t like to make the story about her. I can understand why she’s been hesitant to talk.” In online interviews given before the surveillance story broke, Poitras comes across as low-key and cautious despite her willingness to put herself at risk for her work. In a 2010 clip posted by the New York Times she recounts how the prospect of meeting with bin Laden’s former bodyguard in Yemen came with “‘danger’ flashing signs.”

And while she is dogged in her pursuit of information that doesn’t mean she has an agenda, said Kilmurry of “POV.” “I think she’s really driven by curiosity about the issues in which she gets involved rather than having a particular perspective or narrative at the end,” he said. “She’s open to where the story takes her and having her own perspective challenged or changed, as she hopes the audience is, too.” Johnson, who is working with Poitras on her final Sept 11 film about surveillance and whistleblowers, can’t predict when it will be finished. “There’s no timeline. That’s what’s remarkable about her. She really does let the story lead her,” Johnson said. — AP

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Places of interest Sadu House Al Sadu House stands on Arabian Gulf Street near the National Museum, representing one of the last preserved pre-oil -era dwellings in Kuwait. Al Sadu House became a centre for Bedouin art and the sale of traditional goods In 1979. Visitors can observe Bedouin women weaving at their looms, handmaking carpets, camel bags and tent screens. Opening hours are Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 1:00 p.m and from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m daily except Friday. (Tel: +965 2243.2395) Admission is FREE. The Dickson House The house of the first British political agent In Kuwait is still standing. The Dickson House, located across from the dhow harbour east of Sief Palace, was originally a Kuwaiti home built in 1870, but was given to Britain to use as residential headquarters.

The compound was expanded several times over the years, but stands as an excellent example of early Kuwaiti architectural styles.

Opening hours are from Saturday to Thursday 8:30 a.m-12:30 p.m and 4:30 a.m8:30 p.m Friday 4:30 a.m - 8:30 p.m.

Admission is FREE. Science & Natural History Museum A wealth of education awaits the visitor to the Science and Natural History Museum on Abdulla Al Mubarak Street. Each gallery contains either a collection or an exhibit covering a wide range of themes. Collections on display Include fossils, stuffed animals, skeletons, and dried flowers. There are exhibits on health, petroleum, space travel, and electronics, among others. Forming part of the National Museum complex, the wonderful, modern Planetarium In the museum complex has shows at around 18:00 daily: local children, convinced the room is spinning, clap In syncopated beats every time the accompanying music begins.

A museum planetarium shows: Mornings: 1st Show: 10:00 a.m; 2nd Show: 11:00 a. m; 3rd Show: 12:00 p.m Evenings: 1st Show: 5:00 p.m; 2nd Show: 5:45 p.m; 3rd Show : 6:00 p.m. Note: Friday & Saturday no morning shows. (Tel: +965 22451195; +965 22456534). Admission is FREE. Al-Qurain Museum Located in the residential suburb of Qurain, This small museum is a memorial to a cell of young Kuwaiti patriots who tried to resist arrest in February 1991. Early In the morning, Iraqis bombarded the house for hours with machine guns, bombs and eventually a tank. Monday to Saturday 8.30 a.m 12.30 p.m; 4.30a.m -8.30 p.m Friday morning off. Afternoon: 4.30 a.m-8.30 pm. Winter Visiting hours: 4-8.30 pm. 1st Day of Eid off.

Tel: +965 25430343 Al Hashemi Marine Museum The World’s largest wooden dhow, owned and build by Hussein Marafie,Al Hashemi is a ‘Baghalah’ of monumental proportions. Baghalah is a large wooden cargo vessel which sailed the seas in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Constructed next to Radisson SAS Hotel, the double-decked Al-Hashemi II is dry-docked next to pre-oil era Kuwaiti village and marine museum containing models of extinct and modern dhows The lower deck has the grand ballroom - one of the finest in Kuwait.

Al-Hashemi II has earned the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The museum is opened Sat. Thu. from 9 am till 5 pm. Admission is FREE.

‘J Quest’ prize distribution ceremony at ICSK Junior

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n 30th May 2013, Thursday a grand prize distribution ceremony was held in the Indian Community School, Junior branch. The chief guest Mortada Shaikh, a prominent businessman and an alumni of ICSK, gave away prizes to the winners of ICSK -J Quest 2013, a series of competitions conducted by ICSK Junior in collaboration with the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) of Junior.

Enthusiastic students participated in fourteen different competitions like Music, Dance, Art and Fancy Dress. Three new competitions were introduced namely Junior Chef, Videography and Photography for the first time.

The program began with the recitation of the verses from the Holy Quran. The traditional lamp was lit by the chief guest Mortada Shaikh, Rajan Daniel, Vice-chairman, Vijay Karayil, Secretary George Mathew, PAC Representative to BOT from Junior Branch and Gayatri Ravindran, Principal In-charge of Junior Branch and Dinesh Kamath, Treasurer, also graced the function. Parent representatives from other branches of the ICSK were also present - Ajay George from senior branch and Nizar from Khaitan branch.

In her welcome address, Gayatri Ravindran spoke about the inherent talents present in every child. Chief Guest Mortada Shaikh addressed the gathering and said that it was a nostalgic moment for him and shared his fond memories of the school. He was overwhelmed to come back to his Alma Mater with full enthusiasm. George Mathew, PAC Representative to BOT from Junior Branch appreciated the efforts of the school and fellow PAC members in helping organize these competitions.

Mementos were given to Mohammed Rafi Padiyath, PAC Member, Ajay George, PAC Representative from Senior Branch, Gayatri Ravindran the Principal Incharge and Gomathy Murthy, Vice Principal for their efforts. The teaching fraternity were also presented mementos for the smooth conduct of J-Quest. The winners of J-Quest 2013 received their prizes from the dignitaries. In a special gesture the parents of the prize winners were invited to stand with their child on stage. It was a proud moment for parents to be part of their child’s success.

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds.

If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at Artist Johnarts Kalabhavan presents a caricature of Kerala Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan during a function organized recently in Jleeb.

instagram@kuwaittimes.net

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Kuwait National English School celebrates Reception Graduation

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uwait National English School celebrates each important step in the education of the pupils in the school.

Moving from Foundation Stage into Primary is an important one and Kuwait National English School does everything possible to ensure that the transition will be smooth.

The graduating students from Reception classes officially celebrated the transition in the Al Farabi theatre with music, songs and dance for the best enjoyment of their parents and their teachers.

The School Director Madame Chantal AlGharabally honored the children by giving them their prizes and certificates. Kuwait National English School along with the Director and staff is proud about the achievements of the little ones from the Foundation Stage and all Learning Goals have been achieved for all pupils.

Indian Embassy sets up helpline

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he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334.

It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates.

The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard. The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking.

“The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to

ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters,” the release read.

It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the abovementioned purpose only.

health & science SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Pa girl’s double-lung transplant deemed success PHILADELPHIA: A 10-year-old girl whose efforts to qualify for an organ donation spurred public debate over how organs are allocated underwent a successful double-lung transplant on Wednesday, the girl’s family said.

Sarah Murnaghan, who suffers from severe cystic fibrosis, received new lungs from an adult donor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, spokeswoman Tracy Simon said. The Murnaghan family said it was “thrilled” to share the news that Sarah was out of surgery.

“Her doctors are very pleased with both her progress during the procedure and her prognosis for recovery,” the family said in a statement. During double-lung transplants, surgeons must open up the patient’s chest.

Complications can include rejection of the new lungs and infection. Sarah went into surgery around 11 am Wednesday, and the procedure lasted about six hours, her family said. “The surgeons had no challenges resizing and transplanting the donor lungs the surgery went smoothly, and Sarah did extremely well,” it said. “She is in the process of getting settled in the ICU and now her recovery begins. We expect it will be a long road, but we’re not going for easy, we’re going for possible.”

Sarah’s family and the family of another cystic fibrosis patient at the same hospital challenged transplant policy that made children under 12 wait for pediatric lungs to become available or be offered lungs donated by adults only after adolescents and adults on the waiting list had been considered. They said pediatric lungs are rarely donated. Sarah’s aunt,

Sharon Ruddock, said the donor lungs came in through normal channels as a result of being on the adult donor list.

“It was a direct result of the ruling that allowed her to be put on the adult list,” Ruddock said. “It was not pediatric lungs, she would have never gotten these lungs otherwise.”

No other details about the donor lungs are known. Sarah’s health was

plant system’s established procedures. Lung transplants are difficult procedures, and some experts say child patients tend to have more trouble with them than adults do.

Sarah’s relatives, who are from Newtown Square, just west of Philadelphia, were “beyond excited” about her new lungs but were “keeping in mind that someone had to lose

PHILADELPHIA: In this May 30, 2013 file photo provided by the Murnaghan family, Sarah Murnaghan, center, celebrates the 100th day of her stay in Childrenís Hospital of Philadelphia with her father, Fran, left, and mother, Janet. —AP deteriorating when a judge intervened in her case last week, giving her a chance at the much larger list of organs from adult donors. US District Judge Michael Baylson ruled June 5 that Sarah and 11-year-old Javier Acosta, of New York City, should be eligible for adult lungs. Critics warned there could be a downside to having judges intervene in the organ trans-

a family member and they’re very aware of that and very appreciative,” family spokeswoman Maureen Garrity said earlier Wednesday. The Murnaghan family noted that Sarah’s successful surgery was the result of another family’s loss. “We are elated this day has come, but we also know our good news is another family’s tragedy.

