24th Jun 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Syria-linked clashes kill at least eight in Lebanon

SHAABAN 15, 1434 AH

Gunmen kill nine foreign tourists in Pakistan

Egypt army says it’s ready to save nation

www.kuwaittimes.net

India hold nerve to sink England in rainy final

NO: 15849

polls, Awazem to take part

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9Oppn12 15 20 ex-MPs to boycott Constitutional court to explain ruling on June 26

Max 44º Min 29º High Tide 00:50 & 11:25 Low Tide 06:03 & 19:10

By B Izzak

Snowden flies to Russia, seeking Ecuador asylum MOSCOW: Former US spy Edward Snowden arrived yesterday in Russia, requesting asylum in Ecuador to escape the US legal authorities after leaking sensational details of cyber-espionage by Washington.

Snowden, the target of a US arrest warrant issued Friday after he blew the lid on massive secret surveillance programs, arrived in Moscow on a direct flight from Hong Kong and was expected to head to South America via Cuba. The Hong Kong government said earlier it had “no legal basis” to prevent Snowden leaving because the US government had failed to provide enough information to justify its provisional arrest warrant for the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor.

Snowden, 30, landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on a scheduled Aeroflot flight at 5:05 pm (1305 GMT), an AFP correspondent at the airport said. He did not emerge into the main terminal area where crowds of journalists quizzed his jet-lagged and bewildered fellow passengers if they had seen the fugitive ex-agent on the flight. Airport officials said Snowden in fact never crossed the border and would spend the night in the Vozdushny Express “capsule hotel” inside the departures area ahead of his next flight. — AFP (See Page 7)

ZOUK MOSBEH, Lebanon: Palestinian contestant Mohammed Assaf raises his trophy next to Lebanese singer Assi Al-Hallani (left) and host Annabella Hilal after winning the ‘Arab Idol’ singing contest early yesterday. — AFP (See Page 40)

KUWAIT: Twenty-seven former opposition MPs yesterday signed a statement in which they vowed to boycott the forthcoming elections, but the opposition’s attempt to garner popular support for the boycott was dealt a heavy blow after the Awazem tribe, the largest in the country, decided to participate. The Awazem announcement was made by the tribe’s chief Falah bin Jame’ at a large gathering of the tribe. Jame’ told his tribesmen that he believes that “after the court ruling, we should participate”. Former opposition MP Falah Al-Sawwagh, a member of the tribe who is boycotting, appealed to the tribesmen not to change their opinion, especially since the single-vote amendment does not serve the interests of the tribe.

Meanwhile, the constitutional court yesterday set next Wednesday as the date to respond to a petition asking the court to explain parts of its landmark ruling issued last week to order the National Assembly dissolved and to confirm the controversial amendment to the electoral law. The petition was filed by member of the scrapped Assembly Abdulhameed Dashti, who said that parts of the ruling were not clear and need some explanation.

Dashti said that unlike a similar ruling issued by the same court a year ago, the new verdict did not call for reviving the Assembly that was elected in 2009 and dissolved in December 2011 after street protests by the opposition. Fresh election were later held in Feb 2012 but the election process was nullified on June 20, 2012 Continued on Page 15

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

LOCAL

Premier attends opening of multi-purpose hall for deaf KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah patronized and attended the opening of a multi-purpose hall for the deaf at Kuwait sport club for the deaf on Saturday evening.

Sheikh Jaber inaugurated the hall which consisted of a handball court, a volleyball court and a swimming pool, all built in line with international standards for people with special needs.

Minister of information and minister of state for youth affairs Sheikh Salman AlSabah, addressing the inauguration ceremony, said the information ministry was in the process of appointing sign language interpreters for news bulletins and other programs.

This step, he added, is part of the ministry’s contribution to blending the deaf into society and defending their rights.

Sheikh Salman said one of priorities of the ministry of youth affairs’ strategy was to attach greater interest to the people

with special needs in order to develop their creative and sport skills.

The State of Kuwait believes in the importance of blending the people with special needs in society in all cultural and sport domains, and to be treated equally with their fellow citizens, said the minister.

The government is well aware of the importance of backing the people with special needs “so that our society remain a society of cooperation, progress and openness on all of its segments,” he added.

The constitution of Kuwait, said Sheikh Salman, guaranteed rights of all citizens in addition to the law No. VIII of 2010 which organized rights of people with disabilities. He noted that Kuwait sport club for the deaf was established in 1975 and has 500 members, making it one of the biggest at the Arab and continental levels.

He praised full support of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

News

in brief

Constitutional Court session KUWAIT: Kuwait Supreme Constitutional Court announced yesterday that it will hold a session on Wednesday June 26 to examine a request for explanation to ruling No. 15 of 2013 over the challenges to the electoral law and parliament. In its ruling last week, the Supreme Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of current parliament, elected in December 2012, and the organization of new parliamentary elections in two-month period. The court also rebuffed a challenge to law No 20 of 2012 which brought a one-person, one-vote system in place of the former rules that allowed voters to cast ballots for four candidates.

Ramadan well-wishers His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will receive well-wishers of Ramadan during the first three days of the holy month, deputy minister of Amiri Diwan said. Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah said His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown Prince would be receiving all well-wishers in the first three days only, and would not visit the “diwaniyas as usual” during Ramadan.

Fault in transformer A fault in one the main transformers 132 KV, which feeds Al-Sabah medical area, has lead to power cut on that area, in addition to Saad Al-Abdullah academy early morning Saturday. Standby generators for hospitals started working immediately after the stoppage, as in each hospital there are number of generators used in emergency cases to keep hospitals in power. Sources said that ministry emergency teams worked and repaired the defect and the ministry sent 10 generators to the hospitals areas to be standby as that area is very sensitive and cannot do without electricity. Sources said that defect was repaired and current was back to normal at 2 pm after using the standby generators for 5 hours.

Drug man in custody

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A newly graduated young man working as a sergeant and who previously worked in a Ministry of Interior’s sector was arrested last night for being in possession of drugs, and sent to the drug enforcement administration. During a routine security check point set up at the Third Ring Road at dawn, agents found a man who appeared not in control of his faculties. A search of his person led the police to recover four joints of Hashish and an envelope containing “Chabow” drugs from him, besides different drug pills, a bottle of liquor and some Marijuana seeds.

Kuwaiti impersonator In another case, a Kuwaiti young man was arrested and sent to the public prosecutor on charges of impersonating a security man.

He was arrested from Hawally and when asked for his identification, he tendered the ID ostensibly of a sergeant in the Ministry of Interior. When the police checked out his photo on the ID, it found certain differences. Confronted by the police, he confessed that he was a wanted person and started using the ID after he found it.

Doctor insulted An Arab expat doctor accused a citizen of insulting him while he was performing his duties at the Mubarak Hospital. A case of insulting a public servant was registered.

Trio held Three bedoon youth were arrested after they raided a barn and stole 12 lambs from there. A patrol stopped a pickup vehicle carrying the three youths and the 12 lambs. After asking them how they came in possession of the lambs, they confessed of having stolen these from a barn at Al-Mutlaa. They accompanied the police and showed them the barn with its broken door and the Bengali guard with his hands and legs tied up with ropes.

and Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah to the club. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thikra Al-Rashidi, senior officials from the Prime Minister Diwan and the Public Authority for Youth and Sport.

Chairman of board of Kuwait sport club for the deaf Ismail Karam announced the multi-purpose hall would be named after His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Addressing the ceremony, Karam said the members of the board and general assembly agreed to name the hall, following a proposal by the club’s honorary chairman Fahad Bushaiba.

Karam said the government was keen on supporting people with special needs by increasing the annual financial allocations for the club. Bushaiba thanked Sheikh Jaber for attending the inauguration ceremony, and thanked Sheikh Salman for keenness to remove all obstacles facing the club. — KUNA

Interior Ministry’s officials urged to redouble efforts ahead of elections New panel to supervise polls KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hamoud AlJaber Al-Sabah called on the security services and traffic department yesterday to redouble their effort and work in order to cope with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan and the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

This came during a coordination meeting the minister held along with a number of ministry officials to prepare for the next phase.

The minister listened to briefings from various departments on the ongoing security and traffic campaigns in various state governorates aimed at applying the law on all violators.

The minister also called on the ministry’s senior officials to prosecute beggars who exploit the atmosphere of faith for begging, stressing the need to act in accordance with an integrated plan in order to achieve comprehensive security and traffic flow ahead of the holy month and the parliamentary elections.

The Cabinet is expected during its weekly meeting today (Monday) to form a committee that supervises parliamentary elections set for July 25th, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a government insider familiar with the issue. The source who spoke to Al-Jarida on the condition of anonymity further indicated that the committee is to be

chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud AlSabah, and will be tasked with securing the elections process and all other duties that were handled by National Election Committee before it was dissolved by a Constitutional Court ruling last week.

The same source further told Al-Jarida that Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra AlRashidi prefers to stay in her position post elections rather than contesting for the parliament. On

that regard, Al-Qabas daily reported that Al-Rashidi was told to make a decision sooner than later on order to remove any complications which could result if she runs for parliament. Unnamed sources quoted in the report explained that the minister is required to fill a significant number of leading vacant posts in the ministry, and filling them before resigning and then running in the elections could be interpreted as ‘favoritism’ to boost her chances of winning. “The minister needs to settle the issue as soon as possi-

ble and inform the prime minister who wants to guarantee clean elections”, the sources said.

On a related note, a government insider told Al-Qabas that a committee was formed featuring members from the social affairs, interior and Islamic affairs ministries to examine donations collected during Ramadan, and insure that charity money is not used to fund election campaigns.

The government feels confident of holding successful elections with the return of multiple faces representing liberal and

KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hamoud AlJaber Al-Sabah and other officails at the coordination meeting.

Officials sue ministry for retirement orders KUWAIT: A number of senior officials in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor plan to sue their employer challenging the retirement orders they were handed out on the basis that they have already served for more than 30 years. The ministry’s undersecretary, Abdulmuhsin Al-Mutairi, released orders last week to refer more than 20 directors and supervisors for retirement. In the meantime, sources familiar with the issue indicated that similar letters were not handed out to employees with more than 30 years of service under their belt. “In that regard, several officials decided to challenge their retirement orders on the basis

that the decisions were based on incorrect procedures,” the sources said. In other news, the Civil Service Commission extended the retirement age for expatriates working in the Ministry of Education and other state departments by five years.

As per a letter signed by CSC President Abdul-Aziz Al-Zebn and sent to the MOE Undersecretary Mariyam Al-Wutaid, nonKuwaiti employees must retire at the age of 65 instead of 60 as was previously followed.

The letter was sent in response to an MOE request to extend the contract of a number of expatriate employees hired in different sectors.

Islamist groups. On that regard, sources told Al-Rai recently that the Kuwait Democratic Forum does not have plans to stop members from contesting in the elections despite announcing rejection to the upholding of the single vote system. While predicting that the group supports former MPs Mohammad Al-Abduljader in the second constituency and Faisal Al-Shaya in the third, the sources noted that the ‘Forum’ informed its members that support is only given if they “work to change the electoral system” from the parliament.

Meanwhile, the same sources who preferred to remain unnamed indicated that the National Democratic Alliances, the umbrella of several liberal groups in Kuwait, is set to nominate candidates during a meeting next week. “So far, only former MP Mohammad Al-Saqr and Rakan Al-Nisf have been nominated, while people close to former MP Dr. Aseel Al-Awadhi confirmed that she is not contesting”, the sources said. In the meantime, the same sources predicted that the Salafist Islamic Movement is expected to support candidates in all but the first constituencies in the upcoming elections.

Several reports suggested in the meantime that major tribes are currently coordinating to nominate candidates in the upcoming elections.

HS exams results on July 8 KUWAIT: Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr. Nayef AlHajraf announced here yesterday that results of high school exams in both of its literature and science sections will be officially announced on July 8, four days after the end of examinations.

The four days, following the final exams, will be a reviewing period for correction procedures, as well as collecting and monitoring final results, said Al-Hajraf in a press statement following his field tour on a number of high schools, accompanied by the ministry’s officials, to check on the pace of final exams for the fourth school period of the 12th Grade, which kicked off today

with participation of 44,704 male and female students in all school districts in the country.

He added that the ministry is making all efforts to guarantee integrity of tests and provide safe and appropriate climate for students to enable them to do their tests quietly and easily, affirming that the ministry will not be lenient with those who cheat and would implement all rules and regulations firmly in this concern.

The 12th Grade students of the science section are to conclude their final exams in Biology on July 3rd, while literature section students will conclude their final exam in Statistics on July 4th. — KUNA

KAC flies 20 rented planes KUWAIT: Following the dissolution of the parliament, the Airbus company seemed to be more flexible and understanding of the difficult situation the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) is going through and, thus, agreed to rent the KAC 15 brand new planes (five A330s, five A320s to be handed over by 2104 and five more A320 planes to be handed over by 2015) without linking the fact of renting to purchasing them, said informed sources. They also noted that the KAC would also rent five planes from India.

The sources added that the deal might have Kuwait Investment Authority guaranteeing the KAC’s fleet development deal to

put KAC back on the right track.

Moreover, the sources said that the KAC had already signed a contract with Jet Airways Company of India to rent five A200330 luxurious airbuses to be used for short and medium range flights to Europe, Far and Middle East destinations. They added that the planes that are currently being maintained pending delivery of two crafts by the end of July and three by September, will have 42 luxurious separate seats in the premium class and 190 in the economy class.

The sources also explained that the five planes would be rented at $680,000 per month per plane.

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Mohammad Al-Haifi inaugurating the new Adan Medical Center yesterday.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other dignitaries receiving Tajikistan President Emomali Rhamon.

Tajik president starts official visit to Kuwait KUWAIT: Tajikistan President Emomali Rhamon arrived here yesterday to start an official three-day visit to Kuwait during which he will hold talks with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

President Rhamon and his accompanying delegation were received at the airport by His

Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy National Guard chief Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, top state officials and top police, army and National Guard commanders.

A guest coordinating committee was formed to accompany the guests during their visit to Kuwait. The committee is headed by

Freeze on issuance of driving licenses to expats criticized ‘Unfair, contradictory and discriminatory’

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Expats reacted to the ban on issuing new driving licenses to them with trepidation and unease, and they termed the move as unfair, contradictory and discriminatory against foreign workers. Among the ostensibly contradictory statement made by Interior Ministr y Undersecretar y Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali was his claim made earlier that many of the traffic violators were domestic drivers.

But the new polic y that he approved allows domestic drivers (visa 20) to obtain a new license.

“Where in the world expatriates are not allowed to receive a driving license,” an expat asked the Kuwait Times. “This is absolutely against our rights and freedom to move around.

Expatriates should be allowed to commute using their own cars as long as they satisfy the MOI’s requirements and to suspend such a facility is absolutely unfair,” an expat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told this reporter.

Al-Ali had earlier claimed that family drivers were among the most rampant traffic violators but according to the new policy, all new appli-

cations for new licenses for the expats must be grounded temporarily, except those for domestic drivers.

“This policy is absolutely ridiculous and contradictory. We have the on-going crackdown against illegal expats while the law enforcing people were committing many violations. Now, they want to ban us from possessing a driving license. I wonder what is next,” the expat wondered.

Another expat noted if the government was really serious and committed to implement the rules regarding issuance of a new driver’s license, it must first provide a proper public transportation system. “ They can do that if there are enough taxis and all of them follow the metered system. As per earlier experience, taxis are not following the rules and regulations. Further, they can also do that if there were reliable buses and a metro train available on the ground. How do you want the people to ride in a public transport if these are very unreliable?

Also, these modes of transport arrive only after an hour long wait in sizzling summer when mercury zooms to 52 degrees,” the expat commented. Al-Ali reiterated that temporary rules will be in place until new

changes are made in the current regulations for expats to obtain licenses.

Atty Labid Abdal, a local newspaper columnist noted that the new regulations being implemented by the MOI nowadays are deeply connected to fixing the computer records and database of all expatriates.

“This is for the benefit of all the expats and citizens,” Abdal said. “I think they are doing this to control and identify certain people living among us. We are now living in the new era of computer and internet technology and our system must be ramped up as is being done in other countries. So they are implementing certain measures and it really hurts and affects the expatriates sometimes, but nonetheless, I have heard that all this is only temporary, so we should not worry. Besides, things are not fixed with a magic wand and it usually takes some time,” he added.

Since Al-Ali’s appointment a few months back, he has led a radical campaign in which a hundreds of expatriates have been depor ted without a court order for committing grave traffic offenses such as driving without a license and jumping red lights.

KD 16,500 million unemployment allowance paid in five years

KUWAIT: Minister of Communications and Housing Salem Al-Othaina inaugurating a new exchange building in Southern Subahiya yesterday.

KUWAIT: Kuwait paid KD 16,500 million in unemployment allowances to Kuwaitis released from jobs in the private sector since 2008, a local newspaper reported yesterday quoting Secretary General of the Management and Government Restruc turing Program.

Fawzi Al-Majdali further told Al-Jarida that 2098 Kuwaitis fired from private firms were registered with the MGRP as of June 17, 2013. The same newspaper also repor ted an increase in unemployment rate in Kuwait, quoting a Civil Ser vice Commission repor t which indicated that unemployment reached five percent after recording 4.5 percent earlier this year.

Moreover, the report pointed out an increase in unemployment rate among the educated citizens, especially those with Masters and PhD degrees.

But according to a source quoted in the report, the majority of unemployed citizens with high academic qualifications simply chose to reject working in the private sector or a government post they believed they were overqualified for.

And while the CSC report called the increase in the unemployment rate as “alarming”, it called for taking “serious steps” with regards to the country’s ‘replacement policy’ which advocates hiring Kuwaiti manpower in the public sector to replace expatriate labor forces whose contracts were due to expire.

Amiri Diwan Advisor Dr Abdullah Maatouq AlMaatouq. During this visit, President Emomali Rahmon is accompanied by Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, Presidential State Advisor on Foreign Policy Erkin Rahmatulloev, Finance Minister Safarali Najmuddinov, Healthcare Minister Nusratullo Salimov, Culture Minister

‘Kuwait won’t commit to arming Syrian rebels’ KUWAIT: Kuwait plans to reiterate its position that it will avoid becoming involved in arming the rebels in Syria when the Syrian issue is brought up during discussions with United States Secretary of State John Kerry during his scheduled visit here on Wednesday.

This was reported by Al-Rai yesterday quoting ‘senior Kuwaiti diplomats’ who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In addition to discussing matters of mutual interest, the sources indicated that discussions were set to focus on the issue of Fawzi Al-Awdah and Fayez AlKandari, the two Kuwaitis still in the Guantanamo Bay prison. In this regard, the sources said that talks will focus on the aftermath of a recent Pentagon report which classified Al-Awdah and Al-Kandari as being too ‘dangerous’ to be released.

On the Syrian issue, the sources revealed that Kerry was expected to provide Kuwaiti officials with the latest details regarding the possibility of a militar y strike against the Syrian regime.

Mirzoshohrukh Asrori, Chairman of State Committee on Investments and State Property Management Davlatali Saidov, Chairman of Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Maliksho Nematov, Director of State Material Reserves Agency Nurmahmad Akhmedov and other officials. — KUNA

Pipelines delay road project KUWAIT: Disagreements between the Ministry of Public Works and the Kuwait Oil Company could result in postponing the third stage of the Subbiya Road Project until the end of 2015, a local newspaper reported yesterday quoting a source with knowledge of the case.

Speaking to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity, the MPW insider said that five pipelines which feed the Subbiya Power Plant with fuel remain the obstacle in the plans to finalize the project. “The Oil Ministry said that the process to relocate the pipelines will not be completed before 2015, which could force the MPW to reschedule the date of execution for the Subbiya road project which set as this year-end,” the source explained.

According to the source, the project is currently in its final stages and the MPW would soon be looking to “put safety systems along the pipelines to ensure completion of the project.” The cost of the third stage of the project has already reached KD 41 million. It will connect the main road with the Boubyan Causeway that is under construction.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

LOCAL

kuwait digest

In my view

Before it’s too late

Change Kuwait’s sponsorship code

By Nabila Al-Anjari

K

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

R

eports emerging from Kuwait about there existing forced labor conditions for domestic laborers and the possibility of even human trafficking is a matter that all of us must consider as a case of emergency.

The increased grip of sponsors or the labor agents on workers who came of their own free will into Kuwait, only to search for a greener pasture to make a living, must force us to quadruple our efforts to ensure highest standards when it comes to human rights.

Incidents like nonpayment of wages, long working hours without rest, deprivation, lack of food, working under threats, facing physical or sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement, confining expats to the workplace and withholding their passports or forging work benefits, all of these are signs that we need to worry, and must pay close attention to effect a recovery.

Also workers rights must be guarded as these are described in the employment contract or laws that prevent exploitation.

Having new rules for to guard against traffic victims needs full awareness on the part of the law enforcement agencies and parties, given the delicate matter of human rights involved.

One is glad to see the e-governance project of Kuwait taking major steps to control the existing population and drawing a distinction between legal and illegal residents.

Leaving the workers unprotected means that the labor authority should be more effective.

Nothing is impossible, as exemplified by the Ministry of Higher Education which rebuilt itself after systemically overthrowing the old administrative guard and starting with a new look and work culture.

Definitely, the same must be done for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor when it comes to commercial workers.

kuwait digest

Gone with the wind

By Abdullah Misfer Al-Adwani

I

liked the Twitter post of Sheikh Mohammad AlAwadhi about the National Assembly in Kuwait in which he said that the councils formed in 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009 were desolated while the 2012 council was declared void. In 2012, it was the second council to be declared void. Sheikh AlAwadhi wondered about the fate that awaits the next council, speculating whether it will be found void, desolated or paralyzed.

It is a fact that the question posed by Al-Awadhi comes at a right time and place since the age of any N.A. Council in Kuwait as well as the governments is very short. Most of the time, the Council lapses before serving its full term. One wonders what is wrong and with whom. Is there something wrong within the government, the Council or the people?

While it could be a puzzling question, but the results over the past ten years or more indicate that the end result is failure. Looking back at our previous councils, we find that at the end, these were cases of “gone with the wind”, though some Councils have been pro-government, a few tilted towards the opposition council, one a very quiet

One wonders what is wrong and with whom. Is there something wrong within the government, the Council or the people? While it could be a puzzling question, but the results over the past ten years or more indicate that the end result is failure. and responsible one, one council with a special agenda but the result was a return to square one and a resort to election boxes. Why could no Council survive? And what are the reasons behind going around in vicious circles? Which stops growth and reforms at atime when we are being left behind every day compared to what is happening in the world? Where were we, and where we have reached today? Does Kuwait need to change its citizens in order to become stable and quiet? Have our voters not become qualified enough to go through elections or perhaps the election boxes could no more be the answer to our ambitions? Who is responsible? And what is the solution?

One wonders what fate is hiding for us. Now that one man-one vote has become a constitutional concept, in the face of strong opposition, a number of people have still announced they will not be participating in the coming elections.

One wonders what lied in store for us and where are we headed for? And what is the title that people will bestow on the next council? Desolated or void or paralyzed?

May God have mercy on us!

— Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

Exaggerations of Al-Ali

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

T

raffic Depar tment Direc tor M aj Gen water tankers (let’s not forget to mention sewage Abdulfattah Al-Ali, the man responsible for tankers, of course). Maj Gen Al-Ali repeatedly the ongoing traffic crackdowns in Kuwait, argued that expatriates deported for traffic violarecently said that Kuwaitis topped the world when tions had a record of repeated violations of a seriit comes to obeying the law, and argued at the ous nature such as jumping the red lights.

If we take an extra look into the profiles of these same time that the main problem his department faced was with the expatriate drivers. If I were the drivers, we would probably find out that most of Interior Minister, I would have relieved this man of them were assisted by senior officials from inside his duties not only because of his unfortunate use or outside the ministry to obtain their licenses without necessarily passof words, but also because ing their tests. Why only of his inaccurate and prejudiced statements.

We cannot be the world’s most hold an expatriate driver accountable for traffic vioFirst of all, there might be more traffic violations com- law abiding people as Maj Gen Al- lations while ignoring the mitted by expatriates than Ali suggested when we fail to honor fac t that many of them those by citizens - though I the law in all aspects of life. It is just paid Kuwaiti employees to ‘pass’ their driving tests? am not entirely sure about Also, we cannot be the that since the Major General illogical to say that someone comnever mentioned statistics pletely honors traffic regulations world’s most law abiding to support his claims. But but breaks the law in other aspects people as Maj Gen Al-Ali suggested when we fail to even if we assume that this was true, perhaps the senior of life. Besides, we cannot claim to honor the law in all aspects ministry official is ignoring be law abiding when a majority of of life. It is just illogical to the fact that the expatriate us do not even know what the law say that someone completely honors traffic regulations population is now more than double that of is. And we certainly cannot be the but breaks the law in other Kuwaitis, and therefore it is best in honoring the law when cor- aspects of life. Besides, we only normal to have more ruption and bribery still flourish in cannot claim to be law abiding when a majority of us do traffic tickets issued against the state departments. not even know what the law non-Kuwaitis. is. And we certainly cannot Secondly, foreigners did not come to Kuwait sneaking their way across our be the best in honoring the law when corruption and borders. They came because we invited them and bribery still flourish in the state departments. provided everything they needed to carry out their Therefore, I believe that Maj Gen Al-Ali deserves to be jobs. Is it fair to now start haunting them and awarded a hypothetical Nobel Prize in Exaggeration holding them accountable for the increased num- for his statements, because honestly speaking, we ber of traffic violations, allegedly committed by could be the world’s top people in overspeeding, reckless driving, parking in parking spaces reserved expats?

And the third point is that the expatriates need for the disabled, swerving and driving on the street’s a driving license more than Kuwaitis do because shoulder. On top of all that, we are asked to vote in they carry out all the jobs that we refuse to, such parliament elections more often than any other peoas driving taxis, buses, bulldozers, tractors, and ple around the world.— Al-Qabas

uwait has enjoyed budget surpluses over the past few years, helped by the oil prices recovering after the global economic crisis. This was supposed to help achieve progress and development in most fields, especially since we have the financial and geographic qualifications to realize growth in tourism, economy, sports, etc. Moreover, modern technology and experience of Kuwaiti and nonKuwaiti experts can also be depended on to achieve those goals.

Despite all that, Kuwait continues to fall back in all the fields. For example, Kuwait dropped from the 82nd place to 100th on the world’s development index, which reflects the government’s imbalanced spending. Meanwhile, Kuwait dropped to the 99th spot in the 2012 international index for countries where government decisions are less affected by favoritism, falling from 61 in the 2009’s index. This, of course, was because of the nepotism in the public sector appointments, a policy that continues to deprive Kuwait from the services of its devoted and qualified people.

Our never-ending problem is one that has to do with management. At a time when we have seen neighboring countries being transformed from arid

The problem is very clear, and the solution is also no secret. All it needs is for the government to adopt a new policy in which the interests of Kuwait and the future generations receive top priority.

The World Bank and many other major international advisors have warned Kuwait about the snowballing effect of uncontrolled government spending, and advised the state to launch projects with economic payoff in order to help it face the challenges of the future. deserts to be listed among the world’s most developed nations, we find that our country is going in the opposite direction because of a policy in which favoritism and appeasement jostle out merit. This very policy is the reason behind Kuwait sliding down from the 31st place in the 2009 welfare index to 38th in the 2012 index. Meanwhile, bureaucracy continues to put hurdles in the road towards development. In the world’s index for difficulties posed by the government procedures, Kuwait ranked 137th in 2012 after being at 115th place in 2009.

The problem is very clear, and the solution is also no secret. All it needs is for the government to adopt a new policy in which the top interests of Kuwait and the future generations receive top priority. The World Bank and many other major international advisors have warned Kuwait about the snowballing effect of uncontrolled government spending, and advised the state to launch projects with economic payoff in order to help it face the challenges of the future.

The government must realize that the solution is right now in its own hands, and it might not stay that way for long. Therefore, the government must act as soon as possible and before it is too late.—Al-Qabas

kuwait digest kuwait digest

Past never comes back

We need our minds!

By Dr Terki Al-Azmi

E

very time there is a political crisis in Kuwait, ues to spiral downwards.

I believe that a solution is still farfetched at this some people emerge to play the role of a political, social and constitutional expert point because we remain strategically impotent while in reality they might be knowledgeable in and culturally impaired with regards to how choices one aspect but it is impossible that they are special- are made. Regarding the upcoming elections, we are divided into two teams, one that is ‘weighing ists in every field.

In the meantime, there are others who do a good the option of participating’ and another that ‘finds that par ticipation ser ves job when it comes to nartheir interest regardless of rating historical events and The past never comes back, the reasons.” cite the government’s own The situation would have doings in the past decades whether it is a matter of social style to suppor t their claims (the society’s culture) or the politi- been better if we could comprehend the need to apply that the government has always tried to impose cal style when it comes to the art of strategic thinking and put autocracy. practicing democracy. Therefore, before the political figures a As we look for a way out most strategic experts believe that reformist agenda. We could have approached leaders of the ongoing political woes, we have to consider ‘the past breeds the strategy of k nown for their ability to the fact that the govern- tomorrow’; a concept that neither convince and hold rational ment is represented by the government has understood, arguments. We have for years been following individuals people who are our compatriots, and that it is nor- nor some political groups have and promote anyone with a mal for them to show soli- been able to comprehend. We find perceived charisma while darity with the govern- political groups reaching an accord ignoring arguments that suggest that charisma can somement even if it involves changing their stance after mostly when interests converge, times be a corrupting factor.

What we need now is joining the government. which exposes the lack of a true summarized as follows: The past never comes reformist agenda.

• Realizing the importance back, whether it is a matter of taking steps to protect the of social style (the society’s culture) or the political style when it comes to the 1962 constitution.

• Diagnosing the problems occurring between art of practicing democracy. Therefore, most strategic experts believe that ‘the past breeds the strate- the cabinet and the parliament and find their root gy of tomorrow’; a concept that neither the govern- causes.

• Eliminating nepotism and the quota strategy ment has understood, nor some political groups have been able to comprehend. We find political when hiring candidates for key posts.

• Adopting strategic thinking in addressing crises groups reaching an accord mostly when interests converge, which exposes the lack of a true reformist that have been pending for decades.

We can never guarantee a bright future in the agenda.

And since the past never comes back while we light of an ideology by which the government runs fail to learn from our mistakes to put together a cor- the state’s affairs, and the same goes for political rective strategy for the future, the situation contin- groups. —Al-Rai

By Dr Nadiay Al-Qenae

W

ho does not want his mind? We obviously cannot do without this divine gift to mankind. However, regardless of all the mental diseases, genetic disorders, toxins, bacterial infections and brain damage that can necessarily diminish or end our capacity for sound thinking and reasoning, we human beings have been bestowed with the blessing of moulding this gift and directing our thoughts towards improving our own lives and ensuring all round welfare.

We should not also lose sight of the role that our five senses play in various stages of our life. These senses can either lead us to summits of achievements or push us down dangerously steep slopes where we can lose everything.

However, these five senses cannot function without the mind. For example, we can see someone but we will not be able to recognize him or her without the functions that our brains perform.

Mind acts like the main control when it comes to what we feel, think, learn and remember. It also controls the movements of our bodies and muscles, including our heart. It tells us how to act in various situations.

This interface was really necessary in view of a widening circle of people who have been alienating their own minds and are being extremely affected by what they hear without exerting the lest effort to verify it. We have been overhearing lies that, with repetition and time, tend to seem like facts. That’s why injustice, tyranny, grudges and hatred is prevailing.

We are being unjust to ourselves by ignoring what our mind tells us, all because of an arbitrary word here or a sentence there that we do not even understand. We have only been using our sense of hearing and, accordingly, judging some people, things or facts without properly examining the contexts. That is exactly what turns hearsay into ‘facts’ and buries the real facts, which reminds me of what the Egyptian poet, Ahmed Shawki, once said: What a parrot with its mind in its ears! —Al-Jarida

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

LOCAL

Two in police custody for Amiri hospital brawl Search for rapist in Salwa KUWAIT: A police officer and another man were being held for questioning after the civilian accused the officer of having an affair with his wife. Police had rushed to the Amiri Hospital on Friday night after a fight was reported. They found a man trying to break free from security personnel who had caught him while he was trying to escape after fighting with the other man.

The two were taken to the nearest police station for questioning. One of them said he found his wife at the hospital speaking to a stranger in a suspicious manner, and also claimed that since this man intervened between him and his wife when he went after her was ‘proof’ enough that the two were in a relationship. Police found out that the man accused of being involved with the wife is an Interior Ministry officer. Investigations are on.

Sexual assault Search is on for a man accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl in Salwa on Saturday.

In her statement to the police, the 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl said that her friend, a 20-year-old Palestinian national, raped her in her room after he came over to visit at dawn. The man reportedly sneaked into the house on an invitation from the

Abandoned cars removed

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Ahmadi governorate municipality carried out a campaign to remove abandoned cars lying in the streets and those exhibited for sale in the Ahmadi Industrial Area. The campaign was carried out with the assistance of the Ministry of Interior at the instructions of the director, Engineer Fahad Dughaim Al-Otaibi.

The campaign resulted in the removal of 42 vehicles abandoned or exhibited for sale from the streets and areas falling in the industrial area. Al-Otaibi said that the campaign was conducted successfully and was accomplished sooner than expected because of the preplanning and fruitful cooperation with the governorate’s security men headed by Brig. Matooq Al-Aslawi and Fahaheel area commander Colonel Rashid Al-Nomas.

girl. She added that the man escaped after she screamed for help. She then told her father about what had happened before the two headed to the area’s police station to report the case.

Investigations were on.

Kuwaiti man who was in the passenger’s seat of the truck was caught. Police later found drug paraphernalia from his possession. Police identified the runaway suspect as being wanted to serve a two-year in prison sentence.

Mosque attacked Investigations are on in search of three teenagers who reportedly attacked a Shiite mosque in Jahra with Molotov cocktails.

According to the police report, the mosque’s Imam came outside after hearing glass shattering, and saw three youngsters running away. He called the police after finding out that the teenagers left behind three bottles filled with inflammable liquid. A case was filed at the Taima police station.

Adaire theft Three people were arrested on charges of stealing metal objects at a military shooting square in the Adaire’a desert recently. The Syrian men were first caught by security servicemen who spotted them inside the shooting square. Police were called to arrest them formally after tools used to cut steel as well as some amount of steel were found in their possession. They were referred to the proper authorities for further action.

Fugitive at large Police are looking to arrest a male suspect who escaped and left behind his friend in his car along with drug related paraphernalia that the police later discovered. Hawally police went in pursuit of a black pickup truck which sported no license plates and whose driver ignored orders to pull over. After jumping three traffic lights, the driver eventually stopped and then ran away on foot. A

Electricity, water awareness increases among youth KUWAIT: The Kuwait Environment Protection Society (KEPS) said yesterday that percentage of awareness among Kuwaiti youth on importance of electricity and water rationalization has increased significantly in the current month. KEPS’ administration team had conducted its monthly questionnaire for June on the levels of awareness and knowledge among young Kuwaitis on the importance of electricity and water rationalization in Kuwait, Abdullah Al-Zaidi, member of programs and activities department in KEPS told KUNA. The questionnaire results, which included wide random sample of male and female youth in accordance to their various educational and occupational levels, showed that 85.7 percent have high awareness on the importance of electricity and water rationalization in the country, compared to 7.1 pct who did not care for rationalization principle, added Al-Zaidi.

On the axis of “speed to repair water leakage”, he mentioned that about 92. 9 pct of participants were in favor for speed to repair any glitch that contributes in squandering water, compared to 7.1 pct did not care for speed of repairing any glitch.

Meanwhile, 21.4 pct agreed that there are many sources of water in Kuwait, compared to 68.6 pct who

thought Kuwait lacks many water sources.

On the level of knowledge about alternatives energy sources, the poll showed that 85.7 pct affirmed their knowledge of these sources such as wind power and solar power, while 41.3 pct were unaware of such alternative sources.

On usage of energy saving light bulbs in homes, Al-Zaidi said that 64.3 pct of participants were so keen on using such light bulbs, compared to 28.6 pct who did not use them, and 7.1 pct who did not care. He indicated that 57.1 pct of participants noted squandering of water and electricity by their housemaids, compared to 28.6 pct who did not notice any such squandering. On acceptance of increasing electricity and water fees, Al-Zaidi said that 57.1 agreed, compared to 42.9 pct who did not agree, while 71.4 pct of participants agreed on increase of awareness campaigns of electricity and water consumption rationalization. In addition, he said that 21.4 pct of participants agreed that awareness campaigns had a major role in increasing awareness on consumption issues among the public, while 7.1 pct of participants thought that campaigns did not have any role or importance in this issue. —KUNA

Passengers urged to cooperate with airport authorities KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) called on travelers to cooperate with authorities operating at Kuwait International Airport to allow them to provide best service during the holy month of Ramadan and the travel season. Travelers should check validity of their passports and visas and must arrive at the airport at least two hours ahead of departure time, Director

Domestic labor working in schools KUWAIT: In view of the ongoing inspection campaigns and crackdowns on illegal residents and other violating various laws, a number of school administrations recently noticed a number of workers who used to do cleaning work at the schools absenting from work and later justifying their absence by citing fear of being arrested during the inspections. After a school principal became curious to find out why the workers were missing from work, she checked their civil IDs to discover that all of them held article 20 residency visas, which meant that they were deserting domestic laborers.

In this regard, educational sources said that the ‘maids’ were supplied by a company that drives them to schools at 7:00 am and picks them up by 1:30 pm, charging the ministry KD 70 per maid, of which the maid only gets KD 50 while the representative pockets KD 10.

Moreover, the sources warned that in view of any school’s need for at least 10 such workers each, it meant that many of them might suffer a shortage of cleaning staff next year.

Donation collection violations KUWAIT: The manager of the charities department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Bader AlAwadhi, said that the ministry’s inspection teams had already detected some violations in how the donation was being collected through unlicensed campaigns in mosques, along the roads and through social networks.

of Operations’ Department at Kuwait International Airport Essam Al-Zamel said yesterday. In the statement, he stressed importance of complying with weights and sizes of luggage allowed and not to carry prohibited and hazardous substances such as compressed gas, solvents, explosives, fireworks, flammable materials and oxidizing, magnetic and toxic substances.

The DGCA is ready to receive suggestions and observations through the airport comptroller office located at the departure lounge, Al-Zamel noted.

On administrating flight operations during the summer, the Operation Deptartment Director said that extra flights are running during this season and the holy month of Ramadan, expecting the percentage of travelers before Ramadan to reach

25 and 75 percent at the end of it. The operation department has formed teams to provide assistance to ensure smooth flow of traffic, regulate passengers entry, follow up on departure and arrival of flights without delay, Al-Zamel noted, adding that during this season, the most sought destinations are to Beirut, Dubai, Istanbul, Jeddah and Alexandria. —-KUNA

Maid injured A domestic worker was hospitalized with burn injuries when a cooking gas cylinder exploded recently in Al-Khaldiya. Firefighters, accompanied by paramedics and police, rushed to the house on Friday night after a fire was reported. A housemaid was taken to the hospital after she sustained injuries. She was in the kitchen where the cylinder reportedly exploded. An investigation was opened.

News

in brief

Interior ministry reshuffle KUWAIT: Security sources said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud is in the process of putting the finishing touches to the expected reshuffle and the appointment of new leaders in the departments of criminal investigation, traffic, and general security. The sources said Al-Hmoud was likely to start with the criminal investigation department, followed by the traffic and general security departments. Top officials in general security are expected to be transferred to the traffic department. General security is the department having the highest number of vacancies in leading positions, and the appointment process might be sped up in view of the upcoming elections.

Officials urged to pay bills Hundreds of senior government employees could face legal action for unpaid electricity, water and phone bills, according to the recent cabinet instructions aimed at collecting the state’s dues in the form of public service fees, a local daily reported yesterday, quoting a source familiar with the case. According to the insider, who spoke to Al-Jarida on the condition of anonymity, the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Municipality Affairs received instructions from the cabinet to take legal action against non-paying consumers, starting with more than 700 senior government officials who have yet to pay their bills. “State departments were told to improve their fee collection mechanisms and work on releasing bills on a monthly basis in order to avoid having cumulative fees,” the source explained.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

LOCAL

Zain anniversary promotions see 37% increase in network usage Three receive prizes worth of KD 9,000 KUWAIT: As a continuation of the ongoing 30th anniversary celebrations, Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, announced yesterday that it recently launched promotions resulted in an overwhelming success whereby the company’s network usage increased by 37% over the previous day. The company further outlined the success of the 30th anniversary celebration promotions by announcing the three lucky winners of its “Winning Box” surprise competition, rewarding the winners with prizes that exceed KD 9,000 in total.

So far, Zain’s 30 wonderful years of celebrations has witnessed overwhelming feedback from the public. Celebrating 30 years at customers service, customers’ calls within the Zain Family (calls from Zain to Zain) were entirely free on Saturday from 12 am to 12 pm. This impacted significantly the customers’ usage of the company’s network, which increased by 37% over the previous day’s network usage. Adding a thrill to the overall celebrations, Zain announced the three lucky winners of its

“Winning Box” surprise competition. The competition was very simple, all customers needed to do was visit any of Zain’s branches at the Grand Avenue, Al Hamra Tower or Hawalli , to pick up any key from the designated bowl and try opening the Winning Box. Prizes rounded up to KD 9,000 whereby winners received 10 smart phones and platinum numbers. Zain’s 30th anniversary celebrations and promotions are available all year round, allowing customers to take advantage of the best offers in town. Zain invites everyone to be part of its ongoing celebratory promotions, with a pledge from the company of creating a Wonderful World of telecommunications experience for every customer in Kuwait.

For more information about Zain’s numerous competitive promotions, customers are advised to visit any of Zain’s branches located in more than 75 locations across Kuwait, visit the company’s website on www.kw.zain.com, contact its 24 hour call center at 107, or visit the company’s social media channels.

Association holds literary courses KUWAIT: Kuwait Writers Association organized two training courses for young talents in the fields of poetry and short stories, in collaboration with “Free Syrian Writers Association” within the New Innovators Forum, starting as of today at association headquarters.

The first session will start today under the title ‘The art of writing a short story,’ presented by the Syrian association Vice-President Dr Sultan Al-Hariri, Kuwait Writers Association Director-General, Talal Al-Rumaidhi said yesterday.

The three-day session will address elements of the short story, writing techniques of literary texts, while the second five-day session will begin next Saturday under the title of ‘Prosody ’ with researcher Dr. Abdulsamie Al-Ahmad as instructor, he noted.

The session will focus on the art of writing eloquent poetry as part of the activities of the New Innovators Forum, sponsored by Kuwait Writers

Association, which is to help create a convenient environment for the talented young people between the ages of 13-30 to write creative poems and stories, he added.

Al-Rumaidhi called on youngsters who want to discover and develop their literary talents to participate at the literary sessions, expressing gratitude for “the free Syrian writers association” for its cooperation in the service of literature and culture and working on publishing fine works in these genres.

Dr Al-Hariri, who holds a doctorate in Arabic literature, has written several articles on literature, critical works, and research papers such as “praying manners in Islam,” and “the art of writing and communicating in the Arabic language.”

Dr Al-Ahmad holds a doctorate in Arabic grammar and he is Al-Babtain anthology of contemporar y Arab poet’s researcher as well as a script writer of Islamic Fiqh Encyclopedia programs for Kuwait Radio. —-KUNA

Municipality to remove election billboards, tents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Kuwait Municipality warned yesterday that the Municipality teams will remove any billboards, banners, tents or any sort of election-related ads that are hoisted before the official launch of electioneering campaigns.

“Municipality teams backed by security personnel will remove any ads violating the electoral law without prior notice,” Director of the Capital Municipality branch Faleh AlShammarisaid. He laid it bare that the Municipality will firmly apply law on everybody.

“No one is allowed to rent a place for elec-

tioneering tent before the issuance of the Amiri decree setting the date of the election and electioneering campaign,” he said.

He unveiled that the Municipality is embarking on a plan to guarantee the success of the electoral process to avoid loopholes and problems which emerged in previous ones.

Official keen on timely launch of marine center KUWAIT: Head of the Government Performance Follow-up Apparatus Sheikh Ahmad Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah yesterday affirmed keenness on inaugurating the Marine Sciences Center of Kuwait University “as soon as possible.”

During his visit to the center building, the official expressed readiness to tackle “obstacles that have hindered the opening of this academic landmark, specialized in studies and research on marine environment.” He also raised questions, during deliberations with leading figures of the authority, about failure to open the center, whose establishment had been concluded and handed over in 2008.

This visit to the site falls within the jurisdiction of the apparatus to follow up on “executive status of state ventures.”

Sheikh Ahmad Meshaal Al-Ahmad was received by the secretary general of the university, Dr Nabil Al-Loughani, his assistant for administrative affairs Bader Thiab, the head of the construction program, Dr Rana Al-Fares, and the head of the department of construction and maintenance, Hamidah Al-Khaldi.

Dr Al-Loughani briefed the official about the site and assured him that “work was underway to ensure that it would be open by start of the next academic year.”

The new edifice is highly developed and equipped with all facilities and spaces needed in the future. It encompasses about 40 labs, classrooms, auditorium, and restaurants. KU started the center project in 2004. The center is located in Fintas, 20 km south of Kuwait City. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Municipality operations in progress.

Chechen President thanks Kuwait for support KUWAIT: Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has expressed deep gratitude to Kuwait for its help to his country at hard times and urged Arab investors to consider his country as a potential and promising market for new enterprises.

“With regard to Kuwait, we have deep affection toward this sisterly state, and we are also proud of this relationship,” said the Chechen president in an exclusive interview with the Kuwaiti daily newspaper, Al-Anbaa. He affirmed that the republic, part of the Russian federation, maintains solid bonds with the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The Gulf States have “guided us on means to manage living affairs of Muslims ... and showed us that Islam can be prevalent among nations of

great power,” Kadyrov said. On his future plans, the president indicated that he would seek to boost internal and external investments, regretting that much of the Arab states’ investments are based in the West.

He called on Arab entrepreneurs to launch businesses in the republic and in predominantMuslim Russian regions, noting that investors’ rights are protected by certain laws.

