25th Jun 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Berlusconi sentenced to jail in sex trial

Time magazine ‘Buddhist Terror’ headline irks Myanmar

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US daredevil completes Grand Canyon tightrope walk

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Nadal suffers Wimbledon humiliation

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Qatar emir to hand over power to son Sheikh Hamad to address nation • PM may be replaced

conspiracy theories

Before or after Ramadan?

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

D

iwaniyas, politicians - anybody who’s interested in politics nowadays - is over-busy with the election dilemma. And now the talk is about whether to shift the elections after Ramadan - and even if you shift it after Ramadan - staying within the two-month limit is another dilemma. Meaning it will conflict with people’s holidays in the heat of August.

Half of Kuwait has already booked to travel after Eid and it will be very inconvenient to change travel plans.

Let’s say the government has no option but to keep it in Ramadan. Man, it will be awful - nobody will relish it. It is a fasting month. People break their fasts around 7 and will go for taraweeh (extra congregational prayers) around 8. At least, most sects of Islam perform taraweeh. Even the less-religious perform taraweeh and even candidates and their followers will do so.

I don’t understand holding on to the constitution in trivial matters like shifting the elections for short times if circumstances arise. I respect the constitution, but I don’t see it as a crime if you are flexible with the election laws. After all, constitutions are manmade and not the Quran or a holy book. Even in advanced countries that hold tight to the constitution, certain clauses are sometimes amended to evolve with the changing times.

Anyways, the constitutional court is coming tomorrow with a verdict to explain whether reinstating the 2009 parliament is constitutional. If it does that - I say that half the problem is solved. That means the old opposition-dominated parliament will be back. This parliament can only be dissolved by the Amir, or he can order them to finish their term. If this happens, it will save Kuwait a lot of disputes and headaches. And it is a way to calm down the opposition and invite them back to the political arena.

If I compare parliaments, I don’t see that the recently-dissolved parliament was better than the 2009 one. What accomplishments did they come up with for Kuwait? They also followed in the footsteps of the old parliaments to grill and nothing but grill. Oh I forgot what a great accomplishment they achieved paying the over $2 billion penalty to Dow!

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani

Max 47º Min 34º High Tide 00:50 & 11:25 Low Tide 06:03 & 19:10

DOHA: The emir of the small but economically strong Gulf state of Qatar, a major diplomatic broker that has played a key role in the Arab Spring, is set to transfer power to his son in a first for the Arab world. Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar is to be named the new emir of the state, a palace statement announced late yesterday. The statement said that Qataris will be asked today and tomorrow to “swear allegiance to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as emir”. “The royal palace announces that Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, will address the Qatari people at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday,” said an earlier statement carried by the official QNA news agency.

The palace statement declared today an official holiday in the gas-rich nation which has punched above its weight in recent years. Qatar-based satellite television channel Al-Jazeera said the emir met “with the royal family and prominent members of Qatari society. He has informed the meeting of his decision to hand power over to his crown prince”. “The Emiri Diwan (royal court) will receive citizens tomorrow and the day after to pledge allegiance to Sheikh Tamim as the country’s emir,” the station later said.

Sheikh Hamad, who used Qatar’s immense gas wealth to drive its modernisation and transform it into a major player on the world’s diplomatic scene, came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his father Sheikh Khalifa in Continued on Page 15

Filipina raped by cops recounts ordeal

By Ben Garcia

Govt puts polls on hold for court explanation Election date may change

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The Cabinet yesterday put the election process on hold “as a precautionary measure” while the country waits for the constitutional court to explain its verdict issued last week amid expectation the election date could change. The constitutional court, whose rulings are final, is scheduled to provide legal interpretations for its verdict which ordered the National Assembly dissolved and confirmed the controversial single-vote amendment.

The Cabinet said after its weekly meeting that as the court is set to explain its verdict tomorrow, it has decided to cease all procedures for the implementation of the verdict including the decree inviting voters for elections which opens the way for candidates to start registering.

The Cabinet’s move came as more conflicting interpretations from legal and constitutional experts were

expressed in the past few days, especially to whether the 2009 Assembly should be reinstated or not in addition to the correct legal procedures the Cabinet should take after the ruling.

One of the most interesting views on the court verdict was expressed yesterday by prominent constitutional expert Mohammad Al-Moqate in an article published in Al-Qabas newspaper.

Moqate stressed that the court ruling meant that the 2009 Assembly must be revived after the court ruled that the Dec 1, 2012 election was “null and void”.

He said that the 2009 Assembly was dissolved for the second time on Oct 7, 2012. Under Kuwaiti law, fresh election must be held within 60 days and if they are not held, the dissolved Assembly is automatically revived. Moqate added that the polls were held on Dec 1 last year in accordance with the law but were nullified by the court on June 16, which means as if the election had Continued on Page 15

Lebanon army seizes cleric’s HQ 16 soldiers killed • Assir’s whereabouts unknown

SIDON, Lebanon: Lebanese army soldiers help injured soldiers after clashes between followers of a radical Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir and Shiite gunmen in this southern port city yesterday. — AP

SIDON, Lebanon: Lebanon’s army has seized control of the headquarters of a radical Sunni sheikh whose supporters have battled the military for two days, killing 16 soldiers, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir’s whereabouts are unknown, added the journalist, who accompanied troops into the complex in Abra, near the southern city of Sidon. The correspondent saw abandoned weapons inside the cleric’s headquarters, among them rocket launchers and machineguns, as well as military clothing. Some of the flats in the complex were still burning as troops moved in.

The area sustained heavy damage in two days of fighting that broke out after Assir’s supporters attacked a checkpoint, the army said. The AFP journalist saw bodies on the ground, some of them scorched. Troops said it was unsafe to remove them from the area for fear that they may have been booby-trapped.

The violence between supporters of Assir and the Lebanese army has been among the most serious to hit Lebanon since the start of the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Despite his marginal role in Lebanese politics, Assir has capitalised on powerful Shiite Hezbollah’s increasing notoriety, especially over its involvement in fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces against rebels. By late yesterday, the number of troops killed in the clashes had risen to 16, among them two officers, the army said. A military source in Sidon said the army found in buildings near Assir’s headquarters “dozens of bodies of armed men, wearing military Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: Amidst the massive crackdown on expatriates currently ongoing in Kuwait, there have been reports of abuses by security men towards residents.

Authorities have also deported thousands of mainly low-paid Asian workers for working without the correct visa or residency papers or for repeated traffic violations.

A Filipina who was allegedly gang-

raped by two Kuwaiti police officers and an Egyptian finally came out to share her distressing story with the local Filipino media yesterday. Rhiza (name changed) said she was asleep when police officers knocked at her door on June 17. The 36year-old was alone at the time as her flatmates were at work on night duties. Fully aware about what is going on in Kuwait, she immediately thought that the frantic Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: Rape victim Rhiza speaks with Philippine Embassy official Mar Hassan at a press conference to narrate her ordeal to the local media yesterday. — Photo by Ben Garcia

Mystery as Snowden vanishes in Moscow US left gnashing teeth MOSCOW: Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden yesterday vanished in Moscow after failing to take a flight to Cuba on which he was booked, as Washington demanded that Moscow expel him back to the United States.

Snowden, who embarrassed US President Barack Obama with his revelations of massive surveillance programs, failed to appear on the Aeroflot flight to Havana from where he had been expected to continue to Ecuador and claim asylum. Russia’s Interfax news agency, known for its strong security contacts, confirmed that he was not on the Havana flight and quoted an informed source as saying he was likely already out of the country.

Snowden had arrived in Moscow on Sunday from Hong Kong, from where he leaked to the media details of secret cyberespionage programs by both US and British intelligence agencies. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Snowden was “safe” after leaving Hong Kong with a refugee document supplied by Ecuador after the United States revoked his passport.

Continued on Page 15

MOSCOW: Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that was booked in the name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, shortly before Aeroflot flight SU150 took off from Moscow to Havana yesterday. — AP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait, Tajikistan sign cooperation deals KUWAIT: Kuwait and Tajikistan signed Sunday a number of cooperation agreements in a ceremony attended by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, and visiting Tajik President Emomali Rhamon at Bayan Palace.

Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah and Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi signed an agreement regarding exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and special passports, as well as an agreement on cultural and arts cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Acting Oil Minister Mustafa Al-Shimali, and Tajik Finance Minister Safarali

Najmuddinov signed an agreement on avoiding double taxation, financial evasion, and taxation on capital.

Kuwait Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Khaled Al-Saleh and Tajik Chairman of Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Maliksho Nematov signed tourism cooperation agreement.

Kuwait Minister of Health Dr. Mohammad Barrak Al-Haifi and Tajikistanís Health Minister Nusratullo Salimov signed an agreement on health cooperation. Director General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Abdulwahab Ahmad Al-Bader and Chairman of Tajikistan State Committee on Investments and State Property Management Davlatali Saidov signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). —- KUNA

Security campaign in Wafra area KUWAIT: A security campaign was carried out in the Al-Wafra area which included AlFawares Road in the west up to the Wafra farm, Al-Khairan Pearls chalets, Al-Zur

chalet in the east, Al-Wafra Barns and the Wafra-Kabd new road.

The campaign resulted in the arrest of 46 persons found without identification or with expired residency permits. Two people were caught for acting as vendors. A total of 12 traffic citations were handed out and six people were offered help on humanitarian grounds.

As for drugs, 22 drug pills, some powder and drug taking tools were found during the campaign. Two unlicensed slaughter houses were shut down while four grocery selling places, six places where sheep were kept in a lock up and eight platforms where fodder was sold were shut down. All of these were close to the main road.

KUWAIT: Tajikistan President Imam Ali Rahman attended the ceremony of opening Tajikistan’s Embassy in Shamiya yesterday.

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Head of the Honorary Mission, Advidor at the Amiri Diwan Dr Abdullah Al-Maatoug, and Foreign Undersecretary Khalid Suleiman AlJarallah. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Cabinet launches preparations for parliamentary elections Number of polling booths may be increased KUWAIT: Preparations are underway for parliamentary elections that take place one month from today as the cabinet reportedly plans to discuss with First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud AlSabah the possibility of increasing the number of schools used as ballot centers. This was reported by Al-Jarida yesterday quoting government sources who further indicated that Minister of Education Hayef Al-Hajraf received instructions to select ‘newly constructed and good air conditioned’ schools to provide a better environment for voters who would have to battle extreme heat as they cast their votes during fasting hours of Ramadan. The sources added that similar instructions are expected to be given to Minister of Justice and Minister of Islamic Affairs Sharida Al-Maousharji in order to increase the number of judicial authority members who are to be recruited to work in the elections.

Meanwhile, Al-Jarida quoted a “senior cabinet source” who indicated that ministers were set to be briefed during the cabinet’s weekly yesterday (Monday) about budgets proposed for state departments so that they can approved next week. The reports include the budget required to fund the elections process.

In the meantime, Al-Qabas reported quoting

a Ministry of Justice insider that the number of Kuwaitis eligible to vote reaches around 440,000 who can cast their ballots in 665 committees to be set in 105 schools around Kuwait.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Cabinet decided to suspend all decrees and measures taken to implement last week Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling of parliament dissolution.

In its weekly meeting, held at Seif Palace under chairmanship of His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad AlSabah, the Cabinet opted for waiting for the top court hearing on Wednesday to examine a request of explanation to the ruling filed by a former MP. “The Cabinet has decided to suspend all measures taken in implementation of the court ruling, pending the court’s binding explanation to ensure that all measures comply with the constitution provisions,” Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak AlSabah said following the cabinet meeting. On June 16, 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. In another related case, the court

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.

Earlier, the ministers reviewed the letters addressed to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Mohammad Abdul Hamid and President the Republic of Mali Dioncounda Traor.

The letters focused on bilateral relations and means to bolster mutual cooperation.

They also reviewed a letter sent to HH the Amir by UN Special Representative in Iraq Martin Kobler. In his letter, Kobler expressed gratitude for Kuwait’s generous contribution to the United Nations Environmental Programme for Combatting Desertification.

HH the PM also briefed the Cabinet about the talks held with the visiting Tajikistan President Emomali Rhamon and his accompanying delegation.

The ministers expressed hopes that the visit would help open new horizons for bilateral cooperation to serve the higher interests of the two nations. They also touched upon the latest political developments in the Arab region and the world.

KAC offers land services to 24 airlines KUWAIT: The Kuwait Air ways Corporation (KAC)’s Land Services Department provide its special services for 24 airlines in addition to the government, non-scheduled and cargo airlines, Head of the Land Services Department at KAC Ezzat Al-Erian has revealed.

In press statements, Al-Erian said the Land Services Department offers high-quality and diverse services to its customers. “ The Department has a highlyskilled labor and modern equipment that help it cope with congestion particularly in the summer season,” he said. Al-Erian vowed that the KAC will continue development and upgrade efforts for the comfort of passengers of all airlines. He disclosed that passengers, whose flights planned to take off before 02: 00 pm, can hand over their baggage at any time after 12:00 am.

“ The department has allocated counters for passengers with baggage and others for those who do not have to reduce the time of check-in and avoid any crowd,” he said.

“The KAC also offers a wide-array of services through its official website.” Al-Erian noted that the KAC also provides special services for ill passengers who require medical care at the airport and onboard.

“We also offer all assistance to people with special needs since their arrival at the airport gate,” he said.

He unveiled that the Land Service Department also provides a package of services with special fees to passengers such as Maraheb service which includes welcoming the passenger with a small bouquet of flower and Arabic Coffee from the gate on red carpet, assisting in completing the formalities and reaching the passenger home. — KUNA

Ezzat Al-Erian

Civil aviation launches passenger services questionnaire KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation launched a questionnaire about the quality of services in the passengers’ building at Kuwait International Airport.

The directorate said yesterday the questionnaire aims to develop the services in the airport in order to satisfy the passengers on all accounts,

including parking, security check, information desks, bookings, luggage weighing, passport ser vices, and signs indicating airport facilities and gates.

The questionnaire is also concerned with restaurants, coffee shops, duty free, first class and businessmen halls, and cleanliness among other

services provided in the building, added the directorate.

The directorate called on all passengers to participate in the questionnaire to share their point of view and ideas on how to provide a better service or introduce new services, by logging onto the official website of the directorate.—KUNA

Tug crew rescued from sea KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Coastguards managed to rescue a six-member tug crew from the sea and brought them to safety, providing them first aid.

The Coastguards received a report about a tug belonging to one of the shipping companies that had collided with a boat that had sunk some time back at a spot north of Al-Julaia. It seemed that the tug went out of control in the rough weather and its captain could not prevent a collision with the sunken boat, which resulted in water entering inside the tug. Immediately, two patrol vessels of the Coastguards led by sergeants Yaser Haider and Bader Al-Otaibi rushed to the site to carry out a rescue operation, but water had already entered the tug in large quantity and the rescue team could only extricate the crew comprising six persons.

Coastguards have informed all concerned parties to remain careful as there was danger for those navigating in that area.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LOCAL

Ministry helps human trade by ignoring visa traffickers Forced deportation ‘illegal’ KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor virtually helps human trafficking in Kuwait since it watches as a moot witness even when visa traffickers continue to bring labor forces into the country. This was stated by a top unionist who also accused the ministry of “throwing out” expatriate workers after suddenly realizing that the labor market has become disorganized.

In an interview published by Annahar yesterday, Kuwait Trade Union Federation member Abdurrahman Al-Ghanim said that the country lacks a clear policy regarding its labor market despite the fact that many developmental plans were on and efforts were being made to transform the state into a commercial hub in the region.

Moreover, Al-Ghanim, who is also the President of the Expatriate Labor Forces Office in the KTUF, argued that the MSAL’s activities were going against the state’s general direction.

“How can there be expansive construction activity and more restrictions against expatriates at the same time? Who is going to build Kuwait then?” he questioned.

The interview comes days after the United States Department of State released its 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, which listed Kuwait in the Tier Three countries that have not been able to make any significant effort to meet the minimum standards of compliance set by the Trafficking Victims

Protection Act, a 2000 law aimed at prevention and prosecution in cases of human trafficking.

According to Al-Ghanim, a policy that divides expatriate labor forces into those that the state wants to keep and others it wants to kick out is doomed to fail. “Instead, Kuwait needs a system that separates the wheat from the chaff; one that replaces the kafeel (sponsorship) system and opens the door for the market to stabilize by organizing itself through contracts signed as per legal controls,” he stated.

Regarding deportations, AlGhanim said that forced or ‘administrative’ deportation is illegal because it is unorganized, and called for procedures to regulate this process “and guarantee the right of an expatriate worker to challenge his or her deportation order through panels whose job should be to investigate complaints.”

He further insisted that reducing the population of expatriate labor forces must be based on a clear strategy “instead of announced percentages.” These statements were in reference to an announcement by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra Al-Rashidi last March in which she said Kuwait will deport 100,000 foreigners this year as part of a plan to cut the expatriate population by one million within a decade.

In response to criticism from the Human Rights groups inside and out-

side Kuwait, Al-Rashidi later identified ‘marginal labor forces’ as the target of the plan. “Most of the so-called marginal labor forces are victims who sold everything they had back home to follow a false dream woven by those who made them believe that they have a chance to come to the land of opportunity and wealth,” Al-Ghanim said. “The real question should be to look for the ones who recruited these workers and brought them to Kuwait”.

The sponsorship or ‘kafala’ system contains loopholes that are often used by visa traffickers to release work permits in the name of fake companies or nonexistent job openings, then sell them to unskilled labor forces looking for a chance to work in the oil-rich Gulf region. Human rights violations resulting from these practices have drawn criticism from international organizations in the past few years. There are nearly 90,000 people living illegally in Kuwait, according to official figures.

Crackdowns on illegal residents resulted in hundreds of arrests in the past two months, but there have been no reports pursuing traffickers who sell visas obtained illegally to labor forces. Kuwait is home to 2.6 million expatriates who account for 68 percent of the country’s 3.8 million population. Marginal labor forces are workers who usually accept menial labor and often live without valid visas, and are in most cases victims of visa traffickers.

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Women’s Cultural and Social Society celebrating International Widows Day yesterday.

Women Society marks Widows Day KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Women’s Cultural and Social Society ( WCSS) marked International Widows Day, observed annually on June 23, and held the awards ceremony for Al-Baghli Dutiful Son Prize in conjunction with this occasion.

“This international day, ratified by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to celebrate female widows, aims to strengthen their positions and support their roles in society,” said Raed Ibrahim Al-Baghli in a speech on behalf of the award’s Chairman

Protocol for curbing use of firearms JEDDAH: The executive office of the Arab justice ministers’ council met on Sunday to discuss a draft protocol for curbing the spread of firearms in the Arab countries.

The State of Kuwait was represented by Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Shareeda Abdullah AlMousherji.

The agenda of the meeting included topics such as the plan to launch an Arab tribunal to try the cases of ill-gotten funds, the draft treaty against human trafficking, a protocol against maritime piracy, the treaty for aviation safety.

The ministers discussed the report of the secretariat of the council on the implementation of the results of the former ministerial meeting, the treaty against terrorism, the treaty against money laundering and the treaty against religion slandering.

They also discussed the draft convention against human cloning, the regulations of transplantations, the Arab code against narcotics, the single act for copyright protection, the efforts of the panel on standardization of legal terms, and the first annual report on the regional efforts for combatting human trafficking.

The meeting was hosted and chaired by Saudi Minister of Justice Dr Mohammad Al-Issa, the current chair of the Arab justice ministers’ council. —KUNA

Ibrahim Al-Baghli.

“The Dutiful Son Award aims to implement government policies towards social and humanitarian issues as well as upholding the values and principles of our religion in terms of taking care of widows and orphans,” Al-Baghli pointed out.

“The award also encourages social partnership with various segments of society, and ser ves our widowed mothers and sisters,” he said, noting that “this voluntary project has several humanitarian achievements, which

confirms that the constructive social plan set by our beloved philanthropist homeland is succeeding.”

Al-Baghli praised the support of all public and private sectors, and charitable bodies that helped the project and prize meet its objectives.

For her part, 2012 first place award winner, Zahra Abbas, expressed her thanks to the award’s chairman who works on strengthening and consolidating the values of social cohesion in the society, and to WCSS, which hosted the event. — KUNA

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LOCAL

kuwait digest

In my view

Welcome to Kuwait

From plastic cups to nukes

By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

W

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

T

he reiteration by the government of its determination to take Kuwait to a high level of development in all areas was indeed a good move. At the same time, it will be a no brainer to mention that the talk of the town and the general chatter over dining tables around the world is focused on the difficulties related to the expats issue, the upcoming elections, who will be the new MPs etc. I know of many expats dear to me who all agree that Kuwait will return from these difficult times even more prosperous and as a land of opportunity. The reason for my being so optimistic is that I know how much the government and the parliament have worked earlier on finalizing the development plan and how well it has been budgeted.

The government’s determination was being thwarted for long because of the irresponsible opposition which spent years, carrying out a shrill campaign that could well break the Guinness record for loudness.

Many watched how reckless MPs acted in ways as a result of which Kuwait lost billions of dollars and had to pay historical fines.

I think the latest verdict by the Constitutional Court has wiped out all the old mistakes, and this will only infuse fresh and positive energy into those determined to build Kuwait.

Everyone wants for their country a clear and easy highway to development that avoids the pitfalls, so that Kuwait becomes a competitive financial hub. I would add here that just empty words are not enough and investors and business people look for more in tangible terms.

Surely, they must be able to calculate that if they spend money here and invest, then they stand to witness good returns and their investments will be protected.

Moreover, we must have economic and financial studies about the future of Kuwait that should be transparent so that foreign investors join us happily in overcoming regional or international challenges. Let us adopt the slogan, ‘Change and Reform’ and vow to carry out full reforms and bring a change from top to bottom, including removing the demographic aberrations and carrying out the long awaited administrative reforms.

Only by doing so will we be able to say ‘Yes We Can’, and will rightfully be able to proclaim at our airport - Welcome to Kuwait.

kuwait digest

Why reinstating 2009 parliament is necessary

By Dr Mohammad Al-Moqatei

T

here is a clear confusion about understanding the constitutional reasons as to why the 2009 parliament should be reinstated temporarily following the Constitutional Court ruling on June 16. The reinstatement is not based on the argument that the 2009 parliament’s dissolution order of Oct 7, 2012 was unconstitutional. On the contrary, it was completely correct. Why should the 2009 parliament be reinstated then?

The reason is found in the second point under Article 107 of the Kuwaiti Constitution, which states: “If the elections are not held within the said period, the dissolved Assembly is restored to its full constitutional authority and meets immediately as if the dissolution had not taken place. The Assembly then continues to function until the new Assembly is elected.” The said period here is sixty days from the date of the dissolution. If no elections were held within this period, the dissolved parliament is automatically reinstated.

To clarify the subject more accurately, we point out the following: 1- The 2009 parliament was dissolved on Oct 7, 2012.

2- The sixty days period would have expired on Dec 6, 2012.

3- Parliamentary elections were held as per the single-vote system on Dec 1, 2012, which means that it was held before the end of the period after which the 2009 parliament would have been reinstated. The elections were organized as per procedures laid out by the National Elections Committee which was established via an emergency decree released at the time.

4- On June 16, 2013, the Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional the emergency decree to establish the National Elections Committee, effectively rendering all procedures it carried out null and void - which subsequently resulted in the parliament elected last December to be dissolved.

5- According to the verdict, the decree to form the National Elections Committee became as if it had not taken place. Subsequently, this means that no elections were effectively held within sixty days after the dissolution of the parliament before the recently annulled one. So according to the constitution, the 2009 parliament must be reinstated before new elections are held.

6- The 2009 parliament must reconvene before future elections are held in order to avoid any constitutional complications that may arise if that did not happen. — Al-Qabas

In my view

A road map for nuclear negotiations

By Muhammad Sahimi

T

he next round of negotiations between Iran and the P5-plus-1 group-the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany-is to take place in Moscow on June 18 and 19. The initial optimism after the first round of negotiations in Istanbul gave way to caution after the Baghdad negotiations in late May. The developments over the past two weeks do not, however, bode well for the upcoming negotiations. Helga Maria Schmid, senior adviser to Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief who leads the P5-plus1 team, has sent a letter to her Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri, indicating that P5-plus-1 will take a hard line in Moscow.