That family made the decision to give Sarah the gift of life - and they are the true heroes today,” Sarah’s family said in their statement. The national organization that manages organ transplants, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, added Sarah to the adult waiting list after the judge’s ruling. Her transplant came two days before a hearing was scheduled on the family’s request for a broader injunction. The network has said 31 children under age 11 are on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

Its executive committee held an emergency meeting this week but resisted making emergency rule changes for children under 12 who are waiting on lungs, instead creating a special appeal and review system to hear such cases.

Sarah’s family “did have a legitimate complaint” about the rule that limited her access to adult lungs, said medical ethicist Arthur Caplan, of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. “When the transplant community met, they didn’t want to change that rule without really thinking carefully about it,” he said. The appeals process that was established this week, he said, was “built on evidence, not on influence.”

He added: “In general, the road to a transplant is still to let the system decide who will do best with scarce, lifesaving organs.

And it’s important that people understand that money, visibility, being photogenic ... are factors that have to be kept to a minimum if we’re going to get the best use out of the scarce supply of donated cadaver organs.” —AP

Human DNA not patentable: US Supreme Court WASHINGTON: Naturally occurring human gene sequences cannot be patented but artificially created DNA can be, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. The verdict represented a compromise between the goals of the biotech industry, which wanted to preserve all its patents, and campaigners seeking unfettered access to genetic data for researchers and patients. The nine justices issued the ruling after reviewing a 2012 appeals court decision that allowed biotechnology company Myriad Genetics Inc to patent two genes it found had links to breast and ovarian cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2.

US actress Angelina Jolie recently underwent a double mastectomy as a preventative measure after discovering she had a mutation in one such gene and was thus at greater risk of developing breast cancer. “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated but cDNA is patent

eligible because it is not naturally occurring,” the court ruled.

A coalition of associations representing some 150,000 researchers, doctors and patients, had asked the nation’s top court to overturn the 2012 decision, as it stopped them doing further work and research with the patented genes. They hailed the new ruling as a victory for patients’ rights. “Today, the court struck down a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation,” said Sandra Park, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Myriad offers testing for the two genes, whose discovery in the 1990s was the product of research that typically requires years of effort and large investments. The company “found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention,” said the decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas. The decision may save “thousands of lives,” Cedars-Sinai Cancer Institute women’s cancer

program chief Beth Karlan said, adding that it would accelerate scientific discoveries about how genetic defects cause the disease.

But industry sources expressed concern that the ruling could open the way to further lawsuits that would dissuade firms from pursuing valuable research. “How long before every defendant challenges every chemical or drug patent as a natural phenomenon?” asked Matthew Siegal, an intellectual property lawyer.

“Atoms exist in nature. For example, iron is the isolation of elemental iron that exists in nature as iron ore.”

And the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group cautioned that it was unclear how courts would apply the ruling in the future. In April, during arguments before the court, the justices grappled with hypothetical examples of potential patent bids such as ones for gold from the ground or plants harvested in the Amazon for their medicinal properties. The court deliberated for

only two months, a relatively short time, before unanimously deciding that products of nature are not eligible for patents. But the ruling was also seen as a partial victory for Myriad, whose shares jumped on the news, as it was able to retain patents on other gene patterns that fall under the cDNA definition. “The Supreme Court has ruled, vacating some patent claims and upholding others,” Myriad posted on its Facebook page. Company president and CEO Peter Meldrum noted that “the debate was about more than patent claims.” —AFP

Saudi Arabia says one more dead from MERS coronavirus RIYADH: One more person has died and two more have fallen ill in Saudi Arabia from the new SARS-like coronavirus, MERS-CoV, the Saudi Health Ministry said yesterday. Saudi Arabia has been the country most affected by the respiratory-system virus, with 46 cases, of whom 28 have died, data from the ministry showed. The latest death brings the worldwide death toll to 33, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The virus, which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, has spread from the Gulf to France, Britain and Germany. The WHO has called it the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERSCoV). It is a distant relative of the virus that triggered the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that swept the world in late 2003 and killed 775 people. The origin of the MERS virus is still unclear. So far, it appears to spread between people only when

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

health & science

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

CHANGE OF NAME

MATRIMONIAL Inviting marriage proposal for Tamil Christian girl age 30, working in Kuwait, qualifications B.P.T + M Sc (UK).

Contact Email: proposal.groom2013@gmail.com (C 4441)

12-6-2013

Inviting marriage proposal for Kerala Christian boy, age 29/ ht - 176cm, from Trichur district working as an Accountant in a reputed company in Kuwait. Contact: Email: sanjayantony42@gmail.com (C 4440) ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Farwaniya near Garden for a Filipina lady in a C-A/C building. Rent KD 55/-.

Contact: 99076372.

(C 4439) 10-6-2013

I, Kamasani Damodaram holder of Indian passport No. E6147415 issued at Hyderabad on 26-08-2003, I wish to change my name Kamasani Damodar Reddy.

(C 4443) 15-6-2013

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

1889988

112

Prayer timings Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:13 04:49 11:48 15:22 18:49 20:21

No: 15840

Kuwait AVENUES-2 TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

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KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (13/06/2013 TO 19/06/2013) TATTAH (DIG) EPIC (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

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MUHALAB-1 EPIC (DIG) EPIC (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG)

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information SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers use seats Airlines BBC QTR MEA SAI JZR JZR THY ETH GFA PIA UAE ETD FDB KAC KAC RJA RBG MSR OMA QTR THY DHX FDB BAW JZR JZR JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB UAE ABY QTR IRC IRM FDB ETD IRA GFA IAW IRM MSC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR MSC JAI RBG FDB OMA ABY IRA MEA MSR KNE AXB KLM KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE MSR THY KNE QTR FDB IRC IRM MSR SVA

Arrival Flights on Saturday 15/6/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 408 BEIRUT 441 LAHORE 539 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 239 ISLAMABAD 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 412 MANILA 416 JAKARTA 648 AMMAN 555 ALEXANDRIA 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 555 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASSIUT 1541 CAIRO 302 MUMBAI 382 DELHI 206 ISLAMABAD 344 CHENNAI 284 DHAKA 53 DUBAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 6588 SHAHRE KORD 1186 TEHRAN 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 3407 TEHRAN 213 BAHRAIN 157 BAGHDAD 1188 MASHAD 401 ALEXANDRIA 362 COLOMBO 352 COCHIN 165 DUBAI 325 NAJAF 503 LUXOR 563 SOHAG 241 AMMAN 405 SOHAG 572 MUMBAI 553 ALEXANDRIA 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 129 SHARJAH 607 MASHAD 402 BEIRUT 618 ALEXANDRIA 462 MEDINAH 489 COCHIN 415 AMSTERDAM 788 JEDDAH 176 GENEVA 538 SOHAG 104 LONDON 790 MEDINAH 542 CAIRO 562 AMMAN 502 BEIRUT 774 RIYADH 118 NEW YORK 672 DUBAI 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 6692 MASHAD 1184 SHIRAZ 575 SHARM EL SHEIKH 500 JEDDAH

Time 00:05 00:05 00:10 01:30 00:40 00:20 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:05 02:25 02:30 03:10 06:15 06:35 03:10 03:15 03:15 03:20 03:30 04:35 05:10 05:50 06:30 06:20 06:40 06:25 07:50 07:30 07:25 08:20 08:15 07:45 08:25 08:50 09:00 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:30 10:35 10:40 11:00 11:45 12:00 08:45 08:05 11:35 12:25 07:40 12:40 12:35 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:30 20:35 20:35 21:05 15:00 17:45 15:40 18:45 13:55 18:15 19:55 18:50 19:25 16:00 13:40 19:10 19:25 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:20 13:45 13:50 14:00 14:05 14:15 14:30

KNE SYR KNE RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL GFA SVA NIA IZG QTR FDB GFA JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA JAI QTR FDB AIC KNE UAL DLH JAI MSR THY KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR

472 341 470 640 134 303 857 127 982 215 510 251 4167 144 63 219 257 177 269 357 125 535 777 189 229 859 307 136 217 576 146 59 975 474 981 636 574 614 772 786 614 239 135 513 185

JEDDAH DAMASCUS JEDDAH AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH ALEXANDRIA MASHAD DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BEIRUT MASHAD BAHRAIN CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN COCHIN DOHA DUBAI CHENNAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL JEDDAH BAHRAIN AMMAN BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI

Airlines AIC JAI UAL DLH MSR KLM MEA BBC JZR THY SAI THY ETH PIA UAE FDB RBG MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR FDB RJA GFA THY JZR JZR KAC BAW FDB JZR JZR JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB

Departure Flights on Saturday 15/6/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 413 AMSTERDAM 409 BEIRUT 44 DHAKA 502 LUXOR 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 765 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 562 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 649 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 240 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 537 SOHAG 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 324 AL NAJAF 789 MADINAH 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI

14:35 14:55 15:05 15:55 16:15 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 18:00 18:05 18:25 18:55 19:05 14:30 17:30 19:15 16:50 16:25 16:10 17:50 20:10 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:55 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:45 22:40 23:00 22:30 23:00 23:20 22:40 Time 00:05 00:20 00:25 00:30 00:30 00:55 01:10 01:30 01:30 02:20 02:30 02:40 02:45 03:35 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:15 04:20 04:20 04:25 05:15 06:15 06:30 06:35 07:00 07:10 07:10 07:25 07:45 08:25 08:25 08:50 09:10 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:50 09:55