On the republic’s relationship with Russia, the president said he deliberates with Moscow regarding internal affairs, as part of regular meetings of presidents of the Russian federation republics, but he affirmed that foreign affairs’ issues fall within jurisdictions of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the National Security

Council. However, he affirmed confidence in Russia’s policies toward Muslim communities of the nation.

Asked on issue of the two Chechens who were charged with masterminding the April bombing in Boston, the US, the president said, “We tend to believe that they should be acquitted ... we condemn their maltreatment.”

One of the two suspected Chechen bombers was killed by US law enforcement officers after the bombing and the other remained behind bars.

The bombing happened on April 15. Three people died and some 264 others were wounded in the explosions that took place during the Boston Marathon. —KUNA

Cairo hosts Arab human rights meeting

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other senior officials at the Marine Sciences Center of Kuwait University.

CAIRO: The 34th session of the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights kicked off here yesterday.

The meeting saw participation of experts and officials of human rights in Arab countries and representatives of civil society organizations accredited to the Arab League as an observer.

President of the National

Committee for Human Rights in the State of Qatar Ali al-Marri stressed, in his opening speech, the significance of convening this meeting at this sensitive period witnessed by the Arab region.

He pointed to the importance of the Committee’s role in the promotion and dissemination of the culture of human rights in the Arab world.

He presented an overview of the achievements of the Committee including the establishment of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, issued in 2004, which entered into effect in 2008. Al-Marri cautioned that the Committee’s agenda includes many items most important of which is addressing the Israeli violations as being the biggest chal-

lenge to the Arabs.

He said, “There is a follow-up by the Arab League and its SecretaryGeneral Nabil Elaraby to the issues of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, as well as the risks posed against the Palestinian territories including Judaization and attacks on the alAqsa mosque, in addition to Islamic and Christian holy sites. —KUNA

AL warns of Israeli attempt to change educational curriculum in Al-Quds CAIRO: The Arab League warned of an Israeli plan to change the Palestinian education curriculum, especially in Al-Quds, in order to keep the sons of Palestine distant from Arab education systems and the introduction of the Israeli curriculum.

Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and the occupied Arab territories in the Arab League

Ambassador Mohamed Sabih said at the opening of the 68th session of the Council of Educational Affairs for the sons of Palestine with the participation of delegations from Egypt, Jordan and the Arab Universities Union and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as well as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization that Israel is master-

minding a dangerous policy to change the Palestinian education curriculum.

Sabih said that Israel wants the Palestinian students to be away from associating with the Arab educational systems and introduce Israeli curricula and delete some of the issues and topics pertinent to the history and heritage of the Palestinian people. Sabih, speaking on behalf of the

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Dr. Nabil Elaraby, stressed the need to address these Israeli attempts, saying that responding to this issue is very important, especially in finding schools for Arab students in Al-Quds, maintaining the Arab curriculum, enabling and supporting the Palestinian teachers as well as lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip. — KUNA

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Bad weather hits India flood rescue operations

Abbas accepts Palestinian prime minister’s resignation Page 8

Page 12

HONG KONG: In this file picture, protesters shout slogans in support of former US spy Edward Snowden as they march to the US consulate in Hong Kong. —AFP

Snowden arrives in Russia US wants cooperation of countries where Snowden may go MOSCOW: Former US spy Edward Snowden yesterday arrived in Russia from Hong Kong, reportedly on his way to Venezuela, escaping the clutches of US justice after leaking sensational details of c yber- espionage by Washington. Snowden, the target of a US arrest warrant issued Friday after he blew the lid on massive secret sur veillance programmes, arrived in Moscow on a direct flight operated

by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot.

The Hong Kong government said earlier it had “no legal basis” to prevent Snowden leaving because the US government had failed to provide enough information to justify its provisional arrest warrant for the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor. Snowden, 30, landed at Sheremetyevo airport in the north of Moscow at 5:05 pm (1305 GMT) but there was no immediate official confirmation of where he would head next, an AFP correspondent at the airport said.

Russian official media quoted airport officials as saying that Snowden was on the plane.

The website of WikiLeaks, which says it aided his exit, said Snowden was on his way to asylum in a “democratic nation”. Russian media reports cited sources within Aeroflot as saying he would fly to Cuba today and then travel on

to the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

Snowden did not emerge into the terminal public area along with other passengers on the flight and his fellow travellers raised the possibility he may have been whisked away in a car directly from the airport tarmac. “They were getting luggage straight from the plane into the car. It seemed a little strange. I saw three pieces of luggage,” Aeroflot passenger Jason Stephens from the United States told AFP. A source at Sheremetyevo told Interfax that “transit passenger” Snowden was still at the airport. “His next flight is to Cuba, he is on the territory of the airport complex where he has to be.” AFP correspondents also said they saw a diplomatic car at VIP arrivals with the flag of Ecuador, the countr y whose embassy in London is hosting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to prevent his extradition to Sweden.

A source quoted by RT television said Snowden was examined by an Ecuadorian embassy doctor at Moscow airport upon his arrival.

WikiLeaks claimed credit for helping to arrange asylum for the man behind one of the most significant security breaches in US histor y. “M r Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower who exposed evidence of a global surveillance regime conducted by US

and UK intelligence agencies, has left Hong Kong legally,” WikiLeaks said in a statement.

“He is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks,” it said without revealing his final destination.

Wikileaks confirmed that Snowden was accompanied by a British citizen named Sarah Harrison, whom it described as a “journalist, and legal researcher ” work ing with the WikiLeaks legal team. Snowden’s latest interview yesterday contained new revelations about US cyber-espionage against Chinese targets, drawing a stinging response from China’s official news agency Xinhua which branded Washington an espionage “villain”.

In the latest revelations in the South China Morning Post, Snowden said the NSA was hacking Chinese mobile phone companies to gather data from millions of text messages. He said US spies have also hacked the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing-home to one of six “network backbones” that route all of mainland China’s Internet traffic-and the Hong Kong headquarters of Pacnet, which operates one of the Asia-Pacific region’s largest fibre-optic networks.—AFP

Saudi changes working week to Sunday-Thursday RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has announced it is switching its official weekend to Fridays and Saturdays, bringing the kingdom’s working week closer in line with other countries in a move long desired by many of the country’s businesses. Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, had been the only member of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council to have a ThursdayFriday weekend after Oman shifted to a Friday-Saturday weekend last month. The surprise move, which will be applied from this week, was immediately welcomed by Saudi economists and businessmen as giving the private sector an extra day of alignment with international businesses.

“It will increase interface with the rest of the world, now things will move faster,” said Ali Al-Ajmi, a former vice president at state oil company Saudi Aramco who now runs a project management business.

Abdulrahman al-Ubaid, a former vice president at Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world’s biggest petrochemcial compa-

ny, and now managing director of Saudi Development and Innovation Group, also welcomed the change.

“We expect the impact to be positive on the Saudi economy, we think our business will be easier,” he said. Saudi Arabia is considering opening its stock market to more direct foreign investment in the future. At present, stocks move considerably on shifts in global equities and commodities markets. Although the world’s top oil exporter had discussed looking at the change in its weekend in the future, few people had expected it to make the switch so soon.

However, some Saudi companies, including food producer Savola had already announced they would change their own weekend to Friday and Saturday to improve their coordination with regional partners.

The fact the change is happening in June, after schools have closed and while many Saudis are on holiday before the Ramadan fast which starts on July 9, means it will be less jarring, economists said. —Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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

Germany blocks plan to revive talks with Turkey BRUSSELS: The European Union is on the verge of scrapping a new round of membership talks with Turkey, a move that would further undermine Ankara’s already slim hopes of joining the bloc and damage its relations with Brussels. Germany, the EU’s biggest economic power, is blocking efforts to revive Turkey’s EU membership bid, partly because of its handling of anti-government protests that have swept the country in the last few weeks, EU sources say. The Netherlands too has voiced reservations about the EU’s plan to open talks with Turkey next Wednesday on a new “chapter”, or policy area, the sources say.

EU officials had hoped that opening the new chapter, on regional policy, would breathe new life into Turkey’s deadlocked EU membership negotiations. EU ambassadors, who failed to agree last week, are expected to discuss the issue for a last time on Monday morning. Barring a last-minute change of heart in Berlin, Ireland, currently holder of the EU presidency, would then

have to tell Turkey that Wednesday’s meeting had been postponed or cancelled.

Turkey, already locked in a diplomatic row with Germany after Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was appalled by its crackdown on protesters, has made clear it would respond forcefully to any EU decision to scrap Wednesday’s talks. Germany’s hardline stance is causing alarm among some European policymakers who think the EU should be engaging more with Turkey to support civil rights rather than moving away.

“It would be a huge mistake to try to block Turkey’s EU progress right at this time,” Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Twitter yesterday. Marietje Schaake, a Dutch liberal member of the European Parliament, said it would be unwise for the EU to slam the door on Turkey. “This situation creates ... a chance for the EU to step up efforts to improve the rule of law in Turkey, such as the independence of the judiciary and respect for the fundamental rights of all

people in Turkey,” she said on her website.

Elections Analysts see electoral considerations as playing a role in Germany’s position. Merkel’s conservatives oppose Turkish EU membership in their programme for September elections and delaying talks with Turkey could help them politically. Amanda Paul, a Turkey expert at the European Policy Centre thinktank, said Germany’s stance would have an “extremely serious” impact on Turkey’s membership negotiations, already virtually blocked for three years.

“I don’t see the logic behind what the Germans are doing ... because it is not going to be helpful to either Turkey or the EU. This relationship is an important relationship, it is not one that can just be thrown away,” Paul said.

Fadi Hakura, a Turkey expert at London’s Chatham House thinktank, said the Turkish government was in a “very prickly and combative mood” and was likely to respond to

an EU snub by suspending political contacts, meetings with EU institutions and possibly recalling its ambassador. However, Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, did not see Turkey breaking off accession talks, which began in 2005 18 years after Turkey first applied to join.

Given Turkey’s position, neighbouring Iran and Syria, the strategic case for Europe having a relationship with Turkey was greater than ever, he said. Turkey is an influential power in the Middle East and a member of the NATO military alliance. If Turkey’s EU ambitions were effectively dashed, it would signal an end to EU expansion to the southeast but still leave it scope to expand further east where Balkan nations including Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro are queuing up to join.

Slow pace Turkey’s negotiations to join the EU have advanced at a glacial pace. It has provisional-

ly closed just one of 35 chapters or policy areas. It has opened a dozen more chapters but most of the rest are blocked due to disputes over the divided island of Cyprus or hostility especially from France, though that has eased under President Francois Hollande. It has not opened a new chapter since 2010. Turkey has been leapfrogged by many other EU applicants. Croatia, which applied for EU membership in 2003, is set to become the EU’s 28th member next month.

The deadlock means the EU has lost its appeal for many Turks.

France and Germany have always had doubts about allowing a largely Muslim country of 76 million people into the European club, fearing that cultural differences and its size will make it too difficult to integrate. Ankara’s supporters, led by Britain and Sweden, say the EU can benefit from Turkey’s growing economic clout and its role as an intermediary in the Middle East and that Europe needs its cooperation to secure energy supply routes. —Reuters

Abbas accepts Palestinian prime minister’s resignation Hamdallah quit just two weeks after becoming premier RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday accepted the resignation of his new prime minister, whose quick departure clouded efforts to project government stability after Western favourite Salam Fayyad quit the post. Officials told Reuters that Rami Hamdallah, an academic and independent who became prime minister two weeks ago, decided to step down after a dispute over authority with his deputy, who is an Abbas loyalist and is close to the ruling Fatah party.

“The president accepted the resignation of the prime minister and designated him to head an interim government,” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdaineh said. With Abbas setting policy with Israel, the political tussle over the prime ministerial post seemed unlikely to have an impact on renewed US efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to return in the coming week for another attempt to restart the negotiations frozen since 2010 in a dispute over Jewish settlement expansion on occupied land Palestinians seek for a state.

“When we talk about the peace process, President Abbas is our interlocutor and so it’s not going to have an impact,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters on Friday, a day after Hamdallah submitted his resignation.

“Whatever happens, it’s important that the

Palestinian Authority government remain committed to that effort of institution-building,” Ventrell said. Hamdallah’s predecessor Fayyad, a US-educated economist, resigned in April after six years in office marred by tough economic challenges but strides in setting touchstones vital to future Palestinian statehood.

Fayyad was widely respected in the West for his efforts to curb Palestinian corruption. The former World Bank official was valued as a transparent conduit for foreign aid money crucial to keeping the economically struggling government afloat. But Fatah politicians eager to control the levers of power berated his ties to the West.

Their disapproval of Fayyad, along with popular discontent over high taxes and prices, helped squeeze him out.

Embarrassment Hani al-Masri, an independent Palestinian political analyst, said Hamdallah’s resignation was another embarrassment for Abbas, whose government exercises limited self rule in the West Bank under interim peace deals with Israel.

“This time, he (Abbas) doesn’t have the excuse that the man was propped up by the West or had his own ambitions,” Masri said, referring to political accusations that political opponents often directed at Fayyad, an independent.

Mohammed Mustafa, the deputy prime minister widely seen as having been behind the swift

challenge to Hamdallah, is being touted as his possible successor, along with Abu Amr, a former foreign minister. Under Palestinian law, a replacement must be named within two weeks.

US officials had expressed misgivings with Mustafa as a potential prime minister, a Western diplomat told Reuters. A Reuters investigation in 2009 found that US aid in the form of loan guarantees meant for Palestinian farmers were given to a mobile phone company backed by Abbas and headed by Mustafa. At the time, Mustafa denied any wrongdoing said the funds were used to help fuel Palestinian job creation.

Abbas’s administration did not comment at the time.

Abbas’ most powerful rival, the Hamas Islamist group that wrested control over the Gaza Strip away from Fatah in 2007, said Hamdallah’s resignation showcased divisions that only prolonged the Palestinian political split. Since the brief civil war after Hamas won legislative polls in 2006, Palestinians have had no functioning parliament or national elections, and a unity pact pledged by Hamas and Fatah in 2011 and renewed this year has yet to materialise. Wasel Abu Yousef, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, told Reuters the new prime ministerial vacancy could be an opportunity for Abbas himself to head an interim government of technocrats, pending new parliamentary polls envisaged by the reconciliation accord. —Reuters

Stuntwoman, pilot killed in Ohio air show crash

ANGIL TOBAYA: Sudanese soldiers keep watch as civilians gather for the arrival of special envoys in Sudan. —AFP

UN police patrol as violence worsens in Sudan’s Darfur ABU SHOUK: The armoured personnel carrier slowly bumps its way out of the UN base in Sudan’s far-west region of Darfur with Indonesian policeman Andhy Kurniawan at the wheel. His colleague Daud Markus Afi, a part-time singer, mans the machinegun overhead while Endro Suryanto is in charge of the radio. They are leading another African Union-UN patrol into Abu Shouk, a camp for an estimated 75,000 of the 1.4 million people displaced by the decade-long conflict in Darfur. A surge in tribal violence, along with clashes between rebel fighters and government forces, has forced another 300,000 to flee their homes this year as the security situation deteriorates.

The rear end of the armoured vehicle carries a message, in Indonesian, to anyone who might try to confront the patrol. Fierce, like a wounded ox, it says. The Indonesians are paramilitary officers with years of experience in their home country’s conflict zones. But here, their job is to protect a multi-national group of unarmed police advisers following behind them in SUVs, backed up at the rear by more Indonesian paramilitaries.

“Our main aim is to protect civilians by our physical presence in the field,” says Jaffar Ali, of Pakistan. He is the UN Mission in Darfur’s police commander in the area. The afternoon patrol, one of three throughout the day, begins with a briefing inside a small office resembling a shipping container. “Today we are going to block four and five,” an area within the camp, team leader Khalid Arrejamy of Yemen tells his colleagues squeezed into the room. Each patrol includes officers specialising in human rights, family and children’s matters, investigation and other issues.

Arrejamy briefly reminds them of their duties before they head out. Among their tasks is to watch for rights violations and to identify areas where the Sudanese police could benefit from training, Ali tells reporters accompanying the

group. This patrol also includes officers from Egypt, Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi and Sierra Leone.

A notice taped to the office wall reminds them that they all represent the United Nations, “wherever you go, whatever you do. This is no small responsibility.”

Their first stop is the Sudanese police station.

Abdel Wahab Shaiba Ahmed, the local Sudanese police chief, greets the UNAMID members under a tree. He denies relations with the internally displaced people (IDPs) are poor. “This is not true,” he tells a reporter. Some of his men sit barefoot on a mat, smoking and playing cards in the shade.

UNAMID and local officers are working together “to share knowledge... and try to bridge the trust gap between the IDPs and the GoS police (government of Sudan),” says Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al-Dajeh, of Jordan.

But UNAMID police face their own issue of trust, according to a participant in a meeting between UN officials and foreign envoys last week. In El Fasher, near Abu Shouk, they held a two-yearly review of developments in Darfur.

Arabic-speaking UNAMID officers “are not accepted in the camp,” according to the source at the meeting. “The IDPs say they side with the government.” The patrol drives on, stopping to chat with Adam Ali, a senior community leader who stands in the sandy street between high mud-brick walls which smell of dung.

Ali tells Arrejamy that they need security, water, health and educational facilities. Standing guard a few metres away, the Indonesians joke with some of the many children who emerge to watch the visitors. “Over time, we get along fine with the people,” says Afi, whose unit has spent seven months in Darfur without firing a shot. A Pakistani policeman approaches some white-shirted schoolboys gathered in the shade and asks them about their studies. Two female officers deliver their message to a group of women. —AFP

CINCINNATI: A budget analyst with a daredevil streak, Jane Wicker knew she was taking a risk when she signed up to entertain thousands of spectators at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton. She said in a TV interview she felt confident of her ability and said on her website that lots of practice makes her signature stunt a “managed risk.” She planned to hang underneath the plane’s wing by her feet and sit on the bottom of the airplane while it was upside-down. It wasn’t clear Saturday what went so wrong. The biplane glided through the sky, rolled over, then crashed and exploded into flames, killing the wing walker and the pilot, authorities said. No one else was hurt.

A video posted on WHIO-TV shows the small plane turn upside-down as the performer sits on top of the wing. The plane then tilts and crashes to the ground, erupting into flames as spectators screamed. Ian Hoyt, an aviation photographer and licensed pilot from Findlay, was at the show with his girlfriend. He told The Associated Press he was taking photos as the plane passed by and had just raised his camera to take another shot. “Then I realized they were too low and too slow.

And before I knew it, they hit the ground,” he said.

He couldn’t tell exactly what happened, but it appeared that the plane stalled and didn’t have enough air speed, he said. He credited the pilot for steering clear of spectators and potentially saving lives. “Had he drifted more, I don’t know what would have happened,” Hoyt said. He said he had been excited to see the show because he’d never seen the scheduled performer - wing walker Jane Wicker - in action.

The show was canceled for the rest of the day, but organizers said events would resume Sunday and follow the previous schedule and normal operations. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash. On the video, the announcer narrates as the plane glides through the sky and rolls over while the stuntwoman perches on a wing. “Now she’s still on that far side. Keep an eye on Jane. Keep an eye on Charlie. Watch this! Jane Wicker, sitting on top of the world,” the announcer said, right before the plane makes a quick turn and nosedive.

Federal records show the 450 HP Stearmans was registered to Wicker, who lived in Loudon, Va. A man who answered the phone at a number listed for Wicker on her website said he had no comment and hung up. One of the pilots listed on Wicker’s website was named Charlie Schwenker. A post on Jane Wicker Airshows’ Facebook page announced the deaths of Wicker and Schwenker, and asked for prayers for their families.—AP

DAYTON: Flames erupt from a plane after a stunt plane crashed while performing with a wing walker at the Vectren Air Show, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. —AP

ISMAILIA: Protesters chant slogans against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi outside a court in Ismailia, 139 Kilometers (86 miles) from Cairo yesterday. —AP

Egypt court: Brotherhood members planned jailbreak CAIRO: An Egyptian court said yesterday that Muslim Brotherhood members conspired with Hamas, Hezbollah and local militants to storm a prison in 2011 and free 34 Brotherhood leaders, including the future President Mohammed Morsi. The court statement read by judge Khaled Mahgoub named two members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood among the alleged conspirators in the attack on Wadi elNatroun prison on Jan 29, 2011.

It is the first statement by a court holding members of the three Islamist groups responsible for jailbreaks during the chaos of Egypt’s 2011 uprising. Two other prisons where Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah members were held were also attacked. Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders have maintained that they were freed by local residents.

Hamas, the Palestinian chapter of the Brotherhood, has denied involvement in the attacks on prisons.

The Freedom and Justice party, the political arm of the Brotherhood, said yesterday’s statement was “void and illegal.” It posted on its Twitter account that Mahgoub “will end like any other judge who did not respect the law or the constitution.” Still, the court statement is likely to further fuel opposition to Morsi’s rule just a week before his opponents plan mass protests to try to force him out of office. The June 30 demonstrations would mark the anniversary of his taking office in 2012 as Egypt’s first freely elected leader.

The past year has seen growing polarization as Egypt struggles with a host of problems that many accuse Morsi of failing to effectively tackle. They include surging crime, rising prices, power cuts, fuel shortages and unemployment.

Pressure on Morsi grew yesterday when Wael Ghonim, the best known youth figure of the 2011 revolution, asked Morsi to step down. In a video message posted on the Internet yesterday, Ghonim accused Morsi of reneging on promises he made ahead of his 2012 election.

The president, he said, must act like a “patriotic Egyptian” and resign to prevent “strife.”

Many Egyptians have been alarmed by statements from Morsi supporters vowing to “smash” the protesters. Several hard-line Islamists have declared the protesters infidels whose killing is justified. Morsi’s supporters say his opponents should try to remove him through the ballot box, and attempting to force him out is an attack on electoral legitimacy.

Also yesterday, a member of a radical Islamist group appointed by Morsi as governor of the ancient city of Luxor resigned in the face of daily protests outside his office. Adel elKhayat is a member of the Construction and Development party, the political arm of the Gamaa Islamiya, which waged an armed insurgency against the state starting in 1992 and attacked police, Coptic Christians and tourists.

In November 1997, gunmen from the group attacked tourists at Luxor’s 3,400-year-old Hatshepsut Temple, killing 58. More than 1,200 people died in the campaign of violence by the group, which later renounced violence, and another militant organization, Islamic Jihad. “I discussed with my brothers from the Construction and Development party, and we agreed that I should present my resignation as Luxor’s governor because we don’t want bloodshed”, he said in a statement. “We cannot accept the shedding of even one drop of blood for a position that we never wanted.”

Morsi has not spoken publicly about his escape from Wadi el-Natroun since he gave an account of what happened in a frantic phone call he made to Al-Jazeera Mubasher TV moments after being freed. “From the noises we heard ... It seemed to us there were (prisoners) attempting to get out of their cells and break out into the prison yard and the prison authorities were trying to regain control and fired tear gas,” Morsi said in the call. The prison breaks took place during the 18-day popular uprising that toppled the 29-year regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The breaks led to a flood of some 23,000 criminals onto the streets, fueling a crime wave that continues to this day. —AP

Egypt’s controversial Luxor governor quits CAIRO: Luxor’s new governor, a member of an Islamist party linked to a massacre of tourists in Egypt’s famed temple city, yesterday said he was quitting after his appointment triggered an outcry and the resignation of the tourism minister. Adel Al-Khayat told a news conference broadcast live on television that he had decided “to submit my resignation to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil” just a week after his appointment.

Khayat is member of the political arm of ex-Islamic militant group Gamaa Islamiya which had claimed responsibility for the massacre of 58 tourists in Luxor in 1997.

Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on June 16 named Khat along with 16 other new governors, including seven from his Muslim Brotherhood movement. The nomination drew widespread criticism in Egypt, where opponents of Morsi have accused him of hijacking the 2011 uprising that toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

The appointment was seen as a blow to the once-lucrative tourism industry which has been struggling to recover after the uprising against Mubarak. It prompted Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou to tender his own resignation last Wednesday, saying Khayat’s nomination was an affront

to the tourism industry. Qandil refused to accept the resignation. Zazou has insisted he would continue to halt work “as long as the new governor remains in his post, greatly harming tourism in Egypt generally and Luxor specifically,” the prime minister’s spokeswoman, Rasha Al-Azaizy, said last week.

Khayat belongs to the Construction and Development party, the political arm of Gamaa Islamiya which was blamed for a spate of attacks in the 1990s before it renounced violence. A coalition of opposition groups, trade unions and tourism workers had threatened to close down all pharaonic temples and tourist attractions should Khayat remain in the post.

Luxor in southern Egypt, is an open-air museum of intricate temples and tombs of pharaonic rulers and landmarks such as the Winter Palace hotel where crime novelist Agatha Christie is said to have written her thriller “Death on the Nile.” Before the uprising against Mubarak, it attracted thousands of tourists annually, drawn by the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, and the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsutscene of the 1997 massacre in which four tourist guards were also killed. —AFP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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

3 Lebanon troops die in clash with Sunni radicals BEIRUT: Two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were killed yesterday in a clash with supporters of a radical Sunni Muslim sheikh opposed to the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, an army statement said. “An armed group loyal to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir attacked, for no reason, a Lebanese army checkpoint in the village of Abra” on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, the military said. “Two officers and a soldier were killed, while several others were wounded. Several military vehicles were damaged,” the statement added, updat-

ing the army’s earlier toll of two dead.

The clash broke out when Assir’s supporters surrounded an army checkpoint in Abra, where a vehicle transporting other supporters of the Sunni cleric had been stopped, a security source told AFP earlier. “After the armed men attacked (the army) with gunfire” the army fired back, the source added. An AFP journalist reported that explosions were heard two kilometres (more than a mile) away.

The correspondent saw civilians fleeing the fighting, both by car and on foot.

Businesses in Abra closed for the day

because of the raging gunfire. “The shells are raining down on us, and there is intense gunfire,” a witness told AFP by telephone. More troops deployed to the area as the clashes raged through the afternoon. The controversial Sunni sheikh called on his supporters last week to fire on apartments in Abra that he says house Hezbollah members.

Abra is home to a mosque where Assir leads the main weekly prayers on Fridays. The sheikh believes Hezbollah uses the Abra apartments to keep him under sur veillance. His supporters

clashed with Hezbollah in Abra last week in fighting that left one man dead. Assir was unknown until around two years ago, when he rose to prominence over his radical opposition to Hezbollah and its ally, the Damascus regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Syria-related tensions have soared in Lebanon, deepening sectarian rifts between Sunnis and Shiites. Shiite Hezbollah supports Assad’s regime, while the Sunni-dominated opposition backs the rebels fighting it. During yesterday’s fighting, Assir distributed a

video message via mobile phone addressed to his supporters. “ We are being attacked by the Lebanese army,” Assir said, describing the military as “sectarian” and accusing it of supporting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

“I call on everyone... to cut off roads and to all honourable soldiers, Sunni and non-Sunni, to quit the army immediately,” Assir said in the message. He urged supporters across Lebanon to flock to Abra “to help defend our religion, our honour and our women”. — AFP

Fighting rages in Damascus Hollande urges rebels to ‘retake’ extremist zones

KARBALA: Shiite Muslim pilgrims pray at the shrine of Imam Hussein during preparations for the annual festival of Shaabaniya marking the birth of Imam Mahdi, revered by Shiites as the coming Messiah yesterday. — AFP

Qaeda gathers power in northern Iraqi city BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda’s Iraq arm is gathering strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, ramping up its fundraising through gangland-style shakedowns and feeding off anti-government anger as it increasingly carries out attacks with impunity, according to residents and officials. It is a disturbing development for Iraq’s third-largest city, one of the country’s main gateways to Syria, as Al-Qaeda in Iraq makes a push to establish itself as a dominant player among the rebels fighting to topple the Syrian regime.

The show of force comes as Mosul residents cast ballots in delayed local elections Thursday that have been marred by intimidation by militants. Al-Qaeda’s renewed muscle-flexing is evident in dollar terms too, with one Iraqi official estimating that militants are netting more than $1 million a month in the city through criminal business enterprises. Mosul and the surrounding countryside, from where Al-Qaeda was never really routed, have emerged as major flashpoints in a wave of bloodshed that has killed nearly 2,000 Iraqis since the start of April - the country’s deadliest outbreak of violence in five years. Gunbattles have broken out between militants and security forces, and several candidates have been assassinated.

Just since the start of last week, attackers in and around the city have unleashed a rapid-fire wave of five car bombs, tried to assassinate the provincial governor and killed another local politician and four other people in a suicide bombing. The violence increased as Thursday ’s elections approached in Ninevah and neighboring Anbar province. Iraqis elsewhere went to the polls in April, but the Baghdad government postponed voting in the two provinces, citing security concerns. Other Sunni militant groups, including Ansar AlIslam and the Army of the Men of the Naqshabandi Order, are also active in Ninevah. Mosul is the capital of the Sunnidominated province.

Al-Qaeda’s growing power is particularly worrying because it is thought to be behind the bulk of the bombings across Iraq and because it is trying to assert itself as a player in neighboring Syria’s civil war. The head of Al-Qaeda’s Iraq arm last week defied the terror network’s central command by insisting that his unit would continue to lay claim to Al-Qaeda operations in Syria, too. “We’re definitely concerned about it,” said a US diplomat about the deteriorating security situation in Mosul. The diplomat, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record, said Al-Qaeda’s Iraq arm sees an opportunity to try to build support in the area and is “out blowing things up to show that the government can’t protect and serve the people.”

Al-Qaeda’s growing strength in Mosul is

painfully clear to businessman Safwan AlMoussili. Traders like him say they are once again facing demands from militants to pay protection money or face grave consequences. Merchants say that practice had largely disappeared by the time American troops left in December 2011.

“They tell us: ‘Pay this amount.’ And if it’s higher than before, they say something like: ‘You recently went to China and you imported these materials and you made such and such profits,’” he said. “It seems they know everything about us.” Small-scale shop owners, goldsmiths, supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies are all being hit up for money these days. Al-Moussili and his fellow businessmen feel they have little choice but to pay up. About two months ago, he recalls, one businessman refused to pay, and insurgents planted a bomb inside his shop that killed the man.

“That forced everybody to pay, because we don’t see the security forces doing anything to end this situation,” he said. A Mosul food wholesaler, who referred to himself only by the nickname Abu Younis out of concern for his security, said he and other traders resumed paying $200-a-month kickbacks to Al-Qaeda three months ago after finding threatening letters in the market hall where they operate.

Al-Qaeda focused its operations in historically conservative Mosul following setbacks in Anbar province in 2006. It soon became the only major Iraqi city with a significant Al-Qaeda presence.

The US urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to focus his resources on Mosul to wipe out Al-Qaeda and prevent the insurgents from reorganizing there. Instead, the government shifted resources at a key moment to crush Al-Maliki’s armed Shiite rivals in the southern city of Basra, which prevented a decisive defeat of Al-Qaeda.

Over time, the militants, exploiting ethnic tensions in the Mosul area between Arabs and Kurds, were able to reinforce their position. Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who closely follows regional security issues, said Al-Qaeda in Iraq has long generated cash from businesses such as trucking and real estate, and through extortion of large firms such as mobile phone companies.

“If they’re extending their extortion back out to local traders, that indicates they’ve got better street control,” he said. “It just shows they’re able to operate in the urban neighborhoods and don’t see a security force retaliation like they did two years ago.

And they don’t fear informants identifying them.” Abdul-Rahim Al-Shimmari, a member of the Ninevah provincial council, agreed that extortion is making a comeback. —AP

DAMASCUS: Rebels in Syria launched an attack on a police post in northern Damascus yesterday which left four police and three insurgents dead, a watchdog said, as violence escalated in and around the capital. The flare-up came as French President Francois Hollande appealed to rebels to “retake” zones that have fallen into the hands of extremist Islamist groups and a day after world powers agreed to provide the opposition with urgent military aid. The attack on the police post took place in the Rokn Eddin neighbourhood, while explosions in the Bab Musalla neighbourhood in south Damascus killed a civilian, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “Three men attacked the Rokn Eddin police station. Clashes between the (attackers) and the police ensued. Afterwards... two explosions were heard,” said the Britain-based Observatory. All three attackers were killed and four policemen also died. Nine other people were wounded, five of them critically, the watchdog added. The interior ministry meanwhile reported 11 people killed, including six “terrorists”, during what it said were attacks launched by rebels in Rokn Eddin and Bab Musalla.

“Al-Nusra Front terrorists tried to enter the police station in Rokn Eddin and the criminal security branch in Damascus,” it said. The ministry described the attacks as “a new escalation by the terrorist gangs”-using the regime term for rebels. “Three suicide attackers clashed with police in Rokn Eddin’s police station as they prepared to detonate their explosives,” said the ministry statement.

“Three other suicide bombers” tried to attack the criminal security branch in Bab Musalla, it added. “Branch personnel fought them off and killed them, defusing their explosives,” said the ministry, adding that five people besides the attackers were killed. The ministry said investigations at the targeted sites showed the attackers were members of Al-Nusra Front, an Islamist rebel group. France’s Hollande, on a visit to Doha, urged Syria’s opposition to push extremists out of the zones they control.

“The opposition must retake control of these areas and push these groups out,” he told reporters. If extremist groups “benefit from the chaos in future, (Syrian President) Bashar AlAssad will seize this as an excuse to continue his massacres.” The Assad regime has systematically blamed violence in Syria on Al-Qaeda and affiliated, foreign-backed groups. Violence also raged

DAMASCUS: Picture shows civilians inspecting burnt out vehicles following an attack in the capital Damascus. — AFP in the Damascus countryside. The army battled rebels both in the Eastern Ghouta area east of the capital and in the Qalamoun area between Damascus and the Lebanese border, said the Observatory. In northern Syria, 12 troops were killed in a rebel car bomb attack on the edges of Aleppo city, it said.

The fighting comes after world powers supporting the rebels agreed on Saturday to provide them with urgent military aid. Qatar, which hosted the gathering of foreign ministers of the “Friends of Syria”, said the meeting had taken “secret decisions about practical measures to change the situation on the ground”. A final communique said “each country in its own way” would provide “urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment” so that the rebels could “counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies and protect the Syrian people”. The rebels have reported receiving new equipment from “friendly” countries a possible allusion to

Gulf Arab nations-but the United States, France and Britain have been quiet on what they have provided.

Participants in the Doha talks said that the reticence was partly a nod to concerns by Italy and especially Germany, which has repeatedly cautioned that weapons could aggravate the conflict. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, said that all but two countries agreed on plans to support the rebels.

Washington and Doha had called for increasing aid to end what Kerry called an “imbalance” in Assad’s favour. Kerry said the United States remained committed to a peace plan that includes a conference in Geneva and a transitional government picked both by Assad and the opposition. But he said the rebels need more support “for the purpose of being able to get to Geneva and to be able to address the imbalance on the ground”. — AFP

Deposed Honduran leader’s wife leads in local polls

TEGUCIGALPA: In this June 16, 2013 photo, presidential candidate Xiomara Castro, wife of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, waves to her supporters at the Free Party’s convention in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. — AP

TEGUCIGALPA: Manuel Zelaya was unceremoniously booted from power four years ago when Honduras’ army hustled him out of the country in his pajamas, a coup prompted by fears among Honduras’ business and political elite that he was getting too hungry for power. Now he’s back with a new shot at the presidential palace, this time as the husband of the leading presidential candidate, Xiomara Castro. Polls show Castro, 53, leading seven other candidates ahead of the Nov 24 election, including the military general who conducted the coup. The country’s two traditional parties, which backed the coup, are struggling in third and fourth place, behind Castro and a popular sports TV personality. The election of a self-proclaimed socialist could be considered a stunning change in a country where oligarchs have maintained political power over a poor, uneducated majority for at least a century. But Zelaya, too, is a wealthy landowner from the old guard, and most people see his wife as his cover in a country that bans presidential re-election. He is running for a congressional seat from his own state. Even one of her former speechwriters says Castro lacks the political heft of other female leaders in Latin America, such as Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez or Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, who came to power with extensive records of their own. “She is an invented banner to fill the political needs of Manuel Zelaya,” said Sergio Suazo, a Honduras

National University political science professor.

Zelaya says he is merely her driver and guardian, present in the campaign “to ensure the safety of Xiomara and to be as close to her as possible.”

But when they arrive at political events, it is he who is mobbed by cameras and supporters. She stays in the background until he decides to hand her the spotlight.

Even Castro says her election would be a Bill and Hillary Clinton-style “Buy one, get one free.”

“The decisions are going to be made by me, now it’s my turn,” she told The Associated Press in a campaign swing. “But I will consult with him on every occasion, as he consulted with me in the past.” It was the suspicion that Zelaya wanted to reform the constitution and seek re-election that helped get him kicked out in the first place. He was whisked out of the country at gunpoint in June 2009 after he defied a Supreme Court order to drop plans to hold a referendum asking Hondurans whether the constitution should be revised. Zelaya was elected from the traditional, centrist Liberal Party, but began aligning himself more and more with the late leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, adopting his populist platforms and rhetoric. His ouster was backed by members of his own party, who thought that Zelaya, like Chavez, would seek to stay in power indefinitely. Chavez served 14 years and had just been re-elected to six more years when he died of cancer in March. —AP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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

Time for excuses on immigration is over: Obama WASHINGTON: Declaring “the time for excuses is over,” President Barack Obama is trumpeting the economic benefits of an immigration overhaul, arguing that a bipartisan bill picking up steam in the Senate would put the nation’s loathed deficits and fragile entitlements on better footing. A recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, lawmakers’ nonpartisan scorekeeper, was Exhibit A in Obama’s weekly radio and Internet address Saturday. The report shows deficits would fall nearly $1 trillion over two decades after the bill becomes law.

What’s more, Obama said, the influx of immigrant-driven investment, technology and businesses would give the economy a 5 percent shot in the arm.

“This bipartisan, common-sense bill will help the middle class grow our economy and shrink our deficits, by making sure that every worker in America plays by the same set of rules and pays taxes like everyone else,” he said.

Confidence that the overhaul could pass the Senate by impressive margins is growing, and leaders scheduled a test vote on the bill for Monday, with a final

vote expected by the end of next week.

Although the heart of the bill is a 13-year pathway to citizenship for millions living in the United States illegally, it was a military-style surge to US-Mexican border security, added this week to placate wary Republicans, that was credited for giving the bill a much-needed boost.

Obama didn’t specifically address the border amendment Saturday, but he did note that the bill “would continue to strengthen security at our borders.”

Despite concerns from some Democrats that the security provisions - 20,000 new

agents, 350 miles of new fencing, 18 new unmanned drones - are overkill, Obama spokesman Jay Carney said Friday it would constitute a “breakthrough” that the White House applauded.

“The bill isn’t perfect. It’s a compromise,” Obama said, reprising a line he’s used throughout the process when Democrats have complained the bill has become too conservative. “But it’s consistent with the principles that I and others have laid out.” In the Republican address, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota says Obama must show leadership to

avoid an impending hike on student loan interest rates.

He said it’s fortunate that Obama and House Republicans agree on the issue and have both proposed plans that would tie interest rates to the market. He accused Senate Democrats of blocking each plan. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say they are content to let rates double,” Kline said.

“This eleventh-hour scrambling is a perfect demonstration of why we need to take the politics out of student loans once and for all.” — AP

Italy’s Berlusconi set to face verdict in underage sex trial Guilty verdict could weaken Letta government

SOFIA: A protester waves a Bulgarian flag during anti-government protests. - AFP

‘Smiling but angry’, protesters rock Bulgaria SOFIA: With their toddlers sticky with ice cream and their dogs panting in the summer heat, the Bulgarians protesting for the past week look very different to the gloomy crowds that toppled the government in February. But this does not make the colourful mass with their sunglasses, bikes, songs and clever catchphrases any less determined to see the back of the new three-week-old government and for a shake-up of the whole political class.

“We want to oust these corrupt demagogues who call themselves ‘a political class’. It’s the future of our children here that is at stake-or emigration,” teacher Ilian Kamenov, 42, told AFP at a recent march in Sofia. “I was seven when my parents took me to rallies for democracy when communism fell (in 1989),” said another, Kamelia Mitova, 31. “It’s unbelievable that I am here now for the same reasons.”

The spark that ignited this latest crisis in the EU’s poorest country was the Socialistbacked government’s decision earlier this month to appoint a 32-year-old media mogul to head a powerful state security authority. For the protestors, this showed that the new administration was in cahoots with the same old powerful business interests and that its promises of a new era of transparency and accountability were lies.

Even though the government quickly reversed the security chief decision, between 7,000 and 10,000 people have taken part in daily demonstrations since June 14 - marching and dancing, shouting and singing along Sofia’s boulevards every evening. On a special page on social networking website Facebook, used to great effect to organise the latest protests, the demonstrators say they want to “oust the oligarchy” and see Bulgaria governed like any other nation in the European Union.

“Even if we are smiling, we are angry” they say. “Protest noisily, react wisely!”, is one of their slogans. “”NOresharski!

NOligarchy!” is another, a pun on the name of the prime minister, Plamen Oresharski,

brought in as a non-partisan safe pair of hands. Many popular faces-writers, actors, musicians, professors, human rights activists-are seen in the rallies, just as they were during the first demonstrations in the country after the toppling of communism in 1989.

In February, by contrast, the demonstrators were mostly poorer, angrier and desperate, taking to the streets across the country after receiving winter heating bills that they simply could not pay. Seven people set themselves on fire. “Contrary to the February protests about people’s empty pockets, these protests are about morals.

These are young, well-educated people, who also earn well-Sofia’s middle class-that will be harder to appease,” political analyst Dimitar Ganev said.

“At last, people started to understand the importance of civil society that was very under-developed up till now,” said analyst Antoaneta Tsoneva from the Institute for Public Environment Development. But most analysts were however convinced that even if protestors’ anger is justified, toppling the three-weekold cabinet and holding new snap elections risked turning a crisis into a calamity.

Instead, the president-who has openly sympathised with the protests-has urged parliament to start work on changes to the electoral code to improve people’s political representation by opening the way for new faces and smaller parties to enter the legislature at the next elections.

In order to give parliament time to do that, the new vote must be put off until May 2014 when Bulgaria will also hold elections for European parliament, Gallup analyst Zhivko Georgiev said.

This would also leave time for the government to address the most pressing social problems such as growing poverty and unemployment and falling living standards to avoid new anti-poverty rallies next winter, Sofia University political analyst Maria Pirgova added. — AFP

Princes William, Harry attend society wedding LONDON: It wasn’t quite a royal wedding, but with Prince William as best man and a Hogwarts castle as the setting it certainly caused a stir in Britain’s media. William was attending Saturday’s marriage of his close friend, Thomas van Straubenzee, to Melissa Percy, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Prince Harry also attended the event at Alnwick Castle, the bride’s family home, which was used in

some of the “Harry Potter” movies. William’s wife, the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, did not attend - though her sister Pippa Middleton did. Other guests included Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph featured the wedding on their front pages Sunday, calling it the “society wedding of the year.” - AP

ENGLAND: Britain’s Prince Harry (right) leaves after attending the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland’s daughter Lady Melissa Percy to chartered surveyor Thomas van Straubenzee at St Michael’s Church in Alnwick, England. — AP

ROME: A Milan court will decide today whether Silvio Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute and abused his powers to cover it up, with the former Italian prime minister facing a jail sentence of up to six years. The verdict, which could have major political repercussions, closes a two-year trial which has captivated attention on billionaire Berlusconi’s alleged “bunga bunga” sex parties in his private villa outside Milan while he was premier in 2010.

If the 76-year-old is found guilty it could weaken Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s fragile, leftright coalition government which depends on the centre-right leader’s support for its survival.

Several members of Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party have urged him to withdraw his support and he may be more tempted to do so if he decides his backing for Letta is giving him no legal protection.

“He is expecting it to go against him, he has been telling everyone that the judges are prejudiced,” said James Walston, politics professor at the American University of Rome. Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with former nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, alias “Ruby the Heartstealer”, when she was under 18, and of abuse of office to get her released from police custody on a separate occasion.

He denies all wrongdoing and says he is

being persecuted by left-wing prosecutors. He says the alleged sex parties were elegant dinners where the female guests performed “burlesque” shows. El Mahroug denies having sex with Berlusconi. Prosecutors say Berlusconi should serve one year in jail for paying for sex with a minor and should be given five years’ imprisonment and a life ban from holding public office for the abuse of office charge, which they consider more serious. In May 2010 the then prime minister called a Milan police station to instruct officials to release El Mahroug, who was being held on suspicion of stealing a bracelet. A Brazilian prostitute who lived with El Mahroug had called the premier on his mobile phone to tell him she had been arrested.

Political risks Berlusconi’s lawyers say he made the call to avoid a diplomatic incident because he believed that El Mahroug, who is actually Moroccan, was the grand-daughter of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The prosecution says he was anxious to cover up the relations he had with her at his sex parties. The media tycoon has recently used his own television stations to promote his version of events, with his flagship Canale 5 channel broadcasting a prime-time documentary on the so-called “Ruby Trial”.

Whatever the verdict on Monday, Berlusconi will not go to jail before he has exhausted his right to two appeals under the Italian legal system, which could take years. The political consequences, however, could come sooner. Letta, from the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), is likely to be rooting for a not-guilty verdict in the interests of his fledgling government’s stability.

The case is only part of Berlusconi’s legal problems. Last month an appeals court upheld a four-year jail sentence against him for orchestrating a tax fraud scheme connected with his business dealings - leaving him just one more appeal, at the supreme court, which could come within a year. Despite Berlusconi’s professions of loyalty to Letta, many analysts believe he will eventually prefer to gamble on fresh elections, in which he could potentially become prime minister once again, rather than risk a definitive sentence. Even if Berlusconi opts to keep backing the government, a guilty verdict would make parts of the PD highly uneasy and increase the coalition’s instability, said Giovanni Orsina, professor of contemporary history at Rome’s Luiss University. “The PD would be in the same majority with a person who has been condemned in the first degree for juvenile prostitution which is not a light issue,” he said. “It would add up to a difficult situation.” — Reuters

Deadly shootout mars Albania vote TIRANA: An opposition activist was killed in an apparently politically motivated shooting in Albania on yesterday during a crucial election that could determine whether one of Europe’s poorest countries has a chance of joining the EU. The shootout in the northern town of Lac “might be related to the vote,” police spokeswoman Alma Katragjini told AFP, declining to give further information about the incident.