In her letter to Bagheri, Schmid has stated that the P5plus-1 is willing only to discuss the proposal put on the table in Baghdad by her side, according to which Iran must immediately cease uranium enrichment at 19.75 percent, in return for which the P5-plus-1 will make minor concessions to Iran-providing Iran with spare parts for its old civilian aircrafts bought from Europe and the United States, supplying some nuclear isotopes used in medical treatment, and cooperating with Iran on nuclear safety issues.

None of the tough sanctions already imposed on Iran, or about to be imposed on July 1, will be cancelled or even suspended. If the P5-plus-1 insists on this hard line, the Moscow negotiations will be doomed.

The U.S. and its allies must recognize that both sides, not just the P5-plus-1, have their own constraints, as well as winning cards to play. In the US, the hawks and Israel lobby do not want any diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff. The Senate has been busy passing one resolution after another, trying to make it impossible to negotiate with Iran. Hardliners within Iran’s security, intelligence and military forces, particularly in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also do not want to make any concession to the West.

And, while the sanctions imposed on Iran have worsened the economic plight of ordinary Iranians to the extent that the ruling elite cannot ignore it anymore, tougher confrontation with Iran in the absence of a diplomatic solution will push oil prices to much higher levels, greatly hurting the fragile European economies and the weak recovery in the US. Moreover, with Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium at 3.5 and 19.75 percent levels continuing to grow, the West’s anxiety over Iran’s military site at Parchin (southeast of Tehran) also growing, and the situation in Syria spiraling out of control, Iran does have some winning cards to play. No deal with Iran can be reached without a major concession by the US and its allies. If there is political will on both sides, the framework for a diplomatic solution and the road map to arrive at it are clear.

First, Iran must cease enrichment at 19.75 percent. In return, the EU must allow oil tankers that carry Iran’s oil to

non-European nations to be insured by European companies. In addition, the sanctions on Iran’s central bank must at least be suspended.

Next, Iran must ship out its stockpile of 19.75 percent enriched uranium to Russia and France for conversion to fuel rods. This arrangement had been agreed upon in October 2009, but the agreement ultimately failed due to objections by both sides. In return, the P5-plus-1 must guarantee supply of fuel, the same 19.75 percent enriched uranium converted to fuel rods, for the Tehran Research Reactor. Fuel rods cannot be used in making nuclear weapons.

Iran must then reactivate the provisions of the Additional Protocol of its Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which it carried out voluntarily from October 2003 to January 2006. That will give the IAEA intrusive authority to inspect any suspected site in Iran, including Parchin. In addition, Iran must agree to adhere to modified Code 3.1 of its Safeguards Agreement, which obligates it to inform the IAEA about any new nuclear site as soon as the decision for constructing it is made, rather than the present Code 3.1, according to which Iran’s only obligation is to inform the IAEA about the existence of any new nuclear site 180 days prior to introducing any nuclear material into the site. Iran did adhere to the modified code until March 2007. In return, the P5-plus-1and, in particular, the EU must cancel oil sanctions.

Finally, Iran must agree to zero stockpile of 19.75 percent enriched uranium on its soil, implying that it must ship abroad the enriched uranium, both the current stockpile and in the future, and limit the number of enrichment sites and centrifuges to a mutually agreed upon number. In return, the P5-plus-1 must reaffirm Iran’s fundamental right to produce low-enriched uranium, and gradually lift its economic sanctions.

A few days ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected a role for Iran in the effort to resolve the crisis in Syria. That is utterly short-sighted. Iran is the most important backer of the Syrian regime. By giving Iran a seat at the table, the United States may achieve three major goals.

First, it would give Iran the respect that it has always craved as a major power in the Middle East.

This would generate goodwill in Tehran. Second, without Iran’s help the crisis in Syria will most likely be transformed into a full-blown sectarian war that may spread throughout the Middle East, but with Iran at the table a diplomatic solution may be possible. Third, the goodwill generated in Tehran will give Iran’s relative moderates the upper hand to end the nuclear standoff with the United States diplomatically.

Such a framework and road map represent a win-win solution for both sides.

kuwait digest

Lessons of life

By Omar Al-Tabtabaei

E

nough columns have been published during the past week about recent events on the political and judicial scene, so I thought about sharing a few jottings that I have been noting down for more than a decade now which reflect lessons of life I learned during my stay abroad. It is a list of points or conclusions from events during my years of study, union work and other activities in my daily life that I hope provide a summary about life that someday my children could read: • Life is beautiful and pure, but is only polluted by the corruption of those who live it.

• Relief comes only through honesty, even if you had to pay a price for it.

• Acting on sectarian basis is nothing but a call for underdevelopment.

• We do not create circumstances but we can adapt to them.

• When making decisions, keep emotions away from your rhetoric and instead use the voice of reason.

• Everything comes to an end.

• Do not live for a future created by others. Work for a future, drawing your own goals, ambitions and actions.

• Survival is always for the strongest, not the fittest.

• There is no difference between someone hiding behind the screen of religion and a person taking shelter behind the bogey of patriotism.

• Winning the people’s support is better than winning the support of the government or the country’s notables.

In the first case, you win people’s hearts and minds, whereas in the second, you might reach a high position but will always remain a puppet in the hands of the officials.

• The true colonizers of the Arab people are the Arab governments.

• Time has fangs that you need to uproot before they take you out.

• An ambitious person is the one who can traverse the road even if his friends abandon him half way through.

• The ultimate form of courage is to admit your fear.

• Whenever toadyism arrives, reform walks out the door.

• Through the media, a clown can be turned into a wise man, a loser can be depicted as a winner, a coward can be hailed as a hero and a corrupt individual can be shown as a reformist with a queue of supporters behind him.

• Lack of privacy is considered one of the harshest forms of agony.

• Imagination can sometimes be more logical and realistic than reality.

• In these weird times, abnormality becomes a good trait.

• There is a group of children born with a silver spoon who took to politics as a profession after failing in economy and business.

• Propitiation has no place when a country is being built.

• Law has become a stranger roaming in the neighborhoods of the Arab World.

• Criticism is a fuel for a successful person to continue to go forward, and a sword for losers that kills their ambitions.

• No matter how many humanitarian and noble achievements you accomplish, there will always be people who criticize you due to mental illnesses they suffer from.

• A smile is an impression you leave in the hearts of those you smile for.

• Education can tame the human psyche.

• A tear is a cry of grief, and sometimes a smile of joy.

• The key to mastering the art of dancing with words is to exercise by reading.

• Love is a state of blindness that affects the eyes so that the heart starts to see. — Al-Rai

hat has football and plastic got to do with politics in Iran? As much as the question would flummox you and me, it has a link, in that it defines the happenings in the Islamic Republic with a population of 75 million people. It is a country which is probably unparalleled when it comes to the rich heritage it enjoys and the critical role that it played in the molding of world history with a civilization as old as human memory can recall.

Iran, like any other country, was going through turbulent times and was probably looking for a change. It did not come as a surprise then when it elected a new president in what many considered as a surprisingly smooth election process, without the ensuing violence and riots as was expected.

So, what made this transition seemingly easy, where one got to hear of Hassan Rowhani, a proclaimed moderate, emerging as the person who would be leading the country? Firstly, everyone in Iran wanted to see the exit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from the country’s political scene and a new person occupying the president’s chair.

The other reason for the smooth election, believe it or not, was that the Iranian youth were busy celebrating Iran’s victory in football and subsequent qualification for the 2014 World Cup to be held in Brazil.

What one doesn’t understand is that the joy of qualifying for the World Cup is short-lived, and in the longer run, what matters most and what hurts is the pace of economic and social reforms. Will Rowhani be serious about the role he is about to accept or will he play ball, literally, as in the case of the former Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi?

That is a million-dollar question and don’t forget that the Shah was taken by surprise when he was in far-away Buenos Aires, and Rowhani will be grounded in Teheran!

Iran under the Shah achieved a high point in terms of pride and unity among Iranians on June 1, 1978, when Iran’s football team was among the 16 teams that went to the World Cup which was held in Buenos Aires then.

All Iranians, particularly the youth, were so united and so patriotic during the World Cup that the Shah of Iran began to believe that he was invincible and that his regime was rock-solid.

And to top it all, the then US President Jimmy Carter hailed Iran as an island of stability. What happened subsequently is now history. The Shah of Iran was toppled and Ayatollah Khomeini became the Iranian supreme leader. And on April 1, 1979, Iran changed its name to become the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Until the 1979 revolution, Iran was regarded as one of the most open and respected countries in the world with very advanced education and health care system at that time. It was also considered as the hub of trade and industrial center for Asia at a time when China had primitive infrastructure, South Korea was struggling politically and socially and the Gulf states had no petrochemical industries. In other word, Iran in 1979 had a 30-year head start. So, what went wrong?

One year before the revolution, Iran was looked upon as the future bridge connecting the West with the East. Indeed, Pan Am, with its heart in New York, had Tehran as its transit point for its round the world operations. Iran then was and continues to produce the best saffron in the world and exports the most delicious caviar. The country was also credited with making the most exquisite carpets in the world besides boasting of having one of the largest amounts of proven oil reserves.

What is more, at that time, Iran was making the best plastic-ware in the world. In the 1960s and 70s, plastic was fast turning out to be the most used commodity in the world including plastic cups, plastic dishes, plastic bags and many more. At that time, the Middle East countries were far behind in plastic industry, and Iran was making the best plastic products, especially the plastic cups, which fetched as lot of money for the country.

Sadly, Iran killed the proverbial golden goose that was laying the golden eggs. Iran and the Revolutionary Guards didn’t realize what they had and the fact that they could have been the richest country in the world by controlling the plastic industry in the area.

So, what happened to the Iranian plastic industry in Iran? In the 1950s, Habib Elghanian established a company called Plasco which later grew to be the largest and most technologically advanced plastic manufacturer in the Middle East. He brought Western technologies to Iran and continued to do so for 20 years. He became a billionaire and was the best known philanthropist in Iran. When the dust of the 1979 Iranian revolution settled, many thought that this businessman would be made Iran’s commerce and industry minister. But, instead of giving him the opportunity to develop the Iranian plastic industry and industrial infrastructure in general, he was executed by the new regime, leading to the extermination of the Iranian plastic industry.

And today, Iran is at a crossroads again having faced isolation for a long time. For many years, Iran had strong political relations only with a few countries, such as Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and some outlawed organizations like Hezbollah. Iran was always considered a threat to the Gulf countries and a threat to the West because of its ambitions to become a nuclear state. Unfortunately, it is the people of Iran who are paying a price for the consequences.

The choice is with the new president. He can open a new and brighter chapter with the country’s neighbors, who are looking for a more moderate Iran with good relations stretching from the East to the West. Iran’s economy is deteriorating and its currency’s strength does not befit its status. The country would be better off producing plastic cups rather than nuclear heads!

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LOCAL

Meetings of population, development conf begin 20-year program of action to be discussed

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled pictured with the participating teams.

Military sport season concludes KUWAIT: The Military Education Commission, represented by the Directorate of Military Sports Federation, celebrated here yesterday the conclusion of the sports season (2012/2013) at Ali Al-Sabah Military College Theater under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh

Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled honored the distinguished participating teams and urged them to exert more efforts to maintain their current level of achievement.

For his part, Director of the Military Sports Federation Brigadier Malik Al-

Muaili said in his speech that the Directorate of Military Sports Federation is proceeding with its important and integrated role to enrich the sports awareness on the importance of sport and its role in the military life and its impact in raising the fitness of the Kuwaiti army recruits. —- KUNA

KUWAIT: Members of the Kuwaiti diving team holding a cleaning campaign in Al-Shamlan area yesterday.

News

in brief

Special Ramadan discounts KUWAIT: Co-ops around Kuwait prepare to launch special Ramadan offers that would include reduced prices for nearly 80 items, announced President of the Kuwait Union of Co-operative Consumer Societies Abdul-Aziz AlSamhan. According to Al-Samhan’s statements issued on Sunday, supermarkets will witness discounts ranging between 10 and 20 percent for items carrying the ‘co-ops’ brand. He added that the items most in demand during the holy month will mostly be covered by the offers.

Moreover, Al-Samhan urged the boards of co-op societies around Kuwait to organize their own special offers to coincide with Ramadan.

Emergency teams formed CAIRO: Head of the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Kuwait in Cairo Dr Fareeh Al-Anzi said here yesterday the Cultural Office has formed a number of emergency teams to ensure the safety of Kuwaiti students in Egypt in anticipation of calls for demonstrations in different governorates on June 30. Al-Anzi said that the decision stemmed from the spirit of national responsibility in maintaining the safety of Kuwaiti students studying in Egypt in light of the security conditions experienced by Egypt, indicating that the emergency teams have been formed by the Cultural Office in Cairo, cultural attaché in Alexandria and student housing. He said the office has allocated emergency hotlines in Cairo Office (01140203333 01062883975 - 0237603707) and the Office of Alexandria (01287011018 - 033925566).

Kuwaiti aid for Syrian refugees AMMAN: Kuwaiti activists have started a campaign to help Syrian refugees in Jordan, targeting $70,000 worth of aid, to be distributed by the World Mercy Committee of Kuwait Social Reform Society. Head of the society’s office in Jordan Basil Shahhada told KUNA, on Monday, the Kuwaiti delegation headed by Dr. Waleed Al-Anjeri provided an urgent aid batch for 700 Syrian families, also providing medical aid for the wounded. Delegations have been on 66 visits organized by the committee to aid Syrian refugees up to date, providing food and medical care to help victims of the Syrian conflict. The latest Kuwaiti delegation included Dr. Bader Al-Rumaidh, Dr. Khalid Safi AlMutairi, Hamid Al-Yagoub, and Mohammad Jassim Hussein.

New steps to prevent residency violations KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary Ministry of Interior Lt Gen Sheikh Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmad said that work inside the citizenship and passport administration depends on the modern system and the administration ladder in order that work be special and swift. Pointing that from his tours, a work mechanism shall be placed in full coordination among the administrations, which helps in exchanging information and provide quick making decision, specially that nature of work is linked very closely to citizens and expats.

He was having a meeting at public admin for immigration detectives in the presence of its director Brig. Ghazi Shuwaish, and his Assistant Colonel Najeeb Al-Shatti and a number of managers and their assistants. He congratulated the newly appointed staff with their position, saying that they deserve those positions due to the efforts they have put in their work.

He emphasized that immigration detectives administration is the heart of the sector and it is a basic pillar in dealing with public administration for immigration and the nature of work contains much of dangers which requires that one should be careful. Sheikh Faisal discussed some matters that concerns work and enquired about their needs in order to provide for better service and enquired about investigating all kinds of residency violations and the necessity to put an end for those violations due to its effects on security.

Energy subsidization to reach KD9bn KUWAIT: Kuwait is expected to pay an amount as high as KD9 billion annually to subsidize electricity and water by 2030, as per estimates drafted by a Ministry of Electricity and Water official who indicated that the annual subsidization cost has reached KD2.6 billion according to the most recent statistics.

Meanwhile, the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity indicated that the ministry’s recent studies showed an increased rate of energy demand which has also resulted in an increase when it comes to the oil used to run the power plants. “Currently, the state pays 93 percent of the energy cost and the rest is paid for by the consumer,” the source added, as per a statement published by several local newspapers yesterday.

Demographic increases and extensive construction coupled with increased economic and industrial activity were mentioned by the source among the main reasons behind the increased rate of consumption. He added that the government was currently working on plans to rationalize the consumption through adopting more environment-friendly construction standards as well as launching renewable energy projects.

CAIRO: Preparatory meetings for the Regional Population and Development Conference, scheduled to start today, kicked off here yesterday. General Secretary of the League of Arab States Dr Nabil El-Arabi will open the conference, along with the Executive Secretaries of the UN’s Population Fund, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Economic Commission for Africa, and the UN’s Development Group. The conference is under the title of “Development Challenges and Population Dynamics in a Changing Arab Region”.

The sessions will discuss a number of issues to be presented at the conference, including women’s rights in the Arab world, preventing violence against women, women’s health, challenges facing people in the region, weather changes, well-being of older people, family structure, and fertility.

The sessions’ participants warned of the current problems and injustice that led to the latest revolutions in Arab countries, including unemployment and corruption

that led many people to leave their countries in search for jobs.

The current conference is of great importance since it is occurring after two decades of the first population conference in 1994, which resulted in creating a 20 year program of action. Moreover, the conference will discuss how well the program was applied in the Arab world, and will also set a development plan to be executed beyond 2014. The three-day conference, will aim to provide a better life for the 370 million people of the Arab world population, especially with the recent demographic, economic, social, and political changes they are facing. Kuwait’s delegation for the conference is expected to be headed by Minister of State for Planning and Development and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Rola Dashti.

Upon arrival at the airport, Dashti told KUNA that Kuwait took part in a report prepared for the UN extraordinary session of 2014 regarding development and housing, including progress over the

past 20 years in west Asian countries. The minister added Kuwait’s contribution in the report was through organizing polls, in addition to highlighting Kuwait’s achievement in meeting the requirements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in terms of health, education, fertility, environment and human development.

Dashti explained among the most vital issues she will be highlighting during the conference were how to enable the youth to be part of their future decisionmaking, and ways to enable women and boost their role in the decision-making process. The minister added other issues will be discussed in the gathering will be related to fertility, health, progress on development, in light of the current developments and changes in some Arab countries. Dashti noted that she will also present a paper to the regional conference on Arab countries’ vision adding that the youth and women will play a major role in it. —KUNA

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LOCAL

Girl injured in hit-and-run KUWAIT: A four-year-old girl was injured in a hit-and-run accident outside a building in Jahra on Sunday, and police are now trying to track down the driver who fled from the site after the mishap. Police and paramedics reached the scene only to find the girl lying in a pool of blood. The Bedouin (stateless) girl was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Jahra Hospital. A case was filed.

Shooting suspect Jahra police arrested a man who was involved in an exchange of gunfire reported recently in Saad Al-Abdullah, while search was on for the second suspect. Police reached the scene shortly after the incident was reported, and were able to arrest one of the suspects. The 38-year-old Kuwaiti man confirmed his involvement and police also recovered some drugs from him as well. Search was on for the second man, a stateless resident, based on information provided by his foe.

Harasser in custody A database register containing pictures of suspects helped Salwa police arrest a man responsible for five cases of sexual assault reported in the area. Investigations have been on in separate cases filed by three Kuwaiti women as well as a Syrian and a British woman. In each case, complainants described a man sneaking into their homes in the absence of the husband, and harassing them before fleeing from the scene as the victims cried for help. All of women were able to identify the suspect from his picture in a record book provided by the Salwa detectives. The man was arrested in an ambush and taken into custody for investigations, during which he confirmed the harassment charges but denied accusations of rape. The man, who was previously convicted in cases of robbery and drugs, was taken to the proper authorities to faces charges of entering a dwelling unit with intent to commit a crime.

Driver escapes death A motorist narrowly escaped death and suffered only minor injuries when his vehicle carrying gas cylinders lost balance and overturned. Firefighters and police rushed to the site of the accident at the Sixth Ring Road where the accident was reported, and found the sports utility vehicle (SUV) overturned. The firefighters helped pull the Pakistani driver from the wrecked vehicle before securing the cylinders. The man was treated on the spot.

OD behind death A young man was found dead at a Maidan Hawally apartment on Sunday while preliminary investigations indicated that he died of a drug overdose. Police and crime scene investigators reached the apartment after the manís friend reported finding him dead. The investigators found drug paraphernalia on the scene as well as marks of drug abuse on the victimís body that was taken for an autopsy to confirm the time and cause of death.

Domestic violence A married couple was released from the Maidan Hawally police station yesterday after the wife signed a document promising not to physically assault her husband again in the future. The Lebanese man had earlier approached the police and handed over a medical diagnosis report reflecting several bruises on his body. The man filed a complaint against his wife saying that the bruises were a result of her physical assaults. The Lebanese woman was summoned for investigations, during which she confirmed that she hit her husband after her friend told her that he had flirted with her. The case was resolved when the man agreed to drop the charges once the wife signed the document; which she did only after he promised not to flirt with any of her friends again.

UNHCR Kuwait celebrates World Refugee Day 2013 Generosity and humanitarian spirit

KUWAIT: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuwait celebrated World Refugee Day on June 20, a time when more people around the world are refugees or internally displaced than any other time in history since 1994, with the Syrian crisis being a major factor in global displacement. World Refugee Day was established by the UN General Assembly in late 2000 to bring attention to the plight of the world’s forcibly displaced populations and it is annually marked on June 20.

UNHCR Kuwait celebrated World Refugee Day 2013, as it has done in the past years, with asylum seekers and refugee families by hosting a children and family event aimed at giving back, bringing joy and showing solidarity with the local refugee community. This year, UNHCR Kuwait distributed fully-equipped school bags with stationary to all the refugee children to highlight the importance of education and to prepare them for the upcoming academic year. For the third year in a row, the event was sponsored by Al Maousherji Catering Company ’s McDonald’s Kuwait, which provided complimentary meals and organized games and entertainment to all the children and families with special appearances from the famous McDonald’s characters. In recognition of their suppor t, generosity and humanitarian spirit in assisting UNHCR celebrate this day, UNHCR Kuwait presented an award of appreciation to McDonald’s Kuwait during the event, which was hosted at McDonald’s flagship Corniche seaside location in Kuwait.

In her statement on this occasion, Head of UNHCR Kuwait, Hanan Hamdan said, “We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the State of Kuwait, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-

Ahmed Al-Sabah and many of the local organizations and companies who have supported refugee situations all over the world and who have always been at the forefront of humanitarian assistance in times of need.”

Hamdan highlighted Kuwait’s generous contribution to Syrian refugees when it donated a historic figure of US$300 million, including US$110 million to UNHCR, to help provide humanitarian assistance to

Global Trends report released last week, by the end of 2012, more than 45.2 million people were displaced compared to 42.5 million at the end of 2011. The report, which is based on 2012 data compiled with the help of governments, NGO partners and UNHCR itself, recorded an additional 15.4 million refugees, 937,000 asylum seekers and 28.8 million people fleeing their countries in search of safe refuge, with war being the dominant cause.

the people of Syria.

“We would also like to especially thank Al Maousherji Catering Company ’s McDonald’s Kuwait for their support to UNHCR for the past three years on this special day, and helping us to commemorate refugees worldwide and to shed light on their urgent needs in times of conflict,” she concluded. According to UNHCR’s annual

In his statement on the occasion of World Refugee Day 2013, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ant?nio Guterres said, “In all the years I have worked on behalf of refugees, this is the most worrying I have ever witnessed. The needs of these people are overwhelming; their anguish is unbearable. Today, there are over 1.6 million registered Syrian

refugees. More than one million of them arrived just in the last six months, and thousands more come every day, seeking places to stay, sustenance, someone who will listen and help them heal.”

He concluded by saying, “We will continue to do everything we can to aid and alleviate the suffering of Syrians. But the cascade of death and destruction is spreading fast, and I repeat my call on those with political responsibilities to overcome their divisions and come together to do everything in their power to stop this war.” For her part, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie said, “The Syrian crisis here in Jordan and across the region is the most acute humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world today.”

Jolie concluded by saying, “By helping refugees, here in Zaatari camp and across the globe, we are investing in people who will one day rebuild their countries, and a more peaceful world for us all. So on this day, I honor them, and I am privileged to be with them.”

Furthermore, during his annual message on the occasion of World Refugee Day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, “The number of forcibly displaced people in the world continues to rise.

There are now more than 45 million refugees and internally displaced people the highest level in nearly 20 years. Last year alone, someone was forced to abandon their home every four seconds.”

He added, “Finding durable solutions for the displaced will require more solidarity and burden-sharing by the international community. On World Refugee Day, I call on the international community to intensify efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, and to help achieve peace and security so that families can be reunited and refugees can return home.”