QTR IRC ETD KAC IRM JZR KAC GFA KAC IRA KAC IAW JZR MSC IRM JZR JZR JZR MSR THY KNE UAE FDB KAC QTR IRC MSR KAC IRM KNE KAC SYR SVA JZR KAC KNE RJA KAC JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR NIA IZG QTR FDB GFA KAC JZR KAC RBG MSC JAI FDB ABY KAC OMA KAC IRA MEA MSR KAC KNE DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC JAI QTR JZR JZR KNE KAC JZR

133 6589 302 101 1185 356 501 214 541 3406 165 158 776 406 1189 176 124 268 611 767 481 872 58 561 141 6693 576 673 1187 473 617 342 505 188 773 461 641 785 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 216 511 982 184 266 252 4168 145 64 220 613 134 283 554 402 571 62 120 331 648 351 604 403 607 543 475 171 415 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 205 575 147 554 1540 471 411 528

DOHA SHAHRE ABU DHABI LONDON SHIRAZ MASHHAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN CAIRO MASHHAD ROME AL NAJAF JEDDAH SOHAG MASHHAD DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT CAIRO ISTANBUL TAIF DUBAI DUBAI AMMAN DOHA MASHHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI IMAM KHOMEINI JEDDAH DOHA DAMASCUS JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH MADINAH AMMAN JEDDAH AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA MASHHAD DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT KOCHI ISFAHAN BEIRUT LUXOR CAIRO JEDDAH BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD ABU DHABI DOHA ALEXANDRIA CAIRO JEDDAH BANGKOK ASSIUT

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Word Search

Yesterdayʼs Solution

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

ACROSS 1. A city in north central Morocco.

4. Relating to compounds in which silver is bivalent.

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

15. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytes including the liquid in blood plasma and interstitial fluid.

16. Completely devoid of wisdom or good sense.

17. The cry made by sheep.

18. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

19. Wild ginger.

20. In such a manner as could not be otherwise.

21. A tranquilizer (trade name Loxitane) used to treat schizophrenia.

23. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

25. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

26. The basic unit of money in South Africa.

27. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

29. United States poet and critic (1899-1979).

32. A small constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere near the Southern Cross and Chamaeleon.

35. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

39. A primeval personification of air and breath.

40. Made from residue of grapes or apples after pressing.

41. A design fixed to some surface or a paper bearing the design to be transferred to the surface.

42. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

43. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

46. A small wooded hollow.

47. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

51. Of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand of its people.

52. Showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering.

55. Resembling a berry.

56. The quality of being outrageous.

58. Inquire about.

59. A boy or man.

60. A statistical method for making simultaneous comparisons between two or more means.

61. A soft silvery metallic element.

63. 100 thebe equal 1 pula.

66. Erect bushy annual widely cultivated in warm regions of India and Indonesia and United States for forage and especially its edible seeds.

70. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

74. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

75. A port city is southern Indonesia.

79. An associate degree in applied science.

80. A member of the Dravidian people living in southeastern India.

81. A family of birds of the suborder Oscines.

82. Government agency created in 1974 to license and regulate nuclear power plants.

83. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar to but heavier than beer.

84. Give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations.

85. Hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland (trade name Pitressin) and also by nerve endings in the hypothalamus.

1. An intuitive awareness.

2. (prefix) Outside or outer.

3. The second largest city in Tunisia.

4. (Babylonian) A demigod or first man.

5. Any of a class of solid or semisolid viscous substances obtained either as exudations from certain plants or prepared by polymerization of simple molecules.

6. The mother of your father or mother.

7. A republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland.

8. Inflammation of the urethra of unknown cause.

9. An alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding.

10. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.

11. Someone who is critical of the motives of others.

12. In bed.

13. An informal term for a father.

14. Distinctive and stylish elegance.

22. A particular environment or walk of life.

24. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

28. Advanced in years.

30. Pertaining to or resembling amoebae.

31. Island in West Indies.

33. Relating to the Urdu language.

34. Singing jazz.

36. Any organic compound formed by adding alcohol molecules to aldehyde molecules.

37. When dried yields a hard substance used e.g. in golf balls.

38. Related by common characteristics or ancestry.

44. A small cake leavened with yeast.

45. Type genus of the Anatidae.

48. Quality of being active or spirited or vigorous.

49. A television system that has more than the usual number of lines per frame so its pictures show more detail.

50. (informal) Very bad.

53. Taken or to be taken at random.

54. Partial or total loss of memory.

57. Saudi Arabian minister of petroleum who was a central figure in the creation of OPEC (born in 1930).

62. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

64. The act of drawing or hauling something.

65. A member of an Iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania and western New York.

67. In or relating to or obtained from urine.

68. A quantity of no importance.

69. Any of various small biting flies.

71. Type genus of the Ranidae.

72. One of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes.

73. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

76. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential).

77. A master's degree in education.

78. A unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

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Daily Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Athletics enjoy 3-2 victory over Yankees

DENVER: Washington Nationals pinch hitter Roger Bernadina (bottom) slides safely into second base with a double as Colorado Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu applies a late tag in the eighth inning of the Nationals’ 5-4 victory in a baseball game. — AP

Zimmerman homers, doubles and drives for Nationals

NEW YORK: Adam Wainwright became the first 10-game winner in the majors by throwing seven scoreless innings and sent Matt Harvey to his first loss of the season, leading the St Louis Cardinals over the New York Mets 2-1 Thursday in a classic pitching matchup.

Wainwright (10-3) retired his first 11 batters before David Wright’s single, and allowed four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He matched his career best by winning his fifth straight start, dropped his ERA to 2.18 and got his 1,000th career strikeout. Known best in New York for freezing Carlos Beltran with a called third strike to end Game 7 of the 2006 National League championship series, Wainwright had been 0-4 with an 8.46 ERA in four starts against the Mets since beating them on April 18, 2010. Edward Mujica allowed a long home run to Marlon Byrd in the ninth before remaining perfect in 19 save chances. Mujica got defensive help from second baseman Matt Carpenter, who made a sliding stop on his backhand to prevent the tying run. Harvey (5-1) had been unbeaten in 14 starts since Sept 12 and he pitched well enough to win, giving up one run and five hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. St Louis scored its only run off him in the third on Carpenter’s RBI triple.

Allen Craig added a run-scoring single in the eighth. Harvey, who lowered his ERA to 2.04, had no-decisions in eight of previous nine starts, and the Mets have scored just 18 runs while he’s been in the game during his last 10 outings, according to STATS. CUBS 6, REDS 5, 14 INNINGS Pinch-hitter Julio Borbon singled home the winning run with two outs in the 14th inning as Chicago ended Cincinnati’s record 12-game winning streak at Wrigley Field. The Cubs hadn’t beaten Cincinnati at home since last Aug. 9. With the win, Chicago avoided a four-game sweep and improved to 3-10 against the Reds this season. Hector Rondon (1-0) pitched two innings for the win and Chicago’s bullpen finished with 13 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in a game that lasted 5 hours, 7 minutes. David DeJesus homered and Nate Schierholtz tripled twice for the Cubs, who had lost eight of 10 to fall a

season-worst 13 games below .500.

Jonathan Broxton (2-2) took the loss in the longest game for both teams this season.

NATIONALS 5, ROCKIES 4 Ryan Zimmerman homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Ian Desmond got four hits as Washington beat the depleted Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies lost four players and a coach, as well as the rubber match of the three-game series. Colorado outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler were hurt early and star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left with a rib injury in the eighth. While the Rockies said Xrays on Gonzalez and Fowler were negative and listed both players as day to day, Tulowitzki’s injury could be more serious. Rockies reliever Wilton Lopez and pitching coach Jim Wright were ejected in the seventh. Craig Stammen (4-2) threw two scoreless innings. Rafael Soriano got his 17th save after giving up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Todd Helton with two outs. Zimmerman’s RBI double off reliever Matt Belisle (4-3) in the eighth broke a tie, and he later scored on Desmond’s infield single to make it 5-3. Gonzalez was hit near the ankle by a foul ball while on deck in the first inning and exited with a bruised left foot. Fowler was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Ross Detwiler after squaring to bunt in the third.

GIANTS 10, PIRATES 0 Matt Cain allowed two hits over 6 23 innings as San Francisco routed Pittsburgh. A year to the day after throwing a perfect game against Houston, Cain (5-3) was nearly flawless again. He struck out three and walked two, giving up a single to Garrett Jones in the fifth and a double to Andrew McCutchen in the seventh. Hunter Pence hit his 11th homer, while Buster Posey, Gregor Blanco and Joaquin Arias had three hits apiece for the Giants, who avoided a sweep by spoiling Charlie Morton’s return from Tommy John surgery. Morton (0-1) gave up four runs - two earned - and seven hits in five innings. He also hit three batters with pitches while making his first major league start in more than a year. — AP

OAKLAND: Nate Freiman singled home the winning run in the 18th inning against Mariano Rivera, lifting the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday for a three-game sweep. As a day game after a night game turned into a night game after a day game, John Jaso singled off Preston Claiborne (0-1) to start the decisive rally and went to third on Seth Smith’s soft single to shallow left field against Rivera. Baseball’s career saves leader issued only the 39th intentional walk of his 19-year career to Jed Lowrie before Freiman ended the 5-hour, 35-minute game. The American League Westleading A’s (41-27) won their 11th in a row at home.

Winning pitcher Jesse Chavez (1-0) struck out seven in 5 2-3 scoreless innings.

ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 4, 13 INNINGS Chris Davis singled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the 13th inning, giving the Orioles an exhausting victory over the Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series between AL East contenders. Danny Valencia homered for the Orioles, who moved into second place and within 21/2 games of Boston. Baltimore won despite leaving 16 on base and going 4 for 14 with runners in scoring position. With two outs in the 13th, Nick Markakis drew a walk from Alex Wilson (1-1). Adam Jones singled and Davis followed with an opposite-field pop that landed in front of left fielder Daniel Nava. TJ McFarland (1-0) pitched the 13th to earn his first major league win.

ROYALS 10, RAYS 1 Elliot Johnson had a three three-run homer for his second hit of an eight-run sixth inning, leading the surging Kansas City Royals to a 10-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Johnson, who was traded to Kansas City by the Rays in February, led off the big inning with a single and chased Jeremy Hellickson (4-3) with his second homer of

the season, both coming against Tampa Bay. Johnson got his third hit of the game in the eighth inning and is 6 for 11 with four RBIs against his former team while batting .202 with three RBIs against every other team. Ervin Santana (5-5) gave up five hits and an unearned run in 7 2-3 innings. The Royals have won eight of nine.

BLUE JAYS 3, RANGERS 1 Edwin Encarnacion hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning as the Blue Jays handed the Rangers their third straight loss. The slumping Rangers wasted another solid outing by Yu Darvish, who has made five consecutive starts without a victory. Neal Cotts (2-1) replaced Darvish to start the eighth, when Emilio Bonifacio reached on a throwing error by Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre. Munenori Kawasaki had a sacrifice bunt before Tanner Scheppers, the second reliever, walked Jose Bautista before the double by Encarnacion.

Esmil Rogers (2-2) allowed one run over seven innings, the same as Darvish, who struck out nine.

INTERLEAGUE PHILLIES 3, TWINS 2 Cliff Lee allowed two runs in seven strong innings, Ben Revere had four hits and scored the go-ahead run, and the Phillies rallied to beat the Twins and snap a five-game losing streak. The speedy Revere slid home with nobody out in the eighth, scoring from third base on Jimmy Rollins’ chopper. First baseman Justin Morneau was playing in, but his throw was too late to catch Revere - formerly of the Twins. Lee (8-2) gave up only one hit and faced the minimum number of batters through 6 1-3 innings before Joe Mauer walked. Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen opened the eighth with a double against reliever Jared Burton (0-4) and scored the tying run on Michael Young’s single. — AP

OAKLAND: Nate Freiman #7 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates with Jed Lowrie #8 after he hit a single that scored John Jaso #5 in the bottom of the 18th inning to beat the New York Yankees. —AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Heat even NBA Finals with Spurs after win SAN ANTONIO: LeBron James wanted the responsibility on his powerful shoulders. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh proved Thursday it doesn’t have to be that way. James can win the Miami Heat plenty of games, but even he can’t win a title alone. “We’re not going to win this series if myself, Chris and LeBron don’t show up to play on a consistent basis,” Wade said. “So tonight was kind of one of the best performances that we all had in the playoffs together at the same time, just being aggressive from start to finish, and hopefully that’s what we can see for the next three games.”

Riding big performances from their Big Three, the Heat tied the NBA Finals with a 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4. “It was on our shoulders,” James said. “We had to figure out how to win the game for us and play at the highest level.

When all three of us are clicking we’re very tough to beat.” James had 33 points and 11 rebounds after failing to break 20 points in any of the first three games of the series, and Wade scored 32 points, 11 more than his previous high this postseason.

Bosh matched his playoff high with 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, he and Wade supplying the baskets that finally put the Spurs away for good midway through the fourth quarter. Three players, 85 points. Just the way the Heat envisioned it when they signed James and Bosh to play with Wade in 2010.

“The death of the Big Three was overrated,” Heat owner Micky Arison said as he walked toward the winning locker room. Sure was. His three prized players are just fine, and so are the Heat’s championship hopes. “When Bosh, Wade and James score the way they did tonight and shoot it the way they did tonight, a team is going to have a difficult time if you help them like we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

“When those guys are playing like that, you better be playing a perfect game.” The Spurs weren’t, committing 19 turnovers that led to 23 points. And just like they have for the past five months, the Heat bounced back from a loss with a victory. They are 12-0 after defeats since Jan. 10, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 20 points in the previous 11 victories. Tim Duncan scored 20 points for the Spurs, who have one more game here on Sunday. They fell to 10-3 at home all-time in the finals, failing to back up their 113-77 victory in Game 3 that was the third-most lopsided score in the history of the championship series.

James insisted he would be better after shooting 7 of 21 from the field with no free throws in that game, saying he was the star and it was his job to lead his team. He was 15 of 25 on Thursday.

But while James - and millions of critics worldwide - wanted to pile all the pressure on the league’s MVP, it was Wade on Wednesday who said it was the Heat’s three All-Stars who had to lead them together, or there would be no championship.

He was right. And now those championship hopes are right back on track. “It was all about myself, Chris and LeBron coming out and leading this team to a victory,” Wade said. “The thing we talked about is we all have to make an impact in this game, somehow, some way.” Wade shot 14 of 25, adding six steals, six rebounds and four assists in a performance that James compared to when Wade was MVP of the 2006 finals.

Tony Parker had 15 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who made a finals-record 16 3-pointers on Tuesday but got up only 16 attempts in this one. Gary Neal scored 13 points and Danny Green had 10, solid nights but nothing like when they combined for 13 3-pointers two nights earlier. “They play very aggressive defense,” Parker said. “They gamble and they take a lot of chances, and tonight it worked.”

The Heat guaranteed they will get at least one more game on their home floor. Game 6 will be Tuesday night, where they could

SAN ANTONIO: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat goes up for a shot against Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 13, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. — AFP have a chance to celebrate a second straight championship. The revelry in South Florida was marred Thursday by an accident in which the deck behind a popular sports bar collapsed during the game, spilling patrons into Biscayne Bay. Miami Dade Fire Chief David Downey said 24 people were transported to area hospitals, and that two people were in serious condition.

“We share our concerns for all that was injured at Shuckers restaurant,” Wade said as he started his postgame news conference. Wade, battling right knee pain throughout the spring, helped the Heat put it away in the fourth quarter. He followed a basket with a steal and dunk, pushing the lead to 90-81, and after he made another jumper, Bosh scored the next six Heat points, taking the load off James.

“We’re not going to put him on an island,” Bosh said. “He’s never alone. We’re out there with him.” The Heat switched their lineup, inserting Mike Miller, who made 10 of his 11 shots, going 9 of 10 on 3-pointers, in the first three games of the series. He was scoreless on Thursday. The Heat changed uniforms, too, switching from their road reds to their blacks. The only change they really needed was in the performances of their Big Three. James called it a “must-win” and it probably was: No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

And the way their three stars played, they couldn’t lose. The Heat blocked shots, made stops, and occasionally flopped, playing with renewed aggression after what coach Erik Spoelstra called a “miserable” day of watching and analyzing their passive performance from Tuesday. They still haven’t lost two in a row

since Jan 8 and 10. Parker played through a strained right hamstring, shooting 7 of 16, but the Spurs couldn’t match the Heat’s speed. After the teams traded blowouts in the previous two games, momentum swung wildly in a first half that ended tied at 49. San Antonio raced to a quick 10-point lead, fell behind by 10 with 7 minutes left in the half, then finished with an 11-2 spurt sparked by reserve Boris Diaw. Bosh drove for a dunk that came just after the buzzer, Spurs owner Peter Holt waving it off from his seat along the sideline. James rocked back and forth during the national anthem, a bundle of energy ready to get going.

It took a few minutes after the game started, but he began playing with the speed and power that can make him unguardable, grabbing rebounds on defense and rushing the ball up the floor himself to get the Heat into their offense. He and Wade combined to make 10 of 11 shots and score 21 points in the first quarter, helping the Heat erase their early 10-point deficit to go ahead 29-26. Popovich even lit into Duncan during an early secondquarter timeout with Miami on its way to a 41-31 advantage, but the Spurs had it back to even by the time the teams headed to the locker room. Notes: Sebastien De La Cruz, an 11-year-old mariachi singer, sang the national anthem again after his Game 3 performance set off a barrage of racist tweets by what Popovich called “idiots.” Popovich and Spoelstra congratulated him at midcourt after his performance, which earned him a rousing ovation. ... James passed Hakeem Olajuwon (3,755 points) and John Havlicek (3,776) to move into ninth place in career playoff scoring.

James has 3,777. — AP

NFL to limit bags brought into stadiums FLORHAM PARK:Bring yourself to the game. Leave the cooler and backpack at home. The NFL is tightening stadium security starting this preseason, limiting the size and type of bags fans can bring to the game. The restrictions are designed to enhance security while speeding up entry into stadiums. With the exception of medically necessary items, only clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches will be allowed.

One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags also will be OK, as will small clear plastic bags approximately the size of someone’s hand, with or without a handle or strap.

One of those clear bags and a small

clutch bag will be allowed per person.

Binoculars, cameras, and smartphones also will be permitted. Banned items will include purses larger than a clutch bag; coolers; briefcases; backpacks; fanny packs; cinch bags; seat cushions; luggage; computer bags; and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size.

The league is encouraging fans not to bring any bags to games. “Our fans deserve to be in a safe and secure environment,” Jeffrey Miller, the NFL’s chief security officer, said Thursday. “Public safety is our top priority. This will make the job of checking items much more efficient and effective.