The dead man was identified as a 53-year old activist with the Socialistled coalition of former Tirana mayor Edi Rama, while among three people wounded was a candidate from the ruling Democratic party of conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

Rama-whose coalition has a slight edge in the election race according to analysts-branded the shooting a “serious political incident... aimed at intimidating the voters.”

“Berisha should take responsibility... and pay for it,” the 48-year-old Rama told reporters after rushing to Lac. Accusations of vote-buying and electoral roll irregularities have been flying between the rivals, raising concerns of a repeat of the 2009 polls which triggered months of political turmoil and government paralysis.

Around 6,000 police were on duty yesterday to try to keep the peace.

Berisha, seeking his third mandate to lead the Muslim majority nation after eight years in power, vowed that “the will of citizens shall be respected” at the polls. Having failed to deliver clean elections since the fall of communism two decades ago, Albania desperately needs to prove that it is able to hold fair polls that meet international standards if it is to have a shot at joining the EU.

Since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime in 1990, polls in Albania have been marred by violence and allegations of vote-fixing. Brussels, which has twice rejected Tirana’s EU membership application, said the vote “represents a crucial test for the country’s democratic institutions and its progress towards the European Union”.

But as Albania’s 3.2 million voters were choosing lawmakers for the 140-seat assembly, the electoral system appeared to be struggling to meet international standards. The electoral commission-the agency tasked with certifying the voteremains paralysed, with no progress made in efforts to replace three of its seven members who quit in April over a dispute between the government and the opposition.

Eugen Wollfarth, head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Tirana, called on politicians to “consider what is best for the country,” which became a NATO member in 2009. A Western diplomat warned of a “great risk the results would be contested, either by the outgoing coalition or by the opposition”.

Both Rama and Berisha have pledged to improve living standards in the country where many, especially in the poor mountainous north, depend heavily on financial aid sent by an estimated 1.5 million countrymen living in western Europe and the United States. Berisha, a 69-year old cardiologist, has been campaigning on the promise of new investments, but also a six percent hike in wages and pensions to come into effect after the election. Rama, a Parisschooled painter, insisted on rooting

TIRANA: Albanian Prime Minister and Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha makes a victory sign as he casts his ballot at a polling station yesterday. — AFP out widespread corruption in Albania, which ranked 113th of 174 countries on graft watchdog Transparency International’s 2012 list.

“I graduated with top marks but I can not still find work as the system is rotten with corruption,” said 28-year old jurist Flori Lika, after voting for the Socialists. But 40-year-old economist Luljeta Konomi said Berisha “has changed the face of Albania. “He is the only one able to take Albania in the great European family,” she said.

Two more parties-the New

Democratic Spirit of former president Bamir Topi and the ultranationalist Red and Black Alliance-could also win enough votes to enter the parliament. In Tirana, people were queueing to cast their ballots even before polling stations opened. “In Albania, everyone is so obsessed with politics, they think of it even when they make love,” said 30-year old engineer Arsen Prifit. Some 600 international observers are monitoring the polls which are to close at 1700 GMT, with first results expected today. — AFP

After Obama visit, Berlin remembers JFK 50 years on BERLIN: Just days after US President Barack Obama walked in his footsteps, Berlin will mark the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s pivotal “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech with celebrations throughout the reunited city. Kennedy’s stirring pledge of solidarity with the besieged western sectors of Berlin still marks the defining touchstone in relations between the United States and Europe’s biggest economic power.

The German capital has organised more than 50 events in the run-up to Wednesday’s anniversary including tours, lectures, exhibitions and new book publications. They will culminate in a ceremony at the Schoeneberg town hall where Kennedy spoke to West Berliners who feared any moment could see Soviet tanks roll down their streets.

His eight-hour visit on June 26, 1963 came at a critical stage of the Cold War, and Berlin was on the front line. It was only a year since the United States and Soviet Union nearly went to war in the Cuban missile crisis, and two years after East Germany’s communist regime erected the Berlin Wall, cleaving the city in two.

The United States had done little when

Berliners were suddenly cut off from their families and jobs on the other side of the city. But in an electrifying 10-minute address, Kennedy gave Berliners what they wanted to hear: a condemnation of the Wall and a promise that the free world stood by them. “Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us,” the defiant president said, in a firm rejection of communist appeasement.

At the end, Kennedy uttered the immortal words: “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ (I am a Berliner).” His vow, just five months before he would be assassinated in Dallas, was greeted with rapturous applause from the around 450,000 people thronging the square.

Obama, who spoke Wednesday at the now open Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German unity, quoted several Kennedy tropes including his most famous German line. In a toast at a dinner that night hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in communist East

Germany, he acknowledged that JFK had set the bar for any US president abroad almost unattainably high.

“Fifty years ago, as this city prepared to welcome President Kennedy, Berliners were ecstatic,” Obama said. “Mayor Willy Brandt tried to calm everybody down-he told them, don’t be too emotional. It didn’t work.” Although Kennedy was moved by the reaction, his advisor McGeorge Bundy and Brandt worried that it would only heighten East-West tensions at a time of tentative moves toward detente.

Ulrich Mack, 80, one of the press photographers in Berlin that day, told AFP that people hung from street lamps, road signs and climbed trees just to get a glimpse at the visitor from Washington, and threw reams of confetti. “It was just a wave of euphoria, it was like being intoxicated-from the images, from the situation-it was simply beautiful,” said Mack, who just released a book of unpublished photographs from that day.

“It was amazing to see how this sceptical man, who really was quite hostile to Germans, suddenly did an about-face and softened, how he loved shaking hands in the crowd. —AFP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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

Brazil hit by fresh protests despite Rousseff speech 70,000 protest against govt corruption BELO HORIZONTE: Fresh protests rocked Brazil Saturday despite conciliatory remarks by President Dilma Rousseff, who pledged to improve public services and fight harder against corruption. Rousseff ’s televised address late Friday appeared to have failed to sway protesters, as protests were held in over 100 cities Saturday and activists vowed to continue the struggle and ordinarily football-mad Brazilians once again protested outside Confederations Cup games. More than 70,000 people chanting “The Cup for whom?” rallied in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte as Mexico edged Japan 21 in the football tournament seen as a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup. Police fired tear gas when some protesters hurled stones and tried to break through the security perimeter around the Mineirao stadium.

Some 25 people, including five police officers, were reported injured in the clashes, and another 22 protesters were arrested. Later, the unrest

spread as shops were looted, and banks and a car dealership vandalized.”We are against the World Cup because it masks the problems the country faces,” said musician Leonardo Melo, who dismissed Rousseff’s speech as “rhetoric.”

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians have protested against the billions of dollars being spent on the World Cup, accusing the government of wasting money and neglecting health, education and transport.

More than a million marched in scores of cities on Thursday. In Sao Paulo, 35,000 people took to the streets peacefully Saturday to denounce a proposed constitutional amendment that would take away the power of independent public prosecutors to probe crimes, making it harder to combat corruption. In the southern town of Uruguaiana, demonstrators peacefully occupied the bridge linking Brazil to Uruguay for four hours. In the university town of Santa Maria, where a disco fire killed 242 young

BELO HORIZONTE: Protesters set fire during a demonstration against corruption and price hikes in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on June 22, 2013. — AFP

people in January, 30,000 people protested.

“Santa Maria is not going to stop. We have 242 reasons to fight,” read one large banner. In Salvador, where Brazil beat Italy 4-2 in another Confederations Cup match, demonstrators totaled about 200 people, according to an AFP reporter. Inside the stadium, dozens of fans brandished placards proclaiming: “Let’s go to the streets to change Brazil.”

West of Rio, near the Bangu prison, police confiscated Molotov cocktails, sticks and stones and arrested 30 people for looting shops and smashing furniture on the heels of a protest by around 500 people, according to the Globo G1 website. As the Rousseff government tried to address the ever rising tide of dissatisfaction over its social policies, former football starturned Socialist politician Romario joined the debate, praising the demonstrators and dubbing world football body FIFA “Brazil’s real president.”

In her address, Rousseff offered Brazilians a “great pact” between the government and the people to improve shoddy public services and stressed the need for “more effective ways to fight corruption.”

But her intervention left the protesters unmoved, judging by a torrent of comments on social media websites amid the release of a new poll showing that three-quarters of Brazilians back the demonstrations. “I was depressed listening to Dilma. It’s a joke, right? Dilma treats us as if we are idiots,” read one typical comment.

“We want dates and times, action. Promises are not enough,” wrote another.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but some have been marred by violence and acts of vandalism, notably in Rio and Brasilia, with two deaths recorded so far. The popular outrage, dubbed by some a “Tropical Spring” after the protest movements in the Arab world and echoing similar turmoil in Turkey this month, has come as a shock to outside observers. The unrest even led Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt to scrap a plan to come to Brazil to promote his new film “World War Z,” the movie’s distributors said Saturday.

Rousseff’s predecessor and political mentor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva left office in 2010 with a soaring 80 percent approval rating, and the social policies he initiated are credited with lifting 40 million Brazilians out of poverty. Lula also helped raise Brazil’s international profile, and the World Cup was seen as a key milestone in its emergence as a global power player after several years of steady economic growth. But despite the nationwide obsession with football, the protesters say they feel left behind as they watch gleaming new stadiums spring up in cities paralyzed by traffic jams and clogged with aging trains and buses. — AFP

Taleban offer brings in urgency to Idaho rally HAILEY: The tearful mother of the only known US prisoner of war said Saturday she’s feeling “very optimistic” about his eventual release after his Taleban captors offered last week to exchange him for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl’s mother, Jani Bergdahl, spoke to about 2,000 people gathered in Hailey, his hometown, in a city park where he played as a toddler and little boy.

About 400 in the crowd arrived astride motorcycles, adorned in leather and patches commemorating America’s military missing in action. Bowe Bergdahl, 27, was taken prisoner in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. First Jani Bergdahl, then his father, Bob Bergdahl, who accompanied the motorcycle procession on his son’s 1978 dirt bike, spoke for a combined 15 minutes about rejuvenated hopes that their son’s now-four-year ordeal will soon come to a joyful close. “We are feeling very optimistic this week,” his

IDAHO: Jani Bergdahl (left) joined by husband, Bob, the parents of captive US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, speaks at the “Bring Bowe Back” celebration held to honor Sgt Bergdahl in Hailey, Idaho. — AP

mother, before addressing her son directly. “Bowe, we love you, we support you, and are eagerly awaiting your return home. I love you my son, as I have, from the first moment I heard of you, the never-ending, unconditional love a mother has for her child.”

Buses also brought POW-MIA activists to the event from as far as Elko, Nev, some 230 miles to the south. Though yellow ribbons on Main Street trees and “Bring Bowe Home” placards in Hailey shop windows are a constant reminder of the 27-year-old Bergdahl’s captivity, organizers of the event said the Taleban offer has lent an addition element of urgency - and hope - to Saturday’s gathering.

Many in the crowd said they were Vietnam veterans; some of them supported the proposed prisoner exchange without reservation. “Give them their guys and get our guy home,” said David Blunt, of Elko, Nev., who said he served in the US Army in Vietnam as a medic. “Bring our guy home.

He’s suffered enough.”

Bergdahl is believed held somewhere in Pakistan, but the Taleban said they would free him in exchange for five of their most senior operatives at Guantanamo Bay, the American installation on the southeastern tip of Cuba that’s housed suspected terrorists following the Sept 11 attacks. The militant group’s exchange proposition came just days ahead of possible talks between a US delegation and Taleban members. Bergdahl’s father, Bob Bergdahl, urged those gathered at Hailey’s Hop Porter Park to remember everyone, regardless of nationality, who had suffered during the 12-year conflict in Afghanistan that began following the Sept 11 attacks.

He described his son as “part of the peace process.” “I wish she was the only mother that was suffering in that way,” Bob Bergdahl said of his wife. “Mothers all over the world are suffering because of this war, and I don’t forget that for even one day.” He addressed his son’s captors in Pashto, the Afghan language he’s learned since Bowe Bergdahl went missing. —AP

Texas prepares to execute 500th prisoner HUNTSVILLE: The US state of Texas is preparing to execute its 500th convict since the death penalty was restored in 1976, a record in a country where capital punishment is in decline elsewhere.

On Wednesday, in the absence of a last minute pardon, 52-year-old Kimberly McCarthy will receive a lethal injection in Huntsville Penitentiary for the 1997 murder of 71-year-old retired college professor Dorothy Booth. “What we do is we carry out court orders,” said Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “It’s our obligation to carry this execution out.”

Activists opposed to the death penalty are due to gather at the red brick state prison, known as the “Walls Unit,” to mark the milestone with a protest against a punishment they regard as a holdover from another age.

In 1976, the US Supreme Court lifted a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and since that date 1,336 have been executed across the country, more than a third of them in Texas alone. “It is obviously still the leader of

executions in the nation, but it is limited to a handful of counties,” said Steve Hall of the StandDown Texas Project, which has campaigns for a new moratorium. “Texas leads with the number of executions and death sentences but there’s no doubt you’re seeing the same trend to decrease that you see nationally.” Richard Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Center, an academic watchdog, agreed. “Despite this major milestone, we expect the total number of executions to be less than last year and a new drop in death sentences,” he said.

According to DPIC’s figures, there are 3,125 convicts on death row in the United States and, if Wednesday’s execution goes ahead, McCarthy will be the 17th prisoner put to death in the first six months of 2013. But numbers are dropping: 43 people were executed in 2012 down from a peak, in 2002, of 71. American juries are also imposing capital punishment in fewer cases, with only 78 death sentences last year, down by around three-quarters since the

1990s-although violent crime is also down. And, while 32 of the 50 US states still have the death penalty on the books, many have imposed a de facto moratorium, with few or none of the executions carried out and convicts languishing on death row.

Activists like Dieter say this shows that these states will eventually formally abolish the death penalty, but supporters of the ultimate penalty note that it retains the support of American voters.

“By measurements like the number of executions, death sentences and states, the death penalty is in decline,” admitted Robert Blecker, a professor at New York Law School. “But, in terms of the popular support, that is fairly constant. It is not in decline,” he said, noting that the proportion of voters backing execution always increases in the wake of “egregious” crimes. Opinion polls consistently show that between 60 and 65 percent of Americans back the death penalty, indicating that support goes beyond the roughly 50-50 left-right divide in US electoral politics. —AFP

PINE: A military C-130 drops a load of fire retardant on a wildfire near Pine, Colorado. — AP

Firefighters optimistic they can save Colorado town DEL NORTE: A massive wildfire threatening a tourist region in southwestern Colorado has grown to nearly 60 square miles, but officials said Saturday that the erratic blaze had slowed and they were optimistic they could protect the town of South Fork. The fire’s rapid advance prompted the evacuation of hundreds of summer visitors and the town’s 400 permanent residents Friday, and it could be days before people are allowed back into their homes, cabins and RV parks, fire crew spokeswoman Laura McConnell said. South Fork Mayor Kenneth Brooke estimated that 1,000 to 1,500 people were forced to flee.

Some business owners were being allowed back into South Fork during the day Saturday to tie up issues left unattended in the rush to leave.

Officials, meanwhile, closely monitored an arm of the blaze moving toward the neighboring town of Creede. “We were very, very lucky,” said Rio Grande County Commissioner Carla Shriver. “We got a free pass yesterday.” McConnell said no structures had been lost and the fire was still about 5 miles from the town. The blaze had been fueled by dry, hot, windy weather and a stand of dead trees, killed by a beetle infestation. But the fire’s spread had slowed by Saturday morning after the flames hit a healthy section of forest. Fire crews remained alert as more hot, dry and windy weather was forecast. The wildfire, a complex of three blazes, remains a danger, officials said. “The fire is very unpredictable,” Shriver told evacuees at Del Norte High School, east of the fire. “They are saying they haven’t quite seen one like this in years. There is so much fuel up there.” Winds picked up Saturday afternoon and a heavy black again permeated

the air in Del Norte, where a Red Cross shelter was set up for evacuees. Anticipating the mandatory South Fork evacuation would last for days, the Red Cross promised more supplies and portable showers. Ralph and Leilani Harden of Victoria, Texas, spend summers in South Fork. “We jumped out of the South Texas hot box into the Colorado frying pan,” Ralph Harden said.

Bob and Sherry Mason bought the Wolf Creek Ski Lodge on the Western Edge of South Fork about a year and a half ago. “This (wildfire) was in our contingency plan being in Colorado, but we didn’t expect it this soon,” Bob Mason said. New fire crews, meanwhile, descended from other areas to join more than 32 fire engines stationed around South Fork, with hoses and tankers at the ready. Firefighters also worked to move potential fuel, such as lawn furniture, propane tanks and wood piles, away from homes and buildings. The town of Creede’s 300 residents were under voluntary evacuation orders as officials feared the fire could reach the roads leading out of town.

The heavy black smoke, broken up only by an orange glow over the outlines of the San Juan mountains, was so thick Friday that the plume helped keep an 18-square-mile wildfire burning 100 miles to the east near Walsenburg from spreading as fast as it would have otherwise. Susan Valente, an onsite spokeswoman for the fire near Walsenburg, said the shade helped keep the forest from drying out in the hot afternoon sun. Residents from 300 homes remain evacuated while in the city of Walsenburg and the town of Aguilar remain on pre-evacuation notice, meaning residents must be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. — AP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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

Afghanistan seeks explanation for Taleban office KABUL: Afghanistan’s government said yesterday it is still waiting for a full explanation of how the Taleban were allowed to open an office in Qatar that was akin to an embassy, flying the militant group’s flag and using its formal name from the years it ruled the country. But Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai said the Afghan government remains willing to send a peace delegation to Doha to negotiate with the Taleban once it has its explanation, as well as assurances that the office will be nothing more than a place for talks.

“The Afghan government remains fully committed to pursue a process of peace negotiations with the armed opposition, including the Taleban, but within the confines of the conditions and the principles and the assurances that we have estab-

lished,” Mosazai told reporters in Kabul. The diplomatic incident served as a reminder of just how difficult a task lies ahead in getting all sides to the negotiating table after nearly 12 years of war.

The Taleban’s office opened Tuesday in a ceremony broadcast on live television, accompanied by a simultaneous announcement that US officials would begin formal talks with Taleban representatives, which eventually would be joined by the Afghan government. That raised hopes that the long-stalled peace process could finally begin. But the Taleban’s use of its old flag and a sign bearing the name of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which the movement used during its five-year rule that ended in 2001 with the US-led invasion, provoked outrage across party lines in

in an English-language statement.

The Qatari government had no immediate response. At the Taleban office in Doha, security was boosted yesterday but there were no apparent signs of meetings or other diplomatic activity. There was no flag visible from the street. On Saturday, Taleban spokesman Shaheen Suhail suggested the Taleban was willing to move ahead with peace talks, despite “much anger” among some members over the removal of the name and the lowering of the Taleban’s white flag emblazoned with a Quranic verse in black.

Mosazai said, however, that Afghanistan is still waiting for a full explanation from Washington and guarantees the Taleban will not attempt to revert to its formal name again. “We need an explanation about how

Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai reacted sharply, suspending negotiations with the US over what presence international forces may keep in Afghanistan after 2014 and demanded the offending sign and flag be removed. The Taleban has since complied after the Qatar government intervened.

Both the US and the Qataris said the Taleban had agreed on the pre-approved name but violated the pact at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

In an e-mailed statement yesterday, however, Taleban spokesman Muhammad Naeem said the use of the flag and name was “done with the agreement of the Qatari government.” “The statement which states that by using the name and raising the flag, the Islamic Emirate somehow violated an agreement... is completely false,” Naeem said

this happened, why this happened, who made this happen - and then for the office and its terms of reference to be brought back into full compliance with the written assurances given to the Afghan government prior to the establishment of the office,” he said. He also suggested that after “initial contacts” between the Taleban and the United States, the Afghan government expects to lead official peace talks and would push to move them to Afghanistan. “Official negotiations in the context of the peace process will have to be, and can only take place, between the (Afghan) High Peace Council on the one hand and the authorized representatives of the Taleban on the other,” he said. “Our preference would be for those negotiations to take place inside Afghanistan after the initial stage.” —AP

Taleban kill 9 foreign tourists in Pakistan 6 Ukrainians, 3 Chinese among dead ISLAMABAD: Gunmen dressed as police killed nine Chinese and Ukrainian tourists in an unprecedented attack in the Pakistani Himalayas claimed by the Taleban, who said they had set up a new faction to target foreigners in revenge for US drone strikes. The attackers struck late Saturday at the foot of one of the world’s highest mountains, killing climbers at a base camp in the far-flung north not previously associated with violence or Islamist militancy.

The deaths call into question the future of foreign mountaineering and trekking expeditions, which provide the last vestige of international tourism in a country on the frontline of Al-Qaeda and Taleban violence. Officials yesterday said one Pakistani was also killed while one Chinese national survived the attack, which comes just weeks after a new government took office. The climbers were staying at a base camp for Nanga Parbat, which at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet) is the second highest mountain in Pakistan and the ninth highest in the world.

The base camp is at Fairy Meadows in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China and Kashmir. “The incident took place around 10:00 pm (Saturday, 1700 GMT). They were mountaineers,” Diamer police official Mohammed Naveed told AFP. “Gunmen came and opened fire on them. It is confirmed that they have been killed,” he said.

Six Ukrainians and three Chinese were among the dead, Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said. Ukraine’s ambassador to Pakistan Vladimir Lakomov earlier told AFP that five

Ukrainians were killed. The Himalayas in northern Pakistan offer some of the most spectacular climbing in the world. Its peaks are a magnet for experienced mountaineers, often from Europe.

Nisar said the attackers were dressed as Gilgit Scouts, a paramilitary police unit. “They abducted two guides and through them reached the area.

One guide was killed in the shootout. One is alive.

He is now detained and being questioned,” he said.

Pakistan condemned the attack, but the killings will raise serious questions about security failures and embarrass a country already suffering from a dismal image abroad. The interior minister conceded there was no security escort for foreigners in that area of the mountains.

The top bureaucrat and top police official in Gilgit-Baltistan were yesterday suspended, state TV said. Local police told AFP that the bodies of the dead were en route to Islamabad by mid-afternoon yesterday after helicopters were dispatched to the area. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned “these inhuman and cruel acts”, ordered a thorough investigation and called for the culprits to be brought to justice, the government said.

Officials also spoke to the Chinese and Ukrainian ambassadors to express their condolences, the foreign ministry added. “Those who have committed this heinous crime seem to be attempting to disrupt the growing relations of Pakistan with China and other friendly countries,” it said.

While Gilgit-Baltistan has seen deadly sectarian violence targeting Pakistan’s Shiite Muslim minority, foreigners have never previously been targeted in such a remote part of the region, which officials

said was inaccessible by road. A spokesman for Pakistan’s main umbrella Taleban faction, which is waging a seven-year domestic insurgency, initially refused to comment, but later telephoned AFP to claim responsibility. He said the attack was in response to the death of the group’s deputy chief in a US drone strike near the Afghan border.

“One of our factions, Junood ul-Hifsa, did it. It is to avenge the killing of Maulvi Wali ur-Rehman,” said spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. Rehman died on May 29 in a US drone attack on a house in North Waziristan, the most notorious Taleban and AlQaeda stronghold in Pakistan on the Afghan border. Ehsan told AFP that Junood ul-Hifsa was a new wing set up by the Taleban “to attack foreigners and convey a message to the world against drone strikes”.

Pakistan’s Taleban organisation, a nebulous collection of factions, has been waging a domestic insurgency since July 2007 but is not previously known to have had a presence in Gilgit. Rehman, who had a $5 million US bounty on his head, was accused by Washington of organising attacks against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan and wanted in connection with a suicide attack on an American base in Afghanistan in 2009 that killed seven CIA agents. Pakistan’s government, which took office this month after historic elections, faces a massive array of problems related to a moribund economy and Islamist militancy. Sharif has previously advocated peace talks with the Taleban and he criticised the US drone strike that killed Rehman, echoing long-held Pakistani complaints that the US campaign violates national sovereignty. —AFP

Lanka withdraws controversial press code

GOVIND GHAT: A stranded Indian pilgrim, seen carrying a child, is transported across a river using a rope rescue system by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in Govind Ghat in India yesterday. —AP

Bad weather hits India flood rescue operations GOVINDGHAT: Bad weather hampered rescue operations yesterday in northern India where up to 1,000 people are feared to have died in landslides and flash floods that have left pilgrims and tourists stranded without food or water for days. So far 557 bodies have been found after torrential rains struck the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on June 15, flooding the Ganges river and devastating the region known as the “Land of the Gods” for its revered Hindu shrines. Some 15,000 people were still stranded in remote areas with the full extent of the loss of life only likely to emerge after flood waters recede and rescue workers reach isolated areas, officials said.

“The death toll could be more than 750 — maybe around 1,000,” Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said in the state capital Dehradun.

In Govindghat, a small town on the route to the Sikh holy site of Hemkund, army personnel built temporary bridges by stringing ropes across river banks to help civilians cross safely, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and entire villages in the state, which was packed with travellers in what is a peak tourist season.

Dozens of helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to help those trapped across the state, including many residents whose houses have been damaged. Around 120 bodies have been recovered from the Kedarnath temple complex and more were feared to be lying in nearby jungle where tourists took refuge after hotels and other buildings collapsed in the deluge.

Nishi Shrivastava, 30, recounted with horror how she had to virtually “navigate” among dead bodies strewn near the Kedarnath temple site.

“Bodies were lying everywhere. It was worse than a nightmare. I had lost all hope of seeing my family members again,” she told AFP before boarding a bus in Dehradun to go back home to Agra in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state.

Air relief operations resumed partly in the areas of Harsil and Dharasu after being suspended yes-

terday morning due to rain and overcast conditions, Indian Air Force spokeswoman Priya Joshi told AFP. For thousands of stranded people, it has been a grim battle of survival against the odds, an army rescue worker who did not want to be named told AFP. “They have been stuck for more than five days without food or water. Temperatures have been dipping sharply in the night but they do not have any shelter,” he said. Some survivors complained they had been exploited by locals eager to profit from their misery. Shri Purushottam, a 50year-old from Maharashtra, cried inconsolably as he recalled the moments when his 10-year-old son lay lifeless in his arms.

“He died of sheer hunger and thirst. I kept pleading for help. Some villagers said they could arrange for him to be air-lifted if I gave them 35,000 rupees ($520). “I agreed but they took my son away and abandoned him later on,” he told AFP. The disaster relief force was meanwhile planning to deploy unmanned drones to locate survivors in remote areas that remained inaccessible, the NDTV news network said. Twenty trekkers including six Americans were rescued Saturday after they were marooned near a remote glacier, while the army managed to make contact with nearly 1,000 people stuck in mountains near Kedarnath.

The military operation, involving around 50 helicopters and more than 10,000 soldiers, was focused on reaching those stranded in the holy town of Badrinath after earlier finding widespread devastation in the Kedarnath temple area. Special trains and buses have been pressed into service to bring tourists home while medical and food supplies were being flown to stranded people.

State officials said yesterday nearly 80,000 people had been evacuated so far from the flood-devastated regions. In the adjacent state of Himachal Pradesh, 20 people have been killed and around 1,200 tourists remained stranded in remote rain-hit regions. The Kinnaur district has seen heavy damage with power cut off to large areas and roads washed away. —AFP

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president has scrapped a contentious code of conduct for journalists after editors and rights groups condemned it as a further blow to press freedom, government and media sources said yesterday. President Mahinda Rajapakse ordered his information ministry not to proceed with the proposed code of conduct bill, but instead leave it in the hands of senior editors to update their own code of ethics.

“The government will not go ahead with the code,” a senior information ministry official told AFP yesterday.

“The president met with editors on Friday and discussed the issue. They may or may not use elements of our draft,” he added on condition of anonymity. An editor who was at the meeting told AFP that Rajapakse made it clear that the government would not impose the proposed code on them.

The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka is to discuss the development and issue a formal reaction next week, the editor said on condition that his name was not used. Sri Lankan editors as well as international rights groups had said that the proposed bill was too sweeping and would curtail freedoms already under threat in Sri Lanka which is emerging from decades of ethnic war. The New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists last week accused the government of mounting more pressure on the local media through the proposed bill.

The new code drawn up by the information ministry sought to prohibit “material against the integrity of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature”. It also warned against the publication of content that “offends against expectations of the public, morality of the country or tend to lower the standards of public taste and morality”.

Sri Lanka had been ranked 162 out of 179 countries in a recent press freedom index compiled by the Parisbased Reporters without Borders and media rights groups say journalists have been forced to self-censor.

At least 26 journalists have already fled Sri Lanka in the past five years to escape threats, intimidation, violence, and imprisonment, according to CPJ. At least five journalists have been killed in the same period. —AFP

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry (center) arrives at Palam Air Force Station yesterday. —AP

Kerry begins first India visit NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in New Delhi yesterday for his first visit to India as the top US diplomat, looking to deliver on a pledge to realise “the full potential” in stuttering bilateral ties. His arrival in New Delhi was overshadowed by news that former intelligence operative Edward Snowden, who faces a US arrest warrant over his leaking of a massive surveillance programme, had flown out of Hong Kong. Officials travelling with Kerry declined comment.

Kerry, who flew in from Qatar, is set to address Indian concerns about the upcoming US withdrawal from Afghanistan on a three-day visit as well as discuss cooperation on issues such as climate change and education. He is scheduled to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday as well as Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid.

In a video message ahead of his visit, Kerry said President Barack Obama’s administration held a “firm belief that a strong India is in America’s national interests”. “The United States not only welcomes India as a rising power, we fervently support it,” Kerry said.

“This is the time for both the United States and India to challenge ourselves in order to reach higher, in order to strengthen the bonds that we share, and to realize the full potential of our partnership.” Indian officials have voiced their concerns to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan next year and negotiate with the Taleban, who are sworn enemies of India.

Vikram Doraiswami, a senior official in the Indian foreign ministr y who has responsibility for relations with the US, said last week that Afghanistan would definitely feature high in the agenda. “Afghanistan is of course part of our region so we would be interested to listen to the US... to compare

notes with them on what we understand of what is happening. Definitely it is on our agenda.”

In an editorial published ahead of his arrival, The Hindu newspaper said that Kerry would have to battle a feeling in New Delhi that he was too “sympathetic” to the Pakistani military establishment. “Indian nightmares about a possible return of the Taleban and its allies as the rulers of the country, will doubtless figure high in the talks,” it said. “New Delhi will be looking to Mr Kerry... for reassurances.”

Afghanistan is one of irritants in ties between the two countries which saw an upturn during the presidency of George W. Bush but analysts say are now in the doldrums. US business leaders have voice frustration over what they charge are unfair trading practices in India. Drug firms in particular have been angered by India’s championing generic drugs-which advocates say save lives in poor nations.

India in turn has been alarmed by proposals in the US Congress to curb visas to high-tech workers. Kerry, who is being accompanied by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, is expected to push for India’s support on climate change during a speech yesterday night. US campaigners have urged Kerry to work with India on climate change, saying cooperation on issues such as solar power and energy efficiency will help limit carbon emissions as India continues its rapid urbanisaton.

The visit comes less than a year before India goes to the polls, with the controversial Gujarat state minister Narendra Modi leading the opposition BJP’s campaign. The United States has refused to issue a visa to Modi as he was in power in Gujarat in 2002 during deadly anti-Muslim riots. Kerry is not due to meet Modi, according to US officials. —AFP

NARATHIWAT: Protesters, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, gather in Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat yesterday. —AFP

Thailand ‘white mask’ protesters rally BANGKOK: Hundreds of anti-government protesters-many wearing white masks-converged on Bangkok’s shopping district, Thai police said yesterday, in a reminder of the kingdom’s political divisions. The demonstration by the ‘V for Thailand’ movement-an enigmatic protest group spawned over social media whose supporters wear the masks of comic book hero ‘V’-was the fourth this month outside the CentralWorld complex in the heart of the city. “There were about 1,500 white mask protesters attended a protest,” Deputy Metropolitan police chief Parinya Jansuriya said, adding the protest-which lasted several hours-was “peaceful.”

Thailand has been plagued by political divisions and sometimes violent street protests involving so-called ‘Red Shirt’ supporters of

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra-and her selfexiled brother Thaksin-and ‘Yellow Shirts’ who support the pro-establishment opposition.

Several other protest groups have sprung up in recent months protesting against the government of Yingluck and the influence of her brother, who is seeking a return to the kingdom but faces jail over corruption.

Little is known about the leaders or political allegiances of V for Thailand, but the group has swiftly developed a major social media profile railing against the government and Thaksin. The group’s Facebook page says it represents “people power” urging peaceful opposition to “parliamentary monopoly and corruption”. In a film version of the comic strip called ‘V for Vendetta’, white masks are distributed to encourage peo-

ple to rise against a fictional dictator.

Thailand is still recovering from street protests by Red Shirts in 2010 that culminated in a bloody crackdown by security forces. About 90 people were killed and nearly 1,900 wounded in a series of clashes in May 2010 between demonstrators and security forces. Courts have ruled that some protesters were killed by security forces, leading to charges of murder being laid against then-Prime Minister and current opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva-accusations he strenuously denies. A trial of 24 Red Shirt leaders on terrorism charges began in December but four of them enjoy immunity as they are now lawmakers, so the case is expected to take years to complete during breaks in the parliamentary session. —AFP

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MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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Issues

Germany fights losing battle with low birthrate

By Mathilde Richter hancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are trumpeting an electoral pledge to bump up child benefits but admit that the power of their family policy to boost the low birthrate that threatens to take the shine off the German economy is limited.

German women have on average 1.3 children, among the lowest rate in the industrialised world, resulting in a shrinking and ageing population that threatens long-term finances and the ability of companies to find workers. However Family Minister Kristina Schroeder does not see the government’s annual 200 billion euro ($264 billion) family policy as a failure. “I am sceptical about the capacity for politics to manage families,” she told reporters Thursday, adding that in terms of encouraging women to have more babies “my ambitions are modest.”

However Germany’s policies have often been criticised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe for hindering women being able to combine work and motherhood. And the chancellor herself, who is childless, has highlighted several times that Germany’s family policy is wanting compared to that of neighbouring France for example. Michaela Kreyenfeld, of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, said Germany’s family policy “lacks coherence”. “Certain mechanisms support women who work, others encourage them to stay at home, for instance,” she told AFP. Nevertheless Merkel’s conservatives, who are seeking re-election in three months time, plan to stay on the same path - their platform includes more tax advantages for families, and a still unspecified hike in child benefits. Schroeder, who was the first cabinet minister to give birth while in office, argues that, if people do not have children, it is often because they have not found the right partner “and on that, the state can’t do anything for them”. But her critics say there is no reason to suppose Germans are any unluckier in love than the French, British or Icelanders who all have substantially higher birth rates. “Germany still tries too much to solve problems with money and not enough with infrastructure” such as more creches, complained Friday’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Mass circulation Bild scoffed at the government having judged its family policy a success and pointed to the system in Scandinavian countries, Iceland and France. “It’s actually quite simple. It works everywhere where there are many women working and where there is good childcare. “Why is that so difficult to understand?” In Germany, more than one woman out of three with a university education is childless, which, according to Kreyenfeld, is “because they have to choose between children and career, they don’t manage to reconcile the two”.

Juggling home and work life and the need to get more women back to work after having children is a problem the government is keenly aware of and has been seeking to address for nearly a decade. From Aug 1 every child from the age of one will have the right to a childcare spot, although the promise currently looks set to be difficult to achieve given a lack of spaces in creches, which are run by local authorities. Another problem is that German couples with children are unlikely to have more than two, unlike in France where families with three or four children are more common, according to Kreyenfeld. “France conducts a proactive birth policy and that is not the case in Germany due to historic factors,” she said. Spurring people to have lots of children has negative connotations after the Nazi regime’s idealisation of large German families. Vera Kreuter, of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, said not having lots of children had now become “the social norm” and was not going to change any time soon. But she said that was no reason to stop trying to foster a turnaround. “To stimulate the birthrate by encouraging people to fulfil their wish for a child must be an aim of family policy, not the only one, but one of them,” she told AFP. Merkel has warned that demographics is one of the biggest challenges that Germany faces this century as the motor of Europe’s economy faces labour shortages and its pension system becomes strained.

On visits abroad she has explicitly urged young professionals to seek work in Germany, which will eventually require some 200,000 new foreign workers per year, according to officials. —AFP

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

US struggles to show new push on Syria

By Shaun Tandon Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed new support for Syria’s rebels but beyond tougher talk, it remains unclear how much has changed. Kerry met with fellow opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime during talks Saturday in the Gulf Arab monarchy of Qatar, a stalwart supporter of the Sunni Muslim rebels. Qatar said that the talks agreed on a “secret” plan to ramp up assistance to rebels fighting the conflict that has claimed nearly 100,000 lives. But Kerry declined to lay out specifics other than to insist that - after three similar meetings among foreign ministers - this time the situation has changed.

“It’s not anything we say today that will make the difference to Assad; it’s what happens in the days and weeks and months ahead - and I hope not too many months,” Kerry told reporters. “But the reality is what happened here today is different because the situation on the ground is different,” Kerry said. He pointed to US President Barack Obama’s stated willingness to step up support for the rebels after concluding that Assad defied his warnings by using chemical weapons.

The rebels have reported receiving new equipment from “friendly” countries a possible allusion to Gulf Arab states - but the United States, France and Britain have been quiet on what they have provided.

Participants in the Doha talks said that the reticence was partly a nod to concerns by Italy and especially Germany, which has repeatedly cautioned that weapons could aggravate the conflict. Qatar ’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem AlThani, meeting with Kerry, said that all but two countries agreed in the Doha talks on plans to support the rebels. He insisted that Qatar, which has played an increasingly outsized role in the region, was only sending support to the mainstream Free Syrian Army.

US officials have privately voiced concern about potential support by Arab states to more extreme elements in the increasingly sectarian conflict. Obama has publicly warned of the risks of a fullfledged military intervention against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority who leads a secular-minded state. Kerry in his talks repeatedly insisted on protections for minorities in Syria in the wake of attacks on Alawites and Shiites. He said that the United States did not seek a “military solu-

US

tion” but instead wanted to correct a growing “imbalance” in Assad’s favour.

The ultimate goal is a transitional government with representatives from both sides, Kerry said, noting that even Assad’s historic supporter Russia had signed onto the formula during talks in Geneva last year. Kerry accused Iran of starting the “internationalisation” of the Syria conflict through the participation of its ally Hezbollah, a Shiite movement in Lebanon.

“You now have outside actors engaged overtly on the ground in Syria. No other country has that. We don’t have that, the Qataris don’t have that,” Kerry said.

But the Qatari prime minister, in remarks that were light in tone but appeared to

take Kerry by surprise, said that the tiny gas-rich emirate would send forces to Syria if it could. “We don’t have enough people otherwise we might send people on the ground,” he said. Kerry also met Saturday with the young Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, whom he called Qatar’s “heir apparent” amid expectations for a transition. Yesterday he met with the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, accompanied by James Dobbins, the US special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Dobbins came to Qatar to explore potential dialogue with the Taleban, who opened an office in the gas-rich monarchy as part of reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. But Kerry yesterday warned

that he may press to close the office unless the Taleban address concerns. The Taleban outraged Afghan President Hamid Karzai by opening the office under the name “Afghan Emirate of Afghanistan” - implying a government in exile from the hardline Islamic group’s five-year rule that ended with the US military campaign following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

Qatar later announced the name has been changed to the Political Office of the Afghan Taleban. Kerry later yesterday left Qatar for a three-day trip to India. After India, the top US diplomat is expected in Saudi Arabia, another strong supporter of Syria’s rebels, along with Kuwait and Jordan. — AFP

HK revels in its rule of law

By Dennis Chong ong Kong has risked the threat of US reprisals in allowing Edward Snowden to leave. But its government insists that the rule of law took primacy for a territory that jealously guards its separateness from mainland China. On social media, there was talk of political considerations at play in allowing the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor to escape his Hong Kong bolthole for pastures new - possibly Russia, possibly asylum in a third country.

Did the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) want to remove an irritant that threatened to drag on for years, if Snowden fought through the courts against US attempts to extradite him? Did Beijing, with an eye on its overarching relationship with Washington, similarly want no truck with a lingering distraction? But in a press statement confirming the 30-yearold’s shock departure, Hong Kong authorities said the reason was simple: the US government had failed to meet the legal bar needed to justify its arrest warrant issued on Friday.

The statement said that documents provided by the US “did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law”, so the HKSAR government had asked for more information. As Washington had not met its request, “there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong”, it added, saying that he had left the Chinese territory legally and voluntarily. While Beijing retains ultimate control over its defence and foreign policy, and the right to veto extradition decisions, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the handover agreement that governed its transfer from British rule in 1997.

The HKSAR government itself has faced intense criticism from the Hong Kong public for compromising that autonomy by appealing to Beijing for constitutional reviews from time to time. Hundreds of protesters drawn from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy and proBeijing camps staged a rain-drenched rally on June 15 demanding the government resist US pressure to hand Snowden back. An opinion poll the next day said half of respondents believed he should be allowed to stay.

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Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing lawmaker who bears the scars from past constitutional battles, said the authorities had done the right thing now in upholding the rule of law. “It took the Americans eight days to put together the charges. It’s reasonable for HK (government) lawyers to take several days to scrutinize the charges,” Ip, who was formerly the city’s de facto security minister , told AFP after Snowden left. “I don’t think the HK authorities deliberately dragged their feet. They proceeded entirely in accordance with due process and rule of law ... despite pressure from the Americans,” she said.

Along with other observers, Ip fears that Hong Kongers could now lose their visa-free access to the United States if Washington is serious about hitting back at the city’s government. But the price would be justified if Hong Kong has proved that adherence to legal rights is a non-negotiable principle, she said.

Alan Leong of the pro-democracy Civic Party told AFP that he was disappointed Snowden had left Hong Kong so quickly. “I am a bit disappointed because Mr Snowden actually said he chose Hong Kong as a place of refuge because he trusted its rule of law, but he left this morning without giving an explanation,” Leong told AFP. He added that the Hong Kong courts would have been able to deal with any extradition applications from the US. US authorities had asked Hong Kong to detain and extradite Snowden on espionage and theft charges after he leaked allegations of worldwide eavesdropping of phones and computer systems by the NSA. White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said on Saturday that the charges “present a good case” for extradition under a pre-handover treaty agreed between Washington and Hong Kong. “Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law-enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case,” he told CBS Radio News. But the HKSAR government confounded that expectation, and went further Sunday in demanding answers from Washington about Snowden’s claim that the NSA had tapped into Hong Kong’s main Internet exchange and Pacnet, a company based in the city that runs one of the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest fiber-optic networks. “The HKSAR government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong,” it said. — AFP

Melting ice pulls Norway closer to Asia

By Pierre-Henry Deshayes he town of Kirkenes in northernmost Norway used to be further away from Asia than virtually any other European port, but it suddenly seems a lot closer. The reason: Global warming. Melting ice has opened up the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coastline, changing international trade patterns in profound ways - even if so far it looks more like a sleepy county road than a busy, four-lane highway. In a change of potentially revolutionary significance, the travel time between the Japanese port of Yokohama and Hamburg in Germany has been cut by 40 percent, while fuel expenditure is down by 20 percent.

“For the first time in history we are witnessing a new ocean opening up in the high north which will have a major impact on both trade and provision of energy,” said Sturla Henriksen, the president of the Nor wegian Shipowners’ Association. In 2012, when the ice reached its lowest extent on record, 3.4 million sq km, 46 ships used the new route, compared with only four in 2010, according to Rosatomflot, a Russian operator of icebreakers. The traffic is still negligible compared with traditional routes.

Ships transit the Panama Canal 15,000 times a year, while passing through the Suez 19,000 times. But the future

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looks promising. The volume of goods transported along the Northern Sea Route is likely to grow strongly in the coming years, from 1.26 million tonnes last year to 50 million tonnes in 2020, according to the Nor wegian Shipowners’ Association. Kirkenes, whose 3,400 inhabitants live in nearly uninterrupted darkness during the winter months, is suddenly preparing frantically for the expected boom. The Tschudi Shipping Group plans to open a logistics hub measuring the equivalent of 200 football fields in a fjord nearby that is held ice-free all year by the warm Gulf Stream.

The port’s location is extremely strategic. It is nine days’ travel from both the Pacific and the Mediterranean, and close to major oil and gas deposits in the Arctic as well as mines in northern Sweden and Finland. Twenty-six of the ships that traversed the Arctic Ocean between Europe and Asia last year were carrying hydrocarbons, while six were transporting iron ore or coal. The new route also opens up an interesting market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) extracted in the Barents Sea, especially after North America, the customer that local companies initially had in mind, has turned away following a decision to use its own shale gas.

On the other hand, Asia’s appetite for gas has increased after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and

prices there are significantly higher than in Europe.

Adding to the lucrative nature of the trade, each ship transporting LNG by the northern route can do it close to $7 million cheaper than vessels going through the Suez.

Traditional goods traffic, however, is not realistic in these latitudes, according to Tschudi Shipping. “The big trading routes in dry bulk shipping are located too far South for the Northern Sea Route to become relevant,” said Henrik Falck, the company’s project manager for Eastern Europe.

And “we can forget about containers”, he added, noting that owners preferred traditional routes with stops at densely populated cities along the way. In a fragile ecosystem that is the source of immense worry among environmentalists, Russia plays a central role in assisting navigation with icebreakers. It has also decided to establish 10 bases along its coast to redress the current abject lack of infrastructure. Admitted last month as an observer in the Arctic Council, China also wants to be part of the game.

After the first transit of its icebreaker Snow Dragon last year, the world’s second-largest economy now plans to send its first commercial shipment along the northern route this summer. Between 5 and 15 percent of Chinese international trade could take this new road by 2020, the director of the Polar Research Institute of China, Yang Huigeng, was quoted as saying in the media. —AFP

NEWS

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

An anti government protester flashes a victory sign during the clashes between protestors and riot police on Taksim square in Istanbul on Saturday. — AFP

WikiLeaks defies US to help leaker Snowden LONDON: WikiLeaks’ decision to help US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden escape Washington’s extradition attempts in Hong Kong has cemented the anti-secrecy group’s reputation as a thorn in the side of the American and British governments.