Al-Hajri to represent Kuwait in DSS Apprenticeship Program

KUWAIT: Dr Ashraf Al Madhoun, Scientist / Team Leader, Pancreatic Islet Biology & Transplantation Unit and Dr Kazem Behbehani, Director-General of Dasman Diabetes Institute

Testosterone induces heart cell formation from stem cells KUWAIT: As part of a series of seminars, Dasman Diabetes Institute recently held a talk titled “Testosterone Enhances Cardiomyogenesis in Stem Cells and Recruits the Androgen Receptor to the MEF2C and HCN4 Genes”, presented by Dr. Ashraf Al Madhoun, Scientist / Team Leader, Pancreatic Islet Biology & Transplantation Unit at the Institute.

Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is critical for the development of the male sex characteristics. Testosterone mediates its action by binding to Androgen receptor. The presence of the androgen receptor in both sexes and its distribution in a wide variety of human organs including heart, skeletal muscles and thymus, promotes scientists to study the functional role of the hormone in these tissues. Studies have shown that testosterone enhances the formation of beating cardiomyocytes from stem cells, which is a critical step in field regenerative medi-

cine for the treatment of heart defects. However the mechanism of this process has not been elucidated.

In the current issue of the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, Dr. Ashraf Al Madhoun and his colleagues discovered the precise cellular and molecular mechanism by which testosterone mediates the enrichment of cardiomyocytes from stem cells. Testosterone improves the recruitment of androgen receptor to the regulatory regions of the myocyte enhancer factor-2C (MEF2C) and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 4 (HCN4) genes, which induce cardiomyogenesis in stem cell. Interestingly, testosterone also stimulates Ca2+ channels and testosterone-induced cardiomyogenesis requires extracellular Ca2+ influx. These discoveries will help scientists to improve the use of stem cells for heart repair and healing.

KISR takes part in small, medium-sized projects forum KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) takes part in the cooperation forum between China and the countries of West Asia and North Africa for small and medium-sized projects hosted by the Office of International Relations of the Communist Party of China tomorrow.

The Forum, in which KISR’s First Researcher Dr. Salah al-Mazidi will take part, will tackle new opportunities for cooperation so as to

enhance development and common interests. The forum includes a number of themes, including a special focus on the green economy, sustainable development and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the modern manufacturing sector and its importance in the path of economic transformation. Its activities also include field visits to high-tech industries in addition to the commercial sector. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an entity under the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and the organiser of Dubai Summer Surprises, announced thenames of the 14 talented students from across the Middle East and North Africa who have won a place as part of the hotly-contested DSS Apprenticeship Program.

Rabaa Al-Hajri from the Australian College of Kuwait will represent Kuwait in the eighth edition of the award-winningdestinationmarketing internship, a highly coveted component of the iconic Dubai Summer Surprisesfestival. This year the program welcomes its largest-ever group of winners from 14 marketsincluding the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Moroccoand first-time participants from Iraq and Sudan. Laila Suhail, CEO of DFRE said: “In her essay Rabaa Al-Hajri from the Australian College of Kuwait showed great maturity in thinking not just of a multi-pronged approach to marketing DSS but also of the cost implications of executing a multi-platform strategy economically. It’s no surprise that she finds herself among this year’s apprentices with her holistic strategy and we look forward to more innovative ideas from her when she joins us in Dubai shortly.”

The winners will each receive an all-expensepaid trip to Dubai, inclusive of return flights and a two week stay at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, one of the world’s leading hospitality business management schools, managed by Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding.

The winners will work closely with the marketing team responsible for successfully staging DSS, attend workshops, take part in visits to key DSS events and tourism landmarks and meet leading players responsible for building the Destination Dubai brand. Itineraries have in the past included winner interactions with Dubai-based entities that have helped build the city’s world-class tourism offering and global brand cachet, such as Emirates, Emaar Retail, MBC Group, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Economic Department and Dubai Cares and this year’s winners can look forward to a similarly impressive agenda of key visits.

Many of the interns who will be making their maiden visit to Dubai will also get the opportunity

to experience first-hand the city’s iconic tourism landmarks such as BurjKhalifa, Dubai Metro, Ski Dubai, Wild Wadi and lots more.

The selection process for this year’s apprenticeship program began with each participating university nominating its top six senior students from the marketing, business, administration and travel and tourism streams. Each student was asked to submit an essay on a topic chosen by the DSS Apprenticeship Program team. This year the students were asked to submit an essay on the topic

Rabaa Al-Hajri “How would you further market DSS in your respective local market if you were to become the Chief Marketing Officer for DSS?” A special jury comprising key DFREExecutives and other marketing professionals evaluated all the final submissions before selecting a winner for each country.

In her winning essay, Rabaa Al Hajri said: “Working as its Chief Marketing Officer, I have reached, after careful study of the previous DSS editions as well as the market I am operating within, the decision to devise a cost-effective, holistic promotional plan. My plan is to implement a marketing campaign that will have three phases of which the first is called ‘Social Explosion’and targeted at the 18-27 year age group. With Kuwait’s youth being tech savvy, this phase comes with aggressive promotions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Kik.

The second phase will aim to get the attention of kids aged 5-10 years by using meet-and-greet sessions with Modhesh in malls and schools. The last phase focuses on business-to-business collaborations, targeting the 40+ age group by partnering with large travel agencies and companies that can come up with special packages to Dubai during DSS. This holistic approach hopes to target all relevant sectors that are essential segments, and would hope to ultimately double the number of visitors from Kuwait during the event period.”

Commenting on their student’s success in securing the coveted internship, Professor JehadYassin “Head of School of Business” said: “We would like to congratulate Ms. Rabaa Al Hajri for being selected for the prestigious DSS Apprenticeship Program and thank the organizers in Dubai for giving students this great learning opportunity. The Australian College of Kuwait brings the best of global education to the country and, armed with the skills and international outlook she has developed at our college, we are certain Ms. Rabaa will be a meaningful contributor to the program and make us proud.” The internship will offer students the opportunity to get hands-on experience working alongside the DSS team in a packed agenda of activities that will both enhance their theoretical understanding of their chosen field of study as well as its practical application, while building a valuable network of potential future employers and corporate mentors. At the end of the two-week internship, the apprentices will be asked to work together as a team to present their fresh and creative ideas to senior management, based on their observations and experiences of the event. Over the past editions of the DSS Apprenticeship Program, participating students who have successfully completed the program and graduated from their respective universities have found rewarding jobs with prestigious organizations and multinationals in their home countries.

Since it first began in 2006, the DSS Apprenticeship Program has grown successfully to include its current expansive list of more than 80 participating universities across 14 markets in the Middle East and North Africa. The 2013 edition is the first step in DFRE’s broader strategy to take the DSS Apprenticeship Program global by 2015, when the program will mark its 10th anniversary.

Kuwaiti aid for Syrian refugees AMMAN: Kuwaiti activists have started a campaign to help Syrian refugees in Jordan, targeting $70,000 worth of aid, to be distributed by the World Merc y Committee of Kuwait Social

Reform Society.

Head of the society’s office in Jordan Basil Shahhada told KUNA, yesterday, the Kuwaiti delegation headed by Dr. Waleed Al-Anjeri provided an urgent aid batch for

700 Syrian families, also providing medical aid for the wounded.

Delegations have been on 66 visits organized by the committee to aid Syrian refugees up to date, providing food and medical care

to help victims of the Syrian conflict. The latest Kuwaiti delegation included Dr. Bader Al-Rumaidh, Dr. Khalid Safi Al-Mutairi, Hamid AlYagoub, and Mohammad Jassim Hussein.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Time magazine’s ‘Buddhist Terror’ story irks Myanmar

Berlusconi sentenced to prison in sex trial Page 10

Page 13

Mandela in ‘critical’ condition South Africans prepare to say goodbye to ‘Madiba’ JOHANNESBURG: Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela remained in a critical condition in hospital yesterday, leaving millions in South Africa and across the world fearing the worst. “Former president Mandela remains in a critical condition in hospital. The doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well being and comfort,” President Jacob Zuma said in an address televised globally. Mandela, the hero of black South Africans’ battle for freedom during 27 years in apartheid jails, was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurrent lung infection.

Despite intensive treatment at Pretoria’s Mediclinic Heart Hospital, the 94-year-old’s condition appears to have suddenly deteriorated over the last 36 hours. “All of us in the country should accept that Madiba is now old,” Zuma said, using Mandela’s clan name. “I think what we need to do as a country is to pray for him to be well and that the doctors do their work.” Zuma hailed the life of a man seen as the father of the nation and globally as a moral beacon that continues to shine long after he retired from public life.

“He is the father of democracy and this is the man who fought and sacrificed his life,” said Zuma, who spent 10 years in jail on Robben Island at the same time as Mandela.

Zuma visited Mandela on Sunday evening. “Given the hour that we got to the hospital it was late, he was already asleep,” Zuma said. “(We) saw him and then we had a bit of discussion with the doctors and his wife Graca Machel.”

Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 to end almost 50 years of apartheid rule, is due to celebrate his 95th birthday on July 18. He has been hospitalised four times since December, mostly for the pulmonary condition that has plagued him for years. As the world looked on, South Africans resigned themselves to the inevitability of Mandela’s decline.

Flowers, cards, balloons and messages of support were left outside the gate of his Pretoria hospital, where family members were gathered. “Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do but to pray for him and the doctors that are helping him,” said Phathani Mbath outside the hospital.

In Mthatha, a rural town in the region where Mandela grew up, there was also a sense of anxious resignation. “It is not up to us to decide what happens now. There is nothing we can do,” said Aphiwe Ngesi a teacher in Mthatha. “All we can do is hope for the best.” In Washington, the White House said its thoughts and prayers were with Mandela, as US President Barack Obama prepares to visit South Africa.

“We have seen the latest reports from the South African government that former president Mandela is in critical condition,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and the people of South Africa.” Obama leaves tomorrow on a tour of Africa that will take him to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. Zuma said the visit would go ahead. The pos-

Militants kill eight in Kashmir ahead of India PM’s visit SRINAGAR: Heavily-armed militants killed eight soldiers in Indian Kashmir yesterday in the deadliest such attack in five years, marring a landmark visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the embattled Himalayan territory. The military convoy was ambushed on the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir, as it headed towards a nearby base camp, officials said. “Eight troopers died in the attack and 13 others have been wounded,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The condition of one of the injured was critical, he said. The attack marked the deadliest single day for Indian security forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir since July 2008 when a landmine killed nine soldiers on a bus on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Yesterday’s attack came amid a high state of alert which has been imposed ahead of Singh’s arrival today for a two-day visit to the territory, his first since June 2010. Police sources said motorbike-borne militants opened fire at the army vehicles before lobbing a grenade at one of them. As the militants fled they threw another hand grenade at a group of paramilitaries, severely injuring one officer. They then abandoned their bike and escaped before the army cordoned off the area, the sources said. Hizbul Mujahideen, a local pro-Pakistan militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. Security officials had earlier said that police and paramilitary forces were being deployed in strength across the region, with additional check points set up along major highways. “A high alert is there. We do face a threat from the militants,” Abdul Gani Mir, Kashmir’s police chief, told AFP. Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan territory, is divided between India and Pakistan by a UN monitored de facto border known as the Line of Control (LoC) but it is claimed in full by both countries.

More than a dozen armed rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for the region’s independence or its merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting but armed violence has been in steady decline since the early 2000s. Security concerns were raised on Saturday when armed rebels struck in a busy commercial area in the heart of Srinagar, the region’s summer capital, killing two policemen in a shoot-and-run incident.

The three main separatist groups opposed to Indian rule have called for a mass strike for today to protest the visit of the prime minister. “This is a protest against the forcible military occupation of Kashmir and we want to give the Indian prime minister this message that by hanging Afzal Guru, New Delhi has sent the entire Kashmiri people to the cross,” Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader, said in a statement.

Mohammad Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri Muslim, was secretly executed and buried inside a high security prison in New Delhi in February for his role in a deadly attack on India’s parliament in 2001. Four people were killed during a security crackdown against widespread protests over the hanging of Guru, who many people in Kashmir believe was framed. — AFP

sibility of a meeting between the first black presidents of both South Africa and the United States has been hotly anticipated, but the White House has said it will defer to Mandela’s family.

Upon his release from jail in 1990 in one of the defining moments of the 20th century, Mandela negotiated an end to white rule and won the country’s first fully democratic elections. As president he guided the country away from internecine racial and tribal violence. It was 18 years ago to the day yesterday, in a deeply symbolic moment, he handed the rugby world cup to a victorious Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. The impact of a black president appearing at this, the most white of South African sporting occasions, still reverberates today.

“Mandela soared above the petty confines of party politics,” said political commentator Daniel Silke. His extraordinary life story, quirky sense of humour and lack of bitterness to his former oppressors has ensured global appeal for the charismatic leader. News of Mandela’s deterioration comes as unconfirmed media reports suggested his condition from the beginning was worse than authorities and relatives had suggested.— AFP

JOHANNESBURG: A picture released by South African broadcaster SABC shows South African peace icon Nelson Mandela sitting at his home in on April 29, 2013.—AFP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Egyptian govt faces blame in mob sectarian killing Survivors, video recount horrific, bloody scenes ZAWIYAT ABU MUSALLEM: Egypt’s government promised “exemplary punishment” on yesterday after the mob killing of four Shiite Muslims near Cairo raised fears of wider sectarian bloodshed at a time of grave national crisis.

But Shiite minority leaders and the liberal opposition accused the government itself, dominated by the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, of

began when a Shiite dignitary visited them for a religious festival. They yelled “Infidels!”, said one woman who survived and who complained that police failed to intervene during the frenzied violence in the house and rubbish-strewn alley outside. “The Salafis and the Brotherhood - they’re the ones who attacked us,” added the woman, clearly in shock, sitting in her wrecked home.

The body of a bloodied Shiite Muslim man lies on the ground in the village of Abu Mussalam after he and others were attacked by a mob when they allegedly refused to leave a house where they had gathered, on June 23, 2013. —AFP whipping up sectarian anger over the war in Syria as a means of appeasing its own hardline Salafist allies.

President Mohamed Morsi, under pressure from the army to end broader factional violence, condemned “this heinous crime” and promised “swift justice”. Al-Azhar, Cairo’s leading Sunni religious establishment, said the killings were contrary to the teachings of Islam and urged “harshest punishment”.

In Sunday’s violence in the suburb of Zawiyat Abu Musallem, in sight of the Giza pyramids, a crowd ransacked and torched the house of a family, whose members told Reuters the attack

A video posted online by rights activists showed dozens of men and youths looking on as several others drag the bloodied body of at least one man along a street, one pulling on what may be a rope around his neck. In other sequences from the events on Sunday, a squad of riot police is present and a group of blackrobed women on a crowded, narrow street chant “No God but God!” Tensions are running high across Egypt between the government and opponents who plan major rallies this weekend to demand Morsi resign. There has been scattered political violence and the army, which effectively ran Egypt for decades before

the 2011 revolution, warned it would step in to quell any unrest.

Prime minister A government statement issued for Prime Minister Hisham Kandil said he “strongly condemned the terrible incident” and a accused the attackers of importing “sectarian strife” of a kind alien to Egyptian society. He would “ensure justice is done and that the culprits are made examples of by deterrent punishment”. But Mohamed Ghoneim, a leading figure in a Shiite community of a few hundred thousand, was quoted by state newspaper website al-Ahram saying the Muslim Brotherhood was trying to appease hardline Salafist allies by not shielding Shiites from attack.

Liberal opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood also accused the movement and President Morsi of stirring up sectarian passions by joining this month in Sunni calls for jihad against Syria’s president and his Shiite allies from Lebanon and Iran.

The opposition Dustour Party said in a statement that it saw “this heinous crime as a direct result ... of the disgusting religious hate speech that goes on escalating with the knowledge of the regime and the blessings of the president”.

But Essam el-Erian, deputy leader of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, insisted the movement condemned the killings - comparing them to the deaths of its own Islamist allies and supporters in factional clashes in recent days. “It is forbidden to Muslims to spill Egyptian blood,” he wrote on Facebook. “All Egyptian blood - Muslim or Christian, man or woman, Sunni or Shiite, civilian or police.

Whoever takes part in shedding blood, even in words ... or by hate speech, is taking part in a terrible crime.”

He said Egypt would not slip into civil war and that the army stood ready to step in and defend the nation. Morsi and the Brotherhood angered their Salafist allies by trying to improve ties with Shiite Iran since Morsi was elected a year ago. But as the Syrian civil war has inflamed sectarian passions across the Middle East, Morsi and the Brotherhood joined a Sunni conference in Cairo this month that condemned President Bashar AlAssad and his Shiite allies. Mohamed Zarea of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, said of the mob violence: “This did not just come from incitement by individuals but also the government. After the Syria conference, there was direct incitement against Shiites.” —Reuters

Vandals hit 21 Jerusalem cars in latest hate crime

KARBALA: Muslim Shiite women pray at the shrine of Imam Abbas, one of Shiite Islam’s most revered figures, during the Shaabaniya ceremony commemorating the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi, the 12th holiest figure for Shiite Muslims yesterday. —AFP

World concerned about nuke terrorism, but little action VIENNA: More than 100 states meeting next week will warn of the threat of nuclear terrorism but without deciding on any concrete new steps to counter the danger, a draft ministerial statement showed yesterday. The document, which member states of the U.N. nuclear agency have been negotiating since March, looked unlikely to satisfy those who advocate stronger international action to ensure that potential nuclear bomb material does not fall into the wrong hands.

Still, Vienna-based diplomats said it would form a basis for future measures to improve global nuclear security, and stressed that the responsibility was mainly national. To get all countries on board, “you are not going to have a document as ambitious” as some may have wanted, one envoy said. Analysts say radical groups could theoretically build a crude but deadly nuclear device if they have the money, technical k now-how and the amount of fissile material needed. They say groups such as al Qaeda have been trying to get the components for such a nuclear bomb. Obtaining weapons-grade fissile material - highly enriched uranium or plutonium - poses their biggest challenge, so keeping it secure is vital, both at civilian and military facilities, experts and officials say.

Experts describe the threat of a crude fissile nuclear bomb technically difficult to manufacture and requiring hard-to-obtain bomb-grade uranium or plutonium, as a “low probability, high consequence act” that is, with the potential to cause massive harm to life and property. On the other hand, a “dirty bomb”, where conventional explosives are used to disperse radiation from a radioactive source, is a “high probability, low consequence act” with more potential to terrorise than cause large loss of life. Diplomats say many countries regard nuclear security as a sensitive political issue that should be handled primarily by national authorities, and this was clear-

ly reflected in the language of the ministerial statement.

The statement, to be formally adopted at a July 1-5 conference hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said substantial progress has been made in the past few years to strengthen nuclear security, but that more is needed.

Ministers “remain concerned about the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism and other malicious acts or sabotage related to facilities and activities involving nuclear and other radioactive material”, said the document, obtained by Reuters.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told Reuters last week that he saw “persistent risks” of nuclear terrorism. The information the UN watchdog receives about illicit nuclear-related trafficking may be the “tip of the iceberg”, he said. The international nuclear security regime “is not sufficiently robust” to protect against this kind of threat, an expert group said in a report this year. An apple-sized amount of plutonium fashioned into a nuclear bomb and detonated in a highly populated urban area could instantly kill or injure hundreds of thousands of people, the Nuclear Security Governance Experts Group said.

“Preventing one of the world’s major threats deserves bold action and new thinking,” they added. One of them, former Danish ambassador to the IAEA John Bernhard, said yesterday he believed the UN agency should have both more powers and resources to help enhance nuclear security. US President Barack Obama last week said he would host a summit in 2016 on securing such materials and preventing nuclear terrorism. He put on such a summit in 2010, a second was held in Seoul in 2012 and a third will be in The Hague next year.

Unlike those meetings, attended by leaders from around 50 countries, next week’s conference in Vienna is open to all members of the 159-nation IAEA, which says it expects officials from some 112 countries as well as 20 organisations. —Reuters

JERUSALEM: Suspected Jewish extremists punctured the tyres of more than 20 Palestinian cars in east Jerusalem yesterday in the latest apparent “price tag” hate crime, police and an AFP correspondent said. The attack took place in Beit Hanina neighbourhood, with Hebrew graffiti on a nearby wall reading: “We won’t be silent on stone throwing.” Police said 21 cars had been vandalised and that they had opened an investigation.

“Price tag” is the euphemism for extremist hate crimes that generally target Arabs.

Initially carried out against Palestinians in retaliation for state moves to dismantle unauthorised settler outposts, the attacks have since become a much broader phenomenon with racist and xenophobic overtones. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday condemned the incident and pledged robust action against such attacks, saying: “We cannot accept the undoing of law within our midst.”

Last week 28 cars were vandalised in the ArabIsraeli village of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem in an attack that evoked strong condemnation from the Israeli political establishment. Yesterday, President Shimon Peres went to the village in a show of solidarity, describing the attack as “ugly terror” that could not be tolerated.

Also this month, graves were desecrated in an Arab Christian cemetery in Jaffa. Last week, Israeli ministers moved to increase the powers of the security establishment to crack down on the phenomenon by declaring that those involved belonged to an “illegal organisation.” But they stopped short of declaring such incidents “acts of terror.”

In 2012, police opened 623 files on price tag attacks, arrested 200 people and served 123 indictments, an official said earlier this month. So far this year, they have opened 165 files on attacks, arrested 76 suspects and served 31 indictments, with police insisting that such crimes are a “top priority.” —AFP

AL-ZAWAIDA: Palestinian youth inspect the damage following an Israeli air raid on Al-Zawaida in the central Gaza strip early yesterday. —AFP

Israelis stir up tensions over Jerusalem holy site JERUSALEM: Far-right Israelis are pressing for an end to an effective ban on holding Jewish prayers at a Jerusalem holy compound once dominated by Biblical temples and now home to Al-Aqsa mosque, one of Islam’s most revered sites. Palestinians oppose Jewish worship at the vast stone plaza overlooking Judaism’s Western Wall as a potential threat to access for Muslims.

Aware of the volatile mix of politics and religion, Israel has largely stymied such prayer for 46 years by having its police prevent Jewish worship at the site on grounds it could cause a public disturbance.

Palestinian concerns have been heightened, however, by the fact that allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are among the most vocal advocates of Jewish prayer at the 35-acre site that is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and

by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. This month alone, Israeli police have hauled away half a dozen Israelis from the site. A Jewish Israeli and an Arab citizen were held in connection with a brawl that injured a Muslim official and four other Jewish men were detained for prostrating themselves on the holy ground.

Several other Israelis have been questioned in the past two months for trying to pray at the compound during police escorted sightseeing tours. A lamb was seized from another Israeli who had plans to slaughter it in ritual sacrifice. Israeli police accompany most visitors to the compound, where escorted tours are held frequently. They cross a wooden bridge to a gate where plastic police shields and other riot-control gear are stored, a ready display of how quickly the other wise serene atmosphere can sometimes go awry.

Visitors are closely watched by both the police and the Muslim religious officials of the Waqf who administer the compound and keep an eye out to make sure no Jewish worship takes place. Anyone wearing Jewish religious garb is generally kept away from the Islamic holy tract. At the compound, one group of visitors walked past al-Aqsa, drawing shouting from Muslim women sitting in the shade of tree and from Palestinian children attending a day camp. They ignored the catcalls and continued deeper into the plaza.

“EVIL PLOT” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has denounced the Israeli visits as a part of a “dangerous and an evil plot to demolish Al-Aqsa” and build what he calls “an alleged temple”. Wedged into the compound atop the ramparts of Jerusalem’s walled Old City is al-Aqsa, originally erected 1,300 years ago, rebuilt in the 11th century after an earthquake and now Islam’s third holiest site, and the 7th-century golden Dome of the Rock shrine, the oldest known Islamic monument.

The plaza, from which the Prophet Mohammed is traditionally believed to have ascended into heaven, has an explosive past as a core issue of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Israel captured the area, along with the rest of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. The Jewish state then annexed East Jerusalem as part of its capital in a move never recognised internationally.

In 2000, Palestinian protests over a visit to the site by then Israeli opposition leader

Ariel Sharon spiralled into deadly clashes and a five-year Palestinian uprising in which thousands died. Palestinian Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud alHabash said last month the conflict over the plaza “may lead to an explosion” and that Palestinian authorities had complained to the United States and other Western intermediaries.