We will be able to deliver a better and

quicker experience at the gates and also provide a safer environment. We appreciate our fans’ cooperation.”

An NFL committee on stadium security recommended these measures in May and the owners have approved them. A secondary buffer area well outside the stadium will be established where security personnel will check for prohibited items or bags being carried toward the ballpark.

Fans with prohibited bags will be turned away until they dispose of those bags.

Stadium personnel are being encouraged to have approved bags on hand to give to fans, or to have a place outside the restricted areas to check items, so that fans can

reclaim after games.

Recently, the NFL has done pat downs and bag checks and also used metal detectors to upgrade security. The new policy announced Thursday has worked well at colleges such as Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State, which do not permit any bags in their stadiums. Boston’s TD Garden allows only clutch bags.

The NFL ramped up security at the draft in late April, its one major event since the Boston Marathon bombings. In a statement Thursday, the league said: “We had been discussing a new approach to bag restrictions before the Boston Marathon incident. —AP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Buoyant Bolt certain of negotiating trials

LAS VEGAS: In this image provided the Miss Universe Organization, Stacie Juris (left) wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey, and Miss Illinois, and Sarah Kidd, Miss Massachusetts, wearing a Boston Bruins jersey, face-off with hockey sticks as they pose for a photo at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. — AP

Fans, players catch breath after Game One thriller Hockey fans were still catching their breath on Thursday after the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins in a Game One triple-overtime Stanley Cup thriller that has already been labelled a classic. Chicago’s 4-3 comeback win will long be remembered by anyone who witnessed the pulsating four-hour drama unfold on television or inside a packed United Center. But the Bruins will be trying hard to forget as they look forward to Game Two today and leveling the best-ofseven series.

The Blackhawks were forced to play what amounted to almost two complete games to get one victory, Andrew Shaw ending the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Final history with his goal 12:08 of the third overtime period. Exhausted players left the ice to a thundering ovation but some were back at the United Center on Thursday to fulfill media obligations, tired but no so weary they couldn’t crack a joke.

“To tell you the truth, (I) fall asleep around 3:00. Woke up early,” shrugged Blackhawks’ Slovakian forward Marian Hossa. “I think my neighbor decided he (was) going to drill in the morning. “You know, hopefully (he) is going to get his message for next time, he won’t drill. “We are lucky, we got extra day, you know, to recharge the batteries and get back on Game Two.” For the Bruins, recovering physically from the draining contest may be easier than recovering mentally after watching a 3-1 lead with 12 minutes left in regulation disappear into a gutwrenching loss.

While admitting that losing in tripleovertime stings, Bruins coach Claude Julien was searching for some perspective after the crushing defeat. “Last time we won the Cup, we lost the first two games to Vancouver,” recalled Julien. “It never stopped us from coming back. This certainly won’t. “With a little bit of luck, we could have ended it before they did.

“Some nights you get the break going your way, some nights you don’t.”

For the Bruins the challenge is straightforward; refocus and stop agonizing over missed opportunities and what might have been if they had capitalized on just one of their many chances in overtime.

Just minutes before Shaw’s decider, Bruins Kaspars Daugavins could have penned a very different result but with Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford sprawled across the ice the Latvian couldn’t put the puck in the open net.

“There’s no question that it’s a tough loss,” said Bruins Adam McQuaid. “At the same time, it was a game that could have gone either way. “Take the positives from it. Today is a new day. We kind of start over and just have to get ready for Game Two.” The real winners on Wednesday were the fans, who had been left bitter and disillusioned when a nasty labor dispute very nearly resulted in no season until a last minute deal was struck to salvage a 48-game season.

Owners and players promised they would reward fans for their patience and loyalty and on Wednesday two Original Six rivals delivered a Stanley Cup Finals opener for the ages. The NHL reported that Game One received a 4.8 household rating, which is the best metered market rating for a Stanley Cup Final Game One since 1997 but there were other signs people had been captivated by the breathless marathon.

As game went on the Twitter-verse was abuzz with everyone from the White House to the Rolling Stones drawn into the unfolding drama. US president Barack Obama, a Chicago backer, offered: “Good luck to the @NHLBlackhawks tonight hope to welcome you back to the White House again as #StanleyCup champs. -bo” while Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger showed his colors donning a Bruins jersey and posting it on Instagram.

“Both teams wanted to win that game and no one was going to give it up easy,” said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.

“We’re obviously feeling pretty good about it.” — Reuters

OSLO: Usain Bolt dispelled any concerns over his early-season form by blasting to a convincing victory in the 200m at the Bislett Games. But the Jamaican sprint star, a six-time Olympic gold medallist and world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, faces the daunting prospect of having to negotiate the Jamaican national trials to compete in the 100m in the August 10-18 World Athletics Championships. The one big stain on Bolt’s stellar career came in the stifling South Korean heat and humidity of Daegu at the 2011 worlds, a false start seeing him automatically disqualified from the blue riband event of track and field.

Training partner and compatriot Yohan Blake was crowned new world 100m champ and as such earns the right to enjoy a wildcard entry into the Moscow worlds. It means Bolt returns home for a debriefing with his coach Glen Mills before tackling the ultra-competitive world of Jamaican 100m running, despite having twice run under the qualifying time of 10.15sec already this season. A top-three finish would see him qualify for the 100m and 4x100m relay team.

There is no need to impress on Bolt the dangers of the national trials, after Blake beat him in the pre-Olympic champs over both distances, although the two are unlikely to meet in the June 21-23 Kingston meet.

“Now I’m heading back to Jamaica and will prepare for the world championships,” said Bolt after his victory late Thursday. “I love to compete at home. “I’ll go to the trials to try to win, but it’s all about the qualification.” Bolt certainly impressed over the 200m in Oslo, setting a new Bislett Stadium meet record of 19.79sec despite cold conditions and the fact that European champion Churandy Martina was disqualified for a false start in the lane

outside the Jamaican.

“It’s always good to have someone in front of you,” he said. “You can focus on who’s ahead and they lead you through the bend.” Bolt said the race had left him feeling like he was “in pretty good 200m shape”. “It’s my favourite event, and the race shows that I’m not in as bad shape as I thought. “You have to be very powerful to beat me off the curve,” he said, adding that in better weather conditions the race “would definitely have been 19.50sec”.

The victory, with his closest rival, Norwegian Jaysum Saidy Ndure, finishing more than half a second away, was a welcome tonic after his defeat by American Justin Gatlin in the Rome meet of the Diamond League. That brought his tally to just five losses in his professional career since taking the world of sprinting by storm at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, including defeats by compatriot Asafa Powell and American Tyson Gay. But Bolt insisted that sprinting was not about personal rivalries. “Year after year, people come to try to beat Usain Bolt. But you cannot focus on one person because you never know who’s going to show up the next day,” he said, citing Gatlin’s loss to Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre just days after his Rome victory.

“You have to focus on putting everything together. “If I lose a race, it’s back to the drawing board... But I’m never worried about losing a race because at the world championships I show up and get it done.” He added: “Definitely my goals remain the same: to be the best in the world and win three gold medals in Moscow. “And my dream is also to break 19 seconds in the 200m.” Bolt was quick to add, however, that sprinting was “never about the times”. “It’s all about winning. If I run 20sec flat to win gold at the world championships, I’d be happy.” — AFP

OSLO: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning the men’s 200 m event during the Diamond League athletics competition at the Bislett Stadium on June 13, 2013. — AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Jet-setter Mickelson flies high at Merion ARDMORE: Tiger Woods of the United States reacts on the 16th green during a continuation of Round One of the 113th US Open at Merion Golf Club yesterday in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. — AFP

Wrist appears an issue as Tiger struggles at Open ARDMORE: Top-ranked Tiger Woods stumbled to a two-over par start over 10 holes in Thursday’s first round of the US Open and appeared to injure his left wrist blasting out of Merion’s dense rough.

Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, might have hurt himself with his second shot on the first hole, following an errant tee shot by punching out of the deep grass. Woods shook his left wrist after making the shot and later at the fifth hole seemed to wince after another shot to escape the tall grass, which had been made tougher by rains earlier in the day that delayed his start by three hours and 32 minutes. The fourtime US Open champion was shaking his wrist again after a blast out of the rough at the 11th. At the very least, the wrist appeared to be an issue for Woods that contributed to a disappointing performance by the pre-tournament favorite, who would match the career record for US Open triumphs with a victory this week. Woods has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, where he limped to victory on what proved to be a broken leg. He has been nagged by knee and leg injuries since then as well as the infamous sex scandal revealed in 2009. The latest injury fear brought back memories of a wrist injury suffered by Woods as an amateur at the 1995 US Open at Shinnecock.

Woods had to withdraw because of a wrist injury suffered when he tried to blast a ball out of dense underbrush. Woods sandwiched two bogeys around a birdie in the first three holes of his roller coaster round, which came while paired alongside second-ranked Rory McIlroy and third-ranked Masters champion Adam Scott in the feature group.

Woods took another bogey at the fifth but answered with a birdie on the very next hole, only to make another bogey at the par-3 ninth.

At the 11th, Woods had a 2 1/2-foot par putt when darkness stopped play. He elected not to attempt the putt until play resumed Friday morning at 7:15 am (1115 GMT). “It’s going to be a fast night,” Woods said after his round. “I’ve got a lot of holes to play tomorrow. And hopefully I can play a little better than I did today.”