In comments likely to infuriate Washington, WikiLeaks said it was escorting Snowden to Ecuador and had offered the support of its legal director Baltasar Garzon, a former Spanish judge known around the world for ordering the arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Ecuador, which is already sheltering WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange at its London embassy, confirmed Snowden has sought political asylum although Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino did not say whether the request had been accepted. “ The WikiLeaks legal team and I are interested in preserving Mr Snowden’s rights and protecting him as a person,” Garzon said in a statement. “What is being done to Mr

Snowden and to Mr Julian Assange - for making or facilitating disclosures in the public interest - is an assault against the people.”

Frustrating US attempts to extradite Snowden and put him on trial for the unauthorised release of secret surveillance files, WikiLeaks also sent one of its legal team to join him on a flight from Hong Kong to Moscow. WikiLeaks said British legal researcher Sarah Harrison, one of Assange’s closest advisers, had “courageously assisted Mr Snowden with his lawful departure from Hong Kong and ... in his passage to safety”.

The campaign group gave no details about how it had helped to arrange the escape of one of the United States’ most wanted men. Advice came from Garzon, a high profile human rights campaigner who investigated corruption cases in Spain and opened an inquiry into alleged crimes under the right-wing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, who died in

1975. Since being kicked off the bench in Spain last year - when the Supreme Court found him guilty of illegal wiretapping in a political corruption case - he has spent most of his time outside Spain, advising on international law.

Garzon, who helped broker Assange’s asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy, was the dealmaker with Ecuador in the Snowden case, a source close to the WikiLeaks legal team told Reuters. Another prominent legal figure who has represented Assange, the London-based barrister Geoffrey Robertson, was not directly involved in the Snowden case, the source added.

Before helping the former spy agency contractor - who leaked National Security Agency documents to a British newspaper WikiLeaks was best known for publishing secret files, rather than giving direct support to those who leak them. Assange has been in Ecuador’s embassy in London since

last June, seeking to avoid extradition to Sweden. It wants to question him about allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he denies.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague held talks with his Ecuadorean counterpart Patino last week in a failed attempt to find a breakthrough in a case that is becoming increasingly embarrassing for the London government. Assange says he does not want to answer the allegations in person because he believes Sweden would hand him over to the US authorities, who would try him for his role in the release of 700,000 secret US files in one of the biggest leaks in American history. In an interview with Reuters this month, Assange said he was encouraged by Snowden’s actions. “In the United States, the ideals that I have fought for for so long are now catching on, being embodied in the extraordinary courage of individuals such as Edward Snowden,” he said. — Reuters

Julian Assange

Egypt army says it’s ready to save nation

A supermoon rises through a clear sky past a string of yellow lights in Cairo yesterday. The moon, which reached its full stage yesterday, was expected to be 13.5 percent closer to earth during a phenomenon known as “supermoon.” The “supermoon” happens only once this year as the moon on its elliptical orbit is at its closest point to earth. — AP

Oppn ex-MPs to boycott polls, Awazem...

Continued from Page 1 by the constitutional court which also ordered the Assembly to be dissolved and that the 2009 Assembly be reinstated. The 2009 Assembly was legally revived but could not hold any meeting because MPs boycotted its sessions, which forced the government to recommend to the Amir to dissolve it and this what happened and fresh elections were called and held on Dec 1 last year.

Dashti inquired from the court if the new ruling requires the 2009 Assembly to be reinstated and whether these processes require issuing new Amiri decrees or not. The court explanation could somehow affect the government procedures to hold the election after the Cabinet decided last Thursday to hold the new polls on July 25. If the court says that the 2009 Assembly must be reinstated, then the election date will be changed as the government will have to dissolve it and call for fresh polls and this will take some time.

Nevertheless, it is expected that registration of candidates for the Assembly polls may start Tuesday or Wednesday for 10 days. Withdrawal of candidates will then continue until 10 days before the election date.

Under Kuwaiti law, a candidate must be 30 years old and above, knows how to read and write and have good conduct. Registration of candidates can start only after the Amiri decree inviting voters to cast their votes is published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm.

Among those who already declared they are running are former MPs Youssed Al-Zalzalah, Faisal Al-Duwaisan, Adnan Abdulsamad, Ahmad Lari, speaker of the scrapped Assembly Ali Al-Rashed and many others. On voting during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Rashed said to change the voting from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm as stipulated by the election law to avoid high temperatures, a new Amiri decree must be issued to make the change. But Rashed warned that the decree must be issued as an emergency decree, which might be challenged in court.

CAIRO: Egypt’s army issued a sharp warning to rival political factions yesterday that it may step in to impose order, as clashes ahead of major opposition rallies next weekend saw at least two men shot dead. The statement by the head of the armed forces was a dramatic reminder of the independent power of the military in Egypt, a year after the generals handed authority to a civilian president - Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist who won the country’s first free elections following the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. In a move aimed at both sides in Egypt’s polarised politics, General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is also defence minister, stressed that the army was acting to protect the “will of the people” and urged politicians to forge a new national consensus. A military source said fighting and aggressive rhetoric and damage to property in recent days had prompted the intervention. Sisi met Morsi for what an army spokesman described as a “routine” consultation yesterday.

Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood turned their organisational strength into political power but have struggled to manage an economy in crisis or build a broad base of support that is accepted by liberal and other non-Islamist groups. That polarisation has driven a campaign to hold massive opposition demonstrations next Sunday, June 30, calling for Morsi to resign. In turn, his Islamist supporters have taken to the streets in shows of strength, calling the opposition bad losers determined to overturn the results of the elections. General Sisi, who was promoted into his present post by Morsi last year, said: “There is a state of division in society and the continuation of it is a danger to the Egyptian state and there must be consensus among all. “The will of the Egyptian nation is what governs us and we protect it with honour, and we are completely responsible for protecting it,” said Sisi.

“We cannot permit a violation of the will of the people.”

While Islamists point to the legitimacy of their electoral power, opponents accuse the Brotherhood of betraying the Arab Spring revolution by seeking to entrench its power. Sisi said the armed forces would not stand by while Egypt descended into conflict and urged politicians to use the week remaining before June 30 to narrow their differences. “Those who think that we are divorced from the dangers that threaten the Egyptian state are wrong,” he said. “We will not remain silent as the country slips into a struggle that is hard to control.”

Gamal Soltan, a political analyst, said the army may have been moved to act by aggressive statements from Morsi supporters at a major rally on Friday: “This is ... the strongest and the most explicit statement coming from a military official ... This is explicitly saying ... the armed forces will intervene. “By making this statement, he is stepping closer to the centre stage of politics.” A spokesman for the opposition National Salvation Front, Khaled Dawoud, said: “These are very reasonable statements, and what is expected from Egypt’s army. We are facing direct threats from supporters of President Morsi to spill blood if we exercise ... our democratic right to demand peacefully early presidential elec-

tions.” A spokesman for the Brotherhood’s political party said it was studying the statement before making public comment.

Army spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali told Reuters: “This was a supportive message that the army is sending to its people after the army noticed that worries about violence and internal conflict had spread among the people recently. The army, which belongs to the people, cannot stand by if such fears are realised, so the statement was meant to set out the army position, which is rooted in its national role - it cannot ignore anything that might threaten national security.”

Two men, both Islamists, died as a result of clashes. One was shot dead in overnight in the industrial city of Mahalla, north of Cairo, security sources said. A second man, died of gunshot wounds sustained in clashes at Fayoum south of the capital some days before. The Muslim Brotherhood described both dead men as “martyrs”. Highlighting mutual mistrust as Egypt struggles to establish democratic institutions after its 2011 revolution, the Brotherhood also denounced as a “political trial” a court judgment on Sunday that called for an investigation of its role in a mass jail-break during the uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

Liberals and secular activists in the “Tamarud - Rebel!” campaign, accuse Islamists of intimidation. They say they have gathered 15 million signatures on a petition calling for Morsi to resign - more than the 13 million votes that elected him. The Brotherhood and its Islamist allies staged a massive rally in support of Morsi in Cairo on Friday, at which some speakers warned of a violent response to efforts to remove him. The Muslim Brotherhood said on Facebook yesterday that Karim Abdel Ghani, a member of the Islamist Nour party, was shot dead in Mahalla by the “Tamarud militia”. Nour said its office in Mahalla was also attacked.

The Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said it planned a funeral on Sunday for Mohamed Shalaqany, who it said was shot some days before by Tamarud “thugs” in Fayoum, a rural Islamist bastion south of Cairo. “Their name is Tamarud but they are actually remnants of the old regime,” Murad Ali, a senior FJP official, told Reuters.

Egyptian media gave extensive coverage yesterday to a ruling by a judge in Ismailia who, in acquitting a man accused of fleeing a local jail during the 2011 uprising, asked the public prosecutor to investigate what he described as a “conspiracy” by the Brotherhood and foreign Islamists to open up the prison. Among those freed was Morsi himself, who had been among hundreds of Brotherhood leaders rounded up as a precaution by Mubarak’s security forces when the revolution began. The freeing of Palestinian militants from Hamas and Lebanese members of the Shiite Hezbollah militia, among others, has prompted accusations from the Brotherhood’s opponents that it connived with enemies of Egypt during the incident. After the judgement, opponents of Morsi gathered outside the court, calling for his resignation. — Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

S P ORTS

Pariya wins Asian title

Wallabies call up Smith

Wang avenges Olympic loss

MALAYSIA: Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul survived a few nervous moments in the closing stages but held on to secure a second Asian Tour title with a one-stroke victory at the Selangor Masters in Malaysia yesterday. Pariya offset five birdies with four bogeys in his oneunder-par 70 final round to finish on nine-under 275 for the tournament, held at the challenging Seri Selangor Golf Club.

India’s Anirban Lahiri posted a closing three-under-par 68 to finish second while South Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun, who was leading at the 15th hole, shared third with Thailand’s Namchok Tantipokhakul after a late collapse. Pariya’s maiden Asian Tour title came at the Taiwan Masters in 2010 and the 29-year-old Thai said the closing stretch of holes had tested his composure to the limit.

“I’m still shaking right now. I can’t describe the feeling.

Walking down the last three holes, there was tremendous pressure,” Pariya told reporters.

As Lahiri waited in the clubhouse a shot behind him, the Thai found a moment of calm as he stood over his final putt. “I didn’t think about it too much. It was a downhill putt and all I had to do was to put a good stroke in. Luckily, I didn’t feel any pressure then. I kept to the routine and got it over with,” Pariya said after completing a wire-towire victory. —Reuters

BRISBANE: Flanker George Smith, a veteran of 110 tests and the 2001 British and Irish Lions series, was called into the Wallabies squad for next week’s second test as injury cover yesterday.

The 32-year-old will be joining the squad in Melbourne along with uncapped fullback Jesse Mogg and Queensland Reds centre Ben Tapuai after the Wallabies suffered a string of injuries in their 23-21 defeat to the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday.

Australia had centre Christian Leali’ifano, fullback Berrick Barnes and replacement back Pat McCabe taken off the Lang Park field by stretcher on Saturday.

Leali’ifano should be fit to play but Barnes, who took a head knock, and centre McCabe (neck) look doubtful, while there are also concerns about winger Digby Ioane (shoulder) and centre Adam Ashley-Cooper (shoulder).

Australia could also be without captain James Horwill as well after the lock was cited for raking Lions second row forward Alun Wyn Jones in the opening test.

Smith, a former Australia captain, would have been included in the Wallabies party for the series after protracted negotiations with his Japanese club but he sustained a knee injury on the eve of the squad announcement.

The injury turned out to be not as bad as at first thought, however, and an assessment of his availability for the final two tests in the three-match series will be made this week.—Reuters

SINGAPORE: World champion Wang Yihan exacted revenge for her heart-breaking Olympic final loss to Li Xuerui yesterday when she thumped her Chinese team-mate in the Singapore Open final to topple her from the top of the rankings.

The fourth-seeded Wang took just 39 minutes to overpower Li 21-18, 21-12, hitting 17 smash winners as she claimed her first Singapore Open title and returned to world number one.

Wang, who also beat Li in straight sets at the Badminton Asia Championships final in April, now appears to have reasserted her dominance just in time to defend her world title in Guangzhou in early August. There was also drama in the men’s competition when unseeded Indonesian Tommy Sugiarto fought back from a set down to stun defending champion Boonsak Ponsana and claim his first ever Superseries title. The 25-year-old dropped the opening set 20-22 but he overpowered the Thai veteran 21-5 in the second set before breaking open a tightly-fought deciding set by taking seven of a possible nine points to put himself on the brink at 20-14. Sugiarto blew three match points as nerves set in but he finally claimed the set and match 21-17 when Boonsak, a two-time winner of the Singapore event, went long with his return on the fourth match point. Sugiarto upset three seeds to claim the victory, one of three by Indonesian players just a week after former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat’s emotional retirement in Jakarta. —AFP

Blue Jays beat Orioles TORONTO: Jose Bautista hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays won their 10th straight game Saturday, beating the Baltimore Orioles 4-2.

Maicer Izturis hit a solo homer in the fifth and Bautista had a two-run drive for Toronto, on its longest winning streak since a 10-game run late in 2008. The Blue Jays, who are 14-4 this month, are one victory from matching the franchise record.

Toronto had 11-game winning streaks in 1987 and 1998.

The Blue Jays led 2-1 heading into the eighth but Taylor Teagarden tied it with a homer off reliever Darren Oliver (3-1).

Miguel Gonzalez (5-3) allowed three runs and three hits in 7 1-3 innings.

WASHINGTON: Ross Ohlendorf No. 43 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. —AFP

Rockies snap losing streak WASHINGTON: Jhoulys Chacin pitched seven shutout innings and hit an RBI single as the Colorado Rockies snapped their five-game losing streak by beating the Washington Nationals 7-1 on Saturday.

DJ LeMahieu hit his first home run and Michael Cuddyer’s RBI single in the first extended his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the majors and tied for the longest this season. Nolan Arenado also went deep for Colorado.

Chacin (6-3) held Washington to five hits with one walk and three strikeouts to win his third straight start. Dan Haren (4-9) allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 1-3 innings.

Making his major league debut, Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson doubled in his first two at-bats and drove in a run during a threerun first inning. Ryan Zimmerman’s ninthinning homer prevented Washington from being shut out for the ninth time this season.

Cuddyer has reached base safely in 39 straight games, breaking the Rockies record set by Matt Holliday in 2007.

DIAMONDBACKS 4, REDS 3 In Phoenix, Jason Kubel hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to rally Arizona past Aroldis Chapman and Cincinnati for its fourth straight victory. Jay Bruce’s second home run of the game gave the Reds a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth.

Paul Goldschmidt singled past Joey Votto at first base leading off the bottom half before Chapman (3-3) issued consecutive walks to Miguel Montero and Cody Ross. With the infield drawn in, Kubel singled over second base for his third career game-ending hit and first since May 22, 2010.

Brad Ziegler (4-1) replaced Heath Bell after Bruce’s second home run and earned the win.

Gerardo Parra hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks. Starting pitchers Mike Leake and Patrick Corbin dueled for eight innings before turning the game over to the bullpens.

Leake retired his first 17 batters.

Frandsen hit a long home run on the second pitch from Carlos Torres (0-1). Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone allowed one run in six innings before leaving with a back injury.

BREWERS 2, BRAVES 0 In Milwaukee, Francisco Rodriguez earned his 300th career save, finishing off Milwaukee’s second straight 2-0 victory over slumping Atlanta. Donovan Hand, making his first big league start, allowed two hits in 4 2-3 innings for the Brewers. He struck out three in helping to extend Atlanta’s scoreless streak to 24 innings. Burke Badenhop (1-3) got Chris Johnson on a grounder to end the fifth.

Milwaukee has beaten the Braves eight straight times at Miller Park, outscoring them 31-9. Tim Hudson (4-7) lost his sixth consecutive decision despite giving up only two runs hits in six innings. He allowed RBI singles to Juan Francisco and Aramis Ramirez. The Braves have scored 10 runs in Hudson’s last nine starts. He has not won any of them.

DODGERS 6, PADRES 1 In San Diego, Zack Greinke allowed one run over eight sharp innings and Adrian Gonzalez ended Edinson Volquez’s no-hit bid with a homer in the sixth as Los Angeles beat San Diego.

In his first outing in San Diego since breaking his collarbone in an April brawl with Carlos Quentin, Greinke (4-2) had a season-high eight strikeouts. He yielded four hits and walked one in his longest outing of the season. San Diego’s home winning streak was snapped at eight. Hanley Ramirez homered into the third deck in left field and the Dodgers capitalized on several Padres miscues to snap a three-game skid.

A wild Volquez (5-6) did not give up a hit until Gonzalez, the former Padres first baseman, led off the sixth with his ninth home run.

The right-hander walked a career-high seven and struck out seven in 5 2-3 innings. He lost for the first time in six starts. Quentin was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Greinke.

GIANTS 2, MARLINS 1 In San Francisco, Hector Sanchez singled home the winning run in the 11th inning as San Francisco snapped a nine-game home losing streak to Miami.

Giants right fielder Hunter Pence made a diving catch to rob Placido Polanco of a likely go-ahead single to end the 11th. The Giants beat the Marlins at home for the first time since July 28, 2010.

Barry Zito pitched seven strong innings with a heavy heart three days after his father’s death. He allowed only Ed Lucas’ first career home run in the first.

Mike Dunn (2-2) allowed Gregor Blanco’s infield single to start the 11th, and Ryan Webb gave up Buster Posey’s infield single. Pence was intentionally walked and Sanchez singled to left for his third game-ending hit. Blanco hit a tying double in the fifth for the Giants.

Sandy Rosario (2-0) got the win.

INTERLEAGUE RANGERS 4, CARDINALS 2 In St. Louis, Nelson Cruz got the decisive hit for the second straight game with a tworun homer in the third inning and Martin Perez prevailed in a matchup of rookie starters as Texas beat St. Louis.

Shelby Miller (8-5) allowed two homers for the second time in three starts and didn’t make it out of the sixth. AJ Pierzynski also hit a two-run shot for Texas, which goes for a threegame sweep Sunday night. Perez (1-1) was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock, where he was 5-1 with a 1.75 ERA. The lefty allowed a run in each of the first two innings but gave up just two hits the next five innings and retired the last 10.

Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances. The start of the game was delayed 66 minutes by rain.

PHILLIES 8, METS 7 In Philadelphia, pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Philadelphia over New York after the Mets wiped out a six-run deficit.

Helped by some shaky Phillies defense, New York scored two runs in the top of the ninth off closer Jonathon Papelbon (2-0) to tie it.

Ryan Howard homered twice and drove in four runs. Michael Young also homered for Philadelphia, which led 7-1 through six innings.

Jordany Valdespin homered in the ninth off Papelbon, who has blown three of his last four save chances after converting his first 13 this season.

ASTROS 4, CUBS 3 In Chicago, Ronny Cedeno’s squeeze bunt scored Justin Maxwell with the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning to lead Houston over Chicago. JD Martinez tied the game with a three-run homer in the sixth for the Astros.

Jose Cisnero (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Jose Veras earned his 15th save in 18 chances.

Maxwell hit a leadoff double in the ninth against Kevin Gregg (2-1) and moved to third on Matt Dominguez’s sacrifice. Cedeno followed with another sacrifice bunt, putting the Astros ahead. Nate Schierholtz hit his careerhigh 10th homer for the Cubs and Luis Valbuena had a two-run single. —AP

YANKEES 7, RAYS 5 In New York, Vernon Wells broke out of his big slump with a pinch-hit and a threerun double as the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Rays.

Wells was in a 9-for-87 slide that landed him on the bench the past two days, with rookie outfielder Zoilo Almonte starting in his place. But with the Yankees trailing 5-4 in the seventh inning, Wells batted for No. 9 hitter Chris Stewart with the bases loaded and two outs.

Wells’ clutch hit got CC Sabathia (8-5) off the hook after he allowed five runs in seven innings. Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless ninth for his 26th save.

WHITE SOX 3, ROYALS 2 In Kansas City, Alejandro De Aza drove in Jordan Danks with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, sending the White Sox to a victory over the Royals. Jesse Crain (2-1) got through a shaky eighth inning for the White Sox, putting a runner on third with one out and then leaving him there. Addison Reed handled a perfect ninth for his 21st save.

Aaron Crow (3-3) was the loser. Crain extended his club record with his 29th consecutive scoreless appearance.

MARINERS 7, ATHLETICS 5 In Seattle, Nick Franklin had tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning for his third hit of the game, lifting the Mariners over the Athletics.

Brendan Ryan singled off Ryan Cook (11) to lead off the eighth. Ryan moved up on a wild pitch and advanced to third on Endy Chavez’s bunt single. Chavez took second on indifference before Franklin delivered a hit to right field to put the Mariners ahead by two.

Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer off Jerry Blevins in the seventh to pull Seattle to 5-all. Yoervis Medina (2-2) earned the victory with 2 1-3 scoreless innings to close out the game.

INTERLEAGUE PIRATES 6, ANGELS 1 In Anaheim, Francisco Liriano took a shutout into the seventh inning and

TORONTO: Blue Jays’ Maicer Izturis (right) hits a home run as Baltimore Orioles catcher Taylor Teagarden watches during the fifth inning of a baseball game. —AP

MLB results/standings Colorado 7, Washington 1; NY Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 5; Toronto 4, Baltimore 2; Chicago White Sox 3, Kansas City 2; Houston 4, Chicago Cubs 3; Philadelphia 8, NY Mets 7; San Francisco 2, Miami 1 (11 innings); Milwaukee 2, Atlanta 0; Cleveland 8, Minnesota 7; Detroit 10, Boston 3; Texas 4, St. Louis 2; LA Dodgers 6, San Diego 1; Arizona 4, Cincinnati 3; Pittsburgh 6, LA Angels 1; Seattle 7, Oakland 5.

Boston Baltimore NY Yankees Toronto Tampa Bay

American League Eastern Division W L 45 32 42 33 41 33 37 36 38 37

Central Division Detroit 41 32 Cleveland 38 35 Kansas City 34 38 Minnesota 33 38 Chicago White Sox 31 41

Texas Oakland LA Angels Seattle Houston

Western Division 43 32 44 33 33 42 33 43 29 47

Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Gaby Sanchez hit solo homers and left fielder Starling Marte threw a runner out at the plate, leading the Pirates to a victory over the Angels.

PCT .584 .560 .554 .507 .507

.562 .521 .472 .465 .431

.573 .571 .440 .434 .382

Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami

National League Eastern Division 43 33 37 37 36 39 29 42 24 50

.566 .500 .480 .408 .324

5 6.5 11.5 18

3 6.5 7 9.5

St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Milwaukee Chicago Cubs

Central Division 47 28 45 30 44 32 31 42 30 43

.627 .600 .579 .425 .411

2 3.5 15 16

10 10.5 14.5

Arizona San Francisco San Diego Colorado LA Dodgers

Western Division 41 33 38 36 38 37 38 38 31 42

.554 .514 .507 .500 .425

3 3.5 4 9.5

GB 2 2.5 6 6

Liriano (6-3) allowed a run and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings, struck out six and walked three. The Angels’ run came in the seventh, when rookie J.B. Shuck hit a ground-rule double just inside the right

field line and Mike Trout drove him in with a two-out single. Jerome Williams (5-3) gave up five runs - four earned - and eight hits over six innings in his eighth start of the season and first since June 12. —AP

Broner wins welterweight title NEW YORK: Adrien Broner was the bigger talker and the bigger puncher Saturday, scoring enough hard blows to beat hometown hero Paulie Malignaggi in a 12-round split decision to take the welterweight title. Fighting for the first time at 147 pounds (67 kilograms) after moving up from lightweight, Broner had enough power to overcome a gritty fight by Malignaggi and remain unbeaten in 27 fights.

He won his third title in as many weight classes while cementing his reputation as one of the rising stars in boxing.

With Floyd Mayweather Jr. watching from ringside, Broner talked throughout the fight to Malignaggi, who was game but wasn’t able to keep Broner off of him. Broner was unable to knock Malignaggi down, but won round after round to take the decision in the fight at Barclays Center.

Broner had talked plenty before the fight, too, promising to knock Malignaggi out. He wasn’t able to do that, but scored enough with lead right hands and left hooks to dominate the fight from the middle rounds on.

Despite that, one ringside judge had Malignaggi winning 115-113 while Broner was favored 115-113 by a second judge and 117-111 by a third. The Associated Press had Broner winning 117-111.

“He’s a world class fighter,” Broner said. “To come to somebody’s hometown and beat them on a split decision, that’s saying something.”

Malignaggi did plenty of trash talking before the fight himself, and taunted Broner several times during the fight. But while he landed a lot of punches, none of them seemed to have much effect on Broner, who kept pressing the attack throughout the bout. “He couldn’t hit me. He

NEW YORK: Adrien Broner lands a punch on Paulie Malignaggi during their WBA Welterweight Title bout at Barclays Center. —AFP couldn’t hit me,” Broner said. “He was shadowboxing.”

Malignaggi fought bravely and he fought hard, trying desperately to find a way to win before his hometown fans. But even though Broner was moving up two weight classes he was bigger than Malignaggi and, more importantly much stronger.

After allowing Malignaggi to take the first few rounds with his speed and precision, Broner began

walking him down and landing some thudding punches. By the middle rounds he was hurting Malignaggi to the body, though after taking a body punch in the sixth round Malignaggi stuck his tongue out at Broner to taunt him.

“He worked for about 30 seconds every round,” Malignaggi said. “This was a close fight. I don’t mind if you had him winning close or me winning close, it was that kind of a fight.” —AP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

S P ORTS

KUWAIT: NYC captain Duarte Ferrao receiving the winner’s trophy.

Anthony of AVC receives gold coin from VK Vohra

AVC Season champions

Navelim Youth Center lift JP D’mello Trophy Indian icon Sunil Chhetri graces final

KUWAIT: Navelim Youth Center (NYC) inscribed their name on the glittering JP D’Mello Trophy when they subdued a fighting 10-men Indian Strikers FC 2-1 in the final of the KIFF League Championship organized by Kuwait Indian Football Federation and played at the Al-Qadsyia Stadium on Friday, June 14. The yearlong tournament featuring 18 teams from the expatriate Indian community in Kuwait was officiated by the Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA) and the final was sponsored by Gulf Cable & Electric Industries Company, Kuwait.

The final got underway when the day’s dashing host Kevin Vaz the Sports Secretary of KIFF welcomed the guest and KIFF General Secretary Praveen Kumar escorted Sunil Chhetri the captain of India Soccer Team and a special invitee of KIFF to the field to take the first kick, while both captains released symbolic balloons.

Other dignitaries present in the VIP box were the chief guest First Secretary Sushil Kumar on behalf of the Indian Embassy, the guest of honor, Naser Omran Kanan representing Gulf Cable & Electrical Industries Company, Asif Juzar owner of Pro Sports and all club presidents.

Indian Strikers FC making their first appearance in the KIFF League final started the game on the back foot with the experienced forwards of Navelim led by the opportunistic Cruzedio Rodrigues and Simao Gaunkar and ably supported by Sunford Cardoz and Bernardo Pires in midfield led wave after wave of attacks and it was only a matter of time before Cruzedio drew first blood when he headed in the first goal in the 20th minute of the first half off a corner kick.

Samson who had a wonderful game, made it 2-0 from the penalty spot a little later, when defender Shihin of Indian Strikers acrobatically handled a goal bound ball , and referee Julio Cardoso had no hesitation in giving him the marching orders.

However after interval and with only ten men, the physically stronger and never-say-die Indian Strikers made a great comeback in the second half when one of their players was brought down in the box and Dustan Paul confidently converted to give his team a glimmer of hope.

With the beating of drums and encouraged by their large number of supporters, Indian Strikers forward Roy Pathrose, Biju and Amada

Captain of Indian Strikers receiving the trophy from Nasser Kanan.

KiFF President addressing the crowd.

Derrick Gomendes VP of KIFF gives away the best disciplined trophy.

Indian Strikers.

Memento awarded to Fr. Francis Pereira.

tried their level best to find the equalizer, but Navelim Youth Center had other plans and their defense held firm with Man of the Match and captain Duarte Ferrao marshalling from an unusual position of central defender, thwarted all the their attempts. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Navelim when the referee who was ably assisted by Francis Fernandes and Nicholaus Fernandes on the lines finally blew the whistle, much to the relief of the Navelim supporters.

Before the start of the final, the teams paid respect to the late JP D’Mello in whose memory the tournament is conducted and after the national anthems of both Kuwait and India were played, Fidelis Fernandes the President of Kuwait Indian Football Federation welcomed the guests and thanked the participating teams as well as the officiating body IFRA. Sunil Chhetri in his brief speech thanked KIFF for inviting him to Kuwait and said he was very impressed with the way the Indian expatriate community promoted the game of soccer in Kuwait. During half time, The Federation also made time to honor Raymond D’Sa the longest serving president of Goan overseas Association

Memento given to Raymond Dsa.

(Goa Maroons) for his selfless service to the community and Indian soccer while Fr. Francis (Franco) Pereira Sdb., was also felicitated for his contribution to promoting soccer among the youth and for having completed 25 years of priesthood. Both the awards to the distinguished gentlemen were given by KIFF President Fidelis Fernandes.

In the prize distribution ceremony, Navelim Youth Centre swept all the individual trophies with Man of the match being rightly won by Duarte Ferrao and given by Kevin Vaz, Best Goalkeeper Britto Pereira given by Stephen Fernandes, best defender was Alfred Pires and given by Seby Dias, best midfielder was Bernardo Pires given by Joseph Gomes and best forward was Cruzedio Rodrigues and the award was given

by Mrs. Rauzat Juzar.

The runners-up and individual trophies were given away by the guest of honor Naser Omran Kanan to Dustan Paul the captain of Indian Strikers and the players, while Fidelis Fernandes and Sunil Chhetri jointly gave away the winner’s trophy and individual trophies to Duarte Ferrao of Navelim Youth Centre and their players. Mrs.

Aratha Fernandes gave away the trophies to the referees.

AVC Sports & Cultural Association under the captainship of Kevin Vaz were declared the ‘Seasons Champions’ and this is the 5th time AVC — Kuwait have been awarded season championship by KIFF in a span of 12 years from the club inception.

In this season AVC — Kuwait accumulated the maximum number of points to win the championship after winning the season ending NYC trophy. The glittering trophy was collected by Alvaro Dias and given away by Sushil Kumar.

The Rolling Trophy was given away by Sunil Chhetri and collected by Vincy Pereira on behalf of his club. Striker Anthony Rodrigues of AVC Kuwait was also awarded the highest goal scorer for the season and besides the trophy given away

by Praveen Kumar, Anthony also received a gold coin from the hands of VK Vohra.

The Fair Play Trophy for being the best disciplined team during the season was won by Real Betalbatim FC and it was collected by the club president Vijay Gonsalves and given away by KIFF V President, Derrick Gomindes .

Guests on ground

Individual prize winners

Plaque awarded to Chhetri.

Referee Julio Cardoso with assistants.

.Referee Julio Cardoso receiving his award

Release of balloons.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

S P ORTS

Blackhawks within one win of Stanley Cup title CHICAGO: Patrick Kane scored two goals and Corey Crawford made 24 saves as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

Kane had a terrific postseason when Chicago won it all in 2010, including the winning score in a 4-3 overtime victory in Philadelphia that secured the title. Now he’s picking up steam with Chicago one win away from another championship, collecting seven goals in the last

Zdeno Chara scored in the third period for the Bruins, who lost consecutive games for the first time since the first round against Toronto. Tuukka Rask made 29 saves, keeping the Bruins close while they scrambled to generate quality chances.

Chara got a nice pass from David Krejci from behind the net and beat Crawford on the glove side to make it 2-1 at 3:40 in the third period. The whistling slap shot by the big defenseman came after he was on the ice for five of Chicago’s goals in the

CHICAGO: Milan Lucic No. 17 of the Boston Bruins checks Brent Seabrook No. 7 of the Chicago Blackhawks during a 3-1 Blackhawks win in Game Five of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final. —AFP seven games Dave Bolland added an emptynet score and Jonathan Toews had two assists before leaving with an upper-body injury. The captain took a big hit from Johnny Boychuk late in the second and did not play in the final period.

The Bruins also lost one of their key players when Patrice Bergeron was injured in the second. It was unclear what happened to the star center, but the team said he was taken to a hospital for observation. “Getting evaluated right now,” coach Claude Julien said.

“Not much I can say.”

Toews was on the bench for the last part of the game, and coach Joel Quenneville said he hopes the center will be able to play Monday night in Boston.

Blackhawks’ 6-5 overtime victory Wednesday night.

The location of Chara’s third postseason goal brought to mind the glove-side difficulties for Crawford in Game 4. But he held up just fine coming off the worst postseason game of his career.

He gloved Daniel Paille’s slap shot early in the third, and the Blackhawks helped their embattled goaltender by turning up the pressure on Rask after the Bruins cut it to one. Kane forced Rask to make a couple of nice stops, and Michael Frolik also made a run to the net.

The Blackhawks survived one last push by the Bruins after they pulled Rask, and the crowd of 22,274 roared when the overhead videoboard showed the No. 1 and the Stanley Cup

on the screen, signifying the team is one victory away from its fifth title.

“They were able to put some pressure on us but we were able to shut the door,” Crawford said. Boston and Chicago returned to the ice three days after they played the highest-scoring game in this year’s NHL playoffs. There were five goals in the second period alone, matching the total from the previous two games combined, and Brent Seabrook’s overtime score lifted the Blackhawks to the series-tying victory. It was a marked departure from the first three games of the finals, and raised questions about what the play would be like in the last part of the series. The answer, at least in Game 5, was a return to the strong team defense and disciplined play. It meant little room to maneuver in both offensive zones, especially for the series’ biggest stars.

Only Kane was sure able to find enough space. With 21/2 minutes left in the first, Johnny Oduya’s long slap shot broke the stick of Boston defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and trickled to the left side of the net where Kane poked it in for eighth playoff goal.

The line of Kane, Toews and Bryan Bickell, which coach Joel Quenneville put back together before Game 4, struck again in the second. Bickell was stopped by Rask on a rush along the left side, but skated behind the net and threw it back in front.

The puck went off the right side of the goal as Rask got his blocker to the post. Kane then deftly backhanded the bouncing puck into the top of the net to make it 2-0 at 5:13.

That proved to be enough for Crawford, who has allowed one goal or less in nine games this postseason.

But this one had to be particularly satisfying after facing a barrage of questions about his glove over the past two days.

Since the NHL went to a best-ofseven format for the Stanley Cup in 1939, the winner of Game 5 in a deadlocked series has gone on to win the title 15 times in 22 occasions.

Those numbers likely don’t scare Boston very much. The Bruins faced the same situation against Vancouver in 2011 and came back to win the championship. —AP

Audi wins tragedy marred 24 hour Le Mans race LE MANS: Audi recorded their 12th win in the Le Mans 24 hour race yesterday but it was a victory overshadowed by the death of Danish driver Allan Simonsen.

Simonsen’s compatriot Tom Kristensen, 45, was part of the winning trio of drivers extending his all-time record of nine victories in the historic race but first since 2008.

Kristensen, whose first win came in 1997, touchingly dedicated his victory to Simonsen instead of his father, who died earlier this year. “We lost someone yesterday who had the same dream as I did, a good bloke,” said Kristensen.

“Thus my feelings at winning are different this year. I am also thinking of my father who died in March. I would like to win again so that I can dedicate it to him because this victory is for Allan.”

Kristensen’s team-mates were Scotsman Allan McNish, tasting victory for the third time, and Frenchman Loic Duval, who was winning for the first time.

Simonsen, 34, died as a result of injuries he suffered after a horror high-speed crash at the wheel of an Aston Martin on Saturday.

A brief tribute was paid to Simonsen before the podium ceremony yesterday by six-time winner Jacky Ickx and Pierre Fillon the president of the organising committee.

The Audi - which gave the manufacturer their fourth

successive win and 11th in the last 13 editions - came home a lap clear of the Toyota, whose trio of drivers were Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin and former Formula One duo England’s Anthony Davidson and Swiss Sebastien Buemi.

Davidson, who competed for the now defunct Minardi team in Formula One driving in 24 Grand Prix, said that Simonsen’s crash had brought back terrible memories for him.

“The most difficult thing this weekend was continuing to drive after learning of the news (about Simonsen) especially for me after what happened to me last year (he had a spectacular crash),” said the 34-year-old.

“Each time I passed by where Simonsen’s crash took place I thought of what happened and said to myself that could happen to any of us.

“The track was like a skating rink in the rain, there was no room for error. It was without doubt the toughest race of my life.”

Audi’s two-time defending champions Marcel Faessler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer had led the race until they came to a halt in front of the stands late on Saturday night and lost 43 minutes while they changed their alternator. —AFP

Photo of the day

Blake Aldridge of the UK dives from the 28 metre platform on the roof of the Copenhagen Opera House during the first round of the second stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Copenhagen, Denmark. —www.redbullcontentpool.com

Rollins equals fourth fastest hurdles time IOWA: Brianna Rollins equalled the fourth fastest 100 metres hurdles ever run as she clocked a stunning 12.26 seconds at the US world championship trials on Saturday at Des Moines, Iowa.

Finally catching an allowable wind, the 21-year-old US collegiate record holder sent a strong message to Australian Olympic and world champion Sally Pearson with the fastest time since 1992.

Only Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova, whose 1988 world record is 12.21 seconds, and compatriot Ginka Zagorcheva, the former record holder, have run faster. Donkova has done so twice.

“I just feel so overwhelmed, so emotional. It is so amazing,” said Rollins, who previous best was 12.39 seconds at the US collegiate championships.

The time, run with an aiding wind of 1.2 seconds, exceeded Pearson’s 2011 world championship best of 12.28 seconds and three times world champion Gail Devers’ American record of 12.33 seconds.

“Looks like I am bringing my A++ game to worlds this year,” Pearson tweeted after the stunning run. Can Rollins, who recently turned professional, break the world record?

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” said the former Clemson University student, whose best before this season was 12.70 seconds.

Lured to athletics as a teenager “because someone told me I was fast,” Rollins selected the hurdles “because I thought it was interesting and fun to do.”

Runner-up Queen Harrison (12.43 seconds), third-place finisher Nia Ali (12.48) and Beijing Olympic winner Dawn Harper, who has a wild card entry, also made the American team for the Aug 10-18 world championships in Moscow.

There were season-leading performances in the men’s 400 metres hurdles and women’s high jump finals

on a hot and windy day.

Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley became the first man to dip under 48 seconds in the 400 hurdles this season, running 47.96 seconds, and Brigetta Barrett, the London high jump runner-up, cleared 2.04 metres (6 feet, 8.25 inches).

Former world champions Kerron Clement (48.06) and Bershawn Jackson (48.09) joined Tinsley on the US team for Moscow.

in 51.92 seconds. Natasha Hastings won the race in 49.94. World record holder Ashton Eaton played it safe but still won the decathlon with 8,291 points.

Tyson Gay, going for a sprint double, easily advanced in 200 metres qualifying, running a wind-assisted 20.14 seconds just hours after claiming Friday’s 100 metres title in a worldleading 9.75 seconds. Olympic champions Aries Merritt and Allyson Felix

DES MOINES: Brianna Rollins clears a hurdle on the way to victory in the Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles on day three of the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. —AFP Teenage sensation Mary Cain, just 17, also made the team, finishing second to teammate Treniere Moser with a gutsy run in a slow women’s 1,500 metres.

Beijing gold medallist LaShawn Merritt dominated the men’s 400 metres final, winning in 44.21 seconds, but London women’s winner Sanya Richards-Ross was a casualty of the cut-throat trials, missing out on a place in the individual 400m.

Running in sneakers to lessen the pain from recent big toe surgery, the American record holder finished sixth

also moved through qualifying but London gold medallist Brittney Reese fouled three times in the women’s long jump final and will use a wild card spot to compete in Moscow.

World record holder Merritt clocked a wind-assisted 13.25 seconds in his first 110 metres hurdles since a May injury.

Felix was fifth fastest in the women’s 200 in 22.44, also wind-assisted. Three-times national champion David Oliver looked especially sharp in the hurdles, clocking a wind-assisted 13.14 seconds. —Reuters

Nissan unveils Le Mans prototype plans with world’s fastest electric racing car DUBAI: Nissan recently unveiled the groundbreaking, innovative ZEOD RC - the world’s fastest electric racing car that will reach speeds of more than 300km/h with electric technology at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at next year’s Le Mans 24 Hour. The global leader in electric vehicles for the road, Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world’s most prestigious endurance race.

Nissan’s invitation from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was announced by Nissan Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn in Japan in February. The car will compete under the ACO’s ‘Garage 56’ entry - an additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology.

Run as a Nissan / Nismo full factory international program with input from Japan, Europe and the US, the Nissan ZEOD RC design team is headed by Ben Bowlby who has been newlyappointed as Nissan’s Director of Motorsport Innovation and previously worked on the Nissan DeltaWing program in 2012.

While the car will not race until next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Nissan recently kicked off a unique aspect of the program - race fans getting the chance to unveil the car in the public area of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Nissan intends to draw back the curtain for fans across the globe to provide continued updates via its international partnership with YouTube and its Nismo.TV channel.

“Nissan has become a global leader in the development of zero emission automotive tech-

nology and the Nissan ZEOD RC will allow us to further develop those capabilities using the toughest endurance race in the world as a mobile test bed to test the potential of our planned LM P1 power train,” said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company

could be used for a future LM P1 class return of Nissan at the Le Mans 24 Hour. There are multiple options we are investigating. A Zero Emission on Demand option where the driver can switch between electric and petrol-powered drive is a future direction for road cars, so that will be tested in addition to pure electric power and other

World Car of the Year, and the 2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan.

Nissan launched the Nissan Leaf RC in 2011 a race car prototype powered by the same 107hp electric motor that is used in the road car.

While current battery technology does not provide the energy storage capacity to race a

Limited. “The Nissan ZEOD RC is a natural progression that follows on from the development of the Nissan Leaf road car and the Leaf RC race car prototype. The technologies developed through the ZEOD RC program will form part of future innovations for Nissan road cars.

“Nissan is already a global leader in the sale of all-electric cars and we’re eagerly awaiting the opportunity to showcase the lessons learnt with the development of battery technology in the world’s oldest, toughest and most high profile endurance race.

“The ZEOD RC program is designed to develop multiple technologies to evaluate how they

new technologies that we still have under development.

“As no other manufacturer is using electric battery technology in endurance racing, Nissan is innovating again and this will provide us with significant amounts of data and information to evaluate potential powertrains for future sports car programs and allow us to continue as the leader in Zero Emissions technology on the road.”

Launched in 2010, the Nissan Leaf has become the world’s best-selling all-electric car.

The Leaf won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011

solely electric Le Mans prototype, Nissan ZEOD RC designer Ben Bowlby believes the development of the car will be an important step in the “electrification” of the racecars of the future.

“Developing a car like this provides an incredibly challenging test bed for what could be highly-effective options for road cars of the future.

Throughout the next twelve months we will be testing multiple drive train options in an extensive test program,” Bowlby said.

“We have many options to consider and test.

The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO

that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport.”

“Nissan is a leader in electric vehicle technology for the road, now we want to take those lessons learnt and utilise that knowledge base in the development of the new race car.

“Our design team on the Nissan ZEOD RC program has concentrated heavily on packaging and aerodynamic efficiency that will not only provide extreme performance but high levels of energy efficiency - the goal for all global automakers.

“A large part of our work in the coming months is to discuss with the ACO future opportunities for the ‘electrification’ of the Le Mans rules in the future and work towards delivering appropriate technology. Garage 56 is a bold move by the ACO to showcase Innovation and allow testing of untried components and systems for future competition use. To this end they are the most forward thinking promoter in Motorsport today.”

Nissan will partner with French tire manufacturer Michelin to produce tires for the new prototype. Nissan previously joined forces with Michelin on the Nissan DeltaWing program. The Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer has an enviable record at the Le Mans 24 Hour, winning the past 15 consecutive races overall.

The Nissan ZEOD RC will make its testing debut later this summer. Nissan’s assault on the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hour will again target victory in the P2 class with 15 of the 22 entries powered by Nissan. In the opening rounds of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, Nissan has dominated, taking victory at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

19

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

SPORTS

Sorry Brazil, but for soccer fans the game must go on FORTALEZA: For millions of football fans around the world how Neymar and Fernando Torres perform at the Confederations Cup is of far more interest than Brazilians protesting over social issues.

While locals demonstrate over the cost of stadiums for next year’s World Cup, government corruption, lack of education, public health issues and transport price hikes, most followers of the beautiful game only care about what happens on the pitch.

“I feel really sorry for the Brazilian people who are clearly angry,” said one post on an internet message board from New Zealand. “Fine if they used the Confeds Cup as a catalyst to air their grievances but I will be even more angry if they stop the World Cup from being in Brazil next year.”

The finals are unlikely to be taken away from Brazil and, despite local media reports that the Confederations Cup - the World Cup warm-up test tournament - was going to be halted, FIFA said on Thursday the idea had not

been considered for a moment.

Barring some unforeseen cataclysmic event, Brazil will host the World Cup next year as planned and players like local favorite Neymar and Spain striker Torres will be the focus.

In an impassioned speech on Friday, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff addressed the protestors’ grievances but also pledged her government’s support for next year’s finals. “With regard to the World Cup, I want to clarify that the federal money spent on the stadiums is in the form of financing that will be duly repaid by the companies and (state) governments that are exploiting these stadiums.

“Brazil is the only country to have participated in every World Cup and is five-times world champion and has always been well received everywhere. “We must give our friends the same generous welcome we have received from them - with respect, love and joy. This is how we must treat our guests. Football and sport are

symbols of peace and peaceful coexistence among peoples. “Brazil deserves to, and will, host a great World Cup.” Which is where soccer’s governing body FIFA comes in.

FIFA owns the World Cup and entrusts organisation of the tournament to a Local Organising Committee (LOC) which makes sure stadiums are safe and ready on time, ticketing works and the necessary infrastructure is in place. However, the relationship between FIFA and the Brazilian LOC has been troubled.