Also in May, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel, a Jewish settler in the occupied West Bank who is from the far-right Jewish Home Party, said in a largely tongue-incheek remark in parliament that he would “definitely be happy” to be assigned the job of rebuilding a new holy temple. While some Jewish zealots advocate such construction, such a project has never been on the agenda of Israeli governments.

However, one member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, legislator Tzipi Hotovely, visited the compound on the eve of her wedding last month. She said her pilgrimage was symbolic of a historic yearning “to rebuild on the ruins of Jerusalem”. A Likud colleague, Miri Regev, has said the site should be shared between Islam and Judaism so that Jews could pray there openly.

Israeli police have barred further visits by another Likud lawmaker, Moshe Feiglin, an ultra-rightist who has been arrested in the past for what police said were attempts to worship on the plaza. Officials said they feared Feiglin’s presence could stir violent Palestinian protests. Most of those campaigning for Jewish prayer in the compound represent a far-right minority, but many Muslims “see a provocation, and blame the (Israeli) government, so we have a big problem”, said Israeli political scientist Yitzhak Reiter.

Many Orthodox Jews once rejected the idea of praying in the compound, citing religious rules barring anyone not descended from one of the ancient priests from stepping on hallowed ground where holy scriptures were once kept. Israel has held Jewish prayers instead at the nearby Western Wall remnant of one of the ancient temples.

Political significance of prayer But the idea of holding prayers inside the elevated compound as well has acquired more political significance over the years. Pro-settler Israelis fear that yielding any control over the compound could lead to a withdrawal from other occupied territory they see as a biblical birthright and which Palestinians seek for a state.

“This isn’t a religious issue at all,” Feiglin told Reuters in a recent interview. “The question is who does the mount belong to, the Jews or the Arabs?”

Friction at the site also looms over an Israeli plan to expand the concrete prayer plaza at the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, to try and accommodate Jews seeking more liberal prayer services than most Orthodox custom permits. Currently Israel must deploy hundreds of police to prevent violence whenever angry ultraOrthodox protesters confront women activists who hold monthly prayer sessions at the site. Muslims reject any Israeli construction in the area, though, and worry that any expansion of the Western Wall plaza may involve moving the footbridge at what is known as the Moghrabi Gate entrance to the compound and its Islamic holy sites. —Reuters

France’s far-right steal votes from Hollande’s left PARIS: A near win of a third parliament seat by France’s anti-immigrant National Front this weekend has sounded a warning to the ruling Socialists over a shift towards the “Eurosceptic” far right by disillusioned voters. Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne, a 23-year-old with pop star looks who is part of a push by the Front to gain acceptability with fresh young faces, was beaten 53 percent to 47 by a conservative rival in a local by-election runoff on Sunday. His high score has sparked cries of alarm among mainstream politicians.

The Socialists lost the seat in Villeneuve-surLot, near Bordeaux, when a minister quit his post over a Swiss banking scandal, and its candidate to replace him was knocked out in a first-round vote, in part due to anger over the scandal. Yet it was the latest in a series of by-elections to show support for President Francois Hollande has slid since he won power a year ago, as low-income workers who rallied behind him have grown angry at his failure to rein in rocketing unemployment or end the decay in industry.

The shift in sentiment raises the spectre of

street protests as Hollande readies spending cuts and social reforms under the gaze of the European Commission, and it suggests the Socialists will lose ground in municipal and European elections next year. “The fact the National Front is gaining has been true for a while, but what’s new is that it’s to the detriment of the Socialist Party,” political analyst Dominique Reynie said.

Reynie said the average first-round vote score for the last five by-elections showed support for the Socialists at under 19 percent versus 26 percent in the June 2012 parliamentary ballot. The National Front has averaged nearly 19 percent, up from 15 percent last June, while the conservative UMP is out in front at 38 percent, up from 35 percent despite party infighting.

Analysts say voters are starting to ignore an old practice whereby mainstream parties would support each other if needed to stop the farright winning a runoff, as they did in the 2002 presidential second round where left-wingers backed conservative Jacques Chirac against the National Front’s Jean-Marie Le Pen. “What’s

extraordinary is the slide in support for the Socialist Party. It may be in the process of becoming the third party behind the National Front,” Reynie said. Betraying an air of panic among the Socialists, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg lashed out at Brussels on Sunday by saying European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and his tough policies were to blame for fuelling far-right sympathies. Party secretary Jean-Christope Cambadelis said it was time to close ranks. “This is nothing to be proud about,” he said.

Far right eyes seats Sunday’s vote followed months of heated street protests against Hollande’s legalisation of same-sex marriage, where the sight of young conservatives chanting anti-gay slogans alongside brick-hurling right-wing militants shocked many TV viewers. The protests betrayed the level of anger over the moribund economy, with many marchers yelling that Hollande should be focused on creating jobs, not marrying gays and lesbians. —Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Germany eyes compromise on Turkey EU bid LUXEMBOURG: Germany sought yesterday to overcome a division with most of its European Union partners over reopening Turkey’s stalled bid to join the bloc, a diplomatic source said.

Because of Ankara’s massive crackdown on a wave of anti-government protests, Berlin last week blocked a plan to reopen Turkey-EU membership negotiations that were to take place in Brussels on Wednesday after a three-year break.

The row over the issue dominated talks between the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg, where only Austria and the Netherlands rallied to the side of Germany, which finally said it would seek a compromise.

But German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle stressed that Berlin was trapped between a rock and a hard place. “On the one hand we cannot act as if nothing had happened in the last days,” he said. “On the other hand we have to look for a strategy that satisfies the EU’s long-term interests.

Westerwelle said he had submitted a compromise proposal to Ireland, which currently holds the rotating EU presi-

dency, “that reflects both aspects.” A diplomat said the German idea was to offer Turkey a political agreement this week to open a new phase in its accession negotiations with the 27-nation bloc but set back the date to begin the talks in the autumn.

Last week’s sudden German stance triggered an immediate surge in tensions between Ankara and Berlin, with sharp words exchanged and each calling in the other’s ambassador for explanations. At stake is an EU offer to Turkey to agree to open a new policy “chapter” or set of rules and regulations-in Ankara’s eight-year negotiation process to win membership of the bloc.

Turkey began accession talks in 2005 but so far has agreed with the EU only one of 35 chapters needed to gain entry into the EU club. Westerwelle said he had had talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the weekend and that he hoped to use the Luxembourg talks “to find a common position with our European partners.”

Reopening Turkey’s long-stalled bid for membership by discussing Chapter 22

on regional policy requires unanimity between the 27 member states, and as is often the case the ministers went into the meeting poles apart.

“Germany is working on a compromise concerning the opening of Chapter 22. Westerwelle is in close contact with numerous European par tners and Turkey on the margins of the Council (of ministers),” a German government source said. Asked whether the EU should change policy after the Turkish government’s harsh crackdown against protesters, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said: “No.” “ The European Union is a strategic entity that pursues strategic policies. We are not guided by the short-term things now and then.

“Accession is one of the most successful, one of the most profoundly important policies of the EU that has brought peace and stability to the continent. It is not something subject to short-term whims.” Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn said it was vital for the EU to maintain relations with Turkey while clearly criticising the crackdown on the protests.

“We need to think less about the gov-

ernment than about the Turkish people,” he said. “Millions of people in Turkey hope that the EU continues to put pressure” on the government and therefore

talks should not be blocked. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on arrival at the talks that “engagement is a better option.” — AFP

BERLIN: Activists of the human rights organization Amnesty International hold posters reading “Turkey: No to police violence during peaceful protests!” during a protest in front of the Turkish Embassy yesterday. — AFP

Egypt steps up Gaza tunnel crackdown Palestinians dismayed at Morsi’s Gaza border policy GAZA: Egypt has intensified a crackdown on smuggling tunnels between its volatile Sinai desert and the Gaza Strip, causing a steep hike in petrol and cement prices in the Palestinian territory. Palestinians involved in the tunnel business say that the campaign, which began in March and has included flooding of underground passages, was ramped up in the past two weeks before a wave of opposition-led protests in Egypt expected to start on June 30.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has come under political fire at home over a strong challenge to his authority by militant Islamists in the Sinai who have attacked Egyptian security forces in the peninsula.

Egypt’s military, struggling to fill a security vacuum in the Sinai since autocrat Hosni Mubarak was swept from power in 2011, has pledged to shut all tunnels under the Gaza border, saying they are used by militants on both sides to smuggle activists and weapons. The moves against the tunnels have dashed the hopes of many Palestinians that Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood from which Hamas was born, would significantly ease Egyptian border restrictions on Gaza, which is also subjected to blockade by Israel.

“Business is clinically dead,” said Abu Bassam, who employs 40 workers in a Palestinian tunnel network in Rafah, a town on the border. “Tunnels are almost shut down completely.” Only 50 to 70 tunnels, out of hundreds that have provided a commercial lifeline for the Gaza Strip, are still open and in partial operation, owners said. Other tunnels are used to smuggle in weapons for militants from Hamas and other groups.

The Egyptian army has sternly warned residents in Sinai not to approach the fence with Gaza and to stop trading through tunnels or face punishment, according to Palestinian tunnel owners who learned about the order from Egyptian counterparts. “Today we have to pay extra money to convince an Egyptian driver to bring goods to us..., resulting in rising prices of basic materials here,” said Abu Ali, another tunnel owner, standing beside the shaft of his deserted tunnel.

High prices The price of cement in Gaza has soared from 350 shekels ($95) a tonne to 800 shekels ($217). Palestinians who bought relatively cheap petrol smuggled from Egypt now have to pay for fuel imported from Israel selling for double the price. The scene of long queues of vehicles outside petrol stations has become common in past two weeks, with taxi drivers waiting to snap up small quantities of fuel trickling in from tunnels that are still operating.

One tunnel owner, who employs 24 workers, said he was now bringing in 50 tonnes of food products a day compared with 300 tonnes two weeks ago. Many Gaza residents complain they have been without cooking gas for weeks, with tunnel supplies low and imports from Israel

Albanian opposition leads polls TIRANA: Albania’s opposition Socialist Party was ahead in weekend polls, early results showed yesterday, and its leader Edi Rama urged outgoing conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha to concede defeat. “I have a message for our opponents. There is always a moment to admit defeat,” Rama told reporters. “Today is the first day of our renaissance and we should behave as the political force that will renew Albania. I confirm to you today that the victory is even bigger than it seemed to be yesterday,” Rama said.

Having counted 24 percent of ballots, the electoral commission said the opposition was ahead in several regions, including the capital Tirana. According to the Socialist Party’s projection, the opposition could win 84 out of 140 seats in the parliament. The ruling coalition, led by Berisha’s Democratic Party, again claimed victory as they had already done right after the close of polling stations on Sunday evening.

“We are starting to climb in the results. We are going to win,” said Gert Bogdani, an official from Berisha’s coalition. The Sunday polls were closely followed by the European Union, which has twice rejected Tirana’s membership applications. Brussels has said the vote “represent a crucial test for the country’s democratic institutions and its progress towards the European Union.”

The complete official preliminary results were expected no later than 72 hours after the polls closed, as mandated by the law. Both sides have been accusing each other of vote-buying and electoral roll irregularities, raising concerns there could be a repeat of the 2009 polls which triggered months of political turmoil and government paralysis.

The polls have already been marred by Sunday’s killing of an opposition activist in the town of Lac, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Tirana. Seven people were arrested after the incident in which three more people, including a candidate of Berisha’s party, were wounded. —AFP

scarce. Ghazi Hamad, deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government, said it understood Morsi’s complicated internal situation and would be prepared to close all tunnels if Egypt allowed goods through Rafah, its only Gaza crossing.

At Rafah, where cross-border passenger movement

increased significantly soon after Morsi took office, passage has been particularly slow recently and hundreds of people have had to delay their trips.

Egyptian officials cited technical problems. Israel maintains an overland and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip but

has eased some import restrictions in the past several years in the face of international criticism. It announced on Monday the closure of its only commercial crossing with Gaza until further notice in response to overnight crossborder rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. — Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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

Berlusconi sentenced to prison in sex trial Protesters cheer verdict outside courtroom

KOGELO: In this file photo, Sarah Obama, step-grandmother of President Barack Obama, speaks to the media about Obama’s re-election in the US presidential election in the garden of her house in the village of Kogelo, western Kenya. ñ AP

Africa finally gets its turn with Obama visit WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama heads for his first major tour of Africa this week as the continent’s antiapartheid icon Nelson Mandela lies critically ill, making it uncertain whether the world’s most famous black presidents will meet. And as he journeys through Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from tomorrow, touting trade, investment and the developmental benefits of democracy, he must fix the perception that he has given the region short shrift. “Africans were very excited when President Obama was elected,” said Mwangi Kimenyi, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

“They expected deeper engagement than in the past, both in regard to policy and also in terms of actual visits to the continent given the president’s African heritage.” Obama hardly dampened expectations, declaring in a quick stop in Ghana in 2009: “I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family’s own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.” But Africa policy has languished, with Obama battling economic tumult, rebalancing US attention to a rising Asia, being outpaced by revolution in the Middle East and consumed by his legacy project of ending US wars abroad.

Still, White House aides feel a nagging call to Africa, and Obama will head there this week. “Frankly, Africa is a place that we had not yet been able to devote significant presidential time and attention to,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security advisor. One hotly anticipated moment of the visit is suddenly uncertain, with Nelson Mandela’s fragile condition possibly scuttling a meeting between the first black presidents of both South Africa and the United States.

The men met in 2005, when the former South African president was in Washington, and the two have spoken several times since on the telephone. But there have been no face-to-face meeting since Obama was elected president in 2008. The White House has said it will defer to Mandela’s family regarding any meeting. US officials are aware that emerging economic opportunities and energy resources in Africa have attracted a clutch of interest from rising rivals.

“There are other countries getting in the game in Africa-China, Brazil, Turkey,” said Rhodes. “If the US is not leading in Africa, we’re going to fall behind in a very important region of the world.” Washington noticed that new Chinese President Xi Jinping professed a “sincere friendship” with Africa when he visited the continent on his first foreign tour. Talk of a new “great game” for Africa with Beijing might be overcooked, but Obama may subtly play on concerns over China’s aggressive economic tactics. He will likely stress a US record in building local expertise, transferring technologies, transparency and the power of American brands, and stress economic “rules of the road”-a frequent US bone of contention with Beijing.

Obama may also suffer from comparison to George W. Bush, who made an Africa tour in his first term and who-despite a checkered presidential legacy-is revered for his HIV/AIDS program which saved millions.

While President Obama has largely been a stranger in Africa, his interest in the region has been evident-but has garnered few headlines. In an unusual intervention in a foreign election, Obama in February urged the people of Kenya, the homeland of his late father, to avoid a repeat of violence that killed more than 1,000 people after 2007 polls.

That violence led to the indictment of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, making it politically impossible for Obama to pay an evocative trip to Kenya on this tour. From afar, Obama courted nations who embody US hopes for democracy and good governance. He invited African leaders to the G8 summit in Camp David last year to launch a new food security and nutrition plan.

Obama also intervened in the Sudan crisis, hosting rival leaders at the United Nations in 2010 in a bid to save the peace process. He sent US special forces troops to the Central Africa Republic to train forces hunting messianic warlord Joseph Kony.

Other US military operations in Africa have meanwhile multiplied, as terror franchises have exploited instability in Mali. US drones keep a stealthy vigil from bases in Ethiopia, Niger and Djibouti. —AFP

KIRKENES: People sit in front of the library in the city of Kirkenes, northern Norway, near the Russian border. — AFP

In cold climates, Russians and Norwegians warm to each other KIRKENES: An Arctic Norwegian town that once lived in fear of the Red Army has flourished thanks to an influx of Russians who freely cross the NATO member’s border to shop, work and get married. Street names in Kirkenes, in Norway’s far northeast, are also displayed in Cyrillic characters, a sign of the friendly coexistence between the former Cold War foes.

“Sometimes we hear more Russian than Norwegian,” says Hildur Eikaas, director of Kirkenes’ library, a big yellow building topped with a bilingual sign.

Two staff members are Russian and so are many of the books on the shelves.

Most of the Russian borrowers are expatriate women married to Nor wegian locals, who come to find reading material for their children. There are also sailors from passing cod fishing trawlers in the Barents Sea. Around eight percent of Kirkenes’ population is estimated to be Russian.

Having long feared an invasion by the mighty Soviet Union’s Red Army once stationed nearby, the 10,000 inhabitants of Kirkenes and its surrounding area are now living in harmony with their post-Soviet neighbour. The border lies around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from town, and last year Norway and Russia decided to lift costly and time consuming visa require-

ments so that people could cross freely.

The change has been dramatic. When the Cold War ended two decades ago, only 8,000 people crossed the frontier every year. This year, around 250,000 people are expected to pass through the border, and in 2014 authorities believe the number will rise to 400,000. Even though Nor way is one of the most expensive countries in the world, Russians make day trips to Kirkenes to stock up on products and brands that are cheaper or unavailable at home, including coffee.

“You can sometimes see people buying a trolley full of diapers,” said a cashier at the Coop supermarket, where again the signs are in the two languages. As the mayor of a town nick named “Little Murmansk” after the Russian port city across the border, Cecilie Hansen couldn’t be more pleased about its growing ties with Norway’s eastern neighbour.

“The Russians saved us twice. In 1944 when they chased away the Germans and in 1996 when the mine closed. That coincided with the opening of the border and their money became our life line,” she says. Af ter being almost completely destroyed during World War II, Kirkeneslike many other European towns-was quickly rebuilt with an emphasis on functionality and cost effectiveness. —AF

ROME: An Italian court yesterday sentenced Silvio Berlusconi to seven years in jail and banned the former premier from public office after convicting him of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power. The judges handed down a sentence that went beyond the request of prosecutors, who had called for the 76-year-old billionaire to serve six years. The sentence is “completely illogical. The judges even went beyond the prosecutors’ request,” Berlusconi’s lawyer Niccolo Ghedini told journalists after the verdict was read out.

A small group of protesters cheered and applauded outside the courtroom, and sang the national anthem. The verdict brings to a climax a two-year trial which sparked a media frenzy amid allegations of strippers dressed as nuns and erotic party games with topless girls. The sentence will be suspended until all appeals have been exhausted, a process likely to take years.

Berlusconi’s age also means he is unlikely to ever see the inside of a prison cell because of lenient sentencing guidelines in Italy for people over the age of 70. The trial relates to crimes committed in 2010 when Berlusconi was prime minister, and revolves around what prosecutors have described as erotic parties held at his luxury residence outside Milan. Berlusconi was accused of paying for sex on several occasions with Moroccan-born Karima El-Mahroug, a then 17-year-old exotic dancer and busty glamour girl nicknamed “Ruby the Heart Stealer”.

He was also accused of having called a police station to pressure for El-Mahroug’s release from custody when she was arrested for theft. His defence claimed he believed El-Mahroug was the niece of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and wanted to avoid a diplomatic incident, but prosecutors insisted it was a bid to conceal their liaison.

While abuse of office was the more serious of the charges, it was the sex with the pole dancer after racy “bunga bunga” evenings in a basement room of his mansion that mesmerised the public. El-Mahroug described the “bunga bunga” sessions of erotic dancing to interrogators in

2010, saying Berlusconi had picked up the custom from former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Both the flamboyant billionaire and ElMahroug denied having had sex.

Prosecutor Ilda Boccassini told the court in her summing up speech last month that ElMahroug was “part of a prostitution system set up for the personal sexual satisfaction of the defendant”. She said the dancer quickly became the premier’s “favourite” and had not admitted the relationship with him only because she had received as much as 4.5 million euros ($5.8 million) from him.

El-Mahroug proved an unreliable witness, admitting in May that she had lied to investiga-

tors about the parties-going back on an earlier claim that strippers had “bodily stimulated” Berlusconi-and saying she had invented the vast sum of money. She still admitted to receiving tens of thousands of euros for attending parties and set up a beauty salon.

The former cruise ship singer has long blamed his legal woes on persecution by “Communist” judges, and any perceived “victory” on the part of the left could spark an explosive reaction from loyalists. A Milan court last month upheld his conviction for tax fraud, confirming the punishment of a year in prison and a fiveyear ban from public office which is frozen pending a second appeal. — AFP

This combo image made of two file pictures shows Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (left) at Villa Madama in Rome and Moroccan Karima El Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby the Heart-stealer in a nightclub. — AFP

Gettysburg celebrates milestone GETTYSBURG: Gettysburg changed the direction of American history 150 years ago, and the town hasn’t been the same since. The couple of hundred thousand visitors expected at events to mark the anniversary of the 1863 clash won’t have to look far to find remnants of the pivotal campaign of the Civil War, even outside the grounds of the meticulously maintained national park.

Cannonballs and shrapnel remain embedded in a few of the roughly 200 buildings that remain from the period.

Many of the businesses in the rural county seat cater to the throngs of tourists that stream into one of the country’s most historic places, from General Pickett’s Buffet to Abraham’s Lady, a battle-era clothing shop. And residents can be eager to share their expertise - and their pride. “To have one of the most iconic battles in the history of our country or the world to take place here and to have this historical heritage in our community is wonderful,” said Randy Phiel, the county’s top elected official and the logistics manager of an annual re-enactment. “This opportunity won’t come again. It’s our Olympic moment.”

Gettysburg was a quiet backwater in the mid-19th century, but roads connected it to all points on the compass, including south, where the Confederate Army under Gen Robert E Lee had launched his army to take the war to its northern opponents. With a population of 2,400, about one-third its current size, the town was dominated by the carriage industry when war broke out, said Bob Alcorn, a 73-year-old Air Force veteran who leads walking tours of the town. The story that Confederates arrived in Gettysburg looking for shoes appears to be apocryphal, as there was not a single shoe factory in Adams County - though there were 30 in neighboring Franklin County.

What it did have was a location on the road to Harrisburg, the state Capitol, along with three newspapers, two telegraph units, two brickyards and a rail spur that connected the town to Hanover Junction, 15 miles east, and strong trading ties with Baltimore, 60 miles southeast. Alcorn shows visitors the third-floor rooftop where Union Gen. O.O. Howard monitored the fight, a corner where a townswoman used a mirror to help signal soldiers to safety and a building where some legal maneuvering by noted abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens helped an academy’s founders get their hands on a taxsale property.

A block from the square, a tiny graveyard holds the remains of Edward McPherson Woods, a 3-year-old boy who died July 6, 1863, after being shot by his toddler brother with a military musket. Edward was among several local children killed by abandoned weapons and ordnance after the armies had moved on. Another battle relic is the row of war-era houses on High Street where Gettysburg residents trapped between the lines took in severely wounded soldiers from a church that had been converted into a hospital. These days, most of the Civil War hospitals in Gettysburg - and there are many - are marked with simple red flags.

Richard Waybright, 83, whose family owns Mason Dixon Farms Inc., an enormous dairy operation outside town, is old enough to remember the battle’s 75th anniversary in 1938. He heard his randfather recall how the invading army cleaned out the smokehouse, paying for the hams with Confederate dollars. At the time of the war, Gettysburg was home to Pennsylvania College, and a small number of its 116 students had stayed behind for summer classes despite the arrival of the rival armies.

When the real shooting began, the students were quickly dismissed, and the main building - which today houses the Gettysburg College administration - also became a field hospital.

College President Janet Morgan Riggs said its history is becoming a bigger presence on campus. Students can now minor in Civil War-era studies, the college runs a Civil War institute that attracts scholars each summer and, for the past 11 years, freshmen have been brought to the national cemetery to hear President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and other speakers. —AP

More protests in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO: A new wave of street protests swept Brazil on Sunday amid mounting popular support for demands for wide-ranging institutional reform and investment in crumbling public services.

Many are frustrated that, after years of under-investment in Brazil’s sagging infrastructure, billions of dollars are being poured into ensuring next year’s World Cup is a tourist extravaganza.