Woods did not use the weather disruptions as an excuse for his struggles but also did not mention his wrist in comments provided by the US Golf Association. “It’s kind of the way the tour has been this year,” Woods said. “We’ve had a lot of bad weather this year and this is the way it has been.”— AFP

ARDMORE: Kevin Streelman of the United States hits his tee shot on the fifth hole during a continuation of Round One of the 113th US Open at Merion Golf Club yesterday. — AFP

ARDMORE: Family man Phil Mickelson, typically bold and unconventional in his tournament build-up, thrilled his fans by taking the clubhouse lead in the weather-delayed first round of the US Open on Thursday.

Despite having arrived at Merion Golf Club in the early hours of the morning after an overnight flight from his native California, Mickelson soared into contention at the year’s second major with a three-under-par 67.

Play was eventually abandoned for the day in fading light just before 8:30 p.m.

(0030 GMT), following two earlier suspensions totaling four-and-a-quarter hours, with world number six Luke Donald leading at four under par after 13 holes. “I feel like I’m in pretty good control of my game, and it’s nice to get off to such a good start,” Englishman Donald told reporters after making three consecutive birdies from the 11th, a curling nine-footer at the 13th giving him the outright lead.

Donald, a former world number one who has yet to clinch his first major title, was delighted to take advantage of a rainsoftened Merion where there was very little wind but thick rough lying in wait as its main defence. “You can attack the pins a little bit more, so it’s playing as gentle as it might play so far,” he said. “Today was a good day. I’ve got five holes left and five pretty tough ones to finish.”

Left-hander Mickelson, who carried five wedges but no driver in his bag to tackle Merion’s short East Course, mixed four birdies with a lone bogey after setting off from the 11th hole in the second group of the day.

Mickelson equaled his lowest ever opening round at the US Open, having previously fired a 67 at the start of the 1999 championship at Pinehurst where he finished in second place. “Pretty good, a good start,” Mickelson said after making do with just a few hours of sleep on his private jet while returning from San Diego where he had attended his oldest daughter Amanda’s eighth grade graduation ceremony.

“I might have used just a little caffeine booster at the turn, just to keep me sharp, but that was our ninth hole or so and I just wanted to make sure I had enough energy.

I feel great.” Long-hitting Belgian Nicolas

Colsaerts opened with a 69 while former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, fellow South African Tim Clark, Australian Jason Day and Americans Jerry Kelly and Rickie Fowler carded 70s.

Kelly had been just one stroke behind Mickelson before slipping back with a double-bogey at the tricky par-four 18th. Longhitting Americans Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, and English world number five Justin Rose, were among a group of 10 players knotted on 71.

Darkening skies The siren had first sounded at 8:36 a.m. to halt the action under darkening skies, with Englishman Ian Poulter the early leader at three under par after recording birdies on his first three holes. When play

did well to save par at the fifth where his tee shot nearly ended up in a stream. He knocked in a short birdie putt at the seventh before moving one stroke clear by sinking a 30-footer at the par-three ninth.

Mickelson was fulsome in his praise of Merion’s East Course, which is staging its first US Open in 32 years after long being regarded as too short to host a major.

“This is the best setup I’ve ever seen for a US Open,” he said. “It’s a course that’s withstood the test of time and it’s challenging the best players in the world this week.”

Though Merion is a short layout by modern standards, measuring 6,996 yards off the back tees, it is renowned for its thick rough, tilting fairways, contoured greens and several semi-blind shots. While players were able to attack the pins on greens made

ARDMORE: Phil Mickelson adjust his visor after putting on the 10th hole during the first round of the US Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Thursday, June 13, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. —AP eventually resumed, however, Poulter immediately fell back with a bogey at the par-four 14th, where his drive ended up in heavy, wet rough and he ended his round with a 71. Mickelson, runner-up at the U.S. Open a record five times, was at level par after five holes when play was suspended, and he mounted his charge after returning to the course.

The 42-year-old rolled in a breaking 25foot birdie putt at the par-four first, then

more receptive by torrential rain during the championship build-up and again on Thursday morning, big numbers were waiting for anyone missing the fairway. “It’s a lot tougher than what they say it is,” said 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel, who shared the early lead after making three successive birdies from the par-three 13.

“There are a lot of holes that are very penalising. I made three bogeys and that was all missed fairways.” — Reuters

Another TV viewer calls in, but no violation ARDMORE: The way it’s going lately, it can’t be a major championship unless someone calls in to report a rules violation. This time, the USGA talked to the player before he signed his card. And unlike Tiger Woods at the Masters, it turns out Steve Stricker did nothing wrong on the par-3 third hole except for a bad tee shot that led to double bogey. USGA vice president Thomas O’Toole met with Stricker right after he birdied his last hole for a 1-over 71. O’Toole said a call came in that Stricker improved his lie in an area where he intended to take a penalty drop by walking back and forth on the thick grass.

His tee shot went on the edge of a bunker in the trees short and left of the green. The rules official determined it was not in a bunker, and Stricker took a oneshot penalty for an unplayable lie because a tree got in the way of his swing. With

the elevated green, he walked up the hill a few times to see the flag. O’Toole said the viewer suggested Stricker trampled the grass where he was to drop the ball.

“It’s not an intent-based rule,” O’Toole said. “In light of other things, we wanted to review it.” After meeting with Stricker, it was determined that he did not drop it in the area he was walking, and it was not a violation. Stricker said he was surprised to see O’Toole in the trailer to ask about the drop.

“I had a pine tree in my way, and I was struggling to get the line of my drop,” Stricker said. “I couldn’t see the wicker basket. I dropped it in any area that was not disturbed.” That wasn’t the only incident from the armchair rules officials.

USGA spokesman Joe Goode said there were several calls and emails that Adam Scott grounded his club in the hazard just above a small stream on the left side of

the fifth fairway. After a review, the USGA said there was no violation.

Two months ago, Woods took an incorrect drop after his ball bounced off the pin at the 15th hole and went into the water in front of the green. Instead of dropping it as near as possible to his previous lie, he went back a few paces to avoid hitting the pin on the fly again. A TV viewer - rules expert David Eger in this case - notified Augusta National. Fred Ridley, the rules and competition chairman at the Masters, didn’t see anything wrong and didn’t talk to Woods before he signed for a 71. Under closer review, and after Woods spoke about what he did, it was determined he did violate the rule and received a two-shot penalty.

Ultimately, Woods wasn’t disqualified for signing an incorrect card because it was deemed a committee error by not talking to Woods. —AP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Kenya cricket warriors: From lions to Lord’s OL PEJETA: With lions lurking in the long grass, the barefoot Maasai warrior gallops into a sprint and swings his spear arm-delivering a fast-paced cricket ball straight at the

wicket. Dressed in flowing red skirts and draped in colourful bead necklaces, the warriors from the legendary Kenyan tribe are one of the world’s most unusual and

OL PEJETA: A file photo taken on June 6, 2013 shows the Maasai Warriors cricket team posing after a T20 cricket match against the Ambassadors of Cricket from India, in Ol Pejeta conservancy in Laikipia national park in Kenya. — AFP

India match ‘like a final’: Misbah BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said yesterday that he regarded the Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India as a “final”, even though his team has crashed out of the race to be in the last four. The last group B match at Edgbaston, which was billed as the showpiece game of the eight-nation event, holds only academic interest since India are already through to the last four and Pakistan have no chance of qualifying. But Misbah said his team wanted to sign off on a winning note, hoping to lessen the blow for disappointed fans with a face-saving win over Pakistan’s south Asian neighbours and bitter rivals.

“Whenever we play each other it’s like a final for everybody,” Misbah told reporters after his team’s training session at the ground in Birmingham, central England. “It’s still a very important game even though we may be out of the tournament. India and Pakistan have more followers of cricket than any other team and they all like to see us play each other.”

Birmingham is one of Britain’s most ethnically diverse cities with people of Pakistani origin making up the biggest groupensuring vocal support for Misbah’s men.

According to the 2011 Census, 13.5 percent of the city or nearly 145,000 people classed themselves as of Pakistani origin compared with nearly 65,000 of Indian origin (6.0 percent). Pakistan were let down by poor batting in the two games, having been bowled out for 170 by the West Indies and then dismissed for 167 by a depleted South African attack missing frontline strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

But Misbah, who top-scored in both matches, said he expected his team to rise to its potential against India since the pressure was off. “It’s just one more game for us, there is no pressure on us now,” he said. “It gives us a chance to prove ourselves on the field, express ourselves freely and win back our pride.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s World Cup champions showed awesome batting form against South Africa and the West Indies, but Misbah said Pakistan’s 2-1 one-day series win in India in December-January will give his side confidence.

“We have the bowlers to contain India,” he said. “They bowled so effectively in that series in India and will be confident of doing that again. India have played well in this tournament, so beating them will be very satisfying.” Dhoni agreed with Misbah that today’s game was important, but insisted that was not only because the opponents were Pakistan. “It does not matter which side you are playing because all international sides are good, so there is no point taking any added pressure,” he said.—AFP

unlikely cricketing teams. “It is a sport that at first seemed very strange to us,” said Robert Kilesi Piroris, 28, Maasai warrior and cricket player. “But today the game brings us and the community together, and we love it,” he added, speaking as he waited to bat in a friendly match, on a pitch mown out of the rolling grass savannah of northern Kenya, with giraffe strolling past in the distance. It is doubtful you could find a place more different from the birthplace of the sport on the manicured grass of Britain’s famous Lord’s Cricket Ground. But that is exactly where the Maasai hope to go, after they were invited to join an international competition at the renowned field in August, at the Twenty20 cricket “Last Man Stands World Championships” in London.