Part of the problem stemmed from the fact that the now discredited Ricardo Teixeira, who was head of the LOC and the Brazilian FA (CBF), quit his roles with FIFA’s executive committee and as head of the CBF in May 2012 after years of denying corruption allegations.

Two months later a Swiss prosecutor’s court named him, and his former father-in-law and former FIFA president, Brazilian Joao Havelange, as having received more than $40 million in

bribes from FIFA’s former marketing partners, the bankrupt ISL. In all of its World Cup bidding documentation FIFA says eight stadiums are required to host a 32-team World Cup but Teixeira insisted that 12 were built or renovated and are now being used. Some venues, like Brasilia, Manaus and Cuiaba, do not even have top-ranking teams and their stadiums could become white elephants, a point directly linked to the demonstrators’ grievances this week that money has been wasted on the World Cup. Teixeira formed a close working friendship and relationship with FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, whose responsibility is to deliver a safe, cost-effective and workable finals.

In March last year, with Teixeira out of the planning process on “health grounds” in Miami, Valcke delivered his famous “Brazil need a kick up the backside” remark to journalists in Bagshot, England, expressing his concerns over progress on stadiums,

transport infrastructure and hotels.

He was shunned by the Brazilian authorities for months before relationships were gingerly restored. Now, in the wake of this week’s protests, remarks he made this April look particularly ill-judged. Speaking at a tournament symposium in Zurich, Valcke said: “I will say something which is crazy, but less democracy is sometimes better for organising a World Cup.” He explained it was easier to deal with a country like Russia, the 2018 World Cup hosts, in which the head of state can decide everything, rather than Brazil “where the political structure is divided into three levels - federal, state and city.”

As one FIFA insider close to the story told Reuters on Saturday: “Well Brazil has certainly showed us it is democracy this week okay. This has made life very uncomfortable for FIFA, but they will all find a solution and the World Cup will go ahead. It always does in the end.”—Reuters

Golden era inspires playful Djokovic to get serious

BRAZIL: Brazil’s forward Neymar celebrates after scoring against Italy in this file photo. —AFP

Scolari’s Brazil side begin to take shape RIO DE JANEIRO: Following the chopping and changing of recent years, Brazil appear to have found an equilibrium at the Confederations Cup, where they surged through the group phase to reach the semi-finals.

Although Saturday’s gripping 4-2 defeat of Italy had no sporting significance, both sides having already qualified, it confirmed Brazil’s progress after two straightforward wins over Japan (3-0) and Mexico (2-0).

Signs of the revival were first glimpsed in the hosts’ final two pre-tournament warmup games: a 2-2 draw with England and a 3-0 success over France.

By beating France and Italy, who were admittedly weakened by fatigue and the absence through injury of Andrea Pirlo, Brazil finally secured the victories over toprank nations that had eluded them in recent times. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first priority, upon returning to coach the team for a second time last November, was to firm up his defence.

“We’re progressing a lot in terms of marking. It doesn’t worry me as much as it did three or four months ago,” he said after the victory over Mexico. His captain, Thiago Silva, had also expressed concerns over the Selecao’s defensive robustness.

Speaking prior to the game with France earlier this month, he said: “I’d be lying if I said that it doesn’t worry us. “If we can win all our matches 1-0, without conceding, I’d take it. Our game needs more balance.”

After several experiments, some involving former stalwarts such as Ronaldinho, Kaka and Luis Fabiano, Scolari appears to have settled on a first-choice starting XI. Key is the predominantly defensive central midfield pairing of Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho, with the more forward-thinking Hernanes occasionally brought in. Scolari has instilled tactical discipline into the team, although Neymar is still granted a certain degree of freedom.

If the forward has occasionally been

over-zealous in his efforts to help out in midfield, committing 31 fouls in three matches, he has produced the goods at the right end of the pitch.

Despite the huge weight of expectation created by the number 10 shirt on his back and his $75.3 million (57 million euros) transfer to Barcelona, the 21-year-old has lived up to his billing.

Allying explosive style with match-winning efficiency, Neymar has received three man-of-the-match awards and has autographed each performance with a memorable goal.

Initially targeted by the protesters who have flocked into the streets during the tournament (‘A teacher is worth more than Neymar!’ was one chant), he has successfully aligned himself with the popular cause and his on-pitch displays even urged Scolari to proclaim him a “genius”.

Explaining the understanding he has with his attacking colleagues, Neymar said: “Changing positions is very important for the whole team. We work on it a lot in training. It enables you to drive your opponents mad.”

Hulk, on the right flank, has been a constant menace and Fred ended his poor recent scoring run with a predatory second-half double against Italy. Only Chelsea playmaker Oscar has failed to hit the heights so far. The two full-backs are heavily involved in the team’s attacking play, Marcelo by driving into the centre and Dani Alves by over-lapping on the right.

Against Italy, the former was at the origin of three goals: two for his team, and one against, after Italy midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini exploited the space left by the Real Madrid man’s forward forays to score.

Scolari seems willing to accept such risks.

“I think Brazil arrive ready for the semifinals,” he said, although he warned that the team was not yet “ready for the World Cup”. Nonetheless, they appear to have found the right path.—AFP

Watson keeps share of lead LOS ANGELES: Bubba Watson retained a share of the lead after the third round of the Travelers Championship on Saturday despite dropping three shots in the last six holes. The American, chasing his first PGA Tour win since he captured last year’s Masters, stumbled with bogeys at the 13th, 15th and 17th holes to finish with a round of even-par 70.

Watson will go into the final round at 10-under par, tied for the lead with his countryman Charley Hoffman and Canadian Graham DeLaet, on a heavily congested leaderboard that included England’s newly-crowned US Open champion Justin Rose. “I hit some shots today that were really good, some quality shots but got a couple bad breaks here and there but that’s golf,” Watson told reporters.

“At the end of the day I still have a chance late yesterday and that’s what we are always looking for on the weeks we are playing.” Hoffman, who opened the tournament with a stunning 61 but fell back with a second round 73, carded a 66 while DeLaet signed for a 65, matching the best round of the day, as he chases his maiden PGA Tour win.

American Chris Stroud (66) and Australian Nick O’Hern (68) were tied for fourth, just one shot off the lead, while American Ken Duke was alone in sixth after

a 65. Justin Rose was among a bunch of players in the next group at minus seven, after he shot a second successive 68. At the end of the day, 18 players were within four strokes of the lead, setting the stage for a grandstand finish.—Reuters

LONDON: Novak Djokovic lived up to his reputation as the ‘Djoker’ on the men’s tour by warming up for Wimbledon by performing a hip-swinging striptease for fans at an exhibition match - albeit rather playfully to his waist.

What is in no doubt, though, is that thousands of people will be flocking to Wimbledon next week to watch a more serious Djokovic play as the Serb launches his bid for a second title at the grasscourt major. Lucky to be drawn on the other half of the draw to his ‘Big Four’ rivals - Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray - the world number one, dressed in pristine white from neckto-toe, was in a reflective mood as he sat down for a chat with Reuters.

The six-times grand slam champion escaped to an underground bunker at the All England Club to say he feels neither lucky nor unlucky to be playing in the golden era of tennis and would most like to have taken on Pete Sampras from the past.

REUTERS: This is your ninth time in Wimbledon’s main draw. What are you memories of your first ever match, do you remember who you played, which court you played, the score and how many people watched you?

DJOKOVIC: “I think I played qualifications in Roehampton in 2005, I remember I played five sets in the last round of qualifications against Wesley Moodie.

“It was a very difficult match but I remember I managed to come into the main draw of Wimbledon for the first time and I won against (Juan) Monaco, and second round I won against (Guillermo) Garcia-Lopez after being two sets down and three match points down and then I lost to (Sebastien) Grosjean in four sets. I got to top 100 for the first time so I remember that tournament very well.

“I think I played on Court 17, I don’t know how many people watched but it’s not a very big court ... but I do remember I won (that first match) in straight sets.”

REUTERS: A lot of players outside the ‘Big Four’ regret their careers have coincided with this exceptional era, do you feel lucky or unlucky to be playing in this age because in any other era you might have already completed a calendar slam?

DJOKOVIC: “There is no need to start asking yourself ‘what ifs’. From one side you could say that maybe I could have won the calendar slam or maybe five more grand slams if I wasn’t in an era with Federer and Nadal.

“But on the other hand if I wasn’t in their era, I don’t know if I would be where I am at this moment because with my top two rivals, I’ve had such a rivalry, such incredible matches over the years that it took my game to another level. The rivalry also made me improve, made me understand what I need to do to get better on and off the court.”

REUTERS: The game has become extremely physical now, are you at all worried about the long-term damage this will do to your body?

DJOKOVIC: “Every professional athlete goes through a lot of pain, is concerned and does think about ‘what is going to happen to my body when I finish with my career?’. But I am doing everything I can with the people around me to stay healthy, take care of wellbeing. Not just about my body but also with what I eat and what I drink, my lifestyle and to decrease stress as much as we can. “Stress is one of the worst enemies of human kind and the cause of many diseases. But I see myself continuing to do sport because once you are in professional sport, the body is used to exercise. So if you stop doing exercise and don’t do anything for years, your body will respond and send you signals that you need to do something. I guess I will do sport and I’m happy for that because I love sport and have dedicated my whole life to tennis.”

REUTERS: If you could have played any player from the past, who would it be and why?

DJOKOVIC: “It would be Pete Sampras

WIMBLEDON: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic works out during a training session at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon on the eve of the start of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament. —AFP because he was my idol and somebody I was looking up to when I was young. I never got to play him and I would probably like to play him here at Wimbledon.”

REUTERS: How do you think you would have matched up against him?

DJOKOVIC: “He would be a definite favourite because he has won this tournament so many times. But I would like to play him at all four grand slams, that would have been very interesting to see.”

REUTERS: There has been a lot of negative sports stories around in 2013, like Lance Armstrong’s drug confession, match-fixing in soccer, the doping trial in Spain. Do you feel all these stories have only harmed the sports concerned or is all sport paying a price?

DJOKOVIC: “In a way yes. Media influence is so strong now that any story that makes the headlines has a huge reach globally. Many people obviously get that wrong message about certain sports because of those cases you have just mentioned and that is something we definitely don’t want.

“In tennis we don’t want illegal things, we don’t want players betting, we don’t want players failing doping tests. Compared to other sports, tennis is still in a very good place, especially men’s tennis. It has a great competition, has a great era of fantastic champions who are great promoters and ambassadors of our sport.

“We all have this responsibility of keeping this clean image of the sport. Of course you can’t always guarantee what other players will do but we are very much aware of this responsibility that we carry.”

REUTERS: During the French Open final there was the incident with the flare-waving protester who jumped on court during the final between Nadal and David Ferrer. Do you think tournaments are doing enough to safeguard the players on court or do you feel vulnerable each time you go on court?

DJOKOVIC: “It doesn’t happen too often but it does happen once in a while. The security nowadays is very strict so I don’t see anything really bad happening particularly to a tennis player.

“What happened in Roland Garros was maybe a mistake of the security that was on the court but generally, if you look at it worldwide, it’s really good and players feel safe. I feel safe.

“Frankly if you start thinking that your life is in danger from somebody or something, you start becoming paranoid. You don’t need these kind of things.”

REUTERS: You were criticised by some of your

peers after retiring from your quarter-final match at the Australian Open in 2009 when you were the defending champion. How satisfied are you to have silenced those critics who had questioned your fitness four years ago?

DJOKOVIC: My motivation was not to silence them or to get any kind of revenge because I don’t seek that. I was looking forward to really understand what I need to do in order to improve as a tennis player and as a person.

“Also (I wanted) to improve my health, to get it to the best possible condition where I can consistently play well and recover and be able to play the whole year without getting injured or having the breathing problems that kind of followed me from the early stages of my career. I managed to do that with certain adjustments and diet changes.

“Now I feel really good, I haven’t been injured very much in my career which is a very encouraging fact for the future.”

REUTERS: Since you’ve changed to a glutenfree diet, what do you miss eating?

DJOKOVIC: “Ha ha, there are certain products that I am missing eating from Serbia. There is a product called ‘plasma’, it’s like a biscuit that contains gluten that I grew up on. That’s something that I miss very much. But look, it’s for my own good and I know that. I know how well I feel on the court and in life in general.”

REUTERS: Wimbledon looked very different during the Olympics last year. Do you think there is anything from the Olympics that Wimbledon should adopt permanently?

DJOKOVIC: “I think the colours were very interesting to see in Wimbledon. We respect the tradition here in playing in all white and it’s a very conservative environment.

“But the Olympics Games was something different and (made Wimbledon) very urban.

Colours all around, players coming out with tracksuits of the colours of their countries. You saw purple backgrounds to the courts, it was interesting.”

REUTERS: When you are in London, have you ever had the chance to do touristy things?

DJOKOVIC (grinning): “Well I’ve been on the underground but it was a long time ago, maybe the first, second time when I came to London.

Since then it’s only been in the car.

“I love parks, so I try to avoid places where there are too many people because I need to save my energy for the tournament. I love visiting parks, Wimbledon Park, Richmond Park, those kind of parks are incredible and London has plenty of it.”—Reuters

Players get opportunity to hone skills

CROMWELL: Bubba Watson hits out of the sand on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2013 Travelers Championship. —AFP

KUWAIT: The Kheitan indoor soccer team coach Mubarak Al-Hussaini said the Kuwait Mini World Futsal Club Tournament truly a world event and reflects the importance of the tournament which will be a special one.

He said the tournament is an opportunity for players to learn and hone their skills, especially that all participating teams are champions in their countries.

He said the coaches would be able to get experience saying that indoor soccer has the

fans very close to the playing floor which allows them to hear and follow how the game is being conducted by coaches and how instructions are given.

He said the presence of the event in Kuwait will add to its sports reputation and will prove that Kuwait is able to organize major sporting events.

Meanwhile the International and Asian Football Federations appointed 12 referees from Asia and Europe to officiate the matches

of the tournament. The higher organizing committee sought the Asian Federation help to appoint two Kuwaiti referees, and the federation obliged by appointing Musaab AlRushood and Mohammad Al-Beloushi in addition to appointing Adel Al-Shatti as supervisor. The positive response from the Asian Federation comes as the result of the joint efforts with Kuwait Football Association under the leadership of Sheikh Dr. Talal Al-Fahad to ensure the success of the tournament.

Scolari’s Brazil Side begin to take shape

Rollins equals fourth fastest hurdles time

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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Golden era inspires playful Djokovic to get serious

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BIRMINGHAM: The Indian cricket team celebrate with the trophy following victory in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy Final cricket match against England. — AFP

India wins Champions Trophy BIRMINGHAM: India added the Champions Trophy title to the World Cup they won two years ago after seeing off England by five runs in a dramatic Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston yesterday. Tournament hosts England, still to win a major one-day international title, appeared to have done the hard work in holding India to 129 for seven in a match reduced by rain to a 20 overs per side contest.

But, chasing 130, they collapsed to 46 for four, before a partnership of 64 between former Ireland left-hander Eoin Morgan (33) and Ravi Bopara (30), who’d earlier taken three for 20 with his mediumpacers, swung the match back their way.

However, India seamer Ishant Sharma turned the match on its head by removing Morgan and Bopara, both with the aid of catches by Ravichandran Ashwin, off successive deliveries to leave England 110 for six in their 18th over and needing 19 off the last 12 balls.

That eventually became six off one ball and that proved too much for tailender James Tredwell as he failed to make contact against fellow offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ravindra Jadeja was named man-of-the-match after making 33 not out and then taking two for 24 with his left-arm spin.

India’s win left England still searching for their first major ODI trophy after defeats in three World Cup finals (1979, 1987 and 1992) and a loss to the

West Indies at The Oval in the 2004 Champions Trophy final when they last staged this event.

If this was, as has been stated by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the last Champions Trophy, it certainly went out with a bang with India’s youthful side containing just three survivors-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina-from the team that beat Sri Lanka in Mumbai to win the 2011 World Cup final.

England’s reply suffered an early setback when captain Alastair Cook (two) was well caught in the slips for two by Ashwin off Umesh Yada. They were 28 for two when Jonathan Trott, on his Warwickshire home ground, was stumped by Dhoni off Ashwin for 20.

Joe Root then holed out cheaply off Ashwin before opener Ian Bell, like Trott a Warwickshire player, was stumped off Jadeja.

It was a desperately close call but, after several minutes’ study, Australian third umpire Bruce Oxenford ruled in India’s favor, although Bell was clearly convinced there was enough doubt for the decision to go his way, and England were in trouble at 46 for four.

England needed 59 off the final 36 balls but that target was reduced to 48 off 30 balls after Bopara launched Ishant Sharma over mid-wicket for six. Morgan then weighed in with a reversesweep four off part-time spinner Raina. Bopara

swept Jadeja for six to raise a fifty stand with Morgan. But Morgan then holed out and Bopara, off what might have been a wide had he left it alone, was caught off a hook.

The organisers, keen to provide some meaningful cricket in what was meant to be a 50 overs per side contest, took the unusual decision to extend play by two hours to ensure a result in front of a packed crowd, with no reserve day.

England dismantled the Indian top-order after winning the toss in overcast conditions.

India, who shared the 2002 Champions Trophy after a rain-ruined final against Sri Lanka in Colombo, were reduced to 66 for five before Kohli and Jadeja boosted the total by adding a quickfire 47 for the sixth wicket. Kohli smashed 43 off 34 balls that included four boundaries and a six, before he holed out off James Anderson in the penultimate over.

Jadeja faced 25-balls for his unbeaten 33.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who went into the final as the tournament’s leading scorer with 332 runs in four matches, hit 31 of 24 balls that included a six over third-man against Stuart Broad. But the left-hander was dismissed off Bopara’s second delivery, caught in the covers by Tredwell and the all-rounder removed Raina and Dhoni in the space of four balls. Raina drove Bopara straight to Cook at mid-on, while Dhoni (nought) slashed the bowler high to Tredwell at third man. — AFP

SCOREBOARD BIRMINGHAM: Scoreboard in the Champions Trophy final between England and India at Edgbaston yesterday: J. Trott st Dhoni b Ashwin 20 India R. Sharma b Broad 9 J. Root c I Sharma b Ashwin 7 S. Dhawan c Tredwell b Bopara 31 E. Morgan c Ashwin b I Sharma 33 V. Kohli c Bopara b Anderson 43 R. Bopara c Ashwin b I Sharma 30 D. Karthik c Morgan b Tredwell 6 J. Buttler b Jadeja 0 S. Raina c Cook b Bopara 1 T. Bresnan run out (R Sharma) 2 MS Dhoni c Tredwell b Bopara 0 S. Broad not out 7 R. Jadeja not out 33 J. Tredwell not out 5 R. Ashwin run out (Bell) 1 Extras (lb1, w4) 5 B. Kumar not out 1 Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 124 Extras (w4) 4 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Cook), 2-28 (Trott), 3-40 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 129 (Root), 4-46 (Bell), 5-110 Fall of wickets: 1-19 (R Sharma), 2-50 (Dhawan), 3-64 (Karthik), 4-66 (Raina), 5-66 (Dhoni), 6-113 (Morgan), 6-110 (Bopara), 7-112 (Buttler), 8-113 (Bresnan) (Kohli), 7-119 (Ashwin) Did not bat: J Anderson Did not bat: I Sharma, U Yadav Bowling: Anderson 4-0-24-1; Broad 4-0-26-1; Bowling: Kumar 3-0-19-0; Yadav 2-0-10-1; Jadeja Bresnan 4-0-34-0 (3w); Tredwell 4-0-25-1; Bopara 4-0-24-2; Ashwin 4-1-15-2 (2w); I Sharma 4-0-362 (2w); Raina 3-0-19-0.

4-1-20-3 (1w); England A. Cook c Ashwin b Yadav I. Bell st Dhoni b Jadeja

despite losing Kenneth Omeruo to injury in the 11th minute, they took the fight to Spain.

Brown Ideye and Joseph Akpala spurned half-chances, while Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes did superbly to tip a snapshot from the recalled Sunday Mba around the post.

Despite several slick interchanges, the African champions’ composure repeatedly let them down whenever they penetrated the Spanish area, but Spain were not without blame in that department either.

Roberto Soldado twice shot straight at Enyeama when clean through on goal, while Cesc Fabregas conspired to hit the post from only eight yards after being picked out by Soldado’s sweeping low cross.

Ideye should have drawn Nigeria level early in the second half, but although Ahmed Musa’s low centre presented him with an open goal the back post, he miscued and was unable to dispatch a shot. Spain introduced David Silva and Torres from the bench and within minutes of coming on the Chelsea striker made it 2-0, flinging himself at Pedro Rodriguez’s left-wing cross to score with a glorious flying header.

Having scored four times in the record-breaking 10-0 rout of Tahiti earlier this week, Torres is now the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals. — AFP

Result: India won by five runs Man-of-the-match: Ravindra Jadeja (IND) Note: Match reduced to 20 overs per side by rain

Uruguay rout Tahiti, face Brazil in semis

Spain book Italy date in Confed Cup semis FORTALEZA: Spain set up a Confederations Cup semi-final reunion with Euro 2012 final victims Italy after beating Nigeria 3-0 on a steamy afternoon in Fortaleza yesterday to secure top spot in Group B. Vicente del Bosque’s side needed just a point to confirm a place in the last four, but they made doubly sure thanks to a fine brace of goals from Jordi Alba and a 62nd-minute header by substitute Fernando Torres. The world and European champions will now face Italy, who they crushed 4-0 in last year’s Euro 2012 final, in the second semi-final in Fortaleza on Thursday, a day after Brazil meet Uruguay in Belo Horizonte. Nigeria were ultimately left to rue last Thursday’s damaging 2-1 defeat by Uruguay, having begun their Confederations Cup campaign with a breezy 6-1 thrashing of Tahiti.

It was the teams’ first meeting since Nigeria beat Spain 3-2 in the group phase of the 1998 World Cup, and if the world champions were out for revenge, they were quick to draw first blood at Estadio Castelao. There were three minutes on the clock when Andres Iniesta sprayed a pass wide to Barcelona team-mate Alba, and the leftback weaved around three challenges before stroking a low shot past Vincent Enyeama.

Nigeria looked set for an afternoon of toil amid stifling humidity inside the stadium, but

2 13

FORTALEZA: Spain’s defender Jordi Alba celebrates after scoring against Nigeria during their FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Group B football match. — AFP

RECIFE: Uruguay secured their place in the Confederations Cup semi-finals with an 8-0 drubbing of Tahiti, featuring the fastest goal in the competition’s history.

The Confed Cup record-breaker at Recife’s Arena Pernambuco was Abel Hernandez, the Palermo striker heading in off Nicolas Lodeiro’s corner after just 79 seconds.

He went on to bag four, with Diego Perez, Lodeiro and Luis Suarez with a double, joining him on the scoresheet. With this result following their record 10-0 loss to Spain and 6-1 defeat to Nigeria, Tahiti take their leave of the competition while Uruguay go on to face hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.

Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez had changed his entire starting XI for the South American champions’ decisive first round match.

Star forwards Diego Forlan, Suarez and Edinson Cavani were all named on the bench, while Bologna midfielder Perez inherited the captain’s armband from suspended centreback Diego Lugano.

Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta made four alterations to the team thrashed 10-0 by Spain last Thursday, with goalkeeper Gilbert Meriel, Lorenzo Tehau, Vincent Simon and Samuel

Hnanyine coming into the team.

Four-goal hero Hernandez doubled up in the 24th minute with a skilful side-footed volley past Tahiti keeper Gilbert Meriel, with Perez adding a third before the half hour was up.

It was not all one way traffic, with Tahiti’s only professional, Marama Vahirua, testing Uruguay keeper Martin with a 25 yard strike.

Steevy Chong Hue was then unlucky not to capitalise on a solo run through the Uruguayan defence.

In first half stoppage time Hernandez bagged his third, picking up a pass from Inter Milan’s Walter Gargano to foil Meriel.

There was drama after the restart, when Andres Scotti’s penalty was saved by Meriel.

Scotti was then sent off after the defender picked up a second booking.

Tahiti also went down to ten men when Teheivarii Wagemann picked up his second yellow on the hour mark - a minute later Lodeiro made it 5-0.

Hernandez got his fourth from the penalty spot as Suarez came on for Gaston Ramirez with 20 minutes left to bolster Uruguay’s attack and finish off the rout with a late double.— AFP

Business

Dubai Group sells credit card business to FGB Page 22 Nokia Lumia range takes innovation to new heights Page 25

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Ford wins ‘International Engine of Year’ award

Ethiopian Diaspora, back home to boost economy

Page 26

Page 23

DOHA: Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, chairman of the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and Industry (from left), Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, French President Francois Hollande, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association, and Yves-Thibault de Silguy, vice chairman of MEDEF International, attend the Qatari-French Business Forum in Doha yesterday.—AP

France, Qatar end dispute with new fund Hollande defends ‘conditional’ Qatar investments DOHA: France and Qatar launched a mixed Franco-Qatari fund yesterday to invest 300 million euros in small and medium-sized French companies, in a bid to quash concerns raised by a previous Qatari plan to invest specifically in depressed French suburbs.

Business ties between cash-strapped France and gas-rich Qatar have deepened in the past five years as the euro-zone’s second biggest economy behind Germany has overcome instincts for economic patriotism to welcome inward investment in areas ranging from sports to real estate and infrastructure. But a plan for Qatar to pump 50 million euros into businesses in the suburbs had proved divisive, when they were first floated, with critics concerned that the Gulf state might exercise too much influence and prompting former president Nicolas Sarkozy to put them on hold until after the May 2012 election.

The new Socialist government, facing rising unemployment and stalled economic growth, then came up with a compromise for a mixed Qatari-French fund aimed at small and medium-sized businesses and a memorandum of understanding was signed in November 2012.

“We do not refuse Qatari investments in France but we say there are conditions to meet, areas to focus on and rules to explain,” Hollande said during a visit to Qatar. “I said that it was best to create a joint investment fund with Qatari and French funds to help small- and mediumsized companies,” he added. The new fund would not target specific geographical areas in France nor specific company profiles but will also be available for companies in “our suburbs,” Hollande said.

The fund will be operational from July, said Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the head of French state-owned bank Caisse de Depots, which is co-shareholder of the fund with Qatar’s sovereign fund Qatar Holding LLC. There was little reaction when Qatar bought minority stakes in French infrastructure firm Veolia and builder Vinci , while sports fans cheered the purchase of football club Paris St. Germain by its sovereign wealth fund. The loudest criticism to the idea of a Qatari fund for French suburbs came from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who had alleged that Qatar was only investing in areas heavily populated by immigrants to spread Islamic ideas among Muslim youths.

However, left-wing politicians and commentators in newspapers and on television also said that France should be wary of signing deals with a monarchy that shared few of its ideas about democracy and could be seeking to buy influence due to France’s seat on the United Nations Security Council.

French President Francois Hollande said yesterday that his country does not reject Qatari investments, but stressed that there are certain “conditions” and “rules”, during a visit to the gas-rich Gulf state. “We do not reject Qatari investments in France but we are saying that there are conditions that must be respected... and rules that must be understood,” said Hollande, who arrived in Doha on Saturday.

He made the comments to reporters in the sidelines of a visit to a large building site run by Bouygues, a French industrial group. Qatar has invested around 12 billion euros ($16 billion) in France during the past five years, mainly in properties, hotels and big firms, sparking controversy.

Dubai stocks plunge Gulf markets mixed MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

Finance minister George Osborne Qatari investors have bought Paris SaintGermain football club and acquired three percent of energy giant Total as well as stakes in building firm Vinci and in media group Lagardere.

“It’s in the interest of France to be present in this region and to make it understood that it can attract investments, but I say this under certain conditions,” he added.

Qatar had postponed launching a fund for entrepreneurs from France’s deprived suburbs until after the presidential election last May to prevent it becoming a political football. The project remains frozen. Losing far-right candidate Marine Le Pen attacked Qatar for investing in what she said were

mainly Muslim areas of French cities and said unnamed foreign countries wanted to develop Islamic fundamentalism in France.

The investment was worth 50 million euros.

But yesterday, Hollande said that “this is what was announced before my election. I would say what’s best is to create a joint French-Qatari investment fund.” The 300million-euro fund is aimed at helping medium and small companies “in our neighborhoods,” said Hollande. “Qatari investments are welcome and could cover all fields,” he noted, but the “priority is for industry and ser vices,” he told the Franco-Qatari Economic Forum. “Your investments must be made in cooperation with us... in the area we choose,” he told the Qataris. —AFP

African palm oil makers hit back at ‘smear campaign’ ABIDJAN: African palm oil producers are hitting back at what they say is a “smear campaign” against them by environmentalists and health activists that risks ruining their industry. Countering their increasingly vocal critics was the main aim of producers attending the first-ever African Palm Oil Congress, hosted

by Ivory Coast’s government in the economic capital Abidjan last week.

“For some time, the aggressive attacks against palm oil have been multiplying and they are degrading (the sector’s) image,” Christophe Koreki, president of the Inter-professional Palm Oil Association (AIPH) told delegates. “The smear campaign accuses palm oil of destroying the environment or causing cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Fires currently burning in Indonesia, that have cloaked Singapore in record levels of smog, have brought more negative publicity for the big palm oil companies-Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian-which deforest

vast swathes of Sumatra. The companies have been accused of starting fires to clear land through the practice of slash-and-burn, which is illegal but still frequently used because it is the quickest and cheapest way of preparing land for plantations.

Ivory Coast, one of West Africa’s top producers of the oil, joined forces with the AIPH to organize the congress, which included industry representatives from top global palm oil power, Indonesia. According to figures released at the conference, the industry in Ivory Coast directly employs an estimated 200,000 people, with two million more dependent in one way or another on the industry-adding up to about 10 percent of the population.

Last year, Ivorian production reached 450,000 tons, representing about three percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Palm oil producers argue that their product, which is widely used as biofuel and in processed

foods and cosmetics, helps fight food insecurity and contributes to development due to its versatility, relatively high oil yields, and economic importance to local communities.

But critics say it leads to deforestation, threatening rare species such as orangutans and rhinos, and displaces communities whose homes are destroyed to make way for the plantations. Forest clearing also adds to carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change. Groups like Greenpeace have called the cost to the environment “devastating”.

Some health experts say palm oil is loaded with saturated fats and that excessive consumption could be linked to certain forms of heart disease. To protect their livelihood, participants of the Abidjan congress adopted a declaration vowing to defend palm oil-in particular by fighting against the derogatory “Palm oil free” labelling of certain products that has resulted from a rise in ethical consumerism in the West. And the battle has

already begun. In December, Ivory Coast’s palm oil industry successfully sued French retail chain Systeme U after the group staged an aggressive advertising campaign encouraging consumers to stay clear of palm oil due to its effects on the environment.

The AIPH won the lawsuit after arguing that the campaign lacked credible ecological data and scientific analysis.

Late last year the palm oil industry also narrowly escaped what could have become a major set-back after a French senator suggested slapping a 300-percent tax increase on palm oil. The amendment was later rejected in parliament.

As analysts predict that palm oil production will soar in the coming years, many environmentalists are encouraging sustainably produced oil which adheres to criteria set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to achieve its sought-after certification, launched in 2004.—AFP

DUBAI: Dubai’s bourse suffered its largest one-day drop in 15 months yesterday, while other Gulf markets were mixed as a lack of positive catalysts spurred investors to cash in early-year gains. Trading volumes thinned in a typical summer lull.

The main Dubai index fell 2.6 percent to 2,300 points, a four-week low, in its biggest one-day loss since March 2012. The drop triggered a bearish right triangle formed by the highs and lows since early June, and pointing down to near the 2,100-point area. However, traders generally blamed profit-taking after this year’s gains of more than 40 percent, rather than any fundamental worsening of Dubai’s outlook, and did not think the drop indicated Dubai would become dominated by the bearishness engulfing many other emerging markets. Because of currency pegs and high oil prices, Dubai and other Gulf markets appear well-protected from the US interest rate rises which are hurting other markets.

“The market is slowing down - it’s the end of the quarter and summer is here,” said Mohab Maher, senior manager of the institutional desk at MENA Corp.

Trading volume fell to 200 million shares; turnover usually falls after May as traders and investors take holidays to escape the summer heat. The index is still up 42 percent year-to-date.

Builder Arabtec lost 5.3 percent. After the close, the company said it was extending the period for its $650 million rights issue, due to end yesterday, to July 4 to allow investors outside the United Arab Emirates to buy into it. The company said the extension was at the request of shareholders. Earlier, a source familiar with the plan had told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the rights issue period was expected to be extended after the entire amount was not taken up by shareholders. Abu Dhabi’s benchmark fell 1.9 percent, its biggest daily drop this year.

Analysts expect Gulf markets to be lacklustre in coming weeks, partly because of uncertainty before secondquarter earnings announcements. Saudi Arabia kicks off its earnings season in mid-July, while UAE companies will mostly report from early August onwards. In Saudi Arabia, banks helped lift the bourse after two flat trading sessions; the benchmark climbed 0.5 percent. Banks rose after official data showed lending to the private sector in May rose 16.5 percent, the fastest clip since February 2009, after a 16.0 percent increase in the previous month.

Firass Yaish, business development manager at One Financial Market, said the lending growth figures had provided only a short-term stimulus.

“Even though there was a pick-up in lending, the picture will only be brighter for the banks when the interest rates are raised, enhancing the banks’ profit margins and potential growth,” he said. Shares in Riyad Bank rose 1.4 percent. The firm said it would distribute firsthalf dividends of 975 million riyals ($260 million) or 0.65 riyals a share. Petrochemical shares also gained with the sector’s measure adding 0.5 percent.—Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

BUSINESS

The key to curbing ME’s rate of traffic accidents

Dubai Group sells credit card business to FGB

A holistic road safety strategy

First Gulf Bank sees deal adding to customer base ABU DHABI: Investment firm Dubai Group has sold its credit card business to Abu Dhabi lender First Gulf Bank (FGB) for $164 million, the latest asset disposal by the debt-laden firm as it restructures $10 billion in debt. A unit of Dubai Holding, the investment arm of the ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai Group has been in talks with bank creditors for nearly three years, since the global credit crunch savaged its portfolio of assets.

In a statement on Sunday, FGB, the second largest bank in the United Arab Emirates by market capitalization, said it agreed to buy Dubai First, which specializes in liability and credit card products, from the investment firm for 601 million dirhams.

The Dubai First acquisition will help FGB expand its customer base in the UAE, the lender said in a statement. Dubai First has a 4.5 percent share of the UAE’s credit card market and has 464 employees, the statement said. Its latest audited accounts showed gross assets of 700 million dirhams, FGB said.

The sale is part of Dubai Group’s efforts to cut down its debt pile, most of which was accumulated during the boom years of the mid-2000s.

“The sale is a strategic decision for Dubai Group and is part of our stated plan to sell down assets, in order to support our broader ongoing restructuring process,” Fadel al-Ali, Dubai Group’s chief executive, said in the statement. Dubai Group’s assets are worth just a fifth of its $10 bil-

Dubai Holding unit hires Citi for Axiom stake sale

Al-Tijari announces mega draw winner KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma account draw yetserday. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Abdulaziz Ashkanani.

The winner of the mega draw :Anila Saaqib KD 100,000.

The winners of the Al Najma daily draw are:Hatem Shaber Pahai Rafat — KD 7000, Ahmad Abdulaziz Mohammed AlFaraj— KD 7000, Saleema Abdulkareem Jaber— KD 7000, Ibram Saber Ishaq Philips— KD 7000, Mohammed Al-Morsi Mohammed Saeed— KD 7000.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma

account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

Arabtec extends $650m share offer period DUBAI: Dubai builder Arabtec, partowned by Abu Dhabi state fund Aabar, has extended the subscription period for its $650 million rights share issue, the company said in a statement yesterday.

The closing date for subscriptions has been extended to July 4 from Sunday, two weeks after its launch on June 9.

Arabtec, builder of Dubai’s famous palm islands, has been on an aggressive push for growth after it replaced its chief executive earlier this year in a shake-up led

by Aabar, its largest shareholder, which has been tightening its grip on the group.

The company is selling 1.57 billion new shares at a price of 1.5 dirhams a share as part of a five-year expansion plan. The plan includes a further capital increase of $650 million by the end of 2014 if required.

The builder said the extension was

lion of debt, sources involved in its restructuring said in June. It has a portfolio of mainly financial services assets.

The firm has been selling down some of its smaller assets in the restructuring. But it has some major assets, such as its stake in Oman’s Bank Muscat, which is secured against debt held

by France’s Natixis. Shares in Malaysia’s Bank Islam are pledged against a $330-million loan facility.

FGB is among Gulf Arab banks seeking to expand its regional footprint and looking for acquisition opportunities. In May, it hired Simon Penney, the former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Middle East and Africa business, to head its wholesale banking business. - Reuters

DUBAI: With road accidents in the region killing 17 to 22 people per 100,000 of population every year, Middle East governments must work urgently to adopt a multidimensional Road Safety Strategy - a holistic framework that encompasses all aspects of the road safety value chain According to the World Bank, road crashes kill 1.2 million people and cripple or injure more than 10 million others every year. In fact, at current rates, traffic accidents will become the fifth leading cause of death globally by 2030, up from 10th place in 2010. And, in the Middle East and North

requested by shareholders and to give an opportunity to shareholders outside the United Arab Emirates to participate.

However, one source familiar with the matter had said earlier on Sunday that the subscription period was expected to be extended after the entire amount was not taken up by shareholders.

The company has won a series of contracts under the new management this year amounting to 13 billion dirhams ($3.5 billion) so far, mainly in the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi where Aabar is based.

Arabtec shares closed down 5.3 percent at 2.15 dirhams on the Dubai bourse yetserday.

Bank of America Merril Lynch and National Bank of Abu Dhabi are arranging the rights issue, according to International Financing Review (IFR), a unit of Thomson Reuters. - Reuters

DUBAI: Dubai Holding, the conglomerate owned by the ruler of Dubai, has hired Citigroup to advise on a potential sale of its remaining 26 percent stake in mobile telephone retailer Axiom Telecom, three sources aware of the plan said. The stake is held by Dubai Holding unit Emirates International Telecommunications LLC (EIT), but the US lender was hired by the holding company, which is taking the lead in the process, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter is not public.

An EIT spokesperson said: “Like any investment company, EIT is always evaluating exit options that are in line with its investment strategy.” It added, “EIT continues to be committed to investing within the communications sector and to actively managing its portfolio companies to drive value creation.”

EIT did not elaborate, and Citigroup declined to comment.

A recovery in the real estate sector is aiding a revival of economic growth in Dubai after the emirate’s 2009-2010 corporate debt crisis, but it has yet to make much progress in selling some of its statelinked assets, the main means of repaying its debt pile.

Dubai Holding is among the matrix of firms which were badly hit by the crisis; many of its units have had to hold talks with banks to extend liabilities and restructure debt.

Sources have previously told Reuters that Dubai Holding was considering selling its remaining stake in Axiom, adding that a sale would likely raise about $300 million for the conglomerate.

Dubai-based Axiom, set up in 1997 by Faisal AlBannai, employs over 1,500 people and has over 500 outlets across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Britain and India, according to its website. Axiom sold a 35 percent stake in itself to Qatar’s Mannai Corp for an undisclosed amount in 2011 after deciding against a share listing. EIT sold a 14 percent stake in Axiom at that time.

“There is a chance that Mannai may further increase their stake in Axiom and take a controlling stake. However, it’s a good business and there will be other interested parties who want to cash in on the retail boom in the region,” one banking source said. A Mannai spokesman was not immediately available to comment. EIT is seeking to sell its 35 percent stake in state-owned Tunisie Telecom, which it bought for $2.25 billion in 2006, the Tunisian government said on Friday. — Reuters

Ulrich Koegler Africa (MENA) region, the figures are particularly alarming; traffic accidents kill between 17 to 22 people per 100,000 of population every year, compared with an OECD average of 6.2 per 100,000. In line with this, Management consulting firm Booz & Company has found that, in order to reduce this high rate of traffic accidents, MENA governments must-imperativelyadopt a holistic approach to road safety.

Shortcomings Today, governments tend to structure responses to traffic collisions on the Haddon Matrix- a commonly used paradigm in the injury prevention field. In effect, the Haddon Matrix covers various phases related to traffic accidents, including precrash, crash, and post-crash. In the MENA region, however, each element of the Matrix has its shortcomings. l Pre-crash: Most investments and interventions related to traffic accidents are directed at crash prevention. “Road authorities have to apply and comply with global road design guidelines; and, in parallel, traffic authorities must enforce adequate speed limits and regulate road user behavior,” said Dr Ulrich Koegler, a Senior Advisor with Booz & Company. “The truth is, both education and awareness can have a significant impact in reducing crashes. In many MENA countries, over 70 percent of accidents result from driver error or negligence, sometimes due to inadequate driver education”, he added. Vehicle standards also play a major role in preventing accidents given the significance of lighting, braking, and handling, along with other active and passive safety systems. This is yet another primary concern in the region. l Crash: This phase centers on preventing injury during a crash using human and vehicle elements, such as restraints-in the form of safety belts and airbags- and vehicle technologies, including impact bars and

increasingly digital technologies. More cars in the MENA region need to have these systems installed, as this can help foster safe driving practices and decrease the number of crashes. l Post-crash: The main focus in this phase is sustaining life through rapid and effective treatment of injuries. Most of the region has insufficient medical coverage, weak insurance systems, poorly designed and equipped emergency services, and a lack of qualified paramedics. “In some MENA countries, over 80 percent of deaths occur before the casualty reaches the hospital, compared with averages of 50 to 60 percent in North America and Western Europe,” said Koegler. “Emergency response-from call to dispatch to the quality and equipment of ambulatory care -is important to ensure that the emergency services can reach accidents and transport and treat casualties to hospitals effectively and expeditiously.”

Koegler also added: “The root of the problem in the Middle East is the lack of a unified vision among concerned ministries and authorities, leading to insufficient coordination and ineffective interventions.

Governments and other stakeholders - such as the private sector and civil society - conduct interventions without any clear individual ownership or accountability and with minimal, or poorly defined, community involvement.”

Road safety strategy According to Booz & Company, Middle East governments must implement a holistic Road Safety approach so as to ensure a significant reduction in traffic accidents.

This strategy rests on six pillars: 1. Urban and Transport Planning deals with basics such as safety considerations and the impact of public transportation during the design of urban communities.

2. Roads and Infrastructure includes the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels to the highest standards for road safety.

3. Traffic Management regulates road user behavior, road network management, and traffic regulations - functions typically exercised by interior ministries.

4. Vehicles involves adopting and implementing policies to ensure high standards for vehicle quality and per formance including active passive safety systems. The ongoing invention of more and better active and passive safety systems even into small cars by the automobile industry makes significant improvements feasible. To benefit from those, it is important that older cars are made obsolescent. Further, the advent of connected or semiautonomous cars will enhance safety.

5. Road User Behavior involves civil society, which can use the media to raise awareness of road safety, and provide safe driving and first aid training programs. Further, traffic safety education needs to start at the kindergarten level and needs to be an integral part of all curriculae of schools and universities 6. Emergency and Medical Services saves lives and treats serious injuries by improving the coverage, speed, quality, and effectiveness of emergency services.

Subsequently, this strategy requires four cross-functional enablers that span the pillars and ensure that the various components of the road safety system have the necessary resources and tools. These enablers include: Institutional and Regulatory streamline traffic safety governance and align regulations with the sector strategy.

EXCHANGE RATES Irani Riyal

Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds

.2770000 .4310000 .3680000 .3020000 .2780000 .2940000 .0040000 .0020000 .0771240 .7513970 .3930000 .0720000 .7366120 .0370000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2841000 GB Pound/KD .4338920 Euro .3707360 Swiss francs .3043390 Canadian dollars .2795430 Danish Kroner .0497330 Swedish Kroner .0443660 Australian dlr .2963730 Hong Kong dlr .0365940 Singapore dlr .2291130 Japanese yen .0029600 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0773800 Bahraini dinars .7538810 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 Omani riyals .7382100 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian ringgit Irani Riyal

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.910 4.810 2.876 2.207 2.990 225.000 36.724 3.652 6.500 9.144 94.271 0.271

.2880000 .4470000 .3760000 .3170000 .2920000 .3020000 .0069000 .0035000 .0778990 .7589480 .4110000 .0770000 .7440150 .0440000 .2862000 .4370990 .3734770 .3065880 .2816100 .0501010 .0446940 .2985640 .0368650 .2308060 .0028810 .0052870 .0022880 .0029190 .0036810 .0779520 .7594530 .4048090 .0763400 .7436660 .0069870

0.273

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

GCC COUNTRIES 75.990 78.299 740.160 756.880 77.605

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.200 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.048 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.329 Tunisian Dinar 175.400 Jordanian Dinar 402.420 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.912 Syrian Lier 3.096 Morocco Dirham 34.319 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.850 Euro 378.000 Sterling Pound 443.230 Canadian dollar 275.220 Turkish lira 147.100 Swiss Franc 308.110 Australian Dollar 265.480 US Dollar Buying 283.650 GOLD 248.000 125.500 65.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL DRAFT 273.98 282.09 313.30 383.66 283.40 447.72 3.05 3.655 4.828 2.206 3.026 2.877 77.23 754.29 39.91 403.34 737.02 78.26 75.70

Selling Rate 283.750 280.895 445.920 380.130 300.705 751.230 77.230 77.885 75.630 399.990 39.942 2.223 4.857 2.877 3.643 6.561 696.050 4.000 9.785 4.055 3.325 95.150

Bahrain Exchange Company CURRENCY

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

SELL CASH 274.000 282.000 312.000 380.000 284.500 448.500 3.300 3.670 5.050 2.550 3.250 2.900 78.000 753.000 38.800 410.000 748.000 79.500 76.000

British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc

BUY Europe 0.4333862 0.0066804 0.0465862 0.3699962 0.0436254 0.4307440 0.0395474 0.3009076

SELL 0.4423862 0.0186804 0.0515862 0.3774962 0.0488254 0.4382440 0.0445474 0.3079076

Australasia 0.2534400 0.2137168 0.0001119

0.2654400 0.2237168 0.0001119

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars

America 0.2663205 0.0001452 0.2831500

0.2753205 0.0001632 0.2853000

Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa

Asia 0.0036301 0.0031651 0.0455360 0.0164867

0.0036851 0.0033951 0.0505360 0.0195867

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling

Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht

0.0000443 0.0342247 0.0047508 0.0000237 0.0028506 0.0028410 0.0032714 0.0842790 0.0028596 0.0028584 0.0060597 0.0000729 0.2200755 0.0021720 0.0087723

0.0000503 0.0373247 0.0048158 0.0000289 0.0038508 0.0030210 0.0035014 0.0912790 0.0030596 0.0028984 0.0065297 0.0000759 0.2260755 0.0022140 0.0093723

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.7503375 0.0381014 0.0127898 0.1450613 0.0000793 0.0001778 0.3968289 1.0000000 0.0001750 0.0222390 0.0012130 0.7300286 0.0777095 0.0751467 0.0461426 0.0027430 0.1740625 0.0758409 0.0012801

0.7588375 0.0401314 0.0192898 0.1468513 0.0000798 0.0002378 0.4043289 1.0000000 0.0001950 0.0462390 0.0018480 0.7410286 0.0784925 0.0757867 0.0466926 0.0029630 0.1800625 0.0772909 0.0013801

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 284.900 377.250 442.150 275.100 2.950 4.800 40.075 2.209 3.658 6.490 2.875 758.650 77.500 76.050

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

BUSINESS

Sterling Parfums & Musafir.com sign up BPG Maxus for media planning, buying DUBAI: BPG Maxus, a member of Group M and WPP worldwide network, yesterday announced that it has signed up with Sterling Parfums, one of the leading fragrance brands offering a wide range of cosmetics and Oriental fragrances, and Musafir.com - UAE’s first premiumexperience travel website, to handle their media planning and buying requirements.