Brazilians mostly still want the country to host the competition for the first time since 1950 — but not at the expense of living standards, something protesters say politicians do not care about. Some 2,000 people marched along the promenade of Rio de Janeiro’s world famous Copacabana beach. “I don’t think this is like Egypt or Libya or Tunisia-we are not at war with each other. But enough is enough,” Anderson Luis Rosa, a 31-year-old teacher, told AFP. “I have my Guy Fawkes mask with me,” he beamed, displaying one of the plastic masks that have come to symbolize youth protest worldwide since the Occupy Wall Street marches in the United States. “But no, we don’t want to burn down parliament,” he said, insisting that the marchers want peaceful but concrete reform, not to blow up parliament as the 17th century British rebel Fawkes had planned.

Most protesters were not convinced by Friday ’s pledge from President Dilma Rousseff to improve shoddy public services and fight harder against rampant corruption-the main grudges of the street protesters. “Dilma is finished, we don’t trust any politician,” added Liliana Romeiro, a pensioner. A poll published Saturday by the Ibope polling agency showed three quarters of Brazilians back the protests, with 77 percent citing the high cost of using public transport as the key reason for their dissatisfaction.

But two-thirds were still in favor of hosting the World Cup, despite the huge bill to the country, estimated at $15 billion. Some protesters have slammed world football

body FIFA, saying it has dictated the pace of World Cup investment. But the organization’s secretary general Jerome Valcke insisted: “We are not telling the Brazilians what to do.” Although most of the protests have been peaceful, there is a militant edge as hard liners grow impatient for change.

Sao Paulo’s “Free Transport” movement urged “large scale action” for the week ahead while numerous social media clamored for a general strike, warning: “On July 1, 2013, Brazil will grind to a halt.” But Sunday’s protests were much more genteel affairs than those which saw sporadic violence as 300,000 people turned out in central Rio. The wave of protests began on June 11 when residents of Sao Paulo took to the streets to denounce an increase in public transport fares. Unrest spread quickly and the entire country has become engulfed in protest.

By June 17, more than 200,000 people were in the streets and by Saturday their ranks had swelled to some 1.5 million.

Saturday saw dozens of arrests and some 20 people were reported injured, including five police officers, after more than 70,000 people chanting “Who is the cup for?” rallied in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.

Brazil are due to play the semi-final of the Confederations Cup, a dry-run for next year ’s World Cup, in the same city on Wednesday. Police fired tear gas in an attempt to quell Saturday’s unrest after stone throwing protesters tried to break through the security perimeter around Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium while some shops and banks were looted.

Although demonstrations were much smaller in Salvador, where Brazil beat Italy, some fans in the stadium brandished placards proclaiming: “Let’s go to the streets to change Brazil.” With the mass unrest placing Brazil in the global public eye, Brazilian media earlier sought to explain the rationale for the popular uprising. — AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Demonstrators protest for better public services, a new political system and against the Brazilian PEC37 draft law, a proposed constitutional amendment that would take away the power of independent public prosecutors to probe crimes making it harder to combat corruption yesterday. — AFP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Musharraf to face treason trial Musharraf is first military ruler to be tried ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister said yesterday that the government plans to put the military ruler who ousted him in a coup over a decade ago on trial for treason, setting up a possible clash with the country’s powerful army. But the government stopped short of declaring officially that it was filing charges against Pervez Musharraf, saying it would first consult with other political parties. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke in parliament as the Supreme Court held a hearing on a possible treason case against Musharraf. The former military ruler can only be

tried for treason if the federal government presses charges against him.

Sharif said the government agrees with the Supreme Court’s decision that Musharraf committed treason under Article 6 of the constitution when he declared a state of emergency in 2007 and suspended the constitution. “The prime minister is under oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution and it is implicit in his oath that his government ensures that persons guilty of acts under Article 6 are brought to justice,” Sharif said in parliament. The premier

ISLAMABAD: In this file photo, Pakistan’s former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf arrives at an anti-terrorism court. — AP

was reading from a statement that was submitted to the Supreme Court by Attorney General Munir Malik yesterday. The statement did not mention Musharraf’s ouster of Sharif in a coup in 1999 when he was serving as army chief, perhaps because the move was retroactively approved by the Supreme Court and parliament at the time. “Musharraf has to answer for all his deeds in court,” Sharif said in a separate part of the speech. Musharraf would be the first military ruler tried for treason in a country that has experienced three military coups in its nearly 66-year history. Sharif said the government would consult with other political parties on bringing Musharraf to trial, leaving open the possibility that it could still choose to abandon the case if it faced opposition. “The federal government will proceed in accordance with the law and also take political forces into confidence through a consultative process so that the collective will and wisdom of the people of Pakistan is duly reflected in further process in this behalf.”

Senior lawmakers from the two main opposition parties, the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said they supported the government’s plan to try Musharraf for treason. “If we are going to strengthen democracy in this country and establish democratic norms, the only way is to follow the constitution and abide by the law,” said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Musharraf, who is currently under house arrest in connection with a separate case, could face the death penalty or life in prison if he is convicted of treason. But some analysts doubt the army, which is considered the country’s most powerful institution, would allow that to happen and could intervene to prevent it. Musharraf has maintained his innocence. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March after years in self-imposed exile, with the hope of running in the national election that was held in May. — AP

India to begin mass cremation of victims More than 1,000 feared dead GAUCHAR: Indian priests were preparing to cremate hundreds of flood victims yesterday as heavy rains halted the helicopter search for thousands of tourists stranded in the devastated Himalayan region, officials said. Some 1,000 people were feared dead and more than 8,000 mainly pilgrims and tourists were still awaiting rescue nine days after flash floods and landslides hit the state of Uttarakhand.

So far 580 bodies have been found after torrential monsoon rains struck the mountainous region, known as the “Land of the Gods” for its revered Hindu shrines. “Many more bodies are yet to be pulled out from isolated areas that are

completely cut-off,” disaster management official KN Pandey told AFP. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde warned that the death toll could rise above 1,000 once flood waters have receded and debris is cleared by emergency workers, showing the full extent of the disaster. “Reports suggested the toll was around 1,000, but it could rise as the debris is cleared,” Shinde told reporters in New Delhi.

Preparations were under way for a mass cremation in the flood-ravaged holy town of Kedarnath and elsewhere, with rescue workers ordered to collect tonnes of fire wood, amid concerns of an outbreak of disease from rotting

bodies, officials said. “The priests of temples have been requested to participate in the final rites,” Pandey said.

Military helicopters have been grounded because of bad weather, hampering the evacuation of people still stranded, many without food and water. “We can only use the helicopters when the weather is clear.

Rescue work can only resume when rains stop,” said a senior army official in New Delhi.

Helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to help with the rescue efforts, with thousands of people already evacuated since the rains hit on June 15. —AFP

US envoy in Kabul to revive peace process KABUL: US envoy James Dobbins arrived in Afghanistan yesterday for talks with President Hamid Karzai, as Washington worked to put peace efforts back on track after a dispute over the rebels’ new office in Qatar.

Karzai reacted furiously to the office being styled as a Taleban governmentin-exile under the rebels’ white flag and using the formal name of the “Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan” from their hardline 1996-2001 regime. The opening of the Qatar office last Tuesday was intended as a first step towards a peace deal as the US-led NATO combat mission winds down 12 years after the Taleban were ousted after the 9/11 attacks.

Dobbins, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, landed in Kabul a day after the Afghan government said a written agreement with the US about how the Qatar office should operate had been broken. A statement from the US embassy said that Dobbins and Karzai would discuss “the reconciliation process which President (Barack) Obama and President Karzai agreed is the surest way to a lasting peace”.

Kabul, which said it was still committed to the peace process, insisted the Qatar office must only be used for direct negotiations between the Taleban and the Afghan government.

“After these meetings (with Dobbins), our information will be complete and we can then decide whether to send our delegation to Qatar,” Ismael Qasimyar, a senior member of the Afghan peace negotiators, told AFP. Yesterday, Afghanistan said that the contentious sign, flag and flagpole had been removed from the building in the Qatari capital Doha.

Dobbins, a veteran diplomat who re-opened the US embassy after the 2001 fall of the Taleban, is also likely to try to revive separate talks on an agreement that would allow Washington to maintain soldiers in Afghanistan after next year. Karzai, who has so far refused to send representatives to Qatar, broke off negotiations on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) in reaction to the Taleban office.

Mohammed Naeem, a Qatar-based spokesman for the Taleban, said yesterday that the flag and sign unveiled

at an opening ceremony had been agreed with Qatar-but not with the United States. On Saturday, Kerry attempted to placate Afghanistan by warning that Washington could call on the Taleban to close the office if they failed to live up to their side of peace efforts.

About 100,000 foreign combat troops, 68,000 of them American, are due to withdraw by the end of 2014, and NATO formally transferred responsibility for nationwide security to Afghan forces last week.

When in power, the Taleban imposed a harsh version of Sunni Islamic law that banned television, music and cinema, stopped girls from going to school and forced women to wear the all-covering burqa. They were ousted in 2001 for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, but launched a resilient and bloody insurgency against US-led NATO troops and the US-backed Afghan government.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was also in Kabul yesterday to meet Karzai and 850 French soldiers still deployed in the city, mainly at the airport and hospital. — AFP

China outsmarted US in Snowden chess game BEIJING: China interceded to allow Edward Snowden’s dramatic flight from Hong Kong, calculating that infuriating the United States for now was necessary to prevent deeper corrosion to their relationship, analysts and media said yesterday. Beijing also exploited the former spy’s revelations to put the US government on the back foot. State media called Washington a “villain” for its alleged hacking of Chinese targets, when the United States has long portrayed itself as a victim of Chinese cyber-espionage.

The Hong Kong government insisted that its decision to let the 30-year-old Snowden fly out on Sunday was governed strictly by the law, after a provisional US arrest warrant purportedly failed to meet its judicial requirements.

But for many observers, such a high-profile case-carrying the potential to destabilise Sino-US ties for years if Snowden had fought a lengthy legal battle in Hong Kongmust have provoked intense interest among the territory’s overseers.

Hong Kong political analyst Johnny Lau said he believed that Chinese representatives “must have drained him in depth and exhausted him (for intelligence) before letting him go”. As for Hong Kong’s role, Lau argued that the local government was a pawn with Beijing guiding the pieces. “Hong Kong is just part of a chess game. It was the same when it was part of Britain,” he told AFP. Such speculation took an intriguing twist yesterday with Albert Ho, one of Hong Kong’s most respected pro-democracy lawmakers, revealing that he had been hired as Snowden’s lawyer and that he had relayed a message from a mystery intermedi-

ary several days ago. The intermediary did not specify whether he represented the government in Beijing or Hong Kong, but Ho said: “I have reasons to believe that... those who wanted him to leave represented Beijing authorities. “Bejing would not step forward to the front stage because it (would) affect Sino-US relations,” he told reporters. “So, it would operate behind the scenes to make Snowden go. The Hong Kong government may not have had any role other than not stopping him at the airport.”

After arriving in Hong Kong on May 20, armed with laptops containing a wealth of information on National Security Agency (NSA) snooping around the world, Snowden explained his choice of destination in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

“My intention is to ask the courts and the people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system,” he said. But something changed over the weekend, after the United States issued its arrest warrant with a view to instituting formal extradition proceedings. The former NSA contractor and CIA agent is now in Moscow and Ecuador says it is mulling his request for asylum. While the Kremlin denied all knowledge of Snowden’s plans, lawmakers in Washington were aghast at the fastmoving developments and expressed strong suspicion of Chinese as well as Russian meddling. “I had actually thought that China would see this as an opportunity to improve relations and extradite him to the United States,” Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said on CBS television. — AFP

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as they pose for photos before their meeting yesterday. — AP

US heeds India’s fears on Taleban NEW DELHI: India yesterday gave a cautious blessing to attempts to make peace with Afghanistan’s Taleban insurgents as US Secretary of State John Kerry promised to pay heed to the concerns of the regional power. Kerry, on his first visit to India as the top US diplomat, threw his support behind a greater global role for the world’s largest democracy which he said shared a “similar vision” of supporting a peaceful and stable world. Amid criticism that a relationship once heralded as historic has failed to live up to its potential, Kerry announced that US Vice President Joe Biden would visit India next month to look at further ways to enhance cooperation.

Kerry came to India days after the Taleban opened an office in Qatar for talks on a peace accord. India, a prime target of the former Taleban regime, has repeatedly warned not to distinguish between “good and bad” extremists. Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid applauded Kerry for being forthright about New Delhi’s worries as the United States, which is pulling out its nearly 70,000 troops from Afghanistan next year, mulls talks with the Taleban.

“They will ensure that none of the concerns of India are overlooked or undermined,” Khurshid told a joint news conference with Kerry. He did not object to the Taleban talks, saying: “I think it’s an experiment that is being done in order to find an alternative for sustainable peace in Afghanistan. One cannot disagree with that.”

“It’s very clear what the objective is. How far that objective is possible, only time will tell,” Khurshid said. Kerry said that James

Dobbins, the veteran US diplomat in charge of leading any dialogue with the Taleban, will visit India tomorrow. Dobbins was spending yesterday in Kabul after joining Kerry in Qatar.

“We will consult very closely with India and with others in the region,” Kerry said.

Kerry said that the Taleban, as part of any future Afghan settlement, would have to “disassociate themselves from Al-Qaeda and from violence” and respect the constitutional protections for women and minorities.

“That’s not going to change,” Kerry said, while adding that it was still “better to explore the possibilities of having a peaceful resolution.” Kerry has insisted that the United States will not negotiate with the Taleban simply for the sake of talks. He has called on the Taleban to address concerns or close their office after it designed its mission in Qatar to resemble a government-in-exile, outraging Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Kerry said the United States would welcome India’s assistance in supporting a “transparent, free and fair” election in 2014 to choose Karzai’s successor. But Kerry stayed mum of endorsing a security contribution by India, whose role in Afghanistan is strongly opposed by its historic rival Pakistan which supported the Taleban until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The United States and India had uneasy relations during the Cold War but began to reconcile in the late 1990s. The new mood was symbolised in 2008 when the countries signed a nuclear cooperation agreement, ending India’s decades of isolation over its nuclear programme. — AFP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Chinese dissident Chen evades questions on NYU TAIPEI: Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who has accused New York University of bowing to Chinese pressure to ask him to leave, refused to shed light on the issue yesterday, adding to the mystery of a case that has been marred by allegations of lies and spying. Chen has maintained his silence for a week since he made his accusations that have been vigorously denied by the university, which says the fellowship was only ever planned to last a year.

Chen sparked a diplomatic crisis between the United States and China after he fled house arrest in China and sought refuge at the US Embassy in Beijing. He has

been a research fellow at NYU Law School since he flew to the United States in May 2012. His accusations, which have sparked a debate on U.S. academic freedom, have baffled some of his closest friends, including Jerome Cohen, an NYU law professor who helped broker the deal for Chen to study in the United States.

Chen, who is in Taipei to meet Taiwan opposition lawmakers and address Taiwan’s parliament, bristled when pressed to detail evidence behind his accusations. “Why do you keep asking about NYU?” he asked. “I’ll wait till a more suitable time to talk.” Chen also said he did not know about possible

spyware being inserted into an iPhone and iPad given to him as gifts. The gadgets were intended to spy on Chen, according to Cohen and another source familiar with the episode.

“I’m not a PC expert,” Chen said. The two sources told Reuters that the wife of Bob Fu, the founder of ChinaAid, a Texas-based Christian advocacy group that has campaigned for Chen, had given him the gadgets shortly after he arrived in New York so that his communications could be monitored - a charge that Fu rejected.

Fu runs a Christian group called ChinaAid that supports underground churches in

China and victims of forced abortions. Critics have suggested that Chen has been co-opted by conservative, Christian groups in the United States. Chen declined to address these questions, saying: “Let’s not talk about this.” Cohen, who has taken issue with Chen’s allegations publicly, accompanied Chen on the trip to Taiwan and was in the audience when Chen met reporters at a briefing.

Chen is a self-schooled legal advocate who campaigned against forced abortions.

He was jailed for four years on charges that he and his supporters said were spurious, and then held in his village home for 19 months after being released. Chen’s visit to

Time magazine’s ‘Buddhist Terror’ story irks Myanmar Online petition collects 40,000 signatures YANGON: Myanmar has reacted angrily to a Time magazine cover story on a prominent radical monk accused of fuelling anti-Muslim violence, accompanied by the headline “The Face of Buddhist Terror”. Social media users in the former junta-ruled nation also voiced dismay at the US magazine’s July front page, which shows a photograph of controversial Mandalay monk Wirathu, whose anti-Muslim remarks have come under scrutiny following a wave of deadly religious violence. The Time report “creates a misunderstanding of Buddhism which has existed for thousands of years and is the religion of the majority of our citizens,” said a statement posted on the presidential office website late Sunday.

“The government is currently striving with religious leaders, political parties, media and the people to rid Myanmar of unwanted conflicts,” it said, adding that the issue of religion should be handled respectfully by the media. In a sign of the strength of feeling, one online petition started over the weekend to condemn the magazine had collected almost 40,000 names by yesterday.

The use of the words “Buddhist” and “Terror” upset all followers of the faith, which is peaceful “and not for terrorists,” a message accompanying the petition said.

Eye-witnesses to violence which flared in March in central Myanmar said people dressed in monks’ robes were involved in the unrest, which left scores dead, mainly Muslims. Radical monks have led a campaign to shun shops owned by Muslims. Wirathu has also called for a law to restrict marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths. Senior monks, however, have accused foreign media of onesided reporting of the Buddhist-Muslim conflict.

Facebook users accused Time of deepening divisions and defaming Myanmar’s main reli-

BANGKOK: This illustration picture shows a man reading a copy of the July 1 issue of Time magazine carrying a picture of controversial Myanmar monk Wirathu on its cover. —AFP gion. “Insulting the monk Wirathu, a son of Buddha, is the same as insulting Buddhism,” said one post by Wai Phyo. “What Wirathu is doing now is to protect our own nationality and religion,” the Facebook user wrote, urging the magazine to apologise. “Obviously this writer doesn’t understand Myanmar and Buddhism well,” another post said.

Several episodes of religious fighting have

exposed deep rifts in the Buddhist-majority country and cast a shadow over widely praised political reforms since military rule ended two years ago. In March at least 44 people were killed in sectarian strife in central Myanmar with thousands of homes set ablaze. Communal unrest last year in the western state of Rakhine left about 200 people dead and up to 140,000 displaced, mainly Rohingya Muslims. —AFP

South Korea hunts for former dictator’s $143m slush money SEOUL: Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan owes the country 167.5 billion won ($143.5 million) that he was found to have amassed through corruption during his 1980s rule, but he insists he’s broke. Prosecutors have less than four months left to prove him wrong. A statute of limitations will soon wipe away Chun’s obligation to pay back the money, to the chagrin of South Koreans who remember the military dictator for not only his cozy relationships with businessmen but also for a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Lawmakers plan to meet Tuesday to debate legislation that could extend the search and hold his family accountable for the money, but even if it passes, such retroactive changes could be rejected in court.

Last month, the new chief of the state prosecution office urged an “extraordinary” push to collect from the 82-year-old, who seized power in a

million won ($2,600) in what was seen by many as an effort to prevent authorities from confiscating larger assets. Chun could extend the statute again with another voluntary payment, but it is unclear whether he will make one. Repeated calls

by The Associated Press to his lawyers went unanswered. In his 1996 bribery trial, Chun admitted receiving a massive slush fund when he took power, but he said he was simply following the practice established by his military predecessors.

“When judged by today’s yardstick, it may be wrong, but in those days, it was customary to receive donations,” he said during his closing arguments. By 2003, Chun was saying the money was gone. He was ridiculed when he reportedly said at a court hearing that year that he had less than $300.

Chun reportedly said at the hearing that he

SEOUL: South Korean protesters stage a rally demanding their government to recover former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan’s slush fund in front of the ruling Saenuri Party headquarters yesterday. —AP 1979 army coup and ruled South Korea until early 1988.

Chun’s departure as president marked the end of military rule and the beginning of democracy in South Korea. In 1996, he was convicted of corruption and for his role in the 1980 crackdown, which left about 200 people dead in the southwestern city of Gwangju, according to an official estimate. He was sentenced to death, though he received a reduction in sentence and later a pardon.

He also was ordered to pay back the 220.5 billion won ($189 million) “slush fund” that officials said he had amassed from dozens of businessmen in return for government contracts and other favors. He has since returned 53 billion won ($45 million) to the government.

Prosecutors still have the opportunity to recover funds because under the law, the statute of limitations is extended three years every time an asset is seized. That has happened several times: A Mercedes-Benz sedan belonging to Chun was seized in 2000, and in 2010 he voluntarily paid 3

was living off money from his sons and supporters, but wouldn’t ask his sons to help pay his debt because “they have to make a living, too.” Chun’s wife told reporters in 2012 that the ex-president had paid all he could. That same year, the Kyunghyang Shinmun daily reported that he played golf and had a whiskey party at an island resort off the west coast. Opposition lawmaker Jun Byung-hun alleges that Chun’s three sons received assets from their father now worth a total of more than 300 billion won ($260 million).

The number couldn’t be verified independently, and his office wouldn’t say where it came from.

The former leader’s eldest son, Chun Jaekook, runs a publishing company that posted revenue of 44 billion won ($38 million) last year, according to its audit report. Sigongsa Inc, founded in 1989, has stakes in 13 companies. Half its shares are owned by Chun Jae-kook and another 20 percent are owned by other relatives, according to the report. Jun said another son, Chun Jaeman, operates a California winery worth 100 billion won ($86 million) with his father-in-law, busi-

nessman Hi Sang Lee. The website for Rutherford, California-based Dana Estates describes the two as proprietors, and says Lee purchased the winery in 2005. The South Korean partner of the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists said that Chun Jae-kook set up a fake company in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands in 2004, fueling local media speculation that he may have used the company’s bank account as a conduit to stash his father’s money.

In a statement released through his company, the son said the account had nothing to do with his father and that he would cooperate with any government investigations. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has declined to comment on whether it’s looking into a link between Chun Doo-hwan and the offshore company. The proposed bills in the National Assembly would extend the statute of limitations to 10 years, instead of the current three years, every time an asset is paid or confiscated. They also would allow authorities to collect from Chun’s family members if he can’t pay. The ruling Saenuri party agrees on the need to collect from Chun, but expresses worry that the bills would unconstitutionally override the statute of limitations set up when Chun was convicted, and also would make family members guilty just because of their association with him.

Ahn Chang-nam, a tax professor at Kangnam University in South Korea, said proving a connection between Chun’s slush funds and his family’s money is a daunting task because evidence could have been manipulated or destroyed while Chun was in power. Details about the slush fund are unclear. Chun’s former chief bodyguard testified in 1996 that Chun gave Roh Tae-woo, his friend from the military and successor as president, $230 million in cash to help finance his 1987 presidential campaign.

Roh was later sentenced to 221/2 years in prison and ordered to pay back 260 billion won ($225 million) he had received as bribes from businessmen. The 80-year-old, who was pardoned along with Chun, has paid back more than 90 percent of the money, and most of the assets that would account for the outstanding balance have been discovered. Earlier this month, President Park Geun-hye, a conservative who took office in February, criticized past governments for failing to collect entirely from Chun and Roh and said she was trying to resolve the matter.

But the opposition has raised past links between Chun and Park, who acknowledged during a presidential debate last year that she had received about 600 million won ($516,000) from Chun following the 1979 assassination of her father, President Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea for 18 years after he seized power in a 1961 coup. Park Geun-hye said she was told at the time that receiving the money wouldn’t be a problem. Although the timing is unclear, Park plans to return the money, according to the presidential Blue House. The money reportedly came from a secret coffer of her father’s. —AP

Taiwan will be closely watched by Beijing. In late May, China had warned Chen to mind his language ahead of his trip.

Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island which China claims as its own, regularly plays host to people China despises, including exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has no plans to meet Chen, according to Taiwan’s presidential spokeswoman. Chen said he understood why Ma, who has come under fire for being soft on human rights issues, would not meet him. “This is exactly an example of how a dictatorship threatens a free society,” he said. —AFP

US boss held hostage by workers in Beijing BEIJING: An American executive said yesterday he has been held hostage for four days at his medical supply plant in Beijing by scores of workers demanding severance packages like those given to 30 co-workers in a phased-out department. Chip Starnes, 42, a co-owner of Coral Springs, Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies, said local officials had visited the 10year-old plant on the capital’s outskirts and coerced him into signing agreements Saturday to meet the workers’ demands even though he sought to make clear that the remaining 100 workers weren’t being laid off.