“We can show the world that we may look different to those dressed in cricket whites but can still play the game,” said captain Sonyanga Ole Ngais.

The team needs to raise funds, drumming up support and sponsorship for the trip, but has already shown its ability to take an international tour, playing in South Africa in 2012 in short format Twenty20 games there. Freddie Grounds, a major in the British army which trains troops in the Laikipia region of Kenya, joined in the

match to make up numbers on a visiting Indian team playing against the Maasai.

“It’s an amazing experience and sight to see them play here,” said Grounds, but added that it would be nothing compared to the sight of the warriors playing at Lord’s.

“Lord’s is the spiritual home of cricket... I guess that the traditional members of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club, owner of Lord’s) will find it all a bit bizarre,” Grounds added. “But if they can get there-and let’s hope they can raise sufficient funds to do ityou know, people just won’t be able to believe themselves.”

Boosting HIV awareness, anti-poaching campaigns British troops stationed in Kenya keen to encourage the Maasai are even helping out to clear a cricket field for the team, since the players currently have to walk for several hours from their dispersed and remote villages to reach a training ground. But the Maasai team are not simply about playing a good game, but also about raising awareness of key issues that their community faces. They visit schools to talk about AIDS prevention, early marriage, gender equality, environmental protection and battling alcoholism and drug addiction.— AFP

Australia fines, suspends Warner after bar attack BIRMINGHAM: David Warner heaped more embarrassment on Australia’s embattled cricket team ahead of the Ashes when the hot-headed batsman was suspended Thursday and fined for the second time in a month after punching England player Joe Root in the face in an alcohol-fuelled late-night bar incident.

Warner escaped being sent home in disgrace from the tour of England and can return from his ban in time to play in the first Ashes test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, starting July 10. However, the unsavory episode has left Australia in further disarray ahead of the eagerly anticipated series against its old foe, and continued the theme of indiscipline that has plagued the team in recent months.

After lashing out at two senior cricket journalists in an expletive-filled Twitter rant last month - earning Warner a fine of 5,750 Australian dollars - the volatile opener landed himself in further trouble by attacking Root in the early hours after Australia’s 48-run loss to England in the Champions Trophy today. “I’m owning up, putting my hand up,” a contrite Warner said at a news conference in central London, acknowledging the incident occurred after a night of drinking. “I’m responsible for my actions, extremely remorseful. I’ve let not just my teammates down, but the Australia fans, the support staff, myself, my family. “I’m sincerely apologetic.” Warner admitted to breaching Cricket Australia’s code of behavior during a hearing via teleconference on Thursday, and was suspended until the first Ashes test and fined 11,500 Australian dollars.

“Warner pleaded guilty to breaching Rule 6: Unbecoming Behavior,” CA said in a statement. He will miss the rest of the Champions Trophy as well as Australia’s tour games against Somerset and Worcestershire, but “will be eligible for

selection for the first test.” “David knows he has not met the standards of an Australian cricketer,” said Australia captain Michael Clarke, who flanked Warner at the news conference and said his team-

on the brink of elimination in the Champions Trophy after picking up one point from its first two games, having gone into the tournament on the back of a 243-run thrashing by India in a warm-

BIRMINGHAM: This is a file photo of Australia’s David Warner as he walks off the pitch after a drinks break as a non-playing reserve as his team play New Zealand during their group stage ICC Trophy cricket match at Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. —AP mate’s behavior had been “unacceptable.” “He’ll learn from this. Make him a better person and player.”

Australia’s preparations for the Ashes have been chaotic, having lost its most recent test series 4-0 to India during which four players - including then-vice captain Shane Watson - were dropped for failing to provide written feedback on how to improve their own and the team’s performance. The saga was labeled “Homeworkgate” and proved humiliating to team management. The Australians are

up match. Australia was skittled out for just 65 in that game and needs to beat Sri Lanka tomorrow to have any chance of advancing to the next round. Throw in the problems with Clarke’s lower back that have forced him out of the Champions Trophy so far and made him a doubt for the Ashes, and the team’s tour of England couldn’t have got off to a worse start. It continues Australia’s sharp decline from the heady days at the start of the century, when it was the dominant force in world cricket in every format.—AP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Manchester City hires Pellegrini as manager MANCHESTER: Manchester City hired Manuel Pellegrini as the club’s new manager yesterday, entrusting a man nicknamed “The Engineer” with constructing a team to reclaim the Premier League title and become a force in the Champions League. The 59-year-old Chilean has been courted for months by City following impressive spells in Spain with Villarreal and Malaga, which he left this month. He also coached Real Madrid in his nine-year stint in Spain but was fired after one season despite guiding the team to its then-record points total in La Liga.

Pellegrini was appointed exactly a month after Roberto Mancini was fired for failing to capture a trophy in his third full season in charge, an indication of the expectations loaded on City’s new manager by its megarich owners from Abu Dhabi. “I am delighted to accept this hugely exciting opportunity,” Pellegrini said. “The club has a clear vision for success both on and off the pitch and I am committed to making a significant contribution.”

Pellegrini signed a three-year deal, having had to wait to complete the move while contractual issues with Malaga were sorted. British media is reporting his deal is worth 15 million pounds ($23.5 million). He will take up the role from June 24 and will be managing in his fifth country in 25 years, after previous stints in Chile, Ecuador, Argentina and Spain in which he won six major trophies in total.

“Manuel is a hugely experienced and successful manager with a proven track record,” City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said. “We have been greatly impressed throughout the selection process by his philosophy, his attitude and his commitment to the long-term development of Manchester City. I am delighted that he has joined us.”

In a way, though, City is taking a gamble. Pellegrini failed to win a major title during his time in Spain and will be coaching in England for the first time. Many will look at his short stint at Madrid and say he is yet to prove himself at the highest level, that he flopped despite having at his disposal the most expensively assembled squad in the history of the Spanish league. Look deeper, though, and it is easy to see why City executives Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain - former Barcelona officials charged with developing City’s long-term strategy - have turned to a laid-back coach known for his man-management skills and ability to get the best out of players.

Pellegrini, who speaks English, overachieved at Villarreal and Malaga, leading the former to the Champions League semifinals in 2006 and an unprecedented second-place finish in La Liga and the latter to the quarterfinals of Europe’s top competition last season.

He was also harshly dealt with by the powerbrokers at Madrid - told which players to keep, whom to sell and with some bought without his consent. Madrid finished its one and only season under Pellegrini with 96 points, a club record at the time, despite being without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo for six weeks. But the team finished second after coming up against the all-conquering Barcelona side of Pep Guardiola. — AP

CORNELLA: A file picture shows Malaga’s Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini during a Spanish League football match between RCD Espanyol and Malaga.— AFP

Photo of the day

Mark Webber and Erik Guay riding bicycles at Mont Rigaud. — www.redbullcontentpool.com

Federer blasts his way to Halle semis HALLE: Four-time winner Roger Federer outclassed Germany’s Mischa Zverev 6-0, 6-0 yesterday to book his place in the semi-finals of the Halle Open. The world number three will play the winner of the quarter-final match between Germany’s Tommy Haas, who beat him in last year’s final, and France’s Gael Monfils. The 31year-old Federer wrapped up the first set in just 20 minutes then concluded the second-and the match — 39 minutes later against the world number 156.

The “double bagel” whitewash is the second of Federer’s career. His first was inflicted on Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio in the semi-final of the Shanghai indoor tournament on November 14, 2005. In Halle, the Swiss was even more efficient than in his opening 6-3, 6-3 victory over another German qualifier, world number 166 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, in 67 minutes.

Federer, who has won a record 17 Grand Slams, is still out to win his first trophy of the season and now has 41 wins and just five defeats on the grass at Halle. France’s Richard Gasquet, the world number nine, went through to the semi-final with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory over German world number 33 Florian Mayer.

Gasquet will meet the winner of the match between Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber and Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

The Frenchman’s victory was revenge after Mayer beat him in the Wimbledon quarter-final last year. He won the first set with ease in 34 minutes but was forced to a tie-break in the second, eventually winning out with an ace. His advance to the last four is the fourth time this year he has made a semi-final. He was beaten

by Andy Murray in Madrid but won the other two on the way to titles in Doha and Montpellier. — AFP

HALLE: Swiss Roger Federer hits the ball during his match against German Mischa Zverev (unseen) at the ATP Gerry Weber Open tennis tournament yesterday. — AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Brazilian stadiums get final touches RIO DE JANEIRO: The Confederations Cup begins today in the shadow of violent protests in two of Brazil’s biggest cities, with builders still slapping cement on stadiums. The eight-nation tournament, seen as a test of Brazil’s ability to organize mega sports events a year before the World Cup, starts today in the capital Brasilia with a game between the host and Asian champion Japan. It ends in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium two weeks later. The tournament is held every four years - always one year before the World Cup - between the champions of each football confederation.

Workmen were still applying cement onto walks, attaching glass panels and painting at several stadiums as the clock ticked down to kick-off, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was not worried about the last-minute preparations. “There’s a lot of work that will be done in the last minute,” he said. “So for me it is not a surprise that two days to go there is still work somewhere. It means that something is not finished so we should just say, okay, and finish it.”

While the paint and cement dry, tournament officials have been keeping an eye on the street protests, handling team complaints, and hoping Nigeria turn up on time.