The contracts came into effect immediately, and the first media engagements have already taken off for both Sterling and Musafir.com.

Sterling Parfums, which has created an enviable reputation with brands like ARMAF and ESTIARA, reiterated that the decision to sign up BPG Maxus was aimed at enhancing awareness and visibility of its brands through media.

Amit Vardhan at Sterling Parfums, said: “Sterling is proud of its association with BPG Maxus and we signed them after due diligence, considering their credentials, strength and expertise as

regional media house and their exceptional service through a friendly dedicated team. We were looking for an innovative and cost-effective media partner in the region, especially in our competitive landscape and BPG Maxus was the perfect solution for this.”

Musafir.com, part of Universal Travel & Tourism, was set up in 2007 and over the

travel planning experience, with the option to choose from 270-plus full service and low cost airlines and rooms in over 75,000 properties across the globe.

The company had recently announced renowned Cricket Icon Sachin Tendulkar as its Brand Ambassador and a stakeholder. Sachin Gadoya, Managing Director of Musafir.com, said: “Since our

last six years, the company has grown exponentially and currently has over 10 branches in the UAE and India. The company provides travellers with a complete

inception in 2007, we have always strived to work with the best partners and aspire for the extraordinary. Our decision to award the media business to

Prudent investment strategies when interest rates rise

By Hayder Tawfik KUWAIT: The recent selloff in bonds and other fixed income securities has been a big shock to most bond investors who have been pouring billions of dollars into the market over the last 5 years and to be precise since the start of the financial crisis back in 2008.

At the same time billions of dollars were taken out of the stock markets looking for safe haven in the bond markets. I have been saying for a while that the historical low yields offered on bonds were just a time bomb waiting to explode. No financial instruments are without risks including interest rate. A bond is a security issued by a borrower that can be a government, quasi government, international institutions and a company. In most cases it has a fixed maturity and a fixed coupon i.e. interest rate. It pays the fixed interest rate either monthly, quarterly or annually. It has a credit rating applied to it. A triple AAA rated bond is guaranteed the capital and the interest rate payments throughout its life time.

The price of the bond moves depending on demand and supply and the movement in short or long term interest rates. These kinds of bonds are for sure guaranteed so even its price can fluctuate but the capital and the coupon payments are guaranteed.

Short term interest rates in the G7 countries ranges from 0.25 to around 0.75 percent. These are the lowest rates ever. The selloff in the bond market was based on comments made by the Federal Reser ve chairman, Ben Bernanke about the possibility of cutting down on the monthly purchases of bonds. Investors reacted violently to the news and sold off bonds aggressively. I think this does not mean that rates will start going up soon. On the contrary, I believe rates could stay low for a long time to come. This is purely based on that the rate of inflation is low and could even go lower. These low rates will not stay low forever and investors should be very careful that the risks are there and when rates start moving higher bond prices get sold off as it has happened in the last few days.

How does a bond price behave when rates are rising?

In general, a rise in interest rate is not good for the bond price. Simply, when rates go up bond price go down.

However, not all bond prices go down in the same magnitude. The total return for bonds with different maturities and different coupons can vary widely. To lessen the loss impact on bond when rates rising, investors should watch out for two very important metrics: • Bond Duration: measure of a bond’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. This should not be confused with the maturity of the bond.

• Credit spread: the amount of extra yield a bond pays compared with a government bond with similar characteristics i.e. maturity, credit rating, coupon, currency, size of the issue (liquidity), and market risk.

Bonds with short maturity tend to have a shorter duration and less sensitive to any movement in interest rates than bonds with long duration.

Investors can buy bonds with maturities of few days to 30 years. When rates move higher or when there is any hint of rising rates, long duration bonds get corrected far more than bonds with short duration i.e. up to 2 years. Also, bonds that are classified as junk bonds I e that are not investment grade get the hardest hit when rates rising.

Usually these junk bonds pay a much higher interest ie coupon than good quality bonds and that is to attract investors. At times when global economy is very strong high yielding bonds (junk bonds) tend to do very well if the issuer’s business is growing strongly in line with the general economy.

Recommended strategies Here, diversification can work well. If interest income is important to the investor then always buy good quality bonds and hold on to them till maturity while you collecting the coupons and have your capital repaid at the maturity of the bond. If an investor has a short term perspective, then investing in a shorter duration with higher credit quality may help reduce the impact of rising rates. Sometimes, investing in a mix of short maturity, long maturity and some high yielding bonds that in total gives the investors a short duration could lessen the impact of rising rates too. Investor should also maintain diversification at all times and in particular rates rising.

Very high quality bonds such as US Treasury, UK Gilts, Japanese Government bonds and German Government bonds are classified as top quality bonds and have low correlation with stock market movements.

Investing in bonds as a mean of diversification in a portfolio of assets or in a balanced portfolio can reduce the volatility of the portfolio. That is because prices of different types of bonds can move inversely with stock prices or some other assets. So, when there is an expectation of rising rates as it is the case now, bond will lag stocks and will underper form but when rates are falling like they did back in 2008 than they will help sustain good investment returns for a diversified portfolio. Don’t forget even though the price of the bond can go down the issuer will continue paying the coupon assuming they do not default. In a falling interest rates environment investors should avoid investing in bonds that are callable by the issuer or Floating Rate Notes that adjust the interest payment in line with falling short term interest rates.

Investing in Floating Rate Notes is good when rates are rising. Also, bond investors could look for other income options. For instance, real estate investment that pays fixed income on a monthly basis and its income can only be adjusted upwards in line with inflation on annual basis. These kinds of investments give the investors good income and potential capital gains when the investments are sold.

Whenever there is an expectation of a change on the directions of interest rates, asset classes react differently and in different magnitude. However, some asset classes could benefit more than the others. What is very important for investors is to understand why the shift in interest rates and what causing the shift to happen. Once the reasons are understood then investors should position themselves inthose assets that will benefit the most in the change in rates or in the case of equity investors they should look for those sectors that are ready to move higher because of the change in interest rates environment.

-Hayder Tawfik - Executive Vice President of Asset Management, at Dimah Capital- HT@dimah.com.kw

BPG Maxus was based on a strong combination of factors including strategic planning, digital acumen, team strength and buying efficiencies. We are looking forward to leverage this partnership with BPG Maxus to offer the best experience to our customers.” In his comments, Satish Mayya, CEO of BPG Maxus, said: “We are excited to handle the media planning and buying business of Sterling Parfums and Musafir.com, which are very strategic wins for BPG Maxus. These wins will largely contribute to the continuous expansion of our operations across the MENA region. Our efforts are centered on leveraging our expertise in the region into focused and effective media strategies for our partners.”

Sterling Parfums, one of the leading fragrance brands, was created in 1998 to provide a diverse range of cosmetics, oriental fragrances, Oud, Bakhoor and perfumes. Since then, Sterling Parfums has built an enviable reputation as one of the largest and leading companies in the

Middle East supplying its products globally. Sterling Parfums brands like ARMAF and ESTIARA has built a very strong identity across several countries in a very short span of time. Sterling Parfums also offers diverse range of products featuring world-renowned icons as DC Comics’ Batman, Superman, and the beloved Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, including Tom & Jerry and other Warner Bros. characters. Operating from its high-tech premises in Dubai Investment Park, Sterling Parfums has become the regions specialist in contract manufacturing and own branded products across the beauty and personal care industry.

The word Musafir means ‘traveler’ in both Hindi and Arabic. Established in 2007, the site is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Sachin Gadoya and Albert Dias.

Musafir.com, headquartered in Sharjah, now operates from 10 offices across India and the UAE with 8 new locations in the pipeline.

Ethiopian Diaspora, back home to boost economy The story of burgeoning Diaspora community ADDIS ABABA: When Tadiwos Belete moved to Ethiopia from the United States a decade ago to open a luxury spa, his relatives thought he was crazy. He built an office block on a crumbling congested thoroughfare in the centre of Addis Ababa, where there were few other businesses and seemingly few opportunities for a successful entrepreneur.

Now from his fourth floor office overlook ing the newly-refurbished, six-lane Bole Road, today crammed with cafes, hotels and shopping centres-a sign of Ethiopia’s thriving economyTadiwos recalls almost despairing of finding other businesses to rent space in his office block.

“I remember, we were almost praying whether we could get someone to rent this building,” Tadiwos said. “It’s amazing, I never believed it would grow this much, but it’s happened,” he added, looking down at the busy street below.

Tadiwos is part of a burgeoning diaspora community returning to Ethiopia to invest in its booming economy. Tadiwos’ business has blossomed, along with his Boston Day Spa, he has opened a restaurant and a wine bar in Addis Ababa, along with two luxur y resorts outside the capital.

He employs 1,500 people, and goes out of his way to use Ethiopian materials and products throughout his business empire.

For him, Ethiopia offered opportunities that did not exist in Boston, where he already owned a successful spa business.

He said he was drawn back not only because he thought he could make a living here, but also because he wanted to take part in Ethiopia’s development.

“The profitability is here, you can see it, you can feel it, you can touch it. But as well ... as a human being you can make a difference here,” he said. With an estimated four million diaspora living overseas, almost one in ever y 20 Ethiopians either lives outside the

countr y or has returned home recently. Most of them fled Ethiopia’s military regime in the 1970s to settle in the United States. Today, many are leaving flailing economies in the West to take advantage of Ethiopia’s rapid growth.

The economy here is growing at an annual rate of 8.5 percent, and was ranked the twelfth fastest growing economy in the world in 2012 by the World Bank . Like Tadiwos, most returnees are

that might actually strengthen government that we need so badly,” he said.

Ethiopia’s main pull seems to be the drying up economic possibilities in recession-hit Western countries. “It’s the opportunities here, in many respects it’s beyond low hanging fruit, it’s so obvious,” said Zemedeneh Negatu, a managing partner at Ernst and Young.

Zemedeneh, who returned to Ethiopia after 14 years abroad, said the payback is enormous. “It’s

ADDIS ABABA: Boston Day Spa owner Tadiwos Belete poses in Addis Ababa. Tadiwos Belete moved to Ethiopia ten years ago from the US and said he “can barely believe the building boom he has seen in the city in the last decade”. — AFP involved in the ser vice sector, though investments in agriculture and real estate are also growing fast.

Returning diaspora offer hard cash investments, but also invaluable skills, education and experience acquired in the West. But their influence is not only economic, according to Shanta Devarajan, head of the Africa region at the World Bank. “ The diaspora might bring strengthened governance to African societies. These are people who have been outside the system and are able to observe it from afar, and

a combination of the financial reward, but also these touchyfeely, fuzzy kind of things. You can quantify the contribution you make here, definitely it’s measurable,” he said.

Though statistics are not available, Zemedeneh said the number of successful businesses established by returnees has grown in recent years, which builds confidence among other diaspora Ethiopians contemplating a move back . But although returning Ethiopians have an advantage over foreign investors such as the Indian or Chinese who have limit-

ed local knowledge and language skills-the transition after years away is not always easy. Unreliable telecommunications, underdeveloped infrastructure and crippling bureaucracy are major challenges.

Access to finance and foreign currency remains limited.

Ethiopia ranks 127 out of 185 countries in World Bank’s Doing Business report, an index on the ease of conduc ting business.

“Ethiopia’s business environment, especially in the area of trade logistics, is deteriorating compared to other countries,” said Lars Moller, lead economist at the World Bank in Ethiopia. “If policymakers could focus on removing the red tape of doing business that would be important to make sure that they reap the full benefits of returning diaspora,” Moller added. For Addis Alemeyahou, returning diaspora like him have help replace reliance on foreign aid, a key pillar in Ethiopia’s national economic plan.

“Real sustainable development, the essence of it is basically private sec tor development, it ’s investment,” he said, sitting in an upmarket cupcake shop, a popular hangout among returnees located in a fast developing neighbourhood in Addis Ababa. He said the vast majority of diaspora who have come back are starting businesses and creating jobs. “They’re creating industries that are growing, and I think that ’s fuelling everything else,” he said.

Addis returned to his mother country after 12 years in North America to start his own consulting firm. He said when he left Washington DC, people were wary about his move, but now the majority of Ethiopians he knew there have moved back home.

Many, Zemedeneh among them, see the trend continuing. “I am very positive that the diaspora will be a very significant player in the Ethiopian economy, I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Zemedeneh said. —AFP

Bumps in the stock market’s bull run NEW YORK: It’s really not so bad. Sure, the stock market is down nearly 5 percent since May 21, the day before the Federal Reserve first said it could begin pulling back its economic stimulus.

Yet taking a step back, the selloff could ultimately represent nothing more than a hiccup. The market is in the midst of a bull run that began in March 2009, and it has endured sharper declines several times since the rally began. Every time, stocks have recovered.

Investors have reason to feel confident stocks can bounce back yet again. The economy is gradually improving and corporate earnings are setting records. Those factors drive stocks higher. “It’s just a bump along the road and these levels represent a buying opportunity,” said Peter Cardillo, Chief Market Economist at Rockwell Global Capital. “By the end of the year we will be much higher.” The 4.6 percent selloff from the S&P 500’s May 21 record close of 1,669.16 doesn’t even qualify as a pullback defined as a slump from peak to trough of 5 percent to 9 percent. Since bottoming out at a low of 676.53 after the financial crisis, the S&P 500 index has climbed 135 percent.

During that stretch it had six pullbacks and two corrections - losses of 10 percent or greater. The index has yet to slip into a bear market, a drop of 20 percent or more.

The first big wobble in the rally started April 23, 2010, when concerns about the European debt crisis unsettled investors. By July 2, the S&P 500 index had fallen 194.70

points, or 15.9 percent, to 1,022.58. The next big interruption to the stock market’s rise came a year later when the index fell by 245.79 points, or 18.3 percent, between July 22 and October 3, 2011. The catalyst was a tussle between US lawmakers in Washington over extending the debt ceiling. The fight threatened to push the US into default. Investors dumped stocks.

The most recent slump came in the runup to the November presidential election, when investors worried about the threat of fiscal stalemate and the potential for political gridlock in Washington.

But once investors ultimately learned to live with the discord in Washington, the market resumed its upward surge, climbing almost without interruption to its most recent peak last month. Between Nov. 15 and May 21, the S&P 500 index gained 316 points, or 23 percent.

“If you look at the grand scale of where we’ve come this year, this really is a hiccup,” said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist at TD Ameritrade of this week’s selloff.

Typically, a pullback in stocks lasts about one month from peak to trough, said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ, who has studied the S&P 500 going back to 1946. The stock market then takes about two months to recoup its losses. That suggests that a buy-and-hold strategy and a willingness to sit out rough patches favor long-term investors. “History usually says that you’re much better off buying than bailing,” Stovall said. —AP

Italy to delay VAT sales tax hike: Official ROME: Italy will delay for at least three months a rise in sales tax which was due to take effect in July and the government aims to cancel the rise altogether, deputy Economy Minister Stefano Fassina said in a newspaper interview yesterday.

The scheduled 1 percentage point rise in the main rate of value-added tax (VAT ) to 22 percent has become a major focus of tension for Enrico Letta’s coalition government. Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right People of Freedom party, which Letta depends on for his majority, has demanded that the increase be cancelled, but Letta has hesitated because of the impact on Italy’s strained public finances.

“I think a delay is inevitable,” Fassina told La Stampa and he predicted “the most likely outcome” would be for the increase to first be delayed until October, when the government presents its budget for next year, and then scrapped altogether.

The cancellation would cost around 4 billion euros ($5.3 billion) per year which would have to be found through other tax hikes or spending cuts if Italy is to meet its goal of holding the budget deficit below the European Union’s limit of 3 percent of output.

Fassina, who comes from Letta’s centre -left Democratic Party, said the government was discussing possible ways of finding the money but a solution had still not been found.

On Saturday Il Giornale newspaper, which is owned by Berlusconi’s brother, said in a headline on its front page that the government would fall unless Letta cancelled the sales tax increase. — Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

BUSINESS

Starbucks pays British corporation tax LONDON: US-based coffee giant Starbucks said yesterday it had paid £5 million in British corporation tax and will pay another £15 million by next year after facing a backlash from lawmakers and customers over non-payment.

The move comes despite Starbucks claiming that it remained unprofitable in Britain, and that it was looking at closing its struggling stores in the country.

Corporation tax is levied on a company’s profits and currently stands at a rate of 23 percent in Britain. The announcement comes after leaders of the G8 major economies last week struck a deal to fight corporate tax avoidance, which while not illegal, robs government coffers of sizeable income at a time of deep cuts to public spending.

Yesterday’s statement confirms an announcement by Starbucks last December that it intended to pay £10 million ($15.4 million, 11.8 million euros) in British corporation tax both this year and in 2014. The last time Starbucks paid such tax in Britain was in 2008.

“Six months ago, we felt that our customers should not have to wait for us to become profitable before we started paying UK corporation tax,” Starbucks said.

“We listened to our customers in December and so decided to forgo certain deductions which would make us liable to pay £10 million in corporation tax this year and a further £10 million in 2014. — AFP

Fed shakes markets as party ends NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORT KUWAIT: Known to be the most dovish man in the world, in the last FOMC press conference, Ben Bernanke acknowledged that downside risks have diminished in the US and there is further improvement in the labor market. The Fed’s economic projections showed growth in-line to slightly higher and a lower jobless rate forecast. Markets took these comments as a signal that with this kind of improvements, there is no way that the Fed could continue the largest accommodation program the world has ever known. Automatically, selling pressure started to hit every single market with the bond market coming under consistent and intense pressure.

While it started with the bond market, the movement translated into Dollar strength across the board with emerging markets coming under intense pressure whether from equity to bond and currency markets.

In summary, the main message from the Fed speech this week was a change in tone to portray a hawkish Fed, as the entire debate shifted from the timing of QE tapering to the timing of QE exit. In addition, while the FOMC statement continues to highlight the potential for QE to be adjusted up or down, the Chairman’s press conference was all about expectations of a QE wind-down. On the foreign exchange side, currencies closed the week with a stronger Dollar across the board with the main victims emerging markets currencies.

After falling all week up to Wednesday night, the dollar index received a boost from the Fed meeting to close the week at the high of 82.50. The euro was very well supported at the beginning of the week, reaching a high over 1.3400 levels; however, the currency ran out of steam and broke down after the FOMC meeting to close the week at 1.3122 following a stronger USD against all the majors.

The sterling pound held firm at the 1.5600 levels, helped by an unwinding of Sterling funded carry trades; however, the reaction was fairly muted. After reaching a high of 1.5752 on Monday, the Pound ended the week at 1.5419.

The Japanese yen dropped by over 4 percent during the week on stronger USD and on comments from Japan central Bank governor that uncertainty surrounding Japan’s economy remained high; however, the country’s exports have started to pick up with support from the currency moves. The Yen closed the week with 10 points shy of 98.00. In the commodity complex, Gold prices tumbled again mainly on continuing unwind of carry trades and a hawkish Federal Reserve. As confusion over the Fed policy continues, investors are attempting to price a potential exit of QE from the Fed. Gold prices closed the week below the $1,300 level.

After getting support from the political turmoil in the Middle East, oil prices succumbed to the global selling pressure and ended the week at $95.60.

The FOMC meeting The Chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke, tried to provide some comfort to the bond market but the hope lasted only seconds into his speech, as 10 years yield moved from 2.18 percent to over 2.42 percent by the end of the week. The FOMC statement noted downside economic risk had diminished and labor market showed further improvement in the economy. Investors took these signs as the Fed could be preparing for tapering in the second part of the year but Bernanke tried to limit the impact by suggesting tapering would not be over until mid 2014.

Bernanke downplayed the triggers on hitting economic targets. “The economic conditions we have set out as preceding any future rate increase are thresholds, not triggers.” In addition, “increases in the target for the federal funds rate, once they begin, are likely to be gradual”.

The market ignored these comments as he added that if the economy performed more strongly, the pace of the taper could become more aggressive. According to analysts, under the Fed’s scenario, the rate of purchases would change from $85 billion later this year to zero by mid-year 2014.

The latest US Empire Manufacturing survey came much stronger than expected and the national association of Homebuilders numbers impressed markets, as it seems that homebuyers were insensitive to a potential increase of interest rates. The headline component of the NY Empire survey was as mentioned stronger +7.8 vs. -1.4 previously. However, the underlying details showed a broad-based deterioration. Aside from the inflation components, every underlying component deteriorated, including new orders, shipments, unfilled orders, delivery times, inventories, employment and the average workweek. On the other hand, the general business conditions in the survey indicated that conditions had improved modestly.

Housing Starts statistics were also out this week. while the number soared, it failed to match the excitement rising 6.8 percent in the month to 914k following a -14.8 percent decline previously, which appeared to be due to unfavorable weather in that month. Still May starts are up 29 percent from year earlier levels. Housing permits declined -3.1 percent in May (to 974k), but this followed a 12.9 percent increase in April.

Europe & UK Markets continue ignoring all European headlines as all attention is turned to the economic situation in the US and China.

Indeed, headlines coming out of Europe this week, whether about Cyprus protesting their package or Greece being late on the

Troika commitments, were ignored and the euro continued to be well sustained when compared to the other currencies. Indeed, in a letter addressed to euro zone leaders, Cyprus’ president has asked for a complete revamp of his country Ä10 billion bailout package and warned that Nicosia may not be able to meet the rescue’s current terms because it has harmed the country’s economy and banking system even more than expected. Also, reports that the IMF may suspend aid payments to Greece unless the bailout hole is plugged, did not get any traction from the market.

The Greek bailout, Cyprus restructuring of its banking system along the refusal of the ECB to embark into unconventional monetary policies signaled that all Euro funded carry trades should be unwounded and gave a boost for the currency against all its peers. As LTRO repayment continue to be aggressively priced in, we do not believe this event would materialize and we believe markets are poised to be disappointed as Europe is still behind the US in term of economic recovery with a weak un-unified banking system.

As global markets were shocked by a potential end of the cheap money syndrome, the euro has been supported on the back of the deleveraging/unwind of carry trade. Hence, we do not believe that the Euro performance as of late is to be taken for a fundamental shift rather than just traders positioning of portfolios. Europe’s problems are far from being solved, and interest rates yields in the peripheral countries have moved too aggressively into a recovery shape with Spain and Italy yielding 4.56 percent and 4.27 percent.

UK retail sales After a negative second quarter, the third quarter represents the beginning of a new era in the UK’s monetary policymaking.

Mervin King leaves at a time when the future looks a little brighter after better than expected PMIs and industrial productions this week, albeit still very uncertain. The lower inflation continues to ease constraints on the BoE to deliver more QE. In addition, the recent performance of the UK economy is not a fundamental shift, as Europe’s problem are far from being solved, and the UK is about to enter into unchartered territories with a new Central banker with a different philosophy than the predecessor.

On the data side, retail sales bounced this week by 2.1 percent in May on increase spending on an increase in food store sales, the biggest driver of the headline volume growth month on month.

Additionally, the UK service Sector PMI beat expectations coming at 54.9 compared to analysts forecast of 52.9.

Asia After an extremely volatile week whether over the equity, bond or the currency markets, the Japanese yen lost around 4 percent after Bernanke Speech. In a continued effort to calm markets and reduce volatility to avoid derailing a weak Japanese recovery, in his latest speech, Japan’s central bank governor Kuroda acknowledged that Japan’s economy have picked up, exports have started increasing due to the currency movement, and markets have been somewhat unstable since late May, however were likely to stabilize over time. He also noted the will to adjust the monetary policy as needed, looking at both upside and downside risks to Japan’s economy and prices.

In addition, during the last meeting of the BOJ, policy makers refrained from expanding their tools to address bond-market volatility, sticking with an April plan to double the monetary base, left the door open to future changes though, saying that it will “make adjustments as needed.”

After the large pressure exerted by the Fed speech on Wednesday, China’s Central Bank injected funds to alleviate a cash crunch experienced by some local banks.

Indeed, the PBOC used reverse-repurchase agreements to inject funds into selected banks, however not across the board.

According to analysts, if any injections were made, they were likely explicitly targeted at specific banks facing liquidity problems.

The continuation of the Chinese slow growth combined with the Fed potential unwinding of QE, have not helped emerging markets lately.

Growth dropped to 7.7 percent in the first quarter of the year, and many economists expect it to fall further in the second quarter. Chinese policy makers responded to a similar slowdown last year by cutting interest rates and speeding up infrastructure projects, however, it could be more problematic this time.

Commodities The price of Gold broke through a number of key technical levels this week and this exacerbated the move down. Demand from physical players on this price break was strong, but not enough to stem the losses from financial selling. The sell-off was also not contained to the just the gold market as silver fell also 8.5 percent.

Oil prices drop Oil prices fell sharply amid commodity liquidation this week. A higher USD and weaker-than-expected China Flash Manufacturing PMI reading this week pressured markets. As US equities fell this week and the USD rallied, this provided a triple headwind for oil.

Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar at 0.28465 The USDKWD opened at 0.28465 yesterday morning.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

BUSINESS

taking innovation to new heights • Nokia Lumia smartphones are the only smartphones that offer “offline” turn by turn navigation • With Nokia Music, best quality and biggest library of over 22 million songs a click away • The only smartphones with built-in wireless charging technology • Nokia Lumia smartphones are the first to bring the optical image stabilization

T

he global Smartphone ‘war’ has made mobile devices one of the most rapidly-changing industries in the world in the past few years, with technological innovations, pricing and marketing strategies playing a part in a fiercely contested arena involving a small handful of industry players and their respective operating systems. As the competition continues to heat up, companies are working harder at finding product differentiators to stand out from their competitive set.

Nokia revolutionized the industry when it launched its ‘Lumia’ range of Smartphones that runs Windows 8 Operating System from Microsoft in 2012. The range has allowed Nokia to showcase its product differentiators ranging from its industry-leading imaging and navigation technology to its sleek design and user-friendly functionality. And to keep innovating, Nokia lately introduced the Nokia Lumia 925, the device which comes in a metal design and showcases the latest PureView camera innovation, new features and third party applications coming to the Nokia Lumia range.

The Nokia Lumia 925 includes the most advanced lens technology and next generation imaging software to capture clearer, sharper pictures and video, including the best low light images. The Nokia Lumia 925 also introduces the new Nokia Smart

Nokia 920

The evolutionof

the mobile apps: Making smartphones smarter

D

ownloading applications is the most popular data usage activity for smartphone users1, and with 22 million smartphones and tablets across the MENA region2, it’s easy to understand why the mobile apps market has become the next battle ground for industry players.

Expect the battle to heat up as industry experts expect application downloads to reach nearly 48 billion by 20153 driven by the increasing penetration of connected mobile devices and the growing availability of mobile data access throughout the region. According to recent survey created by Vision Mobile titled ‘Developer economics 2013’, 86 percent of developers target smartphones v/s tablets and 49 percent of developers build apps they want to use themselves, but end up generating revenue - signaling the rise of a booming app economy. The Windows Phone platform alone has over 200, 000 registered app developers.

The potential of applications has not been lost on governments either. Here in the UAE, where there are 14 million mobile subscribers, an average of two per person, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai recently announced the launch of ‘Smart Government’, and initiative that aims to ensure that government services will be delivered via mobile phones as part of his vision to provide services to people wherever they are and at any time With Nokia, Microsoft has made promising strides within the Windows 8 platform - 48 out of the 50 most downloaded apps from the Windows Phone store (Marketplace) are available on its Lumia range of smartphones. Not only that, when it comes to free apps, Nokia offers more value than any smartphone manufacturer. Not only do Lumia smartphone users have access to all the apps in the Windows Phone Store; they can get also get their hands on some innovative exclusive Nokia Lumia apps focusing on experiences including Navigation, Imaging and Music.

These three factors form the crux of Nokia’s differentiating strengths within the Smartphone market, as the brand has unrivalled expertise and technology in each of them, through its innovative Nokia Maps (HERE technology), Pureview Imaging technology and Nokia Music, the biggest library of over 22 Million tracks for local and international music.

Encouraged by this trend, Nokia has been working continuously with developers to deliver the best apps to its Lumia phones users. This has included initiatives focusing on grassroots development of the ecosystem itself such as Nokia and Microsoft’s debut regional Midnight Developer App Challenge contest, where five university teams from Tunisia, Kenya, Pakistan, UAE, won prizes and received technical training through webinars for their innovative app creations after receiving advanced technical training and coding sessions with Nokia and Microsoft software experts over a period of four months.

The Windows Phone ecosystem continues to grow at an amazing rate. With more than 145,000+ apps and games, the platform is growing by the hundreds every day.

Lumia 720 order to get great results when you’re working in low light.

Nokia 925 Camera mode, coming as an update to all Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones. Nokia Smart Camera offers an easy way to capture ten images at once and edit the pictures with options like Best Shot, Action Shot, and Motion Focus for creating the perfect high quality image. Below are some of the Smartphone’s features that make Nokia Lumia the leading innovator in today’s Smartphone industry: Navigation Geographic navigation is among the most important applications for Smartphone users. A survey carried out

by IDG shows that 80 percent of smartphone users use navigation apps on their phones, making it an important feature for them and turning their phones from tools to make and receive phone calls to smart devices that provide a host of useful services for users during movement. Among these services are maps based on GPS technology, which show the user a map their current location and are automatically updated as the user heads to any destination Nokia develops “HERE” map content by gathering complex data at a rate of 1.3 million points per second. Special cars roam the streets and commercial locations specifically for that purpose, in cooperation with 80 thousand data sources (such as governments and experts). Four out of five cars around the world (which support navigation systems) use the “HERE” map content provided by Nokia. The companies which partnered with Nokia to provide these maps are: BMW, Porsche, Microsoft, Yahoo, Garmin, MapQuest, OnStar, and T-Mobile.

HERE Drive With Nokia “HERE” Drive, which gives directions while driving on Lumia smartphones, it is easy to display 3D or 2D maps as desired, change map colors in accordance with time (night or day), display key locations on the map, inform users about speed limits, and change units (metric, British or American systems), as well as a digital compass, zooming and displaying details around the user. The app provides audio direction in 104 countries, using more than 50 languages.

Nokia “HERE” Transit Nokia “HERE” Transit helps users plan for their journey by using metro stations in countries that provide this means (Dubai is one of those more than 500 cities), by entering a starting point and end point. The app then displays a plan including the trains that the user should ride, as well as their arrival and departure times. The app tells the user the time and distance needed on foot to arrive at the station, duration of the journey, how to get to the next stop and take another bus until arrival at the desired stop, and the overall duration of the journey.

Map Applications Users can choose their destination and ask for directions from the mapping system integrated in their phone, as well as choose the means of transport, whether on foot or by car, or even by metro in countries providing this means of transport. The system then calculates the easiest and fastest routes in mere seconds, and begins showing the directions and voicing them out if the user chose that feature. The user can benefit from these maps to discover cities worldwide and get to know the vacation destination beforehand, as well as save the places they want to visit on their phone.

“HERE” City Lens Nokia fitted its new phones with

“HERE” City Lens, an app that provides intuitive interaction with the world around the user, made possible by pointing the phone’s camera at any zone in the city and a list of the restaurants, shops, and other landmarks is shown directly above the roof of the building on the screen. By simple pointing of the camera and finding the nearest restaurant, the user can tap on the restaurant’s name to know more about it. If the user liked the restaurant, they can simply contact it from the details menu to make a reservation before visiting.

Nokia Music Nokia’s free music streaming service allows consumers to enjoy latest curated playlists from more than 22 million tracks. Nokia Music enables Nokia Lumia owners to freely discover and enjoy offline music in a simple and delightful way.

Completely advertisement-free, and requiring no registration or subscription, Nokia Music lets consumers immerse themselves in the dulcet tones of their favorite artists without being disrupted.

For maximum convenience, Nokia Music playlists can also be enjoyed offline so consumers can listen to their favorite playlists anytime, anywhere - perfect for a long flight, journey to work or even during a metro train ride in Dubai.

Nokia Lumia owners can download the Nokia Music app for free from the Windows Phone Store and can also buy their favorite music from the Nokia Music Ala Carte store, where they can get the freshest music, best quality and biggest library of over 22 Million tracks for local and international music.

Consumers can stream music from a suite of over 150 exclusive playlists that are curated and kept up-to-date. The playlists span a wide spectrum of musical genres from Khaleeji, Arabic, Bollywood and International. Partnering labels include a variety of international renowned names such as Universal, Sony and EMI. The Nokia Music service also includes many local Arabic labels such as Meloday, Mazzika and Qanawat along with Bollywood’s T-series, Yash Raj, and Eros.

Consumers can also create their own personal soundtrack by selecting the Nokia Music ‘Create’ function that gener-

ates a playlist based on, and inspired by, the artists they love. Consumers in the UAE can enjoy Nokia Music artists’ ranging from the legendary Mohamed Abdo, Rashed Al Majed, Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Nancy Ajram, Myriam Fares, George Wassouf and many more.

Imaging The Lumia range has some of the most developed Smartphone technologies in imaging, utilizing Nokia’s innovative PureView technology to offer the

JBL PlayUp Portable Wireless Speaker for Nokia with Nokia Lumia 920 clearest images a smartphone can deliver. These options are not only restricted to the top-of the-range Nokia Lumia 920 either. The recently-launched Nokia Lumia 720 delivers a high end camera performance at a mid-range price point.

Nokia wireless charging Fatboy recharge pillow DT-901 with Nokia Lumia 920 A large f/1.9 aperture and exclusive Carl Zeiss optics are designed to deliver bright, clear pictures day and night, while the HD-quality, wide-angle frontfacing camera makes taking pictures with friends and video calling more enjoyable. The Lumia 720 also packs Nokia’s best front-facing camera, which is sure to be popular for the region’s growing phenomenon of self-portraits.

Low Light Photography Using advanced floating lens technology, the flagship Nokia Lumia 920 is able to take in five times more light than competing smartphones without using flash, making it possible to capture clear, bright pictures and video indoors as well as night time shots.

How does this work? The advanced floating lens technology reacts to the minute movements in your hand to balance the lens, so the shutter can stay open longer, and more light means brighter, clearer images without flash.

Nokia has also adopted a massive f/2.0 aperture - in layman’s terms, it lets in more light from the start when you’re using it indoors. Both these measures mean a lower sensor size is needed in

Smart Shoot Using innovations from Nokia’s photography wizards, Smart Shoot lens allows users to do two key functions change faces and remove unwanted objects. There’s nothing worse than taking a group photo with friends and realizing that out of the three people in the frame, one had their eyes shut when the camera snapped the photo or that one person was looking slightly off to the left. When you take a photo using Smart Shoot, you’re actually taking a sequence of photos.

Smart Shoot also allows you to take away moving, un-wanted objects in your photos such as a passerby or person on the perimeter of the shot that spoils the photo. With this object removal feature, you can select the best shot and precise moment from a range of alternatives. Smart Shoot automatically suggests objects to be removed from the image and all you need to do is confirm the removal to create the perfect shot.

Cinemagraph Animated photos - a single photo that has motion and can show a sequence of photos in succession are interesting and generally found on the Internet. These are often developed by creative graphic designers. With the Cinemagraph lens Lumia owners can now create a magical blend of photo and movie-like animation, creating photos that are alive with feeling through imagery.

Once selected from the camera menu, Cinemagraph lets users snap a photo and generate 15 frame-per-second file. The Cinemagraph gives onscreen step-by-step instructions to get one started and even allows the users to fine tune and optimize your photo such as choosing which parts of the photo one wants to be animated.

You can also use the Panorama Lens and Creative Studio to add your professional effects by easy and versatile editing of your pictures, add effects to pictures or use filters to make them look visually stunning and improve the quality of the image by letting you adjust color, brightness, vibrancy and detail. It also helps you remove red-eyes, crop and rotate pictures.

Blink BLINK is designed to snap photos both before and after the user has started shooting, ensuring that the user does not miss important moments, and that the wanted shot is among snapped photos. Blink comes with advanced image stabilization technology aimed at removing camera shake so that users could focus on the part of the scene that interests them the most.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

BUSINESS

Ford wins ‘International Engine of Year’ for second year Automaker announces increase in 1.0-Litre EcoBoost production DUBAI: Ford Motor Company’s ultrafuel efficient and spirited 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine yesterday was named 2013 International Engine of the Year, marking the second straight year Ford’s acclaimed three-cylinder engine has captured the award.

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost - which combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing to lower fuel consumption without sacrificing power - received the highest score in the history of the awards. The engine also won the “Best Engine Under 1.0-litre” category at the annual awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine.

Ford also confirmed plans to double production of the engine at its Cologne (Germany) Engine Plant to more than 1,000 engines a day from mid-August to meet demand.

“With a technology as mature as the internal combustion engine, it’s very rare to achieve a true breakthrough, but that is exactly what the team accomplished with this engine,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain. “You

have to drive it to believe a small three-cylinder engine can deliver such performance and fuel economy.”

A panel of 87 automotive journalists from 35 countries around the world judged the awards on drivability, performance, economy, refinement and the successful application of advanced engine technology.

Ford is one of three car makers to record back-to-back victories in the 15-year history of the awards. The Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost also has won the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation at German magazine Auto Motor und Sport Best Cars Awards and the Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club in Great Britain, a Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine in the US. “Who’d have believed it? A 1.0-litre engine that has it all, powerful, fuel efficient, clean and lightweight,” said Peter Lyon, UK juror and freelance journalist. “This is a masterpiece.” The 1.0-litre EcoBoost was designed at Ford’s research and development centres in Aachen and Merkenich, Germany, and Dunton, U.K., and is

built in Cologne and Craiova, Romania.

Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the 15th International Engine of the Year awards and editor of Engine Technology International Magazine, said: “Baby EcoBoost - Ford’s firstever three-cylinder design - is still the engine to beat across the board.

It’s economical in real-world conditions while the compact turbo helps ensure that the entire package can power larger vehicles like the Grand C-MAX with ease.”

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is currently offered in small cars such as Fiesta and B-MAX and compact offerings including Focus, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX. In the near future it will power larger cars including the new Ford Mondeo. It also will be offered in Transit Connect and Transit Courier commercial vehicles and Tourneo Connect and Tourneo Courier people movers.

The engine is being rolled out throughout the world. It is now available for customers buying the new EcoSport in India and China and later this year will be offered with Fiesta in North America.

Small enough to fit in the overhead luggage compartment of an airplane, the engine delivers best in class petrol fuel economy for Europe in such vehicles as Fiesta, Focus, CMAX and Grand C-MAX. Ford’s Cologne and Craiova Engine Plants were upgraded to facilitate 1.0-litre EcoBoost production and introduced advanced manufacturing techniques that reduce the volume of coolant required when machining aluminum engine parts to just five millilitres per component from two litres previously, contributing to a reduced environmental footprint from manufacturing.

New “cold testing” technology was also introduced, allowing engines to be tested without being started - reducing fuel usage and CO2 emissions from the process by 66 per cent. All remaining energy required to run the Cologne plant comes from renewable sources, including three hydro-power plants in Norway and Sweden. Ford of Europe plans to triple annual production of vehicles equipped with fuel-efficient EcoBoost petrol engines to approximately 480,000 by

2015, from 141,000 in 2011. The company projects that more than 300,000 of those vehicles will be equipped with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost.

In the first quarter of 2013 in Europe,

the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine accounted for 42 per cent of orders in B-MAX, 30 per cent in Focus and 24 per cent in Fiesta across Ford’s 19 traditional European markets.

Selection process begins for Proteges powered by KIPCO

NBK announces first 6 winners to win up to KD 10,000 cash prizes KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announced the first six winners of up to KD 10,000 in cash prizes in its summer campaign. NBK Summer Campaign offers customers the chance to win an astonishing Azimut 40 Flybridge Yacht as a grand prize at the end of the campaign as well as up to KD 180,000 in cash prizes during the campaign.

Wael Majed Al-Nemer, Athar Hamad AlSaleh, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz Saad, Mazyad Raja Al-Baloud, Abeer Ibraheem AlRushoud and Rulla Qais Al-Nusif each won cash prizes up to KD 10,000 in the first draw.

NBK Cardholders still have the chance to participate in the promotion and earn unlimited chances in the last two draws throughout the summer until 15 September 2013. In addition to the grand prize for the Azimut 40 Yacht, 18 winners

spread in to three draws will be reimbursed for all their spending using NBK Cards up to KD 10,000 each.

For every cumulative KD 20 spent in Kuwait with NBK Credit or Prepaid Cards, Cardholders will earn a chance to enter the draws. Cardholders will triple their chances by using their NBK Credit, Prepaid and Debit Card abroad or by shopping on international sites.

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

The Azimut 40 Flybridge is one of the most luxurious yachts designed by AzimutBenetti, the world renowned yacht manufacturers, combining elegance and comfort. Seas & Deserts Group is the exclusive Azimut Yachts dealer in Kuwait.

KUWAIT: The Protges campaign for registration has ended in success - the mentorship program that provides young people with opportunities to learn life and leadership skills have begun the process to select the 25 young people aged between 16 and 24 to take part in the program.

Program manager, Shamlan Al-Bahar explained the selection process: “We look for exceptional young people with ambition and passion. Once we receive an application, we invite each applicant to our office for an interview. First they fll out a brief personality test and then they face a panel of our mentors. They are asked carefully designed questions that show their personality and morals. When we see something special in the first interview, we invite them back for a second interview. Each applicant receives a score and only once we’ve met each and every applicant will we be able to select the 25 Generation 3 Proteges. “ Al-Bahar wishes to thank all sponsors for their contribution to the campaign: “Many thanks to The Proteges strategic partner KIPCO and their group of participating companies: Burgan Bank, KAMCO, United Real Estate, Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company, Gulf Insurance Group, United Networks, Kuwait Hotels Company and the American University of Kuwait. With their help, Generation 3 is shaping up to be the best yet.”

He added: “We also wish to thank our platinum sponsors Abyat, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company, and Al-Anba newspaper.

We would also like to thank Al-Rai, our local media partner and our bronze sponsor, IFA Consulting Services. Because of their contributions and support, we will be able to create a truly life-changing experience for 25 young people.”

The selected applicants for The Proteges, Generation 3 will be announced on July 1, 2013.

The program will start in the second week of

Warba Bank appoints Iyad Al Busairi as Branches Dept Manager KUWAIT: Warba Bank, the most recently opened Sharia of the bank’s branch network, and the achievement of the compliant Kuwaiti Bank, yesterday announced the objective of becoming one of Kuwait’s leading financial Islamic institutions. Commenting on his appointment of Iyad Al-Busairi as Branches appointment, Iyad Al-Busairi said: “I am very Department Manager. Al-Busairi comes to pleased to join Warba Bank and looking forWarba with more than 14 years of specialized ward to helping the bank accomplish its ambiexperience in managing banking branches, tious goals. Warba Bank has a strong presence and has a deep knowledge of the Islamic and a great track record of successes, and we banking market in Kuwait. He will lead and are determined to enhance the bank’s position supervise business operations in all Warba and increase future achievements”.

Bank branches. Prior to joining Warba, AlKuwaitization at the management level of Busairi held many senior positions, most Warba Bank has crossed the 75 percent mark, prominently a Branch Manager at Kuwait demonstrating the commitment of the bank to Finance House (KFH) from 1996 to 2010, durutilize the leadership qualities of Kuwaitis. This ing which he trained more than 350 bank high figure has been achieved despite a numemployees. He then spent two years as the Iyad Dawood Alber of challenges.

Chief Executive Officer of Mashaer Group- Haj Bousairi Due to a lack of Kuwaiti recruits in some secand Umrah.

The appointment of Iyad Al-Busairi as Branches tors, the bank provided training to young Nationals with Department Manager will support the business strategy high qualifications, which enabled the bank to achieve undertaken by the bank since incorporation, which focus Kuwaitization of 98 percent in some departments, includon employing the most highly qualified people in order to ing Corporate, Retail and HR. Reflecting Warba’s commitredefine the Islamic banking sector in Kuwait over the ment to employ local expertise and talent, the bank has coming years. Al-Busairi’s experience and skills will con- achieved overall Kuwaitization across its entire operations tribute significantly towards the growth and development of more than 60 percent.

Burgan Bank announces daily winners of Yawmi account KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the names of the five lucky winners of its Yawmi account draw, each taking home a prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the daily draws took home a cashprize of KD 5000 each, and they are: 1. Abdulmohsen Khaled Abdulmohsen Albahar 2. Sarkis Enjian 3. Ahmd Jehad Abdulrahman Al-Yousef 4. Hussien Abdul-Kareem Abdulla Ramadan 5. Mohammad Hussain Mohammad Hussain Al-Faily With its new and enhanced features, the Yawmi Account has become more convenient, easier, and faster for customers to benefit from. Now, customers will be eligible to enter the draw after 48 hours only from opening the account.