The workers were expecting wire transfers

by Tuesday, he said, adding that about 80 of them had been blocking every exit around the clock and depriving him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office. He declined to clarify the amount, saying he wanted to keep it confidential. “I feel like a trapped animal,” Starnes told The Associated Press yesterday from his first-floor office window, while holding onto the window’s bars. “I think it’s inhumane what is going on right now. I have been in this area for 10 years and created a lot of jobs and I would never have thought in my wildest imagination something like this would happen.”

Workers inside the compound, a pair of two-story buildings behind gates and hedges in the Huairou district of the northeastern Beijing suburbs, repeatedly declined requests for comment, saying they did not want to talk to foreign media. It is not rare in China for managers to be held by workers demanding back pay or other benefits, often from their Chinese owners, though occasionally also involving foreign bosses.

The labor action reflects growing uneasi-

ness among workers about their jobs amid China’s slowing economic growth and the sense that growing labor costs make the country less attractive for some foreignowned factories. The account about local officials coercing Starnes to meet workers’ demands - if true - reflects how officials typically consider stifling unrest to be a priority.

Huairou district and Qiaozi township governments declined to comment.

A local police spokesman said police were at the scene to maintain order. Four uniformed police and about a dozen other men who declined to identify themselves were standing across the road from the plant. “As far as I know, there was a labor dispute between the workers and the company management and the dispute is being solved,” said spokesman Zhao Lu of the Huairou Public Security Bureau. “ I am not sure about the details of the solution, but I can guarantee the personal safety of the manager.”

Representatives from the US Embassy stood outside the gate much of the day, and eventually were let in. US Embassy spokesman Nolan Barkhouse said the two sides were on the verge of an agreement and that Starnes would have access to his attorneys. It was unclear what agreement might be reached, and subsequent attempts to contact Starnes were not immediately successful.

Starnes said the company had gradually been winding down its plastics division, planning to move it to Mumbai, India. He arrived in Beijing last Tuesday to lay off the last 30 people. Some had been working there for up to nine years, so their compensation packages were “pretty nice,” he said. —AP

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Issues

For Obama, world of Snowden troubles

By Warren Strobel and Paul Eckert ince his first day in office, US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy has rested on outreach: resetting ties with Russia, building a partnership with China and offering a fresh start with antagonistic leaders from Iran to Venezuela. But the global travels on Sunday of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden highlight the limits of that approach. Leaders Obama has wooed - and met recently - were willing to snub the American president. The cocky defiance by socalled “non-state actors” - Snowden himself and the antisecrecy group, WikiLeaks, completes the picture of a world less willing than ever to bend to US prescriptions of right and wrong.

Snowden flew out of Hong Kong, the semiautonomous Chinese territory, early on Sunday after Hong Kong authorities rebuffed a US request to detain him pending extradition to the United States for trial. Snowden has acknowledged leaking details of highly classified NSA surveillance programs. Beijing may merely have wished to get rid of a potential irritant in its multifaceted relationship with Washington. But Snowden’s next stop was Russia, a US “frenemy” in which the friend factor has been harder to spot since President Vladimir Putin returned to power in May 2012.

WikiLeaks, which says it is helping the 30-year-old Snowden, said via Twitter that he intended to go to Ecuador, whose government has antagonistic relations with Washington. Ecuador’s foreign minister, Ricardo Patino Aroca, said, also via Twitter, that his government had received an asylum request from Snowden. To be sure, the US government is certain to marshal all of its diplomatic, legal and political powers to return Snowden to the United States, where he is charged with offenses under the Espionage Act and with theft of government property.

The United States has revoked Snowden’s passport, sources familiar with the decision said on Sunday.

But Snowden has significant levers of his own, in the form of a cache of NSA secrets of unknown size and scope.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday that the US government apparently does not know the extent of the secrets taken by Snowden, whose last job was as a systems administrator at an NSA listening post in Hawaii. “The only thing I’ve learned is that he could have over 200 separate items and whether that’s true or not, that’s what has been relayed to me,” Feinstein said on CBS “Face the Nation.”

Snowden told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post on Saturday that the United States hacks into Chinese mobile phone traffic and text messaging, as well as Chinese university sites that host some of the country’s major Internet hubs. It is unclear whether such revelations played a role in Hong Kong authorities’ decision to let Snowden depart, despite the US request to detain him and begin extradition procedures. Privately, US officials say they believe Beijing authorities made the call to allow Snowden to leave. In doing so, the Chinese may have simply been passing along a “hot potato”, that could have grown into a diplomatic spat.

“For China, this is certainly a bit of a relief. They don’t want to let him stay there for a prolonged stay,” said Cheng Li, an expert on Chinese politics at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “If things get out of control (with Snowden) that will certainly undermine any achievement made in the summit in California, so China is probably very happy that Russia will be the main target,” Li said, referring to the meetings between Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.

Obama, who took flak in recent months over the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups and Justice Department subpoenas of media phone calls in other leak cases, has so far not faced major criticism of his administration’s handling of Snowden. Most US lawmakers’ ire has been directed at Snowden himself, as well as the systems that permitted him to get a sensitive job with contractor Booz Allen Hamilton and make away with evidence of some of the US government’s most shielded intelligence programs.

But US Representative Peter King, a frequent Obama critic and Republican who sits on the permanent select committee on intelligence, said the president should be more aggressive in defending the surveillance programs that US officials say have thwarted terrorist attacks, and more assertive with foreign partners. “I find it troubling that the president has been so quiet on this. And again, I’m not saying he can control it, but there should be more of a presence including defending the NSA program,” King told CNN. “It just seems as if we’re adrift right now and I think that these countries are taking advantage of it. This is definitely a diplomatic hit at the president, at the US, but as Americans we have to support the president.”— Reuters

S

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

Sectarian hatred abounds in Mideast

By Lee Keath t’s not hard to find stereotypes, caricatures and outright bigotry when talk in the Middle East turns to the tensions between Islam’s two main sects. Shiites are described as devious, power-hungry corruptors of Islam. Sunnis are called extremist, intolerant oppressors. Hatreds between the two are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria’s civil war. On Sunday, officials said four Shiites in a village west of Cairo were beaten to death by Sunnis in a sectarian clash unusual for Egypt.

Hardline clerics and politicians on both sides in the region have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect.

But among the public, views are complex.

Some sincerely see the other side as wrong whether on matters of faith or politics. Others see the divisions as purely political, created for cynical aims. Even some who view the other sect negatively fear sectarian flames are burning dangerously out of control. There are those who wish for a return to the days, only a decade or two ago, when the differences did not seem so important and the sects got along better, even intermarried. And some are simply frustrated that there is so much turmoil over a dispute that dates back to the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the 7th century. “Fourteen centuries after the death of the Prophet (PBUH), in a region full of destruction, killing, occupation, ignorance and disease, you are telling me about Sunnis and Shiites?” scoffs Ismail Al-Hamami, a 67-year-old Sunni Palestinian refugee in Gaza.

“We are all Muslims. ... You can’t ignore the fact that (Shiites) are Muslims.”

AP correspondents spoke to Shiites and Sunnis across the region. Amid the variety of viewpoints, they found a public struggling with anger that is increasingly curdling into hatred.

I

Background The Sunni-Shiite split is rooted in the question of who should succeed Muhammad (PBUH) in leading Muslims after his death in 632. Shiites say the Prophet’s (PBUH) cousin and son-in-law Ali was his rightful successor but was cheated when authority went to those the Sunnis call the four “Rightfully Guided Caliphs” - Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman and, finally, Ali. Sunnis are the majority across the Islamic world. In the Middle East, Shiites have strong majorities in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain, with significant communities in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other parts of the Gulf. Both consider the Quran the word of God. But there are distinctions in theology and religious practice between the two sects.

Some are minor: Shiites pray with their hands by their sides, Sunnis with their hands crossed at their chest or stomach. Others are significant.

Shiites, for example, believe Ali and a string of his descendants, the Imams, had not only rightful political authority after Muhammad but also held a special religious wisdom. Most Shiites believe there were 12 Imams - many of them “martyred” by Sunnis - and the 12th vanished, to one day return and restore justice. Sunnis accuse the Shiites of elevating Ali to the level of Muhammad (PBUH) himself - incorrectly, since Shiites agree that Muhammad (PBUH) was the last of the prophets, a central tenet of Islam.

The bitter disputes of early Islam still resonate. Even secular-minded Shiite parents would never name their child after Abu Bakr, Omar or Othman or Aisha, wife of Muhammad (PBUH), who helped raise a revolt against Ali during his caliphate. When outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Egypt earlier this year, the sheikh of Al-Azhar, the bastion of Sunni theology, told him sharply that if the sects are to get along, Shiites must stop “insulting” the “companions of the prophet (PBUH)”. But only the most hard-core would say those differences are reason enough to hate each other. For that, politics is needed.

Iraq If Syria’s war has raised the region’s sectarian hatreds, the war in Iraq played a big role in unleashing them. After the US-led invasion top-

pled Saddam Hussein in 2003, the longoppressed Shiite majority there saw a chance to take power. Sunnis feared the repression would flip onto them. The result was vicious sectarian fighting that lasted until 2008: Sunni extremists pulled Shiite pilgrims from buses and gunned them down; Shiite militiamen kidnapped Sunnis, dumping their tortured bodies later.

Abdul-Sattar Abdul-Jabar, 56, is a Sunni cleric who occasionally preaches at the prominent Abu Hanifa mosque in the Sunni-dominated Azamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad. Two of his sons were killed by Shiite militiamen. He blames the United States and Iran for Iraq’s strife. “Right from the beginning, the Americans were trying to create sectarian rifts,” he said. “Iran is a country of regional ambitions. It isn’t a Shiite country. It’s a country with specific schemes and agendas.”

Now he fears the strife is returning, and he blames the Shiite-dominated government. “We feel the government does not consider us part of the Iraqi nation,” he said. “There is no magical solution for this. If the Shiites are convinced to change their politicians, that would be a big help.”

Ahmed Saleh Ahmed, 40, a Sunni, runs a construction company in Baghdad mainly employing Shiites. He is married to a Shiite woman. They live in the Azamiyah neighborhood and raise their two daughters and son as Sunnis. Still, his wife prays with the small clay stone that Shiites but not Sunnis - set in front of their prayer rugs.

She often visits a Shiite shrine in another Baghdad district. Ahmed sometimes helps his wife’s family prepare food for Shiite pilgrims during religious ceremonies. But he admits that there sometimes is tension between the families. “We were able to contain it and solve it in a civilized way,” Ahmed said. Iraqis like to talk politics, he said, and “when things get heated, we tend to change the subject.”

When their children ask about sectarian differences, “we do our best to make these ideas as clear as we can for them so they don’t get confused,” he said. “We try to avoid discussing sectarian issues in front of the children.” Ahmed believes sectarian tensions have been strained because people have abused the democratic ideas emerging from the Arab Spring.

Democracy “needs open-mindedness, forgiveness and an ability to understand the other,” he said. “No human being is born believing in democracy. It’s like going to school - you have to study first. Democracy should be for people who want to do good things, not for those who are out for revenge.”

Hussein Al-Rubaie, 46, a Shiite, was jailed for two years under Saddam. His Shiite-majority Sadriya district in Baghdad saw considerable bloodshed during the worst of the strife, and he fears it’s returning. “The whole region is in flames and we are all about to be burnt,” he said. “We have a lot of people who are ignorant and easily driven by sectarian feelings.” He sees it among his friends, who include Sunnis. “My friends only whisper about sectarian things because they think it is a shame to talk about such matters,” Rubaie said, “but I am afraid that the day might come when this soft talking would turn to fighting in the street.”

Lebanon Among some of Lebanon’s Shiites, it’s fashionable to wear a necklace with a medallion in the shape of the fabled double-bladed sword of Ali. It’s a mark of community pride at a time when the Shiite group Hezbollah says the sect is endangered by Sunni extremists in the Syrian uprising. During Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, the main fight was between Christians and Muslims. But in the past decade, the most dangerous divide has been between Shiites and Sunnis.

For much of Lebanon’s existence, Shiites, who make up about a third of the population, were an impoverished underclass beneath the Christians and Sunnis, each roughly a third also.

The Shiite resentment helped the rise of the guerrilla force Hezbollah, on whose might the community won greater power. Now, many Sunnis resent Hezbollah’s political domination of the government. The 2005 assassination of

Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, a Sunni, increased Sunni anger after Hezbollah members were blamed. Since then, both sides have clashed in the streets.

Syria’s civil war has fueled those tensions.

Lebanon’s Sunnis largely back the mainly Sunni rebellion, while Shiites support President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, which is dominated by his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiism. Hezbollah sent fighters to help Assad fight the rebels, enraging Sunnis region-wide.

Rania, 51, is a Shiite Lebanese banking executive, married to a Sunni and living in Ras Beirut, one of the capital’s few mixed neighborhoods.

When she married, at age 22, “I didn’t even know what the difference between Sunnis and Shiites is.” Now she’s inclined to support Hezbollah.

While not a fan of the hardline group, she believes that Hezbollah and Syria are targeted because of their stances against Israel. She said her husband is anti-Hezbollah and supports Syria’s rebels.

Rania, who gave only her first name because she doesn’t want to be stigmatized about her social, religious or marital status, said she doesn’t talk politics with her husband to avoid arguments. “I support one (political) side and he supports the other, but we’ve found a way to live with it,” added Rania, who has a 22-year-old daughter. She said education plays a big role. “I find that the people who make comments about it are the people who are just ignorant, and ignorance feeds hatred and stereotyping,” she added. Khaled Challah is a 28-year-old Syrian Sunni businessman who has lived for years in Lebanon. He comes from a conservative, religious family but only occasionally goes to mosque. He said the only way he would be able to tell the difference between a Sunni mosque and a Shiite one would be if the cleric talked about Syria in the sermon. “A Shiite imam would speak against the rebels, and call to resist them, and a Sunni sheikh would talk against the government in Syria,” he said.

He said he still doesn’t understand the Shiites’ emotional fervor over the battle of Karbala, in which Ali’s son, Hussein, was killed by the armies of the Sunni Ummayad dynasty in the 7th century. Hussein’s martyrdom is a defining trauma of their faith, deepening their feeling of oppression. Every year, Shiites around the world mark the battle with processions that turn into festivals of mourning, with men lashing or cutting themselves. “It means much more to Shiites, this battle’s memory, than to Sunnis,” Challah said. He said Sunnis “behave sometimes like they are the only Muslims.” Challah called this “very silly. Sunnis and Shiites come from the same root, they worship the same God.” Iran The Shiite powerhouse of the Middle East is home to a government led by Shiite clerics with oil wealth and a powerful Revolutionary Guard.

Tehran has extended its influence in the Arab world, mainly through its alliance with Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Iran has presented that alliance not as sectarian but as the center of “resistance” against Israel. Sunni Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies have been trying to stem Iran’s influence, in part by warning of the spread of Shiism. Saudi Arabia’s hardline Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam views Shiism as heresy.

Reza Tajabadi, a Shiite cleric in Tehran, blames the Wahhabis - and the related ultraconservative Salafi movement in Sunni Islam for stoking sectarian hatred. “If Wahabis withdrew from creating differences, then Shiites and Sunnis will be able to put aside their minor differences, which are not considerable.”

Abolfatah Davati, another Shiite cleric, points to the historical difference between the two sects. Since Sunnis have been dominant through history, Sunni clerics became subordinate to the rulers. The Shiite clergy, he said, has been independent of power. “Sunni clerics backed rulers and justified their policies, like the killing of Imam Hussein. Even now, they put their rulers’ decision at the top of their agenda,” he said. “In contrast, Shiites have not depended on government, so Sunnis cannot tolerate this and

issue religious edicts against them. This increases rifts.”

Egypt In a country where the Muslim population is overwhelmingly Sunni, many Egyptians know little about Shiites. The Shiite population is tiny and largely hidden, so secretive that its numbers are not really known. But ultraconservative Salafis, many of whom view Shiites as infidels, have become more politically powerful and more vocal since the 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. They often preach against Shiism, warning it will spread to Egypt.

Mona Mohammed Fouad is a rarity in Egypt: Her mother is an Iranian Shiite, her father an Egyptian Sunni. She considers herself Sunni.

“People are always surprised and shocked” when they find out her mother is Shiite, said Fouad, 23, who works for a digital marketing company. “But usually as soon as they know, they are very interested and they ask me many questions.” Fouad said her sister has heard work colleagues criticizing Shiites. In her fiance’s office they distributed leaflets “telling people to beware of Shiite indoctrination,” she added.

“People should read about Shiism. We make fun of foreigners who believe all Muslims are terrorists and we say they are ignorant, but we do the same thing to ourselves,” Fouad said. “There is a difference in interpretation, a difference in opinion, but at the end of the day, we believe in the same things.” She told her Sunni fiance from the start that her mother is Shiite. “I told him to tell his family, so if they have any problem with that, we end it immediately.”

Anas Aqeel, a 23-year-old Salafi, spent the first 18 years of his life in Saudi Arabia, where he would sometimes encounter Shiites. “We didn’t ever argue over faith. But they alienated me,” he said. “I once saw a Shiite in Saudi Arabia speaking ill of one of the companions of the prophet near his tomb. That one I had to clash with and expel him from the place,” Aqeel said. He worries about Shiites spreading their faith. While he said not all Shiites are alike, he added that “some of them deviate in the Quran and speak badly of the prophet’s companions. If someone is wrong and ... he insists on his wrong concept, then we cannot call him a Muslim.”

Palestinian Territories Palestinian Muslims are also almost all Sunnis. Their main connection to the Shiite world has Hamas’ alliance with Iran. But those ties were strained when Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, broke its connections with Syria because of the civil war.

Ahmed Mesleh, a 28-year-old blogger from the West Bank town of Ramallah, says he met Shiites on a trip to Lebanon and encounters them via Facebook. But some have de-friended him because of his online comments. “If we take Shiites from a religious point of view, then we can describe Shiites as a sect that has gone astray from the true doctrine of Islam. I consider them a bigger threat to Muslims and Islam than Jews and Israel,” Mesleh said. He cited the Shiites’ processions mourning Hussein’s death, saying: “The way they whip themselves, it’s irrational.” The Middle East conflict “is in its core a religious conflict. The Shiites want to destroy Islam. In Lebanon, they are the ones controlling the situation, and the ones who are causing the sectarian conflict.”

Ismail Al-Hamami, a 67-year-old Palestinian refugee in Gaza’s Shati camp, said politics not religion is driving sectarian tensions. “In Gaza, Iran used to support the resistance with weapons. Now they support Assad. ... In Iraq, they (Shiites) executed Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni, and they took over the country with the help of the Americans. Now they are working against America in Iran and Syria. So is that related to religion? It’s all about politics.”

The beneficiaries of sectarianism, he said, are “those who want to sell arms to both sides ... those who want to keep Arab and Muslim countries living in the dark. The beneficiaries are the occupation (Israel) and the people who sell us religious slogans. God knows who is right or wrong.”— AP

NEWS

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

A supermoon rises next to the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, some 65 km south of Athens, on Sunday. — AFP

Lebanon army seizes cleric’s HQ Continued from Page 1 fatigues with their weapons lying nearby”. The army “has arrested dozens of people suspected of loyalty to Assir”, the source added. Ambulances have taken 94 wounded to hospital in the past 24 hours, Red Cross operations chief Georges Kettani told a Lebanese television channel.

Buildings were visibly damaged by two days of clashes, with gaping halls in scorched walls and rubble strewn in the streets. Shop windows had been smashed, but the goods in several stores appeared untouched, the correspondent said. Troops helped civilians, among them women and children, to leave buildings in the area, after they had been trapped inside their homes for two days, the correspondent said. Cars parked nearby were pockmarked with bullet holes. The crisis also spread to the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh, where troops battled Islamist fighters on the camp’s edges late Sunday.

The fate of Assir himself remains unclear. His brother Amjad had told AFP that “Sheikh Assir will stay in the mosque until the last drop of blood”.

According to the army, the clashes erupted after Assir supporters attacked a checkpoint “for no reason”. A meeting of political, military and security chiefs pledged yesterday that the army would fight until it “finishes with” Assir as a military judge issued a war-

rant for his arrest.

Media warned that Lebanon faced “a decisive test”, evoking the spectre of the devastating 1975-1990 civil war. The government said today would be a day of mourning for the dead soldiers. In parts of Sidon, drivers waved white sheets from car windows in a bid to protect themselves from sniper fire. Assir has accused the army of backing Hezbollah and turning a blind eye to both its weapons and its dispatch of fighters to battle alongside Syrian troops against rebels. Assir has also encouraged his followers to head to Syria and join the Sunni-led uprising against Assad.

The violence in Sidon, which follows a clash between Assir’s supporters and Hezbollah backers last week, prompted a military judge to issue an arrest warrant for the cleric and 123 supporters. On Sunday, Assir issued a video message saying he was being “attacked” by the military, which he called “sectarian” and accused it of supporting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. He urged soldiers to desert and protesters to block streets, a call heeded by some in the majority-Sunni northern city of Tripoli, the scene of regular fighting between pro- and anti-Syrian regime residents. An AFP correspondent said masked gunmen deployed in Tripoli’s central Nur Square, blocking roads with burning tyres before throwing several hand grenades and causing panic. Elsewhere in the city, an army post was set alight near the flashpoint district of Bab el-Tebbaneh, a security source said. — AFP

Govt puts polls on hold for court...

Continued from Page 1 never been held and the Assembly never existed. As a result, he said, no “legitimate” election had been held within the stipulated 60 days and accordingly, the dissolved 2009 Assembly is automatically reinstated and should be functional. Similar views had been expressed but legal opinions contrary to this were also published, leaving huge ambiguity over the constitutional court ruling. This has made member of the scrapped Assembly Abdulhameed Dashti to submit a request for the court to explain its ruling and the court set tomorrow as the date to respond. 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 Dec 2011 after street protests by the opposition.

Fresh elections were later held in Feb 2012 but the election process nullified on June 20, 2012 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 meetings because MPs boycotted its sessions which forced the government to recommend to HH the Amir to dissolve it and this is what exactly happened in October. Fresh elections were held on Dec 1 last year.

The court explanation could affect the date of the election which has been set by the Cabinet for 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 time. The date is expected to change even if the court says there is no need to reinstate the 2009 Assembly as Kuwait’s election law stipulates that registration of candidates must start at least one month before the election. Candidate registrations can start only after the Amiri decree inviting voters to elect a new Assembly is published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm. Based on the court’s explanation, the election may be delayed for a few days only or may be delayed for months if the court says the 2009 Assembly must be given a new life.

In another development, the court of appeals yesterday rejected a demand by former opposition MP Musallam AlBarrak to suspend his trial until the supreme court rules if his case should be sent back to the lower court or not. The court then set Sept 8 as the date for the next hearing and lifted a travel ban against him. The lower court had sentenced Barrak to five years in jail and the verdict was scrapped by the appeals court for illegal procedures but the appeals court decided to conduct the trial itself, which Barrak challenged before the supreme court.

Qatar emir to hand over power to son Continued from Page 1 June 1995. Al-Jazeera reported earlier that the emir’s planned meeting with royals and prominent members of society “comes amid news about the intentions of the emir to transfer power to his heir apparent”. A diplomat said that by stepping down of his free accord the 61-year-old emir would “score a first in the Arab world”, where autocratic rulers held power uncontested for decades until the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, born in 1980, is the second son of the emir and his second wife Sheikha Mozah and has been groomed for years to take the helm of the super-rich key Western ally. The British-educated Tamim is deputy commander of the armed forces and head of the National Olympic Committee, which is in charge of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Diplomats said that over the past three years the emir has increasingly handed over military and security responsibilities to Tamim, who like his father was educated at the British military academy Sandhurst. “The emir is convinced that he should encourage the new generation. He plans to transfer power to the crown prince, Sheikh Tamim, and to carry out a ministerial reshuffle to bring a large number of young people into the cabinet,” a Qatari official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “The emir could take a step back, that is to say not retire completely but play a more honorary role, so that his son can better assume the responsibilities and become the man in charge,” a French diplomat said. A Qatari official said that in any case the emir “will continue to play an influential backstage role and keep an eye on Qatar’s investments abroad”. Qataris appeared to take the news in their stride.