Thousands of protesters marched in Rio and Sao Paulo on Thursday to rage against increases in bus and subway fares, and some clashed with police. Officials said roughly 5,000 protesters were in Sao Paulo’s central area, where they clashed with police who fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. Police said 40 people were detained, some with knives and gasoline bombs.

Police in Rio said about 2,000 people protested there. In Rio, Italy reportedly complained it was not advised in advance that Joao Havelange Stadium, known as the Engenhao, was closed because of a faulty roof, forcing it to find an alternative practice venue. In Recife, Uruguay was forced to go looking for a new practice pitch because the stadium chosen by the squad was not in good condition following heavy rains.

“For the World Cup, we have to be on alert so the same mistakes don’t happen again, especially the delays, the increased costs and the use of public funds,” congressman and former Brazil striker Romario said. Latin America is represented here by Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico, Europe by Spain and Italy, Africa by Nigeria, Asia by Japan and the tiny footballing nation of Tahiti, which had an easy passage to the tournament against weak opposition in the Oceania group. Nigeria gave world football authority FIFA a shock on Thursday when its players threatened to go on strike and not travel to Brazil because the country’s football association suddenly cut players’ bonus payments. Nigeria’s players, in Namibia for a game, missed their connection to Brazil and will arrive only today or tomorrow, leaving them very little time to prepare for their first game on Monday.

Their first game is against the part-time players of Tahiti, who should present little threat.

The competition is split into two groups, with Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Italy in Group A and Spain, Uruguay, Nigeria and Tahiti in Group B. Brazil, Italy, Spain and Uruguay or Nigeria are favored to reach the semifinals, with many football fans hoping for a Brazil vs.Spain final at the iconic Maracana on June 30.

Brazil has dominated global football for years, but has slipped in the last decade, with Spain rising to become the top global team, holding the world and European titles.

Brazil’s football-mad supporters have been embarrassed to be relegated to 22nd in FIFA’s latest rankings, sandwiched between Ghana and Mali, and are looking for salvation from the latest goal-scoring sensation Neymar, who signed for Barcelona last month.

Neymar will be wearing the No. 10 shirt for Brazil, a weighty burden considering it was worn by Pele, arguably the best player ever. —AP Today’s match on TV

FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil v Japan.....................................22:00 Al-Jazeera Sport 1 HD Al-Jazeera Sport +9 Al-Jazeera Sport 2 HD

BRASILIA: A man jumps over burning tires set on fire by people who also block access to Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha, one of the six host stadiums for the upcoming Confederations Cup, to protest in part against the government’s policy of the expenditure for the 2014 FIFA World Cup yesterday. — AFP

Under-pressure Brazil set to face Japan in tricky opener BRASILIA: Brazil and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari cannot help but have one eye on next year’s World Cup on home soil, but if the acid test is 12 months away the countdown starts today when the Selecao take on Japan in their Confederations Cup opener. Scolari led the Selecao to their fifth World Cup, a coronation sealed in Tokyo 11 years ago. But the fact he is back for a second spell at the helm is evidence of the degree to which impatience and concern rule hearts and minds across this giant footballing nation given a clutch of disappointing showings at major events ever since.

Scolari has insisted since returning to the fold last November, ironically a matter of days after predecessor Mano Manezes’ Brazil side spanked the Japanese 4-0 in a friendly in Poland, that the Confederations Cup is a sideshow and that he cannot deliver a second dose of alchemy overnight. Yet the pressure is on as the four-time Asian Cup champions should provide a stiff test before further showdowns with Olympic conquerors Mexico and three-time world champions Italy.

Brazil’s star man Neymar says the hosts will not take the Japanese, coached by hugelyexperienced Italian Alberto Zaccheroni, lightly, given the hosts are now safe in the knowledge they have booked their World Cup berth and can also draw on the likes of Manchester United favourite Shinji Kagawa. “Japan are a tricky proposition and not to be underestimated. Keisuke Honda and Kagawa are superb players and the team as a whole mark you very tightly,” said Barcelona-bound Neymar. Japan say they won’t be caught napping as they were in Poland, but will need to keep an eye on in-form striker Fred, who has five goals in his last six internationals-includ-

ing two against England in friendly tussles in Wembley where England won 2-1 and Rio, which ended 2-2. “Brazil have a very strong team and we need to make sure they don’t dole out a repeat of what they did in Poland,” said midfielder Yasuhito Endo.

“We will be out to make a much better impression this time with more at stake.” The tournament is the first major event hosted by Brazil since the 1989 Confederations Cup and the logistical challenge has been a tough one, raising concerns about whether the country can produce 12 top notch venues for the World Cup. The opening match at the Estadio Nacional affords residents of the capital a rare chance to watch top-drawer football as the city currently lacks a top-flight team. The hosts will move on first to Fortaleza then Salvador for their remaining group encounters with Mexico and Italy.

If the Selecao win Group A, they will then travel to Belo Horizonte-scene of England’s

1950 World Cup upset at the hands of the United States-for a June 26 semi-final against either reigning South American champions Uruguay or African champions Nigeria, assuming world champions Spain win Group B. Should Scolari’s men only take second place in the pool phase they would face a likely Spanish test in Fortaleza on June 27.

If Brasilia is off the beaten track in terms of Brazilian footballing tradition, nonetheless striking parallels can be seen between the city and the national team. The city is a paean to modern architecture, a realised dream for former President Juscelino Kubitschek, who determined in the mid-1950s that the capital should be based in the very heart of the country rather than remain in Rio. Kubitschek came up with the slogan “50 years of progress in five,” his era coinciding with the first great Brazil side which, with a teenage Pele on board, lifted their first World Cup in Sweden in 1958. — AFP

Neymar not fazed by goal drought BRASILIA: Brazil superstar Neymar said on Thursday that he was not concerned about having gone nine matches without scoring, as he prepares to spearhead the host country’s challenge at the Confederations Cup. The 21-year-old, who recently agreed to join Barcelona, will be the main attraction when Brazil kick off the competition against Japan today, but he says he will be purely focused on helping the team. “Regardless of whether or not I score goals, which doesn’t mean anything, I’m proud to be with the Brazilian squad,” he said during a press conference.

“I can’t behave for the national team as if I was with Santos, where everyone knew me.

Here, they still need to get to know me. “We’re still looking for our best team and I’ll be competing in one of the most important competitions of my career. I’ll improve myself at each training session, every day.”On Today, Neymar will once again sport the mythical number 10 shirt once worn by his feted Santos and Brazil predecessor Pele, but he said he felt no added pressure.”I think that the number has no importance, but the Brazil shirt?

Yes.” — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013

Sports

Man City hires Pellegrini as new manager

46

LONDON: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia plays a return to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina (unseen) during their tennis quarterfinal match at the Queen’s Club grass court championships yesterday. — AP

Hewitt stuns del Potro to reach Queen’s semis LONDON: Lleyton Hewitt rolled back the years as the Australian moved into the Queen’s Club semi-finals with a surprise 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro yesterday. Hewitt is a four-time Queen’s champion and this year he is bidding to become the oldest man to win the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, surpassing American legend Jimmy Connors, who lifted the trophy aged 30 years and 284 days in 1983. He will fancy his chances after seeing off world number eight del Potro to claim his first win over a top 10 player since he defeated Juan Monaco in Valencia last October.

“I’m still hanging in there. The last four or five years have been tough with surgeries, but mentally I feel fresh,” Hewitt said. “I’m enjoying competing with the best players in the world. I played really well, I’ve got better with each match this week.” The former world number one, who made his first appearance at Queen’s as a 17-year-old in 1998, is well into the twilight of his career and his lowly spot at 82 in the world rankings reflects his diminished status.

But the 32-year-old former Wimbledon champion enjoyed notable victories over highly-regarded Grigor Dimitrov and former Queen’s champion Sam Querrey en route to the last eight. It was the first time Hewitt had won three successive matches at a tournament since his run to the final in Newport, also on grass, last July. Aided by two del Potro double faults, Hewitt earned two break points at 3-2 and took the first set in style, unloading a forehand winner that flashed past the Argentine.

He finished off the set in style, breaking again as he nailed a volley on set-point. Del Potro showed his grass court pedigree when he won the bronze medal in the London Olympics at Wimbledon last year and he hit back emphatically with two breaks in the first three games of the second set. That was enough to take the set, but Hewitt broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider.

Hewitt’s deep groundstrokes were keeping the towering del Potro off balance and he broke again to seal the win before inviting his son Cruz onto the court to celebrate the victory with him.

Hewitt’s semi-final opponent is Marin Cilic, who remains on course to retain the Queen’s title after the defending champion defeated Czech second seed Tomas Berdych 7-5, 7-6 (7/4). Cilic won in bizarre circumstances last year when his final opponent David Nalbandian was disqualified for kicking an advertising board into the shins of a line-judge in frustration at losing a point.

The Croatian fifth seed is now just two wins away from becoming the first player to retain the trophy since Andy Roddick in 2005 after a dominant display against world number six Berdych. “I served really good in the crucial moments and got free points. I’m really happy to be through,” Cilic said.Cilic had lost four of his previous five meetings with Berdych and had never managed a grass court victory against a player ranked in the top 10. But the 24-year-old edged a tight first set when he landed the only break of serve at 6-5. Cilic, who brought an end to his nineyear partnership with Australian coach Bob Brett just before the recent French Open, held his nerve when the second set went to a tie-break. — AFP