Customers are also required to deposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter the daily draw, and the coupon value to enter

the draw stands at KD 10. The newly designed Yawmi account has been launched to provide a highly innovative offering along with a higher frequency and incentive of winning for everyone. Today, the Yawmi account is a well understood product, where its popularity can be seen from the number of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to maximize their chances to becoming a daily winner. The more customers deposit, the higher the chances they receive of winning the draw. Opening a Yawmi account is simple, customers are urged to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch and receive all the details, or simply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080 where customer service representatives will be delighted to assist with any questions on the Yawmi account or any of the bank’s products and services. Customers can also log on to Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for further information.

August and continue for 4 weeks. For the latest news and information about the program, follow us on Twitter: the_ proteges and Instagram: TheProteges or visit www.theproteges.org Founded in 2010, The Proteges is a program designed to positively infuence the youth of Kuwait, through an inclusive program that combines travel, lectures, group activities, challenges, games and fun. Guided by a team of mentors, The Proteges are encouraged to discover their passions and given the tools to help them excel in their future careers and contribute positively to society.

Shamlan Al-Bahar

Starwood Hotels & Resorts expands presence in Saudi MAKKAH: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc has signed an agreement with Jabal Omar Development Company to open three new hotels in the Holy City of Makkah. As part of the Jabal Omar Development project, Starwood will add 1,496 rooms to the city under the company’s Sheraton, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton brands when the hotels open in 2015.

Starwood currently operates 10 properties in Saudi Arabia, the second largest market for the company in the Middle East behind the UAE. “We are delighted to work with Jabal Omar Development Company as we introduce the Sheraton, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton brands to the holy city of Makkah,” said Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “As business travel and religious tourism continue to expand in Saudi Arabia, we believe the time is right to expand our portfolio in the country.”

Abdul Rahman Abdul Qadir Fakieh, chairman of the board for Jabal Omar Development Company commented, “We are excited to partner with Starwood to bring three of their worldclass brands to Makkah. We believe the addition of these hotels is in line with the goal of the Jabal Omar Development to improve and urbanize the central area surrounding Al Haram and provide much needed facilities and accommodations for pilgrims.” AlHaram, the Jabal Omar Development, is a 230,000 square meter mixed-use development in Makkah comprised of 38 high-rise buildings. With 26 hotels and over 11,000 rooms, the complex is one of the largest hotel developments in the world.

Sheraton Makkah Hotel With a long history in the Middle East, spanning more than 50 years, the Sheraton brand continues to be one of

the most sought-after hotel brands in the region. Offering a warm and lively ambience, the Sheraton Makkah Hotel will boast 532 guest rooms and suites featuring the all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper(r) Bed. The hotel will also feature five food and beverage venues, including two large buffet restaurants to suit the schedules of guests.

Other signature offerings at the Sheraton Makkah Hotel include the Sheraton Club Lounge and Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft in the lobby, a unique social and communications hub delivering the technology guests expect and require while on the road. Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance will feature separate gym equipment and training facilities. The hotel will also offer over 185 square meters (2,000 square feet) of meeting and event space.

Westin Makkah Hotel Offering a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere, Westin Makkah will feature 513 guest rooms and suites outfitted with the renowned Westin Heavenly Bed and the Heavenly Bath.

Westin Makkah will offer two large buffet restaurants for guests, as well as a specialty restaurant and two lounges.

Signature experiences such as the Heavenly Spa by Westin and the WestinWORKOUT, offering fitness facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, will help create a revitalizing stay for guests. The hotel will also offer more than 232 square meters (2,500 square feet) of ultra-modern meeting and function space.

Four Points by Sheraton Makkah Hotel With more than 170 hotels around the world, the Four Points by Sheraton brand has solidified its place as Starwood’s third largest brand with the

second-biggest global pipeline. With a modern design and an uncomplicated friendly approach to hospitality and service, Four Points by Sheraton Makkah will offer guests a compelling blend of comfort, style and affordability. Four Points by Sheraton Makkah will feature 451 comfortable guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, a lounge, a business center and over 92 square meters (1,000 square feet) of meeting and event space.

Starwood in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia “This landmark project, featuring three of our lifestyle brands, marks an important milestone for Starwood in the Middle East,” said Bart Carnahan, Senior Vice President Acquisitions & Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East.

“With eight hotels in the pipeline in the next three years, we are set to nearly double our portfolio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Starwood currently operates 10 hotels in Saudi Arabia under the Sheraton and Le Meridien brands. This includes two Le Meridien hotels in Makkah, Sheraton Riyadh Hotels & Towers, Le Meridien Medina, as well as hotels in the cities of Al Khobar, Taif and Dammam. Most recently, Starwood opened Four Points by Sheraton Riyadh Khaldia and the company will open the Sheraton Medina Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Medina Hotel later this year. With the signing of three new developments in Makkah, Starwood now has over 3,000 rooms in its Saudi Arabia pipeline.

Starwood operates close to 50 hotels and resorts across the Middle East under eight of the company’s nine distinct lifestyle brands including: The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

technology

New frontier for cybersecurity: Your body WASHINGTON: So far, the idea of hacking into medical devices has been limited to fiction and hacker demonstrations. But US regulators and security experts say the threat is real: malicious actors can gain access to devices ranging from pacemakers to insulin pumps, with potentially fatal results. The US Food and Drug Administration this month warned manufacturers to step up their vigilance, saying it has learned of “cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents that could directly impact medical devices or hospital network operations.”

Officials say they know of no deliberate hacking of medical devices. But on the television drama “Homeland,” the vice president of the United States is assassinated by hackers who gain access to his pacemaker and deliver a fatal electric shock.

“The good news is that we are not aware of any incidents in the real world. But the bad news there is no science behind look-

ing for it,” said Kevin Fu, a University of Michigan professor of computer science specializing in health security. “It takes just a blink of the eye for malware to get in.”

Fu co-authored a 2008 research paper highlighting the risks of implantable devices like cardiac defibrillators, which could be reprogrammed by hackers who get into system’s wireless network. “My opinion is that the greater risk is from malware that accidentally gets into a device rather than the attacks in fictionalized programs,” Fu said. “Malware will often slow down a computer, and when you slow down a medical device it no longer gives the integrity needed to perform as it should.”

Barnaby Jack at the security firm IOActive, said the “Homeland” scenario was “fairly realistic,” and that he would demonstrate a similar attack at an upcoming hacker gathering. “In ‘Homeland,’ they required a serial number, my demonstra-

High-tech gains getting disabled into workforce SAN JOSE, California: When high school football coach Kevin Bella needs an intense, heart-to-heart with a player, he goes home and sits on his couch. That’s because Bella, who is deaf, communicates with his hearing players most clearly with a new technology that brings a live sign language interpreter to his television screen. The player, on a phone elsewhere, hears the interpreter give voice to Bella’s signs. “It’s a huge improvement over typing messages back and forth,” said Bella, a defensive coordinator at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, Calif. “This allows me to work with hearing players, because there’s a lot in my language that has to do with expressions. The meaning is lost if sign language is reduced to written text.”

Bella is among a rising number of disabled people who are increasingly able to find and keep jobs, as well as engage more broadly in their communities, because of new technologies specifically aimed at helping them better communicate or complete tasks. The past few years have seen a number of technological breakthroughs targeting disabled consumers. Apple, for example, is incorporating technologies such as voice recognition and screen readers, which can synthesize text into speech, into all of their products, rather than offering them as addons.

Applications such as GoTalk NOW and TapSpeak Sequence allow users to combine text, pictures and symbols with audio programs that put voice to thoughts and ideas.

Someone who can’t speak clearly can touch a picture of a hand, then a book, and the tablet will say: “Please pass me the book.”

Blind people can take notes using voicerecognition programs, and listen to emails or “read” a website with screen readers.

People with attention deficit disorder can use apps that remind them to stay focused by announcing appointments with lights and sounds. And those with spinal cord injuries share tips on forums such as apparelyzed.com for how to go hands-free on digital tablets using mouth sticks like those mounted on wheelchairs. “High-tech advances are starting to help level the playing field, opening the door for so many people,” said Therese Willkomm of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire.

Kathleen Martinez, an assistant secretary at the US Department of Labor overseeing disability employment policy, said these advances have translated into higher numbers of disabled people being able to land jobs. “In the professional careers, technology has helped increase the employment rate immensely. It’s actually allowed us to participate in office careers more than ever before,” said Martinez, who has been blind since birth.

The unemployment rate last year was 13.4 percent for the 28 million Americans who are deaf, blind or have serious physical, mental or emotional conditions, compared with a 7.9 percent rate for people without

disabilities. But a Labor Department survey released earlier this month showed that the number of employed disabled adults jumped close to 4 percent over the past two years, more than the 3 percent gains among nondisabled people.

Meanwhile, unemployment rates among the disabled dropped 1.6 points in a year, a bigger decrease than what was seen among able-bodied workers. Another factor in the increasing job rates is that baby boomers are retiring later, and today half of the people working over age 65 have a disability, said John D Kemp, president of the disability advocate nonprofit The Viscardi Center.

“Many people have aged into a disability and are in denial,” said Kemp. “But they can’t hear as well, can’t see as well, and they’re using an immense number of assistive devices aimed at retaining valued employees.”

The technological advances are a huge upgrade over older, disability-specific clunky devices. Swedish firm Tobii, for example, has developed eye-tracking programs that make it possible for people who can’t use their hands to navigate on computers.

Instead of moving a mouse, users look into a box that uses a camera and infrared light to track what they’re looking at when they blink, triggering a cursor to move. And Google Glass - a tiny eyeglasses-mounted device capable of shooting photos, filming video and surfing the Internet - has a built-in camera and voice-command capability, meaning disabled wearers could read what people are saying to them or control wheelchairs with their gaze or voices. The US market for assistive technologies is projected to grow from $39.5 billion in 2010 to $55 billion in 2016, according to analysts at market forecasters BCC Research. And in the past few years, large high-tech firms, including Facebook, have added teams focused exclusively on how disabled clients can use their products. “Most organizations want to bring their technology and experiences to as many people as possible, so it makes sense to address this,” said Jeffrey Wieland, who became Facebook’s project manager of accessibility a year ago. The company has even brought visually impaired users to its campus in Menlo Park, California, to work with accessibility engineers.

Earlier this month, Rocklin, Californiabased Purple Communications nationally rolled out a new, upgraded videophone that allows deaf people to communicate using Video Relay Service on high-definition televisions. A live sign language interpreter works remotely to convey messages in realtime via video and audio feeds that transmit into landline phones, cellphones or tablets.

This is Bella’s system, which includes features such as lights that flash when someone calls him. Bella, who was born deaf and whose mother and father are both deaf, remembers as a child his parents having to go to a neighbor’s house with a note to accomplish tasks such as making a doctor’s appointment. —AFP

RSA enlists real-time big data analytics DUBAI: RSA, The Security Division of EMC, has introduced the next iteration of RSA Silver Tail web threat detection solution designed to help organizations better visualize website activity in order to identify normal behavior from that of the potentially malicious. With the ability to quickly separate the activities of friend from foe, security and fraud teams can investigate and mitigate web session and mobile applications threats in real time.

Designed to ensure that organizations have the tools to identify more threats faster and investigate them much more efficiently, the RSA Silver Tail solution adds new one-click incident management capabilities and an intelligent user interface to help organizations gain better visibility into activities on their website across millions of concurrent user web sessions. Additionally, with Streaming Analytics and click-by-click threat scoring, RSA Silver Tail 4.0 technology is built to leverage the power of Big Data to identify threats, malicious traffic and revealing behavior trends that could not otherwise be detected by analyzing the details of web session logs alone. As a result, organizations may be able to experience a reduction in both direct and indirect costs associated with fraud, security and other disruptive uses of websites including account takeover, password guessing, distributed denial-of-service,

site scraping and business logic abuses such as exploitation of shopping cart functionality or online rebates.

The new features of the RSA Silver Tail solution include: l Streaming Analytics - RSA Silver Tail technology is designed to offer click-byclick threat scoring that supports more intelligent, risk-based behavioral threat discovery and results in faster detection and mitigation of web threats.

Streaming Analytics is engineered to employ proprietary in-memory analytics technology for real-time detection of the latest generation of complex attacks on web sites. l Incidents Functionality - Designed to both allow for faster and easier threat detection and provide additional context to help teams understand the causes of the threat for a more efficient investigation. l Intelligent User Interface - Built to adapt to the way security and fraud teams work. The new UI is designed to bring in Big Data visualization capabilities that include highly interactive features to help simplify and prioritize threat detection and investigation. Prioritized lists of suspicious IPs, users, web page and web session data helps allows investigators to quickly identify and investigate threats.

tion doesn’t,” he said. Jack has been researching implantable medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators from a major manufacturer, and said he has found the devices “to be particularly vulnerable.” He said that from a range of 10 to 15 m, “I can retrieve the credentials needed to interrogate the individual implants remotely.”

In another publicized incident, security specialist Jay Radcliffe, who is diabetic, demonstrated in 2011 the potential to hack into an insulin pump to change dosage levels. Security specialists say that in addition to implanted devices, hospital equipment such as monitoring systems, scanners and radiation equipment are connected to networks which could have lax security, creating similar security holes.

Some heart and drug monitoring systems use open Wi-Fi connections that can be hacked. “The vast majority of medical devices in hospitals I’ve been to use

Windows XP or Windows 95. These are extremely vulnerable to computer malware,” Fu said.

Attacks or insertion of malware could affect things like radiation therapy, or devices which mix nutrients for intravenous delivery, he said. Medical devices and equipment may have passwords, but these can be hacked as well, as shown in a recent report by the security firm Cylance, which obtained passwords to 300 different devices. “We could have reported 1,000 different backdoor passwords, we could have even gone all the way to 10,000,” said a blog post from Cylance’s Billy Rios and Terry McCorkle. “We stopped at 300 because we felt 300 was sufficient to get our point across.”

This finding prompted a warning from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Emergency Response Team for industrial systems, which said security should be stepped up for surgical devices,

ventilators, drug infusion pumps and other equipment. A number of computer security firms are working to help the industry, but Fu said these solutions are often the equivalent of a Band-Aid. “Most cybersecurity problems can be traced back to the design,” he said. “I have doubts that a strategy just based on antivirus or firewalls can be effective.”

Experts say that despite all the risks, people still are better off with than without these devices. “The chance of a targeted malicious attack against someone’s medical device is extremely low, and the last thing we want is for people to lose faith in these life saving devices,” Jack said.

“We think that any risk, no matter how low, still needs to be eliminated. We hope by raising awareness of these issues and bringing the threats to the attention of the manufacturers, that they can take steps to improve the security of these devices.” — AFP

Don’t want mug shot online? Then pay up Arrest records considered to be public information NEW YORK: After more than seven years and a move 4,500 km across the country, Christopher Jones thought he’d left behind reminders of the arrest that capped a bitter break-up. That was, until he searched the Internet last month and came face-to-face with his 2006 police mug shot. The information below the photo, one of millions posted on commercial website mugshots.com, did not mention that the apartment Jones was arrested for burglarizing was the one he’d recently moved out of, or that Florida prosecutors decided shortly afterward to drop the case. But, otherwise, the digital media artist’s run-in with the law was there for anyone, anywhere, to see. And if he wanted to erase the evidence, says Jones, now a resident of Livermore, California, the site’s operator told him it would cost $399.

Jones said he was angered by the terms of the offer, but no more so than scores of other people across the country discovering that past arrests - many for charges eventually dismissed or that resulted in convictions later expunged make them part of an unwilling, but potentially enormous customer base for a fast-proliferating number of mug shot websites. With a business model built on the strengths of technology, the weaknesses of human nature and the reach of the First Amendment, the sites are proving that in the Internet age, old assumptions about people’s ability to put the past behind them no longer apply.

The sites, some charging fees exceeding $1,000 to “unpublish” records of multiple arrests, have prompted lawsuits in Ohio and Pennsylvania by people whose mug shots they posted for a global audience. They have also sparked efforts by legislators in Georgia and Utah to pass laws making it easier to remove arrest photos from the sites without charge or otherwise curb the sites. But site operators and critics agree that efforts to rein them in treads on uncertain legal ground, made more complicated because some sites hide their ownership and location and purport to operate from outside the US. “The First Amendment gives people the right to do this,” said Marc G Epstein, an attorney in Hallandale, Florida who said he represents the operator of mugshots.com, which lists an address on the Caribbean island of Nevis. “I don’t think there was ever a First Amendment that contemplated the permutations of communication that we have now.”

Operators of some sites say they’re performing a public service, even as they seek profit. “I absolutely believe that a parent, for instance, has a right to know if their kid’s coach has been arrested... I think the public has a right to know that and I feel they have a right to know that easily, accessibly and not having to go to a courthouse,” said Arthur D’Antonio III, CEO of justmugshots.com, a Nevada-based site that started in early 2012 and now claims a database of more than 10 million arrest photos.

But critics are skeptical. “I can’t find any public interest that’s served if you are willing to take it (a mug shot) down if I give you $500. Then what public interest are you serving?,” said Roger Bruce, a state representative from the Atlanta area who authored a law, set to take effect July 1, requiring sites to remove photos free for those arrested in Georgia if they can show that charges have since been dismissed.

Scott Ciolek, a Toledo lawyer who last year brought suit against four sites on behalf of two Ohioans dismayed to find their arrest photos online, said the mug shot publishers are taking advantage of people’s embarrassment to unfairly squeeze them for profit. “The individuals who are victims of these extortions want as little attention on them as possible, if you know what I’m saying,” Ciolek said.

The mug shot sites are just the latest ventures harnessing the Internet to aggregate information that previously would have taken considerable time, trouble or expense for ordinary people to uncover. That power underlies sites like ancestry.com, which compiles genealogical information including birth and death certificates, census and immigration records and other public documents in a forum that makes it much easier than previously possible for Americans to trace their family roots.

Arrest records are also widely considered to be public information and have long been collected by reporters making the rounds of police stations and courthouses. But before the advent of the web, an arrest on a charge of, say, disorderly conduct might have been printed in a local newspaper’s police blotter and then mostly been forgotten. The mug shot sites’ operators use “web-scraping” programs to easily collect information from scores of police websites - and as a Texas lawsuit filed by one site operator against another shows, sometimes even to

snatch those same photos from competitors.

What used to be strictly local is now global, and a new tension results: Release of information widely regarded as necessarily public is, in aggregated form, viewed as potentially violating privacy.

“Certainly the world has changed in terms of the accessibility of historical information,” said Jeff Hermes, director of the Digital Media Law Project at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. “My concern is that efforts to create a so-called ‘right to be forgotten’ run the risk of becoming laws that allow individuals to edit history, and that’s dangerous, especially if it winds up being applied to public governmental records.”

But some of those whose photos have turned up on the sites say charging people to erase the

Christopher Jones

Phillip Kaplan evidence of an arrest is abusive. Phillip Kaplan, one of the two people who brought the Ohio lawsuit, said he thought he had moved past the embarrassment of June 2011 when police, responding to complaints of a loud porchfront party he was attending during the city’s Old West End festival, charged him with failure to disperse. Kaplan, who is 35, said he declined an offer by prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge, and eventually the case was dismissed.

In the meantime, though, Kaplan walked into a convenience store to find his mug shot on the cover of the weekly Buckeyes Behind Bars, alongside the headline “Hot Summer for Sex Offenders”. The publication says on its website that it charges $59 to those who’ve been arrested and want to avoid having their photo printed.

Soon after, friends told him his mug shot was published on some of the online sites and later he was asked about the arrest during a job interview. Kaplan said he understands the value to the public of publishing arrest photos, particularly for sexual predators. “That makes sense,” he said, but not for lesser charges. “I mean, should there be a jaywalkers’ directory?”

Jones, whose April 2006 arrest by sheriff’s deputies near Orlando, Florida, turned up online, said he suspects the availability of his mug shot might be affecting his search for employment.

“I’ve been putting out so many resumes and people’s reactions are just funny. They’re really excited, they’ve seen my resume somewhere and then all of a sudden it’s like I have an infectious disease,” said Jones, who is 34 and now a college student in California.

The lawsuit filed on Kaplan’s behalf, though, does not go after the websites for posting the photos. Instead, it accuses the sites of violating

Ohio’s publicity rights law by wrongfully using people’s images for commercial purposes.

Ciolek, the lawyer, said he’s fielded more than 20 calls a day from people interested in joining the suit since filing it last December.

A separate suit by a Sicklerville, New Jersey, man, Daryoush Taha, filed in US District Court in Philadelphia in December, charges that officials in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, failed to remove a 1998 mug shot taken after police intervened in a parking lot dispute between Taha and his girlfriend. Taha accepted placement into a program called Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition and after completing community service in 2000 his record was automatically expunged. But his photo remained on the jail website and in 2011 was republished by mugshots.com.

“Listen, the whole purpose behind having your records expunged is to give you a second opportunity when you make a mistake,” said Alan Denenberg, the lawyer for Taha in the suit against police, other agencies and the website.

But Denenberg said that while he had served the suit on a Delaware firm that registered mugshots.com as a limited liability corporation in the state, he has no idea who owns the website or where it operates.

The mugshots.com site says it is owned by Openbare Dienst Internationale LLC - a name whose first two words are Dutch for “public service” - and lists an address in Nevis that belongs to a different corporate registration agent.

People who want to remove their arrest photos are directed to a link for a partner, Unpublish LLC, which lists the address of yet another registration agent, in the south American country of Belize. A phone number for Unpublish, listed on its Internet domain paperwork, rings to a fourth registry agent, also in Belize.

Epstein, who says he handles some public relations functions for the site as well as providing legal counsel, would not provide details of its ownership or location and a message left for the operator with one of the Belize agents was not returned. “We know we’re going to be talked down. We understand it. Nobody likes meter maids, nobody likes traffic tickets and nobody likes mug shots, but we operate legally and in the realm of what we do, totally accurately,” Epstein said. A competitor, mugshotsworld.com, lists an address in Russia, with a number on its registration paperwork that rings to a fax machine. D’Antonio, who said he started justmugshots.com while working as chief technology officer of a Minneapolis web marketing company and recently relocated to a Nevada city he would not identify, was otherwise forthcoming.

He said he started the site after a friend asked for help manipulating web searches to “push down” a mug shot from his arrest on an alcohol-related charge. D’Antonio said that, in the process of doing so, he looked into the law covering mug shots, discovered they were public information and realized that, with his computer skills, that presented a business opportunity.

But he acknowledges that publishing the photos and charging people to take them down contradicts the sentiment of helping his friend.

He said he has tried to act responsibly by removing photos at no cost for those who can show all charges have been dismissed, they were found not guilty, were under 18 at the time or for those who have since died. “Then it becomes a balancing act and it’s a very, very tough line to walk and one that we absolutely take very seriously, but there’s very little black and white to it,” D’Antonio said. He said he expects the business of aggregating and publishing largely overlooked public records to evolve rapidly, and thinks eventually his company could partner with local governments, doing work now handled by the agencies while offering them a new source of revenue.

Some of the mug shot sites list numerous affiliated sites, often breaking down arrests by state. Bruce, the Georgia legislator, said calls to numbers listed on some sites were answered by what sounded like the same person, prompting concerns that a payment to erase a photo from one site might prompt the same photo to turn up on another. But Epstein, the Florida lawyer, said the site he represents is “not Whackamole-y.

You don’t hit the head down in one portion of the arcade game and it pops up somewhere else. That’s not our model at all.”

The new Georgia law attempts to curb the for-profit mug shot sites, requiring them to remove photos at no charge for those who were arrested in the state and can prove charges are dismissed, an idea that site operator D’Antonio said he supports. But the legislator acknowledges the law’s protections are limited in scope and its effectiveness will become clear only when it is tested in court. Some of those whose arrest photos have turned up online, though, see little recourse for their frustration. —AP

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Indonesia fires highlight failure to tackle slash-and-burn

NEW YORK: In this photo provided by Katrin Amunts, Karl Zilles, Alan C Evans, researchers use a microtome to cut sections from a brain preserved in paraffin wax into slivers 20-micrometers thick, resulting in over 7,400 slices.—AP

Digital 3-D atlas of brain reveals tiny details NEW YORK: Scientists have a new brain atlas to help them study their favorite organ. It’s a digital, three-dimensional model called “BigBrain.” Its resolution is finer than a human hair, so it can reveal clusters of brain cells and even some large individual cells. It is being made available to scientists around the world. To make the atlas, researchers sliced a cadaver brain from a 65-year-old woman into 7,400 thin sections, stained them to reveal tiny features, and photographed each one. Then they used computers to combine the data into a 3-D digital model.

The idea of thin-slicing a brain to study its anatomy is not new. In fact, complete

bodies of a man and a woman were sliced and photographed about 20 years ago to create an anatomy reference called the Visible Human Project. For the new brainmapping project, the researchers chose the woman’s brain for no special reason other than it was basically healthy, said Katrin Amunts of Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf in Germany.

She is lead author of a report on the atlas published Thursday in the journal Science. Scientists have begun mapping data from other brain studies onto the new model to gain new insights, said senior author Karl Zilles of the Juelich Aachen Research Alliance in Juelich, Germany.—AP

Giant panda gives birth to twins in China BEIJING: A rare giant panda has given birth to twins in China, the first pair of the endangered species born in the world this year, conservation workers told state media yesterday. They were born to a panda named Haizi at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China’s southwest Sichuan province on Saturday evening, according to the Xinhua news agency. The first cub arrived at 4:54 pm (0954 GMT) and the second 10 minutes later, said workers at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda on the reserve.

The mother is still holding the first cub

in her arms so staff has been unable to weigh it or determine its gender. But they said it should be healthy, given its size and the sounds it has been making. The second cub is a female and weighs 79.2 grams (just under three ounces), the staff said, according to Xinhua.

Haizi became pregnant after mating with males Bai Yang and Yi Bao in March most giant pandas are not good breeders when in captivity. Fewer than 1,600 pandas remain in the wild, mainly in Sichuan, with around 300 in captivity around the world, the majority in China.—AFP

Supermoon looms bright in night sky NEW YORK: Look up in the sky for a super sight: the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The so-called supermoon appeared 14 percent larger than normal early yesterday as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth.

Some viewers may think the super-

moon looks more dazzling, but it’s actually an optical illusion. The moon looms larger on the horizon next to trees and buildings. The moon will come within 222,000 miles of Earth and turn full around 7:30 am EDT, making it the best time to view.—AP

FLORIDA: (Left) A super moon sets behind the top of one of the minarets at the University of Tampa yesterday, in Tampa. (Right) A statue of the Angel Moroni on top a Latter-day Saints temple is silhouetted against the rising moon Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Kansas City.—AP

Chinese astronauts manually dock spacecraft BEIJING: Three Chinese astronauts on the country’s longest manned space mission yesterday succeeded in manually docking their spacecraft with a module orbiting Earth, state media said. Docking techniques are a crucial element of China’s space program, which aims to build a station orbiting the planet by 2020. The Shenzhou-10 — “Divine Vessel”was piloted by mission commander Nie Haisheng, assisted by astronauts Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping, China’s second woman in space, according to the Xinhua news agency. An automated docking was already successfully completed with the Tiangong-1 . “Heavenly Palace”-module two days after the spacecraft was launched on

June 11 from the Gobi Desert, enabling the crew to board. The astronauts-who will carry out medical and space technology experiments as part of the mission-manually separated the Shenzhou-10 yesterday morning in order to perform the new manoeuvre. They will spend 15 days in orbit as part of a multibillion-dollar space program seen by Beijing as a symbol of its growing global stature and technical expertise.

China first sent a human into space in 2003 and its capabilities still lag behind the United States and Russia. It carried out its first docking using an unmanned spacecraft in November 2011, and completed a manual docking last year.—AFP

JAKARTA: Fires in Indonesia that have cloaked Singapore in record levels of smog highlight the continued failure of efforts to prevent illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in a country with a history of chaotic forest management, activists say. The blazes on hundreds of hectares (acres) of carbon-rich peatland on Sumatra Island have sent vast palls of acrid smoke drifting over Singapore, shrouding residential blocks and downtown skyscrapers. While forest and peat blazes caused by illegal slash-and-burn clearances in Indonesia are an annual problem in the dry season and frequently cloud Singapore’s skies, this year the levels of haze have hit record highs.

Singapore has been badly affected due to a combination of factors-the blazes are centered in Riau province, just west of the island, they are underground in peatland and therefore hard to extinguish, and the wind is blowing the smoke over the city-state. The acrid smoke began enveloping Singapore earlier this week, but there was a glimmer of hope for residents on Saturday as the thick smog gave way to a spell of blue skies and smokefree air. The crisis has brought more negative publicity for big palm oil companies Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysianwhich deforest vast swathes of Sumatra, although the companies insist they have strict “no burn” policies.

They have been accused of starting many of the fires to clear land through the practice of slash-and-burn, which is illegal but still frequently used because it is the quickest and cheapest way of preparing land for plantations. Clearing land with fires is far cheaper than using bulldozers or excavators. While environmental groups have been leading the charge against the companies, they say such problems would not occur so frequently if Indonesia properly enforced laws that ban slash-and-burn clearances.

Legislation has not been properly implemented due to gaps in capacity, such as a lack of field officers, said Anwar Purwoto, forest program director for WWF Indonesia. “We need high political commitment followed by political will from central down to local government,” he told AFP. An Lambrechts, a forest campaigner with Greenpeace, added: “The causes that underlie these fires are agricul-

ture, expansion and expansion of plantations.”

But she said it was down to the government “to impose its own legislation much more strongly-these fires are illegal”.

However, senior forestry ministry official Hadi Daryanto told AFP stopping such fires was “not simply about law enforcement”. “We cannot determine whether this is related to economic, social, environmental or political problems,” he said, pointing to the fact that it was not simply big companies setting vast swathes of virgin forest alight to turn a quick profit, but that small landowners were also setting fires. WWF’s Purwoto said many of the fire hotspots in Riau were actually on land owned by local communities rather than big companies.

“Both communities and private companies should be responsible for addressing the

moratorium on new permits for logging primary forest, it is still difficult to keep track of what is happening on the ground and who might be breaking the rules.

The corruption that is endemic in Indonesia is also present when it comes to the forestry sector and the granting of concessions. A stark illustration that points to problems in Riau itself is the fact that the province’s governor has been arrested by corruption investigators-and one of the allegations he faces relates to the issuance of logging permits. Some companies that have been accused, such as Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), have insisted they do not carry out slash-and-burn clearances.

“We do not practice, and highly condemn the slash and burn activity for its detrimental impact to the environment and the rain-

SINGAPORE: Elderly women display their N95 face mask after collecting at the community centre for the low income.—AFP problem,” he said. The failure to tackle slashand-burn clearances is part of a bigger picture of the notoriously difficult challenge Indonesia faces in tr ying to protect its swathes of rainforest. The vast archipelago sprawls over more than 17,000 islands, and power is heavily decentralized, making land management very chaotic. While the government has made progress, notably with a

forests,” the company said in a statement.

While activists believe the government needs to enforce existing laws more strongly, even they recognize the difficulties for an emerging country such as Indonesia.”Indonesia is a young democracy, so it is in the process of finding out how decentralization can work in the best possible way,” said Greenpeace’s Lambrechts.—AFP

Some immigrants excluded from health care overhaul PHOENIX: President Barack Obama has championed two sweeping policy changes that could transform how people live in the United States: affordable health care for all and a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants illegally in the country. But many immigrants will have to wait more than a decade to qualify for health care benefits under the proposed immigration overhaul being debated by Congress, ensuring a huge swath of people will remain uninsured as the centerpiece of Obama’s health care law launches next year. Lawmakers pushing the immigration bill said adding more recipients to an already costly benefit would make it unaffordable.

Health care analysts and immigration proponents argue that denying coverage will saddle local governments with the burden of uninsured immigrants. They also fear a crisis down the road as immigrants become eligible for coverage, but are older, sicker and require more expensive care. Those placed on provisional status would become the nation’s second-largest population of uninsured, or about 25 percent, according to a 2012 study by the Urban Institute. “All health research shows that the older you get, the sicker you become, so these people will be sicker and will be more expensive on the system,” said Matthew O’Brien, who runs a health clinic for immigrants in Philadelphia and researches health trends at Temple University.

The Affordable Care Act will make health insurance accessible for millions of uninsured people starting in January through taxpayer-subsidized private policies for middle-class families and expanded access to Medicaid, the program for low-income people funded by federal and state dollars. The pro-

posed immigration overhaul explicitly states immigrants cannot receive Medicaid or receive the health subsidies for more than a decade after they qualify for legal status, and only after certain financial and security requirements have been met. Immigrants with provisional status may obtain insurance through employers, but many are unskilled and undereducated, and tend to work low-wage jobs at small businesses that don’t have to provide the benefit under the health care law.

Immigrants illegally in the countr y also can access community health centers, but the officials who run those clinics said they are overwhelmed by the demand. “We can’t help everybody,” said Bethy Mathis, executive director of Wesley Community Center in Phoenix. The clinic serves 7,000 patients a year who seek everything from vaccinations and relief from minor medical problems to care for long-term health conditions such as diabetes.

Debate over whether immigrants illegally in the country should be eligible for federal benefits nearly sank Obama’s health care reform before it was passed by Congress in 2010. For lawmakers pushing immigration reform, there was no question that immigrants would continue to be excluded.

“That’s one of the privileges of citizenship,” said Republican Sen John McCain, one of the so-called Gang of Eight pushing the immigration bill, during a conference call with reporters. “That’s just what it is. I don’t know why we would want to provide Obamacare to someone who is not a citizen of this country.” The issue has received more attention in recent weeks.

Some House Republicans have threatened to kill the immigration bill unless immigrants are required

to pay for all their health care costs even after they gain legal status.

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, meanwhile, said she wants the government to distribute at least $250 million to state and local governments because they are the ones who will feel the financial pain of immigrants being left out of the health care law.

Pregnant women, children, seniors and the disabled are eligible for emergency Medicaid ser vices regardless of their immigration status. The politics behind the bill offer little solace to immigrant families struggling with growing medical bills. Isabel Castillo came to the US illegally with her parents when she was a child. She’s now 28 and has not gone for an annual physical exam since 2007.

Every pain triggers debate over whether it’s worth a medical visit or not. “You are like, ‘God, should I go, should I wait? The bill is going to be so high,’” Castillo said. “You just wait until you can’t tolerate the pain anymore and then you go to the emergency room.”

Immigrants who are US citizens are also affected by the limits on health care access if they provide for family members here illegally.

High school student Jacqueline Garcia of Phoenix works two jobs to support her 13-year-old brother and 52-year-old grandmother, who has severe diabetes. The woman’s mobility is limited, her vision and memory are fading and she sometimes suffers from seizures. The children were born in the United States and are being raised by the grandmother, who does not have lawful status and as a result does not qualify for Medicaid.

“Every time she gets sick, I have to take her to the doctor. It’s really expensive,” Garcia said. “What if my grandmother doesn’t make it for

the 10 years? I mean, I am always going to be struggling. That’s too long.” Opponents said they understand the concerns of immigrants not getting health care, but it becomes an issue of the added expense. “We aren’t saying people shouldn’t get health care. The question is who is going to pay for it?” said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a national group that opposes the immigration overhaul. “They would all be on Medicaid or heavily subsidized in some other way.”

Critics of the decision said immigrants are eager to pay for affordable health care insurance and already support federal benefits by paying sales and income taxes.

They note that adults unable to overcome health emergencies are less likely to contribute to the workforce and society. “The risk of them being uninsured if they are in the country illegally is the same risk of anyone else in the country not being insured,” said Stephen Zuckerman, a health economist for the Urban Institute. “It’s always more expensive to treat people at a more advanced stage of disease.”

In North Carolina, Jessica Sanchez-Rodriguez said she has undergone a series of surgeries and medicines to treat her spina bifida, a developmental congenital disorder, and an ailment that leads to brain swelling. Her parents brought her illegally from Mexico when she was 11 months old.

As a minor, she received subsidized medical care, but she was cut off when she turned 18 in February.

Her family is trying to raise money for a $55,000 surgery to connect a catheter to her bladder. “It’s terrible,” Sanchez-Rodriguez said. “I have to go to school with these pains.”—AP

Severe egg allergy? There’s now a flu shot for you ATLANTA: People with serious egg allergies may no longer have to worry about flu shots. A federal advisory panel on Thursday said a new vaccine that’s made without eggs is an option for adults with severe allergies. Current flu shots are made from viruses grown in eggs and could trigger allergic reactions in some cases.

The new Flublok vaccine is made with

cell technology, which is used for other kinds of vaccines. It was licensed in January

by Protein Sciences Corp. Officials don’t know how many Americans skip flu shots because they’re allergic to eggs. About 1 in 66 children have egg allergies, though most kids outgrow them. The new vaccine is not an option for kids. So far it’s licensed only for adults ages 18 to 49.—AP

PHOENIX: (Left) An uninsured patient, who asked not to be identified, waits for the doctor at Wesley health Center in downtown.

(Right) Dr Stephanie Briney listens to a heartbeat of an unidentified 5-year-old, uninsured patient.—AP photos

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Dog birth control shots could limit populations LOS ANGELES: A decade ago, the Rosebud Sioux Indians in South Dakota were paying people to catch and shoot wild dogs. Dogs that weren’t caught were covered in mange and parasites.

Some froze. Some starved. In packs, they survived by eating each other. And dog bites were 20 times worse than the national average. Because animals are such an important part of Indian history and culture, tribal leaders called spay and neuter expert Ruth Steinberger. In the next eight years, they worked together to sterilize 7,000 dogs, moving 1,500 of them to other parts of America for adoption.

Many US tribes still rely on roundups to manage dog overpopulation, but two tribes in the West are going to take part in an experiment this fall using shots of a different kind. Veterinarians plan to catch and inject 300 wild female dogs with a birth control vaccine that has worked on white-tailed deer, wild horses, wallabies and ferrets. The two-year test using the government vaccine GonaCon is scheduled to begin in September on two isolated Indian reservations in the West, said Steinberger, the project manager. Reservation officials asked not to be identified until the study is further along.

The $60,000 contraceptive study will be conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center and Spay First, Steinberger’s Oklahoma-based organization working

to reduce dog overpopulation in chronically poor places around the world.

Right now, the dogs are getting scraps from people who don’t want to see them die - but the litters keep coming.

Steinberger, 56, said she learned a long time ago she could do more to help animals by preventing litters rather than rescuing them. Her work at Rosebud is generally considered a textbook example for ending overpopulation.

“The reservation is a better place. ...

This is easier to explain in Lakota than in English, but dogs are a part of our lives.

They have been in the past, and they will be in the future. To be able to take care of them is so important,” explained Belva Black Lance, a Rosebud Sioux community advocate who helps with the dog program. In the GonaCon test, dogs will be caught, microchipped, tattooed, collared, injected and released, she said.

After a year, researchers will round up as many as they can and do blood tests to measure reaction to the vaccine, Steinberger said.

The hardest part of the study might be that roundup, said Dr. Jeffrey Young, founder of Planned Pethood Plus, another group working globally to end animal overpopulation. He is not involved in the study, but has worked with Steinberger on other projects and is familiar with government-made GonaCon. “A lot of the animals will die, disappear, get shot, poisoned or hit by a car,” he explained. “Dogs on reservations

have a higher death rate than normal dogs in society,” he said, noting that wild dogs in poor areas live an average 3.2 years. The average American dog lives 10 to 12 years, varying by breed and size. Depending on who’s counting, there are more than half a billion feral dogs around the world, Steinberger and Young said.

There are an estimated 6 million feral dogs in the United States, Steinberger added. Tens of thousands of people die of rabies in developing nations each year - and 95 percent of the cases are caused by dog bites, she said. Spay and neuter surgeries are out of the question in such regions so researchers have been looking for a fast, effective and humane vaccine. The perfect blend would be a combination of sterilization and rabies vaccines, Young said.

“It would be a major game changer,” Young said. Rabies kills up to 40,000 people a year in India alone. If he had his way, Young would forego the tests. “It’s been tested. They need to get it out there. It should be spread around like candy in India and Mexico,” he said.

GonaCon has worked as long as six years in some of the wild animals tested.

Booster shots were given to others to extend sterilization, Steinberger said. It was never tested on a large number of dogs because no one stepped up to foot the bill. Petco Foundation donated about half the money for the study.

“Animals are the reason Petco is in

business. We are always looking for ways to make their lives better and help with the tragedy of overpopulation,” said foundation executive director Paul Jolly.

Steinberger brought together the tribes, researchers, donors and volunteers.

GonaCon can’t be used on domestic pets, Steinberger emphasized. The Food and Drug Administration would require

about a decade of testing and that would cost between $16 million and $20 million, Young said. Young, who operates a low-cost clinic in Denver, has performed over 165,000 (mostly spay and neuter) surgeries, more than anyone else on the planet, he said. “I would love for something to put me out of that business,” he said.—AP

COLOMBO: A minority Sri Lankan Tamil poses with a placard as others participate in a demonstration against tobacco and alcohol in the capital Colombo yesterday. The protest coincided with a key Buddhist holiday which marks the introduction of Buddhism to the island centuries ago.—AFP

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

KNES celebrates pre-school graduation and KG concert

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Announcement Issue of online visa

by Indian embassy oreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June 2013. Applicants may log on to the Public portal at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in. After successful online submission, the hard copy, so generated, has to be signed by the applicant and submitted with supporting documents in accordance with the type of visa along with the applicable fee in cash at any of the two outsource centres at Sharq or Fahaheel. It is essential that applicants fill in their personal details as exactly available in their passports. Mismatch of any of the personal details would lead to non-acceptance of the application. Fees once paid are non-refundable.

All children would have to obtain separate visa on their respective passports.

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The very little ones from Kuwait National English School Pre-school and foundation stage one (KG) performed demonstrating a lot of artistic talent in front of their enthusiastic parents. Spirit, songs, dances were there to make the graduation of the youngest pupils at Kuwait National English School a big success!

Congratulations to parents and staff!

Indian Embassy sets up helpline 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.

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Visiting Prof Jorge Montero to lecture and exhibit at AUK

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he Graphic Design Department at the American University of Kuwait cordially invites you to attend a special lecture and exhibition entitled ‘Jorge Montero in Kuwait’, which will be presented by Visiting Professor Jorge Montero and will take place on June 24, 2013, from 2-3pm in the AUK auditorium.

Professor Montero is the 2013 Summer Visiting Professor for AUK’s Art and Graphic Design Department.

He is a Venezuelan artist, illustrator and graphic designer from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where he has been a professor for 10 years. He is also an editorial cartoonist in both Venezuela and the United States, and has been a guest lecturer in China, Germany, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Spain, Cuba, El Salvador and Venezuela. He exhibits his “Venezuelan Abstract Expressionist” work around the world.

During the exhibition, Professor Montero will discuss his work, techniques and experiences in the field of art and graphic design. His work will be on display in the auditorium, as will the work of some of his most accomplished design students. The public is also invited to attend the lecture and the exhibition.

IMAX IMAX film program Monday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 8:30pm Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 5:30pm, 7:30pm To The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 9:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 6:30pm

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Poetry Association holds special meeting

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alaikuda Vaanam Paddi Poet Association’ held its monthly meeting on June 14 at Saravana Bhavan Restaurant. On this occasion, Saravana Bhavan Director Anandi Natarajan’s birthday was also celebrated. The program was very well organized by Pattukottai Sathya. The guest of honor was Anandhi Natarajan. Raman Ponni and S Ramesh, Rajesh, Sivashankar, Kavesai Sagar, Ravana, Kallaimani, Vijayasagar and Sathya recited poems. Singers Rani Mohan, Chellamal, Kengeshwaran and Sathiya also rendered melodious songs. Santhakumar and Madurai Madhi, the members of Yoga Association, delivered a thought-provoking speech. Raja, Tamil Selvan, Barathi and Arun also spoke on the occasion. Thathuvamasi and Eishwari specially flew from India to grace the occasion. The event concluded as Senpummaria Sethu and various other guests conveyed their best wishes to Anandhi Natarajan on his birthday.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information

KKMA seminar clears doubts on traffic rules T

he Kuwait Kerala Muslim Association (KKMA), the largest organization of Indian nationals living in Kuwait, held a special public awareness seminar on ‘defensive driving awareness (DDA)’ on June 21 at Indian Community School. The seminar was conducted under the guidance of Ministry of Interior in association with American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Kuwait Chapter.

After the formal introduction by compeer of the evening SM Basheer, the program started with recitation of Quran. The guests of the evening Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta, Lieutenant Colonel Harbi Abdulla Al-Shumiaan, Lieutenant Colonel Nawaf Al-Hayyan, Chief Area Commander Abdulla Bahman, Public Prosecutor Hussein Abu Shalfa, Captain Abdul Mohsen Ali, Abdullah Al-Otaibi- In-charge of Salmiya Traffic Department, Fadel Al-AliChairman ASSE Kuwait Chapter, Vasudevan N, President ASSE Kuwait Chapter, Prakash Nair, Farhad Kjan, Ashok Kalra and other dignitaries were invited to the dais and honored with bouquets.

After the welcome speech by KKMA President Abdul FatahThayyil, KKMA Chairman Sageer Trikaripur delivered the opening remarks. Ambassador Mehta launched the program symbolically by operating a remote control to start the presentation. He also spoke regarding the present crackdown on illegal’s and the support of Kuwait gov-

ernment and Indian embassy to Indians through help lines. A memento was received by Lieutenant Colonel Nawaf Al-Hayyan on behalf of Major General Abdul Fattah Al Ali. He also released safe driver pledge tag which was distributed to the audience.

After the felicitation speech by Fadel Al Ali, a presentation on ‘Road Safety’ was presented by Vasudevan NPresident ASSE Kuwait Chapter.

Presentation on ‘Traffic Awareness’ by Lieutenant Colonel Harbi Abdulla Al Shumiaan really brought confidence in audience which had a vast information on eligibility for driving license, traffic rules and morals, movement rules,

crossovers and passing priorities, traffic offences and penalties. He thanked the Indian community in Kuwait as they are very good followers of traffic rules and very good in using Kuwait roads. He asked everyone to respect traffic rules and to be safe. He mentioned that Kuwait government welcomes any number of expatriates provided they enter legally and respect the rules of Kuwait.

He said Kuwait respects expatriates as they helped to build Kuwait. He also asked not to respond to any rumors and to contact concerned authorities in embassy or traffic department in case of wrong identification of offenses.