“We are not surprised. The emir has been introducing his son for a long time. Hopefully, it’s a good step,” said Khalid Mohammed, 21, a Qatari student. “He will follow in his father’s steps. (The emir) has given us a lot; he has given us wealth.” Mohammed Al-Kuwari, 35, a member of the Qatari air force, said Tamim taking the top job would not change

anything. “He will continue on the path of his father,” he said.

“He is young, so he can understand what’s going on. He can understand the needs of the people, not like these old guys.”

The emir has developed Qatar into a political powerhouse and an economic giant with multibillion investments scattered across the world. The tiny Gulf peninsula holds the world’s third largest gas reserves and produces roughly 77 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year, making it the world’s largest supplier.

Abdullah Al-Azba, editor-in-chief of Doha-based Al-Arab newspaper, told AFP that “the emir is expected to hand over rule to the crown prince and to change the prime minister”, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani. The post could go to Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, currently a state minister for internal affairs, or to deputy premier Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, according to rumours circulating in Doha. If appointed, Mahmoud would be the first prime minister in the Arab states of the Gulf from outside a ruling family. However, analyst Neil Partrick, an expert on the Gulf, ruled out major changes in Qatar. Sheikh Tamim has two wives and six children. Muslim tradition allows men to take up to four wives. “Tamim already has responsibilities for sensitive foreign portfolios among other matters,” said Partrick. “For Qatari foreign policy, none of this seems likely to produce major change. The young heir apparent Tamim is unlikely to effect major changes without consulting his father.”

Qatar took part in the armed intervention in Libya and actively supports rebel forces who are trying to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. It has major investments around the world, including in the French football club Paris Saint-Germain, in hotels, in a resort on the Italian island of Sardinia, as well as stakes in automobile company Volkswagen, energy giant Total and Britain’s Barclays Bank. The Gulf state also controls a powerful media empire through Al-Jazeera, the first pan-Arab satellite channel which has branched out into English, and earlier this year bought Current TV, a struggling US cable channel, in preparation for the launch of Al-Jazeera America. — Agencies

Mystery as Snowden vanishes in Moscow Continued from Page 1 The White House dubbed Snowden a traitor to his country and warned both Russia and China that their relations with the US might be damaged by their refusal to extradite him.

“We expect (the Russians) to look at the options available to them to expel Mr Snowden back to the United States,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. Obama meanwhile said that the United States was following all appropriate legal channels and “working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed.”

Snowden was said by Russian officials to have spent the night in a distinctly unglamorous “capsule hotel” at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport awaiting his onward connection. Accompanied by WikiLeaks activist Sarah Harrison, he had been expected to take Aeroflot’s 1005 GMT flight yesterday from Moscow to Havana after airline sources confirmed he had checked in and had a seat allocated. Aeroflot said earlier that Snowden had registered for the flight using his American passport.

But in a dramatic sequence of events, the flight left the terminal at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with a pack of hopeful journalists on board and no sign of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor among the passengers. An AFP correspondent on board said that the seat he had been allocated - 17A - was glaringly empty.

Just as the plane was taking off, the Interfax news agency quoted a Russian security source and an Aeroflot source as saying that Snowden was not on board the flight to Havana. It quoted another source familiar with the matter as saying: “Snowden, most likely, has already left the Russian Federation. He could have left on a different plane.”

However, before the plane left for Cuba, a white van for VIPs approached it on the tarmac. Police stood by as a single man in a white shirt climbed the stairs on to the plane soon afterwards but he could not be identified by reporters watching in the transit area. It was not clear whether the plane had a section in which Snowden could have been concealed. After the journalists learned Snowden was likely not on the plane, the doors had already been closed and there was no way out of a long and potentially fruitless 12-hour trip to Havana. Adding to the mystery, he has not once been seen in public in the

Moscow airport since Sunday’s Aeroflot flight arrived from Hong Kong. Snowden’s leaks forced Obama’s administration to defend US intelligence agencies’ practice of gathering huge amounts of telephone and Internet data from private users around the world.

The White House warned sharply that the decision to allow Snowden to leave Hong Kong had “unquestionably” harmed efforts to build trust in US-China relations. “This was a deliberate choice by the (Chinese) government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the relationship,” Carney said. Interfax quoted a source close to the matter as saying Russia was studying an extradition request it has received from the United States for Snowden. However, the source said Russia does not have the right to either “detain or deport” Snowden because he has not officially crossed the Russian border at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino confirmed that the Latin American country, whose embassy in London is already sheltering the wanted Assange, was considering Snowden’s asylum request. Ecuador’s outspoken leftist President Rafael Correa has championed the cause of Assange and his allies, to the fury of the United States. Asked in Hanoi about the whereabouts of Snowden, Patino replied: “I cannot give you any information on this. We are talking to the Russian government, but we do not have that information.” On his Twitter feed, Correa added in typical style: “Hi to the country and the world... Be sure that we are analysing the Snowden case with the greatest responsibility.”

Assange said in a teleconference in London that he knew where Snowden is and “he is in a safe place and his spirits are high”. “Due to the bellicose threats coming from the US administration we cannot go into further detail at this time,” he added. Snowden abandoned his high-paying job in Hawaii and went to Hong Kong on May 20 to begin issuing a series of leaks on the NSA gathering of phone call logs and Internet data, triggering concern from governments around the world. Hong Kong, a special administrative region under Chinese rule that has maintained its own British-derived legal system, said it had informed Washington of Snowden’s exit after determining that the US government request to arrest him did not fully comply with Hong Kong legal requirements. — Agencies

Filipina raped by cops recounts ordeal Continued from Page 1 knock at the main door could be police officers on a house-to-house search, but she was wrong.

When she opened the door, the police officers immediately barged inside and acted as if they were running a check. “It was past 3:00 am when the police knocked at my door on June 17. I was asleep at that time,” Rhiza said as she started narrating her ordeal. “When I opened the door, four men immediately rushed inside and demanded to see my civil ID. One officer asked for my telephone number and left. When I went to my room to retrieve my ID, a fat policeman followed me to my room. After seeing my civil ID, the officer told his colleague that I do have a civil ID, and that I am holding an Article 18 visa. The fat officer then asked whether I was looking for a problem. I asked why I should have a problem when I have a valid residency. He wasn’t happy with my response and asked how I close the door to my room. Immediately after I closed the door, the fat officer touched my face, then forcibly held my hand and placed it on his genitals,” she narrated.

“He told me you have to follow what I say. He unzipped his trousers and told me to kneel and perform oral sex on him. I was nervous and very scared, I didn’t know what to do. I thought of screaming loudly, but I knew it will be useless because no one would hear me. After a while, the police officer told me to lie down and raped me. He took out his cell phone and I do not know whether he was clicking pictures or making a video.”

When the fat Kuwaiti officer was done, the Egyptian man rushed inside her room and also touched her, telling her that another Kuwaiti policeman will be next. Soon, the Kuwaiti policeman came inside, took off his pants, lay down on her bed and told her to sit on top of him. “I pleaded with them. I was crying hard and told him not to touch me. But the officer shouted and told me to sit atop him. When he was done, he even told me that he was ready to get an apartment for me for which he will pay.

When he was about to leave, the Egyptian man returned. I told the police officer to tell him not to touch me. But the police officer told me, ‘let him do whatever he wants’, because he was working with them,” Rhiza cried.

“The Egyptian removed his trousers and told me to perform oral sex. I pleaded with him saying ‘please no, don’t do this to me, you probably have kids and a wife and you don’t want this to happen to them’ but he wasn’t listening. When he was done, he laughed and insulted me further by saying I must be very tired so I should go to

sleep. When the men left, I went to the shower and cried a lot. For two days I wasn’t able to sleep. I was very distressed and did not know what to do. Even a minor noise would unsettle me, I was so afraid. So on June 19, I decided to report the matter to our embassy. I spoke to Mar Hassan (head of the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Unit), and he helped me. He brought me to the police station,” she said.

A native of Nueva Viscaya, Philippines, Rhiza told the reporters that she was ready to fight back and get justice.

“I will never agree to a settlement. I will never accept money. I will show them that I want real justice. I will fight back as long as the embassy is supporting me in this fight,” she said. A single mother, Rhiza came to Kuwait in Feb 2010 to raise her two kids. “I have a dream for my children to give them a better life and future, but instead I got this,” she sobbed.

Hassan said Rhiza’s case will be handled by Fahad AlShitan, a lawyer hired by the Philippines Embassy. He confirmed that four perpetrators have been already caught and were in the custody of Jleeb police station. The Ministry of Interior could not be reached to confirm Rhiza’s ordeal or whether the policemen caught were really MoI officers. But earlier reports by local newspapers confirmed two policemen and an Egyptian were involved in the gang-rape case.

“Early morning on Friday, they were able to catch the perpetrators. All were positively identified by Rhiza. We will follow the case and make sure that justice will be served to Rhiza. I personally have the support of the office of undersecretary and public information affairs at the Ministry of Interior and I also met Maj Gen Hamoud AlDosary who was committed and assured me to bring the perpetrators to justice. We have filed cases of rape, trespassing and abuse of authority. In addition, the Ministry of Interior has promised to conduct a thorough investigation in the matter and the least punishment will be dismissal from service, aside from being jailed. They could also be slapped with other sanctions,” Hassan said.

Philippines Embassy’s CDA and Consul General Raul Dado warned all Filipinos to be more discerning and vigilant. “When in doubt, immediately call 112 or the embassy hotlines. Our team will immediately respond to any emergency call. This is what we have agreed upon with the Ministry of Interior. During house-to-house raids, if anyone is unsure about the identities of the officers or their reason for checking, make a noise to attract the attention of neighbors,” Dado advised.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

S P ORTS

Voeckler and Rolland head Europcar Tour

Lehmann new Australia coach BRISTOL: Darren Lehmann was yesterday hailed as the “obvious choice” after replacing the sacked Mickey Arthur as Australia head coach just 16 days before the first Ashes Test in England following several embarrassing on and off-field incidents involving the team.

“The timing is far from ideal but we didn’t feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high-performing team culture,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told a news conference in Bristol, southwest England. “It obviously isn’t the type of change we want to make three weeks out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed.

“Mickey Arthur is a good man, he’s tried his utmost to do a good job and unfortunately, at the end of day he just hasn’t quite done that.

“We decided things weren’t improving-we could let things be as they are.” Sutherland praised former Australia batsman Lehmann, who played 27 Tests, as the “obvious choice to replace Mickey”.

“As a cricketer and a coach he has an outstanding record, he’s very highly regarded in cricket and within the Australian team,” said Sutherland of Lehmann, who was appointed on a two-year deal.

“His performances recently as coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat have seen him win titles in all three formats of the game.—AFP

Plea on Aamer’s ban

PARIS: Veteran Thomas Voeckler and French compatriot and climbing specialist Pierre Rolland will lead Europcar’s challenge in this year’s Tour de France, which gets underway in Porto Vecchio, Corsica, on Saturday.

Europcar named their team on Monday for the race that runs till July 21.

Voeckler, 34, has won four stages in the Tour and finished as King of the Mountains in 2012, while his best overall finish was fourth in 2011.

Rolland, 26, has won two stages on the Tour, including the iconic climb to Alpe d’Huez in 2011 when he also won the best young rider title and last year finished eighth overall. Frenchman Cyril Gautier and Davide Malacarne of Italy will be tasked with helping Rolland, who the team see as their most likely challenger in the general classification while the team’s sporting director Sebastien Joly said Voeckler would be allowed to do as he pleases.

The team will also give three riders their debuts in the race, Canadian David Veilleux, who won the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, and French duo Jerome Cousin and Kevin Reza. “They have all come of age,” said Joly. “But they are not novices, they have already competed in major races.”

Team: Yukiya Arashiro (JPN), Jerome Cousin (FRA), Cyril Gautier (FRA), Yohann Gene (FRA), Davide Malacarne (ITA), Kevin Reza (FRA), Pierre Rolland (FRA), David Veilleux (CAN), Thomas Voeckler (FRA). —AFP

LAHORE: Pakistan’s interim cricket chief said yesterday he would ask the sport’s governing body to reduce a five-year ban against promising fast bowler Mohammad Aamer for spot fixing.

Aamer, regarded as hot property in international cricket for his pace and guile, was banned with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in February 2011 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The trio were exposed in a sting operation by now defunct British tabloid News of the World, which saw them promising to bowl deliberate no-balls in return for money in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England. All three and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed in 2011.

Najam Sethi, appointed interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, said he would ask the ICC to reduce Aamer’s ban at its annual meeting in London starting today.

“Aamer is our talented cricketer and I will request the ICC that (as) he has spent two and a half years of his ban, was also jailed, so for God’s sake reduce his ban,” Sethi told a press conference. Under the ICC players code of conduct the minimum punishment for such a violation is five years. Sethi, a 65-year-old journalist who was also interim chief minister of Punjab during a recent general election campaign, replaced Zaka Ashraf after he was suspended on charges of being dubiously elected. —AFP

Reds dump Diamondbacks PHOENIX: Mat Latos matched his career high with 13 strikeouts as the Cincinnati Reds salvaged the finale of their threegame series in Arizona with a 4-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Shin-Soo Choo hit a leadoff home run and Brandon Phillips added a two-run shot in the first inning off Randall Delgado (0-1).

That was plenty of offense for Latos (71), who allowed a run on six hits with one walk in 7 2-3 innings. Latos, coming off his first loss in 21 starts, didn’t strike out anyone in the first two innings, then fanned 13 over the next 5 2-3.

After blowing a save in Cincinnati’s 4-3 loss on Saturday, Aroldis Chapman gave up a run in a shaky ninth but still got his 19th save. The loss snapped Arizona’s four-game winning streak.

TORONTO: Munenori Kawasaki No. 66 of the Toronto Blue Jays misses the tag on Chris Dickerson No. 36 of the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning during MLB action. —AFP

Blue Jays thrash Baltimore TORONTO: Edwin Encarnacion homered and drove in four runs and Josh Johnson earned his first win of the season as the Toronto Blue Jays matched a team record by winning their 11th straight game Sunday, finishing a threegame sweep of Baltimore with a 13-5 win.

Toronto also won 11 straight in 1987 and 1998. Ryan Flaherty hit two homers but Baltimore lost for the fifth time in eight games and allowed a season-high in runs.

Johnson (1-2) was winless in his first seven starts with Toronto, receiving just 13 total runs of support and losing twice. This time, Johnson allowed four runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, walked one and struck out five. Freddy Garcia (3-5) had won his previous two outings in Toronto but lost for the third time in four starts. He allowed a season-worst seven runs and seven hits in 2 1-3 innings, his shortest start of the year.

MARINERS 6, ATHLETICS 3 In Seattle, pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales had a game-ending three-run homer in the 10th inning and Raul Ibanez connected twice for the Mariners in a victory over the Athletics.

Ibanez gave the Mariners the lead with a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo shot in the third, his team-leading 17th. It was his second multihomer game this season and 18th of his career.

Mike Zunio struck out leading off the 10th but reached first on a wild pitch. He advanced to third on Michael Saunder’s single before Morales hit the first pitch he saw from reliever Grant Balfour (0-1) deep to right-center. It was Balfour’s first loss since June 29, 2012. Oliver Perez (2-1) pitched two innings to earn the win. Perez has not allowed a run in his last 11 innings. Brandon Moss’ solo home run off reliever Danny Farquhar in the eighth inning tied the game at 3.

ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 6 In Kansas City, the Kansas City Royals took advantage of a pair of errors by the Chicago White Sox to score three times in the eighth inning and rally for a win that avoided a threegame sweep.

The Royals trailed by two when they got consecutive singles by Mike Moustakas and David Lough off ace White Sox reliever Jesse Crain (2-2) to start the eighth. An error by Crain while trying to field a bunt by Elliot Johnson loaded the bases with nobody out.

Crain struck out George Kottaras and Jarrod Dyson to breathe a bit easier, but he walked Alex Gordon to get Kansas City within a run. Alcides Esocbar then slapped a grounder to shortstop that Alexei Ramirez let through to left field, bringing in the go-ahead runs.

While unearned, they were the first runs Crain had allowed in 30 appearances. Luke Hochevar (1-1) struck out two in a scoreless innings of relief for Kansas City.

TIGERS 7, RED SOX 5 In Detroit, Torii Hunter hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning after two Boston errors helped load the bases, and Prince Fielder added a two-run single to help the Tigers to a sloppy victory over the Red Sox. Justin Verlander struggled, and Detroit trailed 4-3 in the seventh before Andrew Miller (0-2) hit Jhonny Peralta with a pitch with the bases loaded to tie it. Joaquin Benoit (2-0) got the final four outs for the Tigers, although he allowed a run in the ninth.

TWINS 5, INDIANS 3 In Cleveland, emergency starter Pedro Hernandez allowed two runs in five innings as the Twins avoided a three-game sweep with a win over the Indians.

Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Rochester when scheduled starter Mike Pelfrey was scratched because of a strained back and placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Oswaldo Arcia and Josh Willingham each drove in a pair of runs while Trevor Plouffe’s RBI single in the fifth put Minnesota ahead for good.

Hernandez (3-1) pitched around six walks and got the win despite throwing 45 of his 85 pitches for balls. Carlos Carrasco (0-3) allowed three runs in 4 2-3 innings.

RAYS 3, YANKEES 1 In New York, James Loney hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning as Rays beat the New York Yankees for a four-game series split.

Chris Archer (2-3) pitched six innings of one-run ball for his first win in three starts since June 7. Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the ninth for his 15th save in 20 chances this season.

Ivan Nova (2-2) left with two outs in the seventh after he hit Desmond Jennings and Ben Zobrist with pitches. Shawn Kelley walked Evan Longoria to load the bases and Boone Logan got to two strikes on Loney before the Rays first baseman lined a sharp shot up the middle.

INTERLEAGUE PIRATES 10, ANGELS 9 In Anaheim, Pedro Alvarez homered for the fourth straight game and Starling Marte capped a three-run ninth inning with a tying single as the Pirates added four more in the 10th to beat the Angels and complete their first interleague sweep on the road.

Trailing 6-3 entering the ninth, the Pirates pulled even against closer Ernesto Frieri - his second blown save in 19 attempts. Russell Martin had RBIs in the ninth and 10th for Pittsburgh. Kevin Jepsen (0-2) was the loser.

Mark Melancon (2-1) pitched a perfect inning for the win. —APv

BRAVES 7 BREWERS 4 In Milwaukee, Brian McCann hit an early grand slam as Atlanta got solo home runs from Chris Johnson and Jordan Schafer in a victory over Milwaukee. Beaten 2-0 by the Brewers on Friday and Saturday, the Braves entered the game scoreless in 24 consecutive innings. The streak came to a quick end when McCann smacked a two-out shot to left-center in the first inning off Alfredo Figaro (1-2) for his 10th career slam.

Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez sprained his left shoulder when he fell awkwardly near the center-field wall while making a leaping catch of Andrelton Simmons’ drive in the fourth. Gomez, hit in the left knee by a pitch earlier in the game, immediately left the field clutching his shoulder.

Schafer had four hits, including a double. McCann also reached base safely four times in five trips. The Braves, who lead the NL East despite getting shut out a major league-high 11 times this season, snapped an eight-game losing streak at Miller Park dating to April 2011. Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run homer off winner Paul Maholm (86). Five Braves relievers held Milwaukee scoreless over the final four innings. Craig Kimbrel earned his 21st save in 24 attempts.

DODGERS 3, PADRES 1 In San Diego, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to lift Los Angeles over San Diego. Gonzalez, the former Padres star, broke a 1-all tie with a drive to right field off closer Huston Street. Ramirez hit the next pitch to right-center to help the Dodgers split the four-game series. It was the second home run in two days for both players.

Street (0-4) has given up 10 home runs in 26 1-3 innings. Brandon League (3-3) got the last out in the eighth and Kenley Jansen earned his fourth save.

Padres starter Andrew Cashner allowed one run in eight innings. Juan Uribe broke a scoreless tie with a two-out double in the seventh that drove in Gonzalez. Carlos Quentin homered against reliever Peter Moylan in the bottom half.

METS 8, PHILLIES 0 In Philadelphia, David Wright homered, tripled and matched a Mets record with four extra-base hits to back Matt Harvey’s splendid start in a lopsided victory over Philadelphia. Wright went 4 for 5 with two of New York’s season-high seven doubles to help the Mets take two of three in Philadelphia after winning a five-game series at first-place Atlanta.

Given a rare heaping of run support, Harvey (7-1) allowed two hits in six innings and struck out six to earn consecutive wins for the first time since mid-April. The 24year-old righty threw a season-low 72 pitches - his outing was cut short by a 20minute rain delay in the seventh.

Harvey also hit an RBI double to deep right-center and scored in a three-run fifth that made it 4-0. John Lannan (0-2) unraveled in the fifth after a three-base error by center fielder Ben Revere.

PHOENIX: Aroldis Chapman No. 54 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. —AFP

MLB results/standings Minnesota 5, Cleveland 3; Toronto 13, Baltimore 5; Detroit 7, Boston 5; NY Mets 8, Philadelphia 0; Colorado 7, Washington 6; Tampa Bay 3, NY Yankees 1; Kansas City 7, Chicago White Sox 6; Atlanta 7, Milwaukee 4; Chicago Cubs 14, Houston 6; Pittsburgh 10, LA Angels 9 (10 innings); Miami 7, San Francisco 2; Seattle 6, Oakland 3 (10 innings); LA Dodgers 3, San Diego 1; Cincinnati 4, Arizona 2; Texas 2, St. Louis 1.

Boston Baltimore NY Yankees Toronto Tampa Bay

American League Eastern Division W L 45 33 42 34 41 34 38 36 39 37

Central Division Detroit 42 32 Cleveland 38 36 Kansas City 35 38 Minnesota 34 38 Chicago White Sox 31 42

Texas Oakland Seattle LA Angels Houston

Western Division 44 32 44 34 34 43 33 43 29 48

ROCKIES 7, NATIONALS 6 In Washington, Michael Cuddyer homered in his first at-bat to extend the longest hitting streak in the majors this season to 21 games as Colorado hung on to beat Washington. Cuddyer went 3 for 4 with four RBIs to break a tie with St. Louis third baseman David Freese for the year’s top streak, and the Rockies right fielder is two games shy of matching the franchise’s best run.

Cuddyer also extended his Colorado record for consecutive games reaching base to 40. Nolan Arenado homered to help the Rockies build a 7-0 cushion for Jorge De La Rosa (8-4), who went six innings. Ross Detwiler (2-6) allowed a season-high seven earned runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings.

MARLINS 7, GIANTS 2 In San Francisco, Justin Ruggiano hit a leadoff homer to get Miami started and added a two-run shot in the ninth, leading the Marlins to their 10th win in their last 11 games at San Francisco.

Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) held the Giants in

PCT .577 .553 .547 .514 .513

.568 .514 .479 .472 .425

.579 .564 .442 .434 .377

GB 2 2.5 5 5

4 6.5 7 10.5

1 10.5 11 15.5

Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami

National League Eastern Division 44 33 37 38 36 40 30 42 25 50

.571 .493 .474 .417 .333

6 7.5 11.5 18

St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago Cubs Milwaukee

Central Division 47 29 46 30 45 32 31 43 31 43

.618 .605 .584 .419 .419

1 2.5 15 15

Arizona San Francisco Colorado San Diego LA Dodgers

Western Division 41 34 38 37 39 38 38 38 32 42

.547 .507 .506 .500 .432

3 3 3.5 8.5

check into the seventh inning and Marcell Ozuna hit an RBI double and a solo homer as the Marlins beat Matt Cain (5-4) and a struggling San Francisco bullpen.

The defending World Series champions dropped three of four at home to the team with the worst record in the National League, scoring just eight runs in the four games. The Giants did end a 90-inning home run drought when Hunter Pence led off the seventh with his 12th to cut Miami’s led to 3-2.

INTERLEAGUE RANGERS 2, CARDINALS 1 In St. Louis, Ian Kinsler singled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning after the Rangers knocked 10-game winner Adam Wainwright out of the game, and Texas completed a soggy, three-game sweep of St. Louis.

The finale of Texas’ first visit to Busch Stadium since losing Games 6 and 7 of the 2011 World Series, and first time ever in the regular season, was delayed 2 hours and 59 minutes by heavy rain. Rookie Nick Tepesch allowed a run on four hits in 5 2-3 innings

for Texas, which has won five in a row after losing six straight. The Cards, who have the majors’ best record at 47-29, were swept for the first time this season. Wainwright (10-5) allowed an earned run in 6 2-3 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Matt Carpenter homered for St. Louis. Robbie Ross (4-1) got the last out of the sixth to earn the win for Texas.

CUBS 14, ASTROS 6 In Chicago, Ryan Sweeney had a careerhigh six RBIs, including a three-run homer, as Chicago routed Houston. Sweeney drove in runs in each of his first four at-bats, capping the stretch with his homer. He also had two doubles and a run-scoring grounder. Anthony Rizzo added a two-run homer and finished 3 for 3 with four runs and four RBIs. Chicago scored its most runs and had its most hits (16) this season. All nine starters reached base for the Cubs.

Jeff Samardzija (5-7) went seven innings to win his second straight. He gave up four runs, three earned, and did not walk a batter for the first time this season. Jordan Lyles (42) lost for the first time since May 12. —AP

Lynx stun Shock, Dream defeat Sun MINNEAPOLIS: Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus both scored 22 points as the Minnesota Lynx rebounded from their worst performance of the season to beat the Tulsa Shock 88-79 on Sunday night. Lindsay Whalen had 19 points and nine assists for Minnesota (6-2), which has won four of five. Rebekkah Brunson had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Glory Johnson scored 24 points to lead Tulsa (3-8), which lost for the first time in three games. Candice Wiggins had 14. In a 28-point loss on Friday at Los Angeles, Augustus, Moore, Whalen and Brunson combined for just 11 points on 5 of 22 shooting.

Moore had 15 points in the first half, Augustus added 14, and Whalen had 11 as Minnesota shot 60.7 percent and took a 49-40 lead before half-

time. A 3-pointer by Moore gave the Lynx a 69-55 lead entering the fourth quarter.

DREAM 78, SUN 77 In Uncasville, Angel McCoughtry had a gamehigh 34 points with five rebounds and three steals in the Dream’s win. McCoughtry, the only player in double figures for Atlanta, scored the final points of the game on a layup with 51.4 seconds left.

Jasmine Thomas had seven points and six rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Dream. Alex Bentley scored nine.

Tina Charles had 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Kelsey Griffin added 16 points and four rebounds for the Sun (2-6). Kalana Greene had 14 points and five rebounds.

SILVER STARS 78, LIBERTY 77 In Newark, Shenise Johnson’s jumper with 36.1 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Silver Stars over the Liberty. Danielle Robinson scored 18 points, Danielle Adams had 16 and DeLisha Milton-Jones 15 to lead the Silver Stars (3-5), who ended a four-game skid. Cappie Pondexter had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Plenette Pierson scored 18 points for New York (4-3), which lost at home for the first time in this WNBA season after opening with four wins. The Liberty had three chances after Johnson’s go-ahead basket, but Katie Smith missed two 3s, including one blocked

by Jia Perkins with 1.9 seconds left. New York had a chance to win in regulation, but Pondexter’s jumper at the buzzer fell short.

SPARKS 79, MYSTICS 69 In Los Angeles, Lindsey Harding scored 22 points and had seven assists, and Candace Parker added 20 points to lead the Sparks. Harding scored a season high in points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and made all 10 free throws in 40 minutes of action. Parker also had seven rebounds and four blocks, while Neka Ogwumike added 15 points and nine rebounds. The Sparks (5-2) won their third straight game and remained undefeated at home. Crystal Langhorne led the Mystics (44) with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but Washington went winless on a three-game road trip. Tayler Hill also had 16 points in a reserve role.

Washington leading scorer Ivory Latta was held to five points on 2-for-8 shooting. —AP

Maya Moore in action in this file photo

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

S P ORTS

New cycling sponsor vows ‘zero tolerance’ PARIS: Cycling got a pre-Tour de France boost with the arrival yesterday of a new American team sponsor who vowed “zero tolerance” for doping.

Los Angeles-based consumer technology firm Belkin stepped into the void left by Rabobank, the Dutch lender that ended 17 years of cycling sponsorship last October, saying it was no longer convinced that the doping-tainted sport can become “clean and honest.”

This year, while it hunted for a new title sponsor, the Netherlands-based team competed as Blanco, the Spanish word for “white” - a name chosen to demonstrate that the team was making a fresh start. The now renamed Belkin Pro Cycling Team will make its racing debut at the Tour that starts Saturday on the French island of Corsica.

Belkin sells routers, cables, chargers and other electronic gadgets and accessories. It

signed as title sponsor through 2015. The firm’s founder and CEO, Chet Pipkin, wouldn’t give a dollar figure but said the firm’s sponsorship is “a huge investment for us, the biggest one we have ever made in the marketing arena.”

Rabobank’s withdrawal of 15 million euros ($20 million) per year of sponsorship for the team was one of the repercussions of cycling’s ongoing battle against doping and the fall of Lance Armstrong. After the US Anti-Doping Agency unmasked Armstrong as a serial doper, the bank said “the trust in the cycling world has gone.”

Auto manufacturer Nissan also disassociated its name from another team that used to employ Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong’s mentor identified by USADA and his ex-teammates as one of the organizers of systematic doping on their US Postal Service and

Discovery Channel squads.

The HTC-Highroad team folded at the end of 2011. Owner Bob Stapleton told cycling reporters that the investigations into Armstrong and into Alberto Contador, the Spanish rider stripped of his victory at the 2010 Tour for failing doping controls, featured in all his discussions with potential sponsors.

Speaking in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Pipkin said he wouldn’t comment on how clean or dirty the sport is now.

“I’m not close enough to it to know myself,” he said. “But it is very critical to the Belkin brand that things be honest and transparent and open and we certainly see that in this team.”

He said he did not watch when Armstrong confessed to talk-show host Oprah Winfrey this January that he doped

for all seven of his Tour wins from 19992005. Those titles have been stripped from Armstrong and not reattributed.

“We wouldn’t get too focused on things that have happened in the past, the past is the past,” Pipkin said. Asked how he would respond if ever told doping is necessary for success in cycling, he said: “The only way that we would do anything in business or sport or anything else is in an open, honest, visible and transparent way. So we will not have anything to do with that whatsoever.”

“We have zero tolerance for anything outside the honest boundaries,” Pipkin said.

As Belkin, the team will remain part of the Movement for Credible Cycling or MPCC, a grouping of teams whose members hold themselves to even stricter anti-doping measures than otherwise required by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.

Meanwhile, Brian Cookson, who is chal-

lenging Pat McQuaid for leadership of the sport’s governing body, pledged to overhaul its anti-doping system if elected president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) in September.

Cookson, the president of British Cycling, said in his election manifesto announced in Paris that he would establish in his first year as president “a completely independent anti-doping unit,” managed and governed outside of the UCI, which would be responsible for “all aspects” of the sport’s program against drugs cheats.

“Doping has robbed our sport of its credibility too many times and continues to do so despite the improvements that have been introduced,” Cookson wrote. “The reality is that the UCI is not trusted, our antidoping is not seen to be independent and we do not have the trust of WADA and other key agencies.” —AP

Martin Truex Jr. snaps 218-race losing streak

ROGERS: Inbee Park of South Korea poses with the trophy after winning the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G at the Pinnacle Country Club. —AFP

Park wins in Arkansas ROGERS: World number one Park In-Bee birdied the first playoff hole to defeat fellow South Korean Ryu So-Yeon and win the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship for her fifth triumph of the season.

Park, who has captured the first two women’s major titles this year, took the $300,000 top prize from the $2 million event and a confidence boost from winning the 54-hole tuneup for next week’s third major, the US Women’s Open.

Park won major titles at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April and the LPGA Championship earlier this month, defeating Britain’s Catriona Matthew on the third playoff hole to collect her second major crown of the year.

“It’s never getting easier,” Park said. “I’ve had playoffs the last couple weeks. It was really tough.” Park’s other LPGA titles came in Thailand and the North Texas Shootout.

In all she has won five of 14 tour stops so far this year.

If the 24-year-old from Seoul, who won the 2008 US Women’s Open, wins next week’s edition of the Open, she will match Babe Zaharias from 1950 by taking the first three major titles in a season.

While there were only three majors when Zaharias did it, Park would also need wins at the Women’s British Open, where she was second last year, and the Evian Championship, a first-year major in France where she defends her title, to complete an LPGA Grand Slam.

“Everything has been going really well,” Park said. “I’ve been hitting the ball really good and putting amazing. Everything in my game is really coming together.”

Park and Ryu, the 2011 US Women’s Open champion who sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th to force the playoff, each finished the 54 holes of regulation play on

12-under 201 and went back to the 18th tee to begin the playoff.

Park found the fairway and her second shot was just short of the green while Ryu found the left rough and elected to lay up on her second shot.

Ryu put her third over the green while Park dropped her approach four feet from the cup. Ryu’s fourth shot rolled just one foot past the left edge of the cup but Park made her birdie putt for the victory. “It was tough playing with a really good friend in the playoff. It just felt weird,” Park said. “I am human. My emotions did not show but I was really nervous.”

In round three, Park birdied the par-3 sixth, par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth before taking her lone bogey at the par-4 11th and bouncing back with birdies at the par-5 14th and 18th holes to complete a round of four-under 67.

“I was maybe thinking it would take 6or 7-under today,” Park said. “There were a lot of leaders at 10-under. I left a lot of putts out there but overall I am pretty happy about the way I played.”

Ryu birdied the par-5 second and seventh holes, took a double bogey at the par4 13th but matched Park for the lead by making birdies at the par-3 17th and the 18th, sinking a dramatic 10-foot birdie putt to force the playoff.

Japan’s Mika Miyazato was third on 202 with New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko, the reigning US Amateur champion, South Korea’s I.K. Kim and American Stacy Lewis sharing fourth on 203.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, American Paula Creamer, Japan’s Chie Arimura and Spain’s Beatriz Recari were on 204. Japan’s Ayako Uehara made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th, holing her hybrid tee shot on the fly. —AFP

SONOMA: The post-race party was a blur after Martin Truex Jr.’s first win in 2007. The celebratory cool-down lap, the burnouts, the drive to Victory Lane all happened so fast. So he planned to savor every minute of his next win. He just didn’t think it would take six years.

Truex snapped a 218-race winless streak Sunday with an easy victory on the road course at Sonoma Raceway. It was only the second win of Truex’s career, but it put Michael Waltrip Racing in Victory Lane for the second year in a row after Clint Bowyer won here last season.

Overwhelmed with emotion as he crossed the finish line, Truex made the celebration count. “I was a freaking mess. It was terrible,” he said. “I had to stop and start doing donuts because I couldn’t think about what I was doing. I tried to key the radio once and I couldn’t even talk. So I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to do some donuts and wave to the fans.’ But after I stopped the first time and did that, I calmed down a little bit and I just wanted to make sure I took my time coming back, because I remember at Dover it all happens way too fast. You never know when you’re going to get that opportunity again.”

Truex blew out his rear tires, tried to wave to every single fan he saw, and took a slow drive around the picturesque road course on his way to Victory Lane, where the MWR crew was waiting to drink from the winner’s enormous wine glass.

“I told them on the radio, if they’re waiting on me, too bad. I’m taking my time,” he said. “You can’t explain the feeling. When it’s been that long and you worked so hard and you’ve been so close ... when you think at times, ‘Man, is this ever going to happen again?’ You can’t explain the feeling. It’s pretty surreal.” Truex worked his way to the front and used strategy to stay with the leaders. He then pulled away after the final restart and built a healthy lead of more than six seconds over Juan Pablo Montoya, who was running second until he ran out of gas on the final lap.

“I’m ecstatic. But I’m not exactly sure how that happened,” said Truex, who admitted he wasn’t pleased with his car following Friday’s practices. “The car was just phenomenal all day long and once I was near the front and didn’t have to run the car 110 percent, it just would stay with me on the long runs and I was able to drive away from everyone.”

Montoya, who came into the weekend knowing if he didn’t win he would at least have a huge points day, dropped all the way to 34th after having to coast to the finish. He took a shortcut to skip the final turn, drifted to the finish line and parked. He then walked back to the garage, annoyed his Chip Ganassi Racing team never told him to save fuel.

“We’ve got tools to prevent things like that from happening,” Montoya said. “I don’t know if all the fuel didn’t go,” Montoya said. “This is what we’ve been doing all year. We all work together and we’re all trying to do the best we can. Half the reason we’re 20-something in points — we’re not 20-something in points because we’re not running fast. We’re 20-something in points because we had a lot of mechanical problems and days like this we throw them away.”

Crew chief Chris Heroy was perplexed about the shortage. “We don’t know what happened — we were on the same strategy as (Truex),” Heroy said through a team spokeswoman. “We’re going to go back to the shop and figure it out.”

Montoya got little sympathy from Kyle Busch, who was spun by Montoya early in the race when Montoya drove too deep into a corner and wheel-hopped over a curb.

“Awww. My heart melts for @jpmontoya who ran out of gas,” Busch tweeted moments after the race. Jeff Gordon finished second a week after he was wrecked six laps into the race at Michigan, but felt like he might have had a chance to win if he had not already committed to pit seconds before a caution came out early in the race.

“I mean, I really do think we had a shot winning this race. We had a tremendous car,” Gordon said. “I knew we were screwed. There was nothing I could do; I was hard on the brakes, fully committed. I couldn’t turn away from it, I just knew we had to eat it and go on,

SONOMA: Martin Truex Jr. holds up his trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race. —AP and that’s what we did.”

Carl Edwards was third, followed by Kurt Busch, who climbed back from a pair of speeding penalties.

“Yeah, we were fast, even on pit road. Twice,” Busch laughed. “I messed-up, flat-out. I didn’t hit my tachometer right and I was speeding both times. It was one of those where I’m like, how does that happen? I just put myself in a position that was poor trying to get too much on pit road.”

Bowyer wound up fifth in a strong day for the MWR Toyotas. Kasey Kahne was sixth and followed by Marcos Ambrose, who was extremely disappointed he didn’t win a race in which he was heavily favored. “It’s OK. We got a top-10 out of it,” Ambrose said. “I wanted to win. Of course I wanted to win, but that’s the way it goes.”

Greg Biffle was eighth and followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in the top 10. The race got off to an inauspicious start before it even began with a pit road accident, a mechanical issue for Jacques Villeneuve and an oil line failure for Bobby Labonte.

The accident occurred as the cars were headed onto the track and David Reutimann stopped his car on pit road. Alex Kennedy stopped behind Reutimann, and Paulie Harraka slammed into the back of Kennedy.

The damage wasn’t significant enough to prevent Harraka from making his Sprint Cup Series debut. But it was a short-lived race for the first driver to advance from NASCAR’s diversity program into a Cup race — Harraka spun and crashed his car six laps later.

Meanwhile, a parts failure caused Labonte to dump oil all over pit road before the race and he was forced to take his car to the garage for a quick repair. Labonte made it onto the track for the green flag, but his engine failed on the first lap.

“It blew up, dude,” Labonte said on his radio.

“Something in the bottom engine because it had no oil pressure.” Villeneuve had an issue shifting his gears and had to stay on pit road for a quick repair before trying to catch up to the field at the start of the race. He made it, but the problem wasn’t completely corrected and he was back on pit road after 19 laps for more repairs.

Busch had back-to-back speeding penalties in yet another race that slipped away. He led 15 laps, lost the lead to former teammate Brad Keselowski, then was flagged for speeding when he went in for a scheduled pit stop. He had to return to pit road for a stop-and-go penalty and was flagged for speeding again. It dropped Busch to 38th in the running order, from where he had to climb back to steal his strong finish.

His brother also had his share of problems. Kyle Busch was spun early in the race by Montoya to lose a ton of track position, then gave up everything he made up when he was caught speeding on pit road. He also spun at least two more times during the race.

Danica Patrick, thought to be a contender based on her strong runs in Nationwide Series road races, struggled all weekend to find speed and was done in by a flat rear tire just past the halfway point. The tire issue caused her to spin into a barrier and make multiple pit stops for repairs.

“It was a long day, a long weekend,” Patrick said. “We just couldn’t get the car to the point where I was comfortable with it. We just couldn’t get much to go our way this weekend. Having the cut tire and going into the tire barrier was just sort of salt in the wound.” Polesitter Jamie McMurray never even led a lap under green as he was passed at the start by Ambrose, and his race took a big hit when he later ran off course with a tire problem and lost a lap.—AP

Duke ends title drought LOS ANGELES: Ken Duke notched his first career PGA Tour title in his 187th start by beating Chris Stroud with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday. The 44-year-old became the oldest first-time winner in 18 years when he claimed victory by sinking a two-foot birdie putt after fellow American Stroud’s long birdie try trickled just past the hole on the 18th green.

“Worked hard,” said Duke, who had been a runner-up three times on the tour. “I knocked on the door a lot and here we are.” Both players parred the 18th in the first hole of sudden-death before returning to the 18th tee for what turned out to be the decider at the TPC River Highlands course.

Duke became the oldest first-time winner on the tour since Ed Dougherty, who was 47 when he won the 1995 Deposit Guaranty Classic.

Stroud forced the playoff by chipping in from across the green for birdie after sending his approach shot long after blasting a drive of some 340 yards.

“I’m glad I gave myself a chance in the playoffs,” said Stroud, who was also chasing his maiden victory. “I wish that I would’ve won. Obviously, we all want to win. I gave it everything I had.”

Duke fired a final-round of four-under-par 66 and Stroud posted 67 to tie on 12-under-par 268. Graham DeLaet of Canada finished one stroke out of the playoff on 269 after shooting 69.

Another stroke back after a 70 was 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who relinquished the lead to Duke with a triple-bogey six on the par-three 16th after finding the water fronting the green with his tee shot.

Watson, DeLaet and Charley Hoffman, who registered 72 for 272, entered the final round tied for the lead at 10 under par.

The leaderboard was jammed at the top for most of the day with a dozen players jockeying for position within two shots of the lead.

Duke took advantage of a lucky bounce at the par-four 10th, when he pulled his approach shot into the trees left

of the green but the ball rattled around and bounced out onto the green to set up his five-foot birdie putt.

“I got an unbelievable break on 10,” acknowledged Duke, who had only one top 10 this season from 18 starts a tie for eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I knew it was going to be tough and that this guy wasn’t going to give up. The main thing was, I didn’t give up.”

Watson, who won here in 2010, had trouble pinpointing his short irons but stayed ahead by making several par-saving putts.

He led by one shot coming to the 171-yard 16th but his tee ball landed on the bank and plopped into the lake.

From the drop area, he flew his 125-yard shot through the green, hit a poor chip and two-putted for triple-bogey.

Duke, who turned professional in 1994, became emotional when asked about the improvements he had made since turning to swing coach Bob Toski for help.

“I wouldn’t be here without him, no question. I talked to him this morning, and he said ‘it’s about time for you to win’,” Duke said, breaking up. “And I did.” —Reuters

CROMWELL: Ken Duke holds the trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament. Duke won the tournament with a birdie on the second playoff hole. —AP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

S P ORTS

Gay set for Moscow double DES MOINES: Tyson Gay flew to the year’s fastest 200m of 19.74 seconds at the US athletics championships on Sunday to set himself up for a World Championship sprint double challenge.

Gay, who notched the season’s fastest 100m on Friday with a victory in 9.75, again demonstrated he is fit and ready to take on six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt and his fellow

Moines, Gay said he was satisfied. “I wish my 100 was a little bit better. I have enough time to work on that,” he said.

“My 200 was just an indication of my fitness. I’m definitely glad I was victorious.” Gay’s 200m time eclipsed the 19.79 clocked by Bolt in Oslo on June 13 as the fastest in the world this year.

Gay powered through the curve and held on for the victory at Drake

DES MOINES: Tyson Gay runs to victory in the 200 Meter on day four of the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium. —AFP Jamaican sprinters at the World Championships in Moscow on August 10-18.

Gay refused, however, to be drawn into any predictions as to how the US sprinters would stack up when the world’s best gather. “I am going to do the best I can,” Gay said. “I can’t speak for the other guys but I am going to go out there and give it my best.”

As for his four days’ work in Des

Stadium, with Isiah Young second in 19.86 and Curtis Mitchell third in 19.99.

Veteran Wallace Spearmon, a former world championships bronze and silver medallist, couldn’t book his Moscow berth, finishing fourth in 20.10. Gay, 30, has been hindered by a series of injuries since winning three gold medals at the 2007 worlds.

A hamstring injury derailed his 2008 Olympic campaign and 2011 hip sur-

gery to resolve several chronic problems saw him sidelined for almost a year. He was shut out of the medals in the 100m at the London Games last year.

Weary after his 100m victory, Gay had said he would consider dropping the 200m if he felt it threatened his fitness. Securing the double, and emerging healthy, was a mental and physical boost. “A little bit of pride, a little bit of ego,” he said of opting to go for it in the 200m. “I didn’t want to give up on myself.”

In the women’s 200m, US collegiate champion Kimberlyn Duncan pulled off an upset, running down 2012 Olympic champion Allyson Felix to win in a wind-aided 21.80sec.

Felix seemed somewhat surprised to find herself second in 21.85 with Jeneba Tarmoh third in 22.15. “She just ran me down,” Felix said with a little laugh. “I felt like I had a lead coming off (the curve) and felt good coming down the home stretch and Kim came down and got me.”

Felix is slated to run the 200m at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on July 4. After that she’ll return home for some serious training before her bid to regain the world title she surrendered in Daegu in 2011. She had won world golds in 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Ryan Wilson was the upset winner of the 110m hurdles but world recordholder Aries Merritt did enough with his third-place finish to have a chance to add the world title to the Olympic gold he claimed last year.

Wilson won in 13.08 while David Oliver, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist who dominated the event in 2010 before he was hit by injury in 2011, was second in 13.11. Merritt clocked 13.23 and Jason Richardson, who has a bye into Moscow as the reigning world champion, was fourth in 13.24.

Merritt, who hadn’t raced until this week after straining a hamstring at the Shanghai Diamond League meet on May 18, said he had done what he set out to do, despite losing his rhythm at the fourth hurdle.

“I had to fight, because I knew I had to make the team,” he said. “At that point, I probably lost all form and was ghetto-ing it down the track.”

In other events on the final day, Olympian Duane Solomon won the 800m in a world-leading 1:43.27.

London Olympic gold medallist Jenn Suhr won the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.70m to punch her ticket to Moscow, where the host team is likely to feature world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva. “I’m inviting as many family members that will go over to Moscow as I can to help cheer for me,” Suhr said. “I think I’ll be an underdog there.” —AFP

Fraser-Pryce, Weir win 200M titles in Jamaica KINGSTON: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Warren Weir, medallists at the London Olympics, ran away with the 200m titles at the final day of the Jamaica Athletics Championships on Sunday.

Fraser-Pryce, who blazed the curve and straightened long before her rivals, crossed the finish line in 22.13 seconds with training partner Sherone Simpson second in 22.55 and training partner Anneisha McLaughlin third in 22.58.

“I came out here tonight to get a good run and I am glad I finish healthy, because that is priority now,” FraserPryce said.

Fraser-Pryce, the London Olympic silver medal winner and Beijing and London Olympic 100m champion, chose not to run the 100 to better focus on the longer distance in the qualifying meet for the World Championships at Moscow in August.

“I skipped the 100m to concentrate on the 200m so I can get a good time and I am happy in the end,” said Fraser-Pryce, whose victory came with a legal 