A question and answer session led by

Lieutenant Colonel Harbi Abdulla AlShumiaan and Lieutenant Colonel Nawaf Al-Hayyan was responded by a huge number of questions which indicated the success of seminar.

Mementoes were awarded to ASSE and their trainers Farhad Kjan and Prakash Nair. The program came to an end with vote of thanks by Hamza Payannur- organizing secretary of KKMA. Earlier in the day Defensive driving Awareness training for drivers was conducted which was attended by about 220 drivers who were also awarded certificates. The program was well compeered by SM Basheer.

Marriott International teams up with American Express Middle East this summer

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eading hotel group Marriott International and American Express Middle East have jointly announced the launch of a summer promotion campaign that offers American Express Cardmembers exclusive benefits at 88 Marriott properties across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia Marriott throughout the duration of the summer.

Under the terms of the campaign, American Express Cardmembers wishing to explore tourist destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe will be eligible for three nights stay for the price of two, at any Marriott hotel participating in the promotion. Additionally, Cardmembers can avail complimentary and unlimited internet access, 20 percent off on hotel food and beverages, and complimentary food for children under 12. The promotion also offers complementary access to pools and gym facilities as well as savings of 20 percent on spa treatments or massages.

The three-month ‘Be Free with Marriott and American Express’ campaign runs from June 14 to September 13, 2013, and is available on bookings made with all

American Express Cards, including Consumer and Corporate Cards across the global network.

“American Express Middle East is committed to providing outstanding service, benefits and worldwide customer care to our Cardmembers, and the brand has become synonymous with travel, rewards and access,” said Usman Arif - VP, MerchantPartnership, American Express.”Our 2013 Summer Promotion is an extension of this ethos, and will enable many Cardmembers across the Middle East to get more from their holiday, whether they stay in the region or venture further afield. We are pleased to partner with Marriott International this summer to offer Cardmembers exclusive benefits that not only enrich their lifestyles but also showcase American Express cards as a preferred payment option.”

Mark Satterfield, Chief Operating Officer, Marriott International Middle East & Africa, commented today, “Marriott customers are savvy, enjoy luxury and appreciate great value. We have 43 properties in the region, and our business could never succeed without the thousands of loyal customers we

regularly welcome back to our hotels across the Middle East and Africa. We continuously look for opportunities to allow our guests continued enjoyment of our world class locations, food, beverages and service for a little less. We are delighted to be working with American Express Middle East to do just that.”

The summer promotion will enable American Express Middle East Cardmembers to avail the guest and hospitality facilities at a total of 88 hotels from Marriott International’s portfolio of discerning brands including, JW Marriott Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments.

Located across the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, 23 of these hotels are located in the Middle East, and will encourage inbound travellers to the region. Others include seven in Africa - Egypt and Algeria; 45 in Asia - Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou and Shanghai in China and Hong Kong; and 13 in Europe - Belgium, France, Portugal (Lisbon) and Greece (Athens).

ME’s first WACS master chef launches ‘100 Lahma’

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atafeat TV celebrity and Meat & Livestock Australia MENA’s corporate chef Tarek Ibrahim is the first Arab chef to be nominated and receive the coveted status of Master Chef from the World Association of Chef Societies (WACS). The title of Master Chef is given to professional chefs who create innovative dishes of exceptional quality, push boundaries with creative concepts and hold a reputation for culinary excellence.

Chef Tarek comments: “There are very few chefs who gain Master Chef status and it’s such a fantastic honour to receive this accreditation as an Arab chef and gain international recognition for my cuisine. I hope to inspire the new generation of professional Arab chefs to go on to greater achievements and with my new show ‘100 Lahma’ on Fatafeat TV impart my experience and knowledge to give home cooks more confidence in the kitchen.”

Chef Tarek’s new Fatafeat TV show ‘100 Lahma’ (100 Meat) showcases the very best of lamb and beef dishes and will have English subtitles. The show covers 100 delicious and nutritious halal meat recipes including culinary delights such as roast shoulder of lamb with garlic, beef wellington and Moroccan lamb tagine. The first show will air at 13:00 (KSA) on the 24th June and will run for 60 days. ‘100 Lahma’ will run three times per day and highlights include chef Tarek’s lessons on preparation, use of different cuts and halal integrity.

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcccom for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children may drop off their sons’ and daughters’ visa applications - completely free of an interview or a trip inside the Embassy. The children must be under 14 years of age, and additional requirements do apply, but the service means parents will no longer have to schedule individual appointments for their children, nor come inside the Embassy (unless they are applying for themselves). The service is only available for children holding Kuwaiti passports. To take advantage, parents must drop off the following documents: Child Visa Drop-off cover sheet, available on the Embassy website (http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.htm) - Child’s passport; The Child’s previous passport, if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photo of child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; A copy of the valid visa of at least one parent. If one parent will not travel, provide a visa copy for the traveling parent, and a passport copy from the non-traveling parent with a letter stating no objection to the child’s travel. - For children of students (F2): a copy of the child’s I20.

Children born in the US (with very few exceptions) are US citizens and would not be eligible for a visa. Parents may drop off the application packet at Window 2 at the Embassy from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday, excluding holidays. More information is available on the U.S. Embassy website: kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html nnnnnnn

EMBASSY GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, AlQibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City.

Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.

Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

14:35 Border Security 15:05 Auction Hunters 15:30 Auction Kings 16:00 Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing Challenge 16:55 Heroes Of Hell’s Highway 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Sons Of Guns 19:40 Industrial Junkie 20:05 How It’s Made 20:35 Auction Hunters 21:00 Storage Hunters 21:30 Gold Divers 22:25 Alaska: The Last Frontier 23:20 Flying Wild Alaska 00:15 Gold Divers 01:10 Alaska: The Last Frontier

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

Delta Divers Reign Of The Dinosaurs Great Planes Mystery Cars Mystery Cars I Shouldn’t Be Alive Empire Living With The Kombai Tribe What The Ancients Knew Empire Legend Detectives Most Evil Mystery Cars Mystery Cars Empire

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

Kitchen Chemistry Kitchen Chemistry Thunder Races Nextworld Mega World Alien Storms The Gadget Show How Tech Works X-Machines Mega World Food Factory Food Factory X-Machines Stuck With Hackett Stuck With Hackett Food Factory Food Factory How Do They Do It? Mega World Stuck With Hackett

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

Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ax Men Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Shipping Wars Shipping Wars Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Pawn Stars

14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00

C.S.I. Glee Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. Parenthood

20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00

Covert Affairs Once Upon A Time Banshee Greek Glee Banshee Once Upon A Time

03:00 Guys With Kids 03:30 1600 Penn 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Two And A Half Men 06:00 All Of Us 06:30 Til Death 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Seinfeld 08:30 Two And A Half Men 09:00 Guys With Kids 09:30 Hot In Cleveland 10:00 2 Broke Girls 10:30 Til Death 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 All Of Us 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Two And A Half Men 13:30 Til Death 14:00 1600 Penn 14:30 2 Broke Girls 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:30 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 Samantha Who? 19:00 Hot In Cleveland 19:30 Parks And Recreation 20:00 Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23 20:30 30 Rock 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition 22:00 Family Guy 22:30 Louie 23:00 Girls 23:30 Enlightened 00:00 30 Rock 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Family Guy 02:00 Louie 02:30 Girls

05:15 A Kind Of Magic 05:35 A Kind Of Magic 06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 06:30 Doc McStuffins 06:45 A.N.T. Farm 07:10 A.N.T. Farm 07:35 Jessie 07:55 Jessie 08:20 Shake It Up 08:45 Shake It Up 09:05 Austin And Ally 09:30 Austin And Ally 09:55 Good Luck Charlie 10:15 Radio Rebel 11:40 Prankstars 11:50 Jessie 12:15 Austin And Ally 12:35 Austin And Ally 13:00 Shake It Up 13:25 Shake It Up 13:45 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 14:10 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 14:35 Suite Life On Deck 15:00 Gravity Falls 15:25 Good Luck Charlie 15:50 Jessie 16:10 Shake It Up 16:35 A.N.T. Farm 17:00 Austin And Ally 17:20 Gravity Falls 17:45 Suite Life On Deck 18:10 Good Luck Charlie 18:30 Gravity Falls 18:55 Gravity Falls 19:20 A.N.T Farm 19:40 A.N.T Farm 20:05 A.N.T. Farm

20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35 00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35

Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Austin And Ally That’s So Raven Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Forever Hannah Montana Forever Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements

14:30 Style Star 15:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:00 Ice Loves Coco 17:30 Ice Loves Coco 18:00 E! News 19:00 THS 20:00 Married To Jonas 20:30 Married To Jonas 21:00 Playing With Fire 22:00 Playing With Fire 23:00 E!es 23:30 E!es 00:00 Scouted 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es

03:45 Vacation Vacation Vacation 04:05 Bargain Hunt 04:55 Design Rules 05:20 Antiques Roadshow 06:15 Cash In The Attic 07:00 Food Poker 07:45 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 08:35 Bargain Hunt 09:20 Antiques Roadshow 10:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix 11:05 Celebrity MasterChef 12:00 Vacation Vacation Vacation 12:25 Come Dine With Me 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Cash In The Attic 14:45 Antiques Roadshow 15:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 17:55 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 18:25 Planet Cake 18:55 Food Poker 19:40 Come Dine With Me 20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 23:55 Food Poker 00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:30 Food Poker 02:20 Cash In The Attic

03:25 Unique Eats 03:50 Food Crafters 04:15 United Tastes Of America 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Unwrapped 06:35 Unwrapped 07:00 Guy’s Big Bite 07:25 Guy’s Big Bite 07:50 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 08:15 Unique Sweets 08:40 United Tastes Of America 09:05 Barefoot Contessa 09:30 Food Network Challenge 10:20 Extra Virgin 10:45 Kid In A Candy Store 11:10 Charly’s Cake Angels 11:35 Unique Sweets 12:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes

12:50 Have Cake, Will Travel 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Food Wars 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Food Wars 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Charly’s Cake Angels 19:05 Unique Sweets 19:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Chopped 22:00 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 22:25 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 22:50 Andy Bates Street Feasts 23:15 Andy Bates Street Feasts 23:40 Food Wars 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Andy Bates American Street Feasts

03:00 Blackthorn-PG15 05:00 Mary & Martha-PG15 07:00 Rising Stars-PG15 09:00 Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer-PG 11:00 Mary & Martha-PG15 13:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 15:00 Flower Girl-PG15 17:00 Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer-PG 19:00 My Week With Marilyn-PG15 21:00 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.2-PG15 23:15 A Dangerous Method-18 01:00 The Debt-18

09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00 Us-18 01:00

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:15 02:00

33 Postcards-PG15 The Lucky One-PG15 Ties That Bind-PG15 Planet Ocean-PG15 A Fall From Grace-PG15 Return-PG15 Violet & Daisy-18 Werewolf: The Beast Among A Fall From Grace-PG15

A View From Here-PG15 According To Greta-PG15 Brave-PG A Better Life-PG15 Men In Black 3-PG Deadly Hope-PG15 Brave-PG The Big Year-PG The Ides Of March-PG15 Prometheus-PG15 A Better Life-PG15 Brave-PG

04:00 The New Daughter-PG15 06:00 True Justice: Violence Of Action-PG15 08:00 Arctic Blast-PG15 10:00 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One-PG15 12:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 14:00 Arctic Blast-PG15 16:00 Burden Of Evil-PG15 18:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 20:00 Imago Mortis-PG15 22:00 Piranha 3DD-R 00:00 End Of Days-18 02:15 Imago Mortis-PG15

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

Monte Carlo-PG15 Lying To Be Perfect-PG15 Ernest Goes To Jail-PG15 Raising Arizona-PG15 Lying To Be Perfect-PG15 Beethoven-FAM Superbad-18 Slums Of Beverly Hills-18 The Angel’s Share-PG15 Superbad-18

09:00 10:45 13:00 15:00 16:45 18:30 20:45 23:15 01:30

Paws-PG The Evening Star-PG15 Mutum-PG15 Paws-PG A Kiss At Midnight-PG15 Moneyball-PG15 Biutiful-18 Schindler’s List-18 Dead Again-PG15

05:00 IRB Junior Championship 07:00 PGA Tour 12:00 Live Champions Tour 14:00 Trans World Sport 15:00 Super League 17:00 Futbol Mundial 17:30 ICC Cricket 360 18:00 PGA Tour Highlights 19:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 20:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 21:00 British and Irish Lions Tour 23:00 Futbol Mundial 23:30 ICC Cricket 360

00:00 International Rugby Union 02:00 Trans World Sport 03:00 AFL Premiership 05:30 ICC Cricket 360 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 Total Rugby 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Trans World Sport 09:00 World Cup Of Pool 10:00 World Cup Of Pool 11:00 IRB Junior World Championship 13:00 IRB Junior World Championship 15:00 Golfing World 16:00 AFL Premiership 18:30 Futbol Mundial 19:00 World Cup Of Pool 20:00 Champions Tour 22:00 Trans World Sport 23:00 Golfing World

01:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 21:00

UFC WWE Experience NHL WWE Bottom Line WWE Experience Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL Mass Participation Motor Sports 2013 Motor Sports 2013 WWE Smackdown Mobil 1 The Grid UAE National Race Day Series UFC Prelims UFC

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN ON OSN MOVIES HD

Film reveals life in US for undocumented immigrants

T

wo years ago this weekend, Philippine-born journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came out publicly in the New York Times as an undocumented American, a term he prefers to the loaded phrase “illegal immigrant.” He was 12 years old in 1993 when his young mother put him on a flight in Manila to be raised by his grandparents in California, in the hope he could live the American dream to the fullest. What happened since that Times essay is the subject of “Documented,” written, produced and directed by Vargas, 32, which got its world premiere Friday at the American Film Institute’s AFI Docs festival.

“I’m still undocumented,” said Vargas, who shared a Pulitzer prize for breaking news when he was a reporter at the Washington Post, where only one trusted editor knew of his 24-7 dread of getting caught and deported. “I’m a reporter at heart. I go by facts. But at the same time, I also live this,” he told AFP in a telephone interview Friday. “It’s been very interesting going around the country, talking to people who think they know what this (debate) is about, but really don’t. Our lives are up against tremendous amounts of misinformation and a lot of ignorance.”

The timing of “Documented” couldn’t be better for the outgoing and outspoken Vargas, a regular guest on TV news and talk shows who also runs a website, DefineAmerican.com, which tackles immigration issues.

Congress is grappling with root-and-branch legislation that would beef up security along the vast US-Mexican border in return for the regularization of the status of what American bureaucrats often call “illegal aliens.”

At the same time, President Barack Obama’s administration has been deporting illegal immigrants at a furious pace: nearly 1.59 million during his first four years in office alone, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. Many of the 11 million undocumented persons in the United States-including 1.3 million from Asia, 800,000 from South America and 300,000 from Europe-have fin-

gers crossed for the best-case outcome: full US citizenship.

More than two years in the making, “Documented” was originally supposed to focus on the youthful citizenship activists known as DREAMers, but it grew to cover Vargas’s own adventures taking his story to average Americans. In a Michael Moore moment at a Mitt Romney presidential campaign event in Iowa, Vargas turns up with a sign declaring his undocumented status to the Republican hopeful’s hardcore conservative fans.

One white middle-aged couple boasts how their daughter-in-law had legally immigrated from Britain-adding, with no sign of irony, how a helpful US senator greased the notoriously long and complicated process.

But the emotional highlight comes when Vargas goes on Skype to reconnect with his mother, Emelie Salinas, who lives outside Manila. Together, over a dodgy Internet connection, they discuss his plight and how it came to be. For now, Vargas cannot go to the Philippines to visit her because he has no US passport-and thus no guarantee he will be allowed back into the country where he has built his life and made his name. She, in turn, cannot travel to the United States to see him, because getting a tourist visa is next to impossible for Filipinos and others from developing countries. She has already tried and been denied.

“Can you imagine?” Vargas told AFP. “I have seen more of my mother in three months editing this film than I have in 20 years.” In the long run, Vargas-who got a standing ovation at Friday’s premiere from friends, relatives and former Post colleagues-hopes “Documented” can help reshape a debate that dwells obsessively on border security. “I would argue that immigration is the most controversial, yet least understood issue in America,” he said. “The question I (often) get asked is, ‘Why don’t you just make yourself legal?’ There isn’t a process for somebody like me to get legal. People don’t understand the process and the issue is so complex.” — AFP

01:00 ICC Cricket 360 01:30 PGA European Tour 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 IRB Junior World Championship 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 ICC Cricket 360 14:30 British & Irish Lions 16:30 IRB Junior World Championship 18:30 NRL Premiership 20:30 Futbol Mundial 21:00 ICC Cricket 360 21:45 Live Super League

ARCTIC BLAST OSN ACTION HD

00:00 Trans World Sport 01:00 NRL Premiership 03:00 IRB Junior Championship

Steve Carell, a cast member in “Despicable Me 2,” poses alongside minion characters from the film at the American premiere of the film at Universal Citywalk on Saturday in Universal City, Calif. — AP

Classifieds MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Kuwait

SHARQIA-1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) SHARQIA-2 THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) SHARQIA-3 TATTAH (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

12:45 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1 MAN OF STEEL (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM

MUHALAB-2 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM

MUHALAB-3 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM

FANAR-1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) FANAR-2 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

1:00 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (20/06/2013 TO 26/06/2013) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-3 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-1 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-2 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG)

9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3 WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

360ยบ- 1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

360ยบ- 2 SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

360ยบ- 3 THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.1 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-3 THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

1:30 PM 1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-1 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:15 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2 TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) TATTAH (DIG) TATTAH (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-2 SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG) SCENARIO (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM

AL-KOUT.3 MAN OF STEEL (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM

FOR RENT

TUITION Tuition for IGCSE/ TOEL/ IELTS/ GMAT/ SAT and for American, English, Bilingual Schools and University students. Spoken English for all. English teacher - call: 66948099. (C 4446) 24-6-2013

Deluxe Villa in Jabriya Two floors Garden Rent KD 2,500 No brokers please

99644748

CHANGE OF NAME I, Eshfak Esmailbhai Huseiny, holder of passport No. H2611280 have changed my name to Mustafa Esmailbhai Huseiny. (C 4445) 24-6-2013 I, NSE OKON AKPAN holder of Nigerian passport Number A01448202 do hereby change my name to NSE SAMUEL KASALI.

Prayer timings Fajr:

03:14

Shorook

04:50

Duhr:

11:50

Asr:

15:24

Maghrib:

18:51

Isha:

20:23

No: 15849

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

Airlines QTR RJA JZR JZR THY ETH GFA AFG UAE ETD THY QTR FDB RJA RBG MSR QTR THY DHX FDB BAW KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR FDB UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD IRA GFA IRC MEA MSC UAE MSR KNE QTR FDB MPH MEA KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR SVA KNE

Arrival Flights on Monday 24/6/2013 Flt Route 148 DOHA 644 AMMAN 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 416 JEDDAH 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 6130 DOHA 67 DUBAI 642 AMMAN 555 ALEXANDRIA 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 412 MANILA 555 ALEXANDRIA 1541 CAIRO 529 ASSIUT 53 DUBAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 3407 MASHAD 213 BAHRAIN 6521 LAMERD 404 BEIRUT 403 ASSIUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 480 TAIF 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 93 AMSTERDAM 406 BEIRUT 344 CHENNAI 284 DHAKA 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 672 DUBAI 1543 CAIRO 503 LUXOR 561 SOHAG 241 AMMAN 165 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 472 JEDDAH

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

OMA RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL GFA SVA NIA QTR FDB GFA MSC JAI FDB OMA ABY MEA MSR AXB MSC ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA QTR JAI FDB AIC UAL TAR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR DLH PIA JAI MSR KLM THY JZR

645 640 134 303 857 127 982 215 510 251 144 63 219 405 572 61 647 129 402 618 489 401 229 859 307 136 217 146 576 59 975 981 327 8053 118 788 786 742 542 546 804 104 674 774 618 535 777 177 189 239 185 636 205 574 614 411 772 135

MUSCAT AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SOHAG MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA COCHIN ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI NEW YORK JEDDAH JEDDAH DAMMAM CAIRO ALEXANDRIA CAIRO LONDON DUBAI RIYADH DOHA CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI FRANKFURT LAHORE MUMBAI CAIRO AMSTERDAM ISTANBUL BAHRAIN

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

Airlines AIC JAI UAL DLH MSR PIA JZR JZR THY THY ETH RJA AFG QTR THY UAE FDB RBG MSR ETD QTR QTR JZR FDB RJA GFA THY JZR KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB QTR KAC ETD MEA GFA KAC IRA KAC IRC MEA JZR KAC MSC KAC JZR MSR KNE

Departure Flights on Monday 24/6/2013 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 206 PESHAWAR 1542 CAIRO 502 LUXOR 773 ISTANBUL 765 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 645 AMMAN 416 KABUL 6131 DOHA 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 240 AMMAN 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 803 CAIRO 302 ABU DHABI 407 BEIRUT 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 3406 MASHHAD 165 ROME 6522 LAMERD 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 481 TAIF

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

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

UAE FDB QTR KAC MPH KNE OMA SVA KAC KAC JZR KAC RJA JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR NIA QTR FDB GFA JZR MSC KAC JAI FDB ABY KAC OMA KAC MEA MSR DHX MSC FDB ETD ALK UAE QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC QTR JAI JZR JZR KAC TAR JZR

872 58 141 673 93 473 646 501 617 773 188 741 641 238 135 304 538 128 858 216 511 982 184 266 252 145 64 220 134 404 283 571 62 120 331 648 351 403 619 171 402 8054 308 230 860 137 301 218 60 205 147 575 554 1540 411 328 530

DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI AL MAKTOUM JEDDAH MUSCAT JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH DUBAI DAMMAM AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ASSIUT DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT KOCHI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA CAIRO BANGKOK DUBAI ASSIUT

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

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 230

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES You appear perhaps more charming and refined than usual today.

Intuitive insights are important for you at this time. Dive in and try your hand at whatever challenges your imagination. Any attempt to avoid confronting life at the personal level is bound to frustration. Your goals and ambitions may lead you to ignore questions of vulnerability. You can win an adversary over to your way of thinking, through logic and understanding. After you first reach out your hand to help others—it becomes fun.

This may encourage you to pour a lot of energy into those around you. Do not go too fast too soon, you could become exhausted and lose interest. Your home and surroundings reflect your desire to have a well-run life. Tonight is for romance.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may decide to gather and update picture albums, club news, salvaging and preserving what is good and healthy in your experience. You begin to care more for your health and nutrition. The idea here is that you are able to analyze your experiences and keep those things that are pure. You respond to the needs of others today and are quick to jump in where others never even see that help is needed. You are committed to join in the process of making things work. Relationships are so important to you that you do not see any difficulty that cannot be helped or made better. Marriage is a meaningful contract to you and tonight there is a celebration with old friends who have long-lasting marriages. You are rewarded for your caring ways.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. (informal) Informed about the latest trends.

4. Scale insects.

12. Give a nickname to.

15. Goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment.

16. Consisting of or covered with oil.

17. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

18. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

19. (medicine) Of or relating to abnormal neuromuscular activity characterized by rapidly alternating muscle contraction and relaxation.

20. An analytic or interpretive literary composition.

22. Tree of the West Indies and northern South America bearing succulent edible orange-sized fruit.

24. Small buffalo of the Celebes having small straight horns.

25. A Loloish language.

28. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

31. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

32. A member of a North American Indian people of the Klamath river valley in northern California.

36. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

37. A highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series).

40. Type genus of the Ranidae.

41. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molasses.

42. United States writer of poems and plays about racial conflict (born in 1934).

45. Sweet pulpy tropical fruit with thick scaly rind and shiny black seeds.

46. An informal term for a father.

48. (especially of promises or contracts) Not violated or disregarded.

50. The portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

51. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

54. The condition of having no arms.

56. A colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube.

57. The Uralic language spoken by the Yeniseian people.

59. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

60. A silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion.

62. (informal) Of the highest quality.

64. Alternatively, a member of the family Nymphaeaceae.

71. Of or relating to Oman or its people.

72. Any of several plants of the genus Achillea native to Europe and having small white flowers in flat-topped flower heads.

74. A potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry.

75. A town in southeastern New Mexico on the Pecos River near the Mexican border.

78. The bureau of the Treasury Department responsible for tax collections.

79. Used of a single unit or thing.

80. Loss of hair (especially on the head) or wool or feathers.

81. Towards the side away from the wind.

DOWN 1. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

2. An inactive volcano in Sicily.

3. Small beads made from polished shells and formerly used as money by native Americans.

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

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

6. A waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water.

7. Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color.

8. The craniometric point that is the most prominent point at the back of the head (at the occipital protuberance).

9. A period of 10 years.

10. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

11. The compass point midway between east and southeast.

12. A piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments.

13. A state in the western United States.

14. Common Indian weaverbird.

21. A winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple.

23. A member of a Turkic people of Uzbekistan and neighboring areas.

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

27. A monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles.

29. The capital and largest city of Zimbabwe.

30. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

33. Farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle).

34. Genus of European subshrubs or herbs having pink or purple or yellow solitary or clustered flowers.

35. A resident of Kansas.

38. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

39. An island (part of Campania) in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy.

43. The sister of your father or mother.

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

47. Low stingless nettle of Central and South America having velvety brownish-green toothed leaves and clusters of small green flowers.

49. Freetail bats.

52. Argentine soldier who became president of Argentina (1895-1974).

53. English writer and a central member of the Fabian Society (1858-1943).

55. Of or like a cecum.

58. A state in north central United States.

61. Lower in esteem.

63. (Sumerian) God of the air and king of the Sumerian gods.

65. A primeval personification of air and breath.

66. A rounded thickly curled hairdo.

67. Tear down so as to make flat with the ground.

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

69. Wrap us in a cerecloth, as of a corpse.

70. Freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort.

73. Counting the number of white and red blood cells and the number of platelets in 1 cubic millimeter of blood.

76. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

77. A long-playing phonograph record.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

Your most basic quality has to do with the very real love and compassion you radiate. Your sense of value and sheer appreciation for life are communicated to all who come to know you. Beyond whatever external considerations may be present, you exude a contagious thankfulness and fondness for things and people.

Your family becomes all-important to you and the networking between loved ones and the support you give each other are things you may devote much time to on days like this. These loving qualities are experienced as a very real good. You may have a tendency to avoid sensitive subjects, but you would be wise to give an ear to someone’s complaint today. Understanding through another viewpoint is very important.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your selfimage or into your ideals and dreams. Keeping a dream diary may bring some interesting insights. This is a time to reshape and renew your philosophy or religion, during which your imagination can be at full tilt. There are breakthroughs in compassion and communion. This could be a good time for intense soul-searching, during which you examine your ideals and goals with an eye to separating the wheat from the chaff. You could take an interest in world unity and a more communal type of existence.

There is a search for pure ideals and pure vision. Relationships get a boost this evening, whether they are business, personal or social.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your natural ability to grasp spiritual and visionary matters comes into play at this time. You can perform with the imagination and metaphysical thoughts as others work with durable things. This is because you understand what is behind and connecting things. Much of your own self-image is wrapped up with your ability to work with images—dreams and the imagination. You may even enjoy teaching music or philosophy.

You could be guiding young people today. Your feelings are expressed through your action and reaction to others and life—build upon the positive. Your intuition is strong and can guide you accurately in making forecasts or decisions. There may be a desire to change your physical makeup—muscle toning, etc. Consider walking or sports.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) A strong devotional nature becomes apparent to anyone who takes time to know the real you. Today is a great time to be with friends and loved ones. Your positive attitude lets you get right to the point, but you display little patience with those who are not organized; careful. Be patient with young people just now. You have plenty of enthusiasm and warm up to things and people quickly. You have an inner self-confidence that burns with its own light. You enjoy an overall improvement in health and attitude today. Daily meditation can help you maintain this balance and energy. If you have not learned any particular meditation technique, it may be a wise move to find one soon—it can be beneficial for your peace of mind and healthy body.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) You are very conservative when it comes to your personal appearance and communications with others. However, once you are motivated you could communicate with anyone. You tend to know your subject matter and can bring your ideas to others in a language that will work on many levels. You probably do not waste words. Your spiritual group may call upon you to speak to others. You have the ability to ground and make spiritual ideas a practical matter, bringing them down to earth and into everyday life. You have great discipline when it comes to working with spirituality and unity. You grasp the principles that bind things together; you are a down-to-earth type of person with a high degree of motivation when it comes to giving and to personal sacrifice.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You have great discipline when it comes to working with spirituality and unity—whatever binds or links all of us together. You would be able to teach and show others these realms. This is a time when you can expect a little boost, some sort of extra support or recognition from those around you. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others; the lines of communication are open now and the support you need is there. Others may find you especially witty and a bit eccentric this afternoon.

You may have insights or breakthroughs regarding your living situation or life circumstances. You may want to decorate or paint. Others value you for your independence and unique qualities. You may appear very at ease and relaxed.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) The morning could be a time when everything around you seems to be changing. You may feel challenged by others, or by circumstances.

Working through problems acted out with others or combining group ideas for a solution may be the order of the morning. Discussing whatever changes need to be made now will help improve situations and allow others input. It may be time to create some new traditions. Family ties are stronger where there are rituals or social events to look forward to and plan. Also you will create ways to set aside special times for visiting with each member of your family. This is the time to make room for listening. This is a rewarding day; friends are more open and family members seem to draw closer.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Take a little trip, or get outside today. You may want to break that routine and try something new or different right now. You may discover insights into day-to-day problems that will be of great value later. You are very much a creature of habit and habitat. An encircling network of friends and relationships is crucial to your success or lack thereof. You are nourished in great measure by the atmosphere and conditions you are able to set up for yourself. You are most satisfied today as you accomplish your chores and improve your surroundings, perhaps by cleaning or working with plants and perhaps, animals. The good life—all that is fine and luxurious—may be what you value just now. You enjoy making your own way.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have some interesting conversations with someone that has a firm political viewpoint. You experience life mostly through your emotions and how you feel about someone or something. Your intuition is strong, however, and can guide you accurately as you make decisions. Your sensitivity makes you retreat from aggressive types. You know and understand more than you let on and others may experience growth through simply answering your penetrating questions or by asking you questions. There is obviously a great gift for sensing the truth of any matter. You find good results with children when you help them to see the importance of structure and responsibilities. Good communication can be enjoyed with all.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Decisions made now may have to be rethought later; take your time with what you think is the answer to whatever question may arise at this time. You are a heavy-duty thinker and serious student—now, however, is time for a break—fun! This may mean a family or neighborhood get-together or simply a walk in the park with a loved one. You pour a lot of energy into those around you. Your home and surroundings reflect this as well. When it comes to teaching or coaching, you are a natural. An active social life is beginning for you now. You will soon find that all those volunteer hours, as well as your help with young people, create the desire for others to express their appreciation. This may happen through dinners, presentations or a phone call.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Sabhan

24742838

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Al-Helaly

22434853

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Al-Faiha

22545051

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Hawally

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Trussardi Spring-Summer 2014 Menswear collection

Fashion Week

M i l a n

Models wear creations of Vivienne Westwood men’s Spring-Summer 2014 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy, yesterday. —AP/AFP photos

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Fashion Week

M i l a n

Models display creations as part of Bottega Veneta Spring-Summer 2014 Menswear collection yesterday during the fashion week in Milan.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

lifestyle

Models wear designs by Elie Kuame of Lebanon and Ivory Coast as they wait to walk the runway at Hotel des Almadies, in Dakar, Senegal, Saturday.

—AP photos

Dakar

Fashion Week targets city’s working class

L

the suburb would expose residents to global trends they might not otherwise encounter.

“The people here already have their own styleurban, a mix of American and French,” he said.

“But now they will see what’s going on in the rest of the world.”

But Yannick Minko, an assistant to Lebanese designer Enzo Itzaky, said designers could look to Guediawaye for inspiration.

“Style begins in the street,” he said. “You look at designers in America, they are getting their inspiration from the Bronx, from Brooklyn. So why can’t it be the same here in Senegal?”

After the show, law student Kande suggested that inspiration might come full circle. Though many of the items were outside her budget,

aw student Aminata Kande stepped out in a $25 blue wax print dress to watch lanky models storm a makeshift runway wearing pieces that cost ten times that amount. Dakar Fashion Week, an 11-year-old institution birthed in the posh hotels of this West African culture hub, took its act to Guediawaye, one of the most downtrodden neighborhoods of this seafacing capital. While organizer Adama Ndiaye affectionately described the area as “the ‘hood,” the northern suburb has repeatedly been the scene of violent riots over problems ranging from power cuts to seasonal flooding in this nation that consistently ranks in the bottom tier on global development reports.

she said she had snapped a few photos of dresses she might want to wear. And as is common in Dakar, she said she planned to take advantage of cheap labor to add some approximations of the outfits to her wardrobe.

“I’ll see if maybe my tailor can make them,” she said. — AP

Models wear designs by Evgheni Hudorojcov of Moldova.

The show was part of a six-day event featuring 18 designers, seven from Senegal and others from as far away as Germany and Brazil.

Shows were scheduled to be held in three different locations throughout Dakar. Ndiaye said she hoped staging a show in a working-class suburb would make high fashion as accessible to students like Kande as it is for the wealthy.

“It is very important to show that beautiful things are not only for rich people,” said Ndiaye, who shows under the name Adama Paris. She said that the clothes she displayed in Guediawaye were of the same quality — and cost — as those that were to be featured later in the weekend at a luxury seaside hotel.

“I want this neighborhood to see what we have, and if it’s a gown for 1,000 euros, then who cares? You don’t have to be rich to like Dior,” she said while prepping the staging area behind the runway, which was assembled on a sandy clearing normally used as a market-

place. But a show in the suburbs is not exactly like a show downtown. Senegalese designer Ramsen, who specializes in dark, loose dresses adorned with foot-long feathers and other unusual accents, said she left some of her pricier pieces at home both to accommodate the crowd and to protect her more delicate creations.

“This is the suburbs, so people don’t have the same financial means,” she said. “Also, as you can see, there is a lot of sand out here.”

The runway scene was also far rowdier than shows in the capital, Dakar. Thousands of Senegalese, who don’t necessarily work in fashion, were vocal about their opinions. They cheered lustily at a leggy model wearing hot pink shorts by German designer Kathrin Huschka, and dozens of men jostled for better views from parked minivans on a road overlooking the runway. The loudest reactions were reserved for the more famous models, especially actress Diarra Thiam, who was greeted to rapturous chants of her nickname, “Lissa.”

The presenter later brought her out to blow kisses to the crowd, which nearly toppled the control barrier on one side of the Tshaped runway. For designer Tapha Fall, the show was a kind of homecoming. As a boy growing up in Guediawaye, he developed a love for clothes while helping out his father, a tailor. He said the decision to stage a show in

Models wear creations by Senegalese designer Mame Fagueye Ba.

Designer Meryem Boussikouk, center right, of Morocco, walks with models wearing her creations.

Models wear designs Hudorojcov of Moldova.

by

Evgheni

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

lifestyle T R A V E L

Photos show Palestinian workers cleaning a section of the archaeological site of the Saint Hilarion Monastery.

Gaza fights to save Holy Land’s oldest monastery A

haven of peace in the sea of concrete that is the Gaza Strip, the crumbling remains of the Holy Land’s oldest monastery are in danger of disappearing for lack of funds to preserve them. Saint Hilarion, which is located at a site called Tel Umm al-Amr, draws its name from the fourth century hermit who came from southern Gaza and is considered to be the father of Palestinian monasticism. Its life close to the Mediterranean shore spanned more than four centuries from the late Roman Empire to the Umayyad period. Abandoned after an earthquake

and a refectory for the monks. In the northern sector, there is an inn and bathing pools for the pilgrims who once visited.

in the seventh century, it was uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999.

But today, “it’s a complete mess-archaeologically, scientifically and on a human level,” laments Rene Elter, a researcher at the Ecole Biblique, a French academic institution in Jerusalem, who is responsible for trying preserve the site. “We have to save Saint Hilarion,” Elter told AFP. “The situation is critical and we risk losing the site. It is imperative that something is done quickly; otherwise it will be lost, lost forever.” Just over a year ago, the Palestinians submitted Saint Hilarion to be includ-

Photo shows the archeological site of the Saint Hilarion Monastery.

A picture shows a mosaic belonging to the archeological site of the Saint Hilarion Monasteryone of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tel Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. — AFP photos

ed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO, the UN cultural organization. The World Monuments Fund, a New York-based group dedicated to preserving the world’s architectural heritage, last year put it on its Watch list. This is includes sites around the globe at risk from the forces of nature as well as social, political, and economic change. But there isn’t enough money to do the job. Elter believes the cost of saving the site, located near the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, would be a mere $2 million (1.5 million euros) over three years, with an immediate investment of $200,000 needed before next winter’s rains arrive.

So far, France has been the largest donor to

the preservation efforts, giving 110,000 euros ($146,000) since 2010. UNESCO has contributed another $35,000. “All the emergency safeguards that we’ve put in place-corrugated iron fences, supports, sandbags-are working but they are only temporary.

And within a year, if we don’t do anything, the worst is yet to come,” Elter said. The decaying remains cover 15,000 square meters (161,000 square feet), and the surrounding site stretches across 10 hectares (25 acres). Situated among undulating sand dunes, the southern part of the complex includes a church and large crypt, a chapel, several baptismal fonts, living quarters

‘Our ancestors left us a site to preserve’ Today, many of the sandbags that support the monastery’s crumbling foundations are disintegrating because of the humidity. A blisteringly hot summer last year was followed by a very wet winter, which has left deep furrows in the soil.

Although there is a French stonemason who could do the necessary work to shore up walls in danger of collapsing, there are no funds to fly him over. “The grass is beginning to destroy the mosaic floor,” said Fadel al-Utol, a young Gazan archaeologist who looks after the site for the FrenchPalestinian preservation project.

“I need workers and weed killer to get rid of all this grass, I need to change 2,000 sandbags and I need wood to reinforce the platforms for visitors,” he complains. The team of workers who maintain the site have been underpaid for months. And with no night watchmen, there are fears the site could be looted or damaged.

Meanwhile, it is used for training Palestinian experts who will be responsible for managing the archaeological sites and restoration of Gaza in 10 or 15 years time.

“We have a team there who are ready to work, who are able to manage this heritage,” he says.

Every day, Utol takes groups of school children and students around the site, which had a record 1,880 visitors in March. He explains to them about the baptistry, the Romans, the pre-Byzantine Christians and the Ummayads in what is a unique educational experience in Gaza. —AFP

List of new UNESCO world heritage sites

Photo shows Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 meters (12,460 feet), and Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiko, southern Yamanashi prefecture. — AFP photos

U

NESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is currently holding its 37th annual session in Phnom Penh. Yesterday it completed an update of new sites to be added the World Heritage List.

Below are the main decisions: Mount Etna (Italy) The tallest active volcano on the European continent at 3,300 meters (10,900 feet).

Mount Fuji (Japan) Fujisan, the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 meters (12,460 feet), is one of the country’s most recognizable sights and an object of pilgrimage and artistic inspiration.

Agadez (Niger) The 15th century town of Agadez was a crossroads for the trans-Saharan caravan trade. It is home to the tallest minaret ever built out of mudbrick.

El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)

Picture shows the Roman ruins of Palmyra, 220 kms northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Inhospitable desert area home to more than 540 species of plants, 44 mammals, more than 200 species of birds and over 40 reptiles.

Tajikistan National Park Spanning 2.5 million hectares (6.1 million acres) the area is home to vast glaciers, high plateau and rugged mountain peaks as well as rare birds and mammals including the snow leopard.

Terraced rice fields of Honghe Hani (China) Spectacular terraces running down mountain slopes and marking 1,300 years of rice cultivation.

Xinjiang Tianshan (China) Part of one of the world’s largest mountain range Xinjiang Tianshan is renowned for its scenic beauty from soaring snow-capped peaks to sand dune-studded deserts.

Namib Sand Sea (Namibia) A vast coastal desert area of sand dunes whose only water source is uniquely delivered by fog, sustaining endemic flora and fauna.

A file picture taken in Agadez shows a boy walking past the Agadez mosque.

A file photo shows lava spewing from a crater of Mount Etna volcano on the Italian island of Sicily.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan (India) Six hill forts in the northwestern India recognized as the best surviving examples of the palaces of the Rajput princes who ruled Rajasthan for 1,000 years.

Monuments of Kaesong (North Korea) A dozen monuments including tombs, fortress walls and a 700-year-old school at the medieval city of Kaesong-the base of Koryo dynasty which ruled a unified Korea from 918-1392.

Medici Villas and Gardens (Italy) Constructed outside Florence, the villas and their gardens were commissioned by the Medicis, a Tuscan banking dynasty instrumental in the politics and culture of Renaissance-era Italy.

Wooden tserkvas (churches) in the Carpathian mountains (Poland and Ukraine) Sixteen wooden structures UNESCO says are “outstanding examples of the once widespread Orthodox ecclesiastical timber building tradition in the Slavic countries.”

A file picture shows an aerial view of the city of Agadez in Niger.

Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (Canada) A sixteenth century Arctic maritime base for Basque whalers with ovens, living quarters and underwater ship wrecks.

The following were classed as “in danger” heritage sites by UNESCO: All six of Syria’s World Heritage Sites because of ongoing civil war: the ancient cities of Damascus, Bosra and Aleppo, the oasis of Palmyra, the castles of Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din-which counts as one siteand the ancient villages of northern Syria.

East Rennell area of the Solomon Islands, the largest raised coral atoll in the world endangered by logging.

Taken off the “in danger” list: Iran’s ancient citadel of Bam, almost completely destroyed by a major earthquake in 2003, was removed from the UNESCO list of “World Heritage in Danger.” —AFP

This file picture shows a general view of traditional housing in the old city quarter of Kaesong, a North Korean city close to the border with South Korea.

Gaza fights to save Holy Land’s oldest monastery

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013

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In this Saturday photo released by the MBC Group, singer Mohammed Assaf, prays after receiving the Arab Idol award in Beirut, Lebanon. (Inset) Palestinian contestant Mohammed Assaf receives his trophy from Lebanese singer Assi Al-Hallani after winning the ‘Arab Idol’. — AP/AFP photos

Palestinian joy as Gaza singer wins Arab Idol T

ens of thousands of jubilant Palestinians celebrated into the early hours of yesterday after a 23-year-old Gazan singer won the popular Arab Idol talent show that has captivated millions across the Middle East since March. The meteoric rise of Gaza’s Mohammed Assaf to snatch the top prize in the pan-Arab singing contest sparked an unprecedented outpouring of joy across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, unifying an often divided public.

Assaf’s victory in the finals, held in Beirut and screened live on television across the Arab world, marked the first such success for a Palestinian entertainer. “Mohammed Assaf is the Arab Idol!” declared the presenter of the show which is modeled on the British hit show Pop Idol, as confetti rained down on the cheering audience. The handsome, tuxedo-clad

“‘The rocket hit the target and brought joy to the Palestinians,” said Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, while the rival Al-Ayyam went with: “Assaf - the Palestinians’ art rocket.” And inside the papers, giant full-page adds taken out by the Bank of Palestine and mobile phone provider Jawaal congratulated him on his win. After the final

Mohammed Assaf, second right, receives the Arab Idol award in Beirut, Lebanon.

Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf celebrates with his national flag.

Palestinian contestant Mohammed Assaf (top) cries of joy. singer immediately dedicated his win to “the Palestinian people, who have been suffering for more than 60 years from (the Israeli) occupation”. He wins a professional recording contract and a car, a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas crowned him a national goodwill ambassador, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees named him their UNRWA Youth Ambassador.

Since the contest began in March, Assaf has earned himself an army of followers who have been glued to the big screens in cafÈs and restaurants across the territories, listening enraptured as his powerful voice propelled him further and further ahead in the weekly sing-off. As his name was read out, his mother - wearing a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, her shoulders wrapped in the black, green, white and red of the national flag - burst into tears of joy.

Spontaneous celebrations broke out across Gaza and in the West Bank, where tens of thousands took to the streets, cheering and dancing, car radios blasting the traditional Palestinian song which propelled him to victory as people handed out sweets to passers by.

And yesterday, a Ramallah-based public relations firm announced plans to host Assaf for a concert and celebration party in early July.

News of his victory was splashed across yesterday’s front pages with many making a play on words linked to a remark by one of the judges who described him as “the best rocket” to have come out of Gaza - “a rocket of peace, not war”.

sing-off, which pitted Assaf against a young woman from Syria and an Egyptian, the entire Palestinian nation was on tenterhooks, waiting for the result after millions texted their vote to the pan-Arab MBC channel. Across the West Bank and Gaza, streets were jammed with a sea of smiling faces, and the joyful honking of car horns as people reveled in the rare atmosphere of celebration.

“The mood is indescribable. Everyone is celebrating. Thank you, Mohammed Assaf, for bringing joy to our hearts!” said Gaza resident Mohammad Dahman. “We haven’t felt this joy in a long time!” Celebrations also erupted in annexed east Jerusalem, but soured as young Palestinians clashed with Israeli police, resulting in several arrests. In northern Lebanon, Palestinian refugees in the Beddawi camp fired into the air and honked car horns to celebrate, while major partying also took place in the southern city of Sidon, an AFP correspondent said.

Born in Misrata, Libya, Assaf grew up in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza, one of the world’s poorest and most densely-populated areas which has been subjected to a

The family and friends of Palestinian singer Mohammad Assaf celebrate after he won the final of the Arab Idol competition in Khan Yunis town in the southern Gaza Strip.

tight Israeli blockade since 2006. Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers disapprove of shows such as Arab Idol, which are considered to be un-Islamic, but they have not clamped down on support for the contest.

“All Palestinians share in his success.

Mohammed’s music is a universal language and speaks to all of us,” said UNRWA chief

Filippo Grandi. “How fantastic that a Palestine refugee from Gaza should bring us all together in this way.” There were even congratulations from Israel, with the army’s Arabic spokesman Avichai Adraee hailing his victory on Twitter.

And the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper also hailed his success saying: “A Palestinian hero is born.” — AFP

People celebrate Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf winning ‘Arab Idol’ in Gaza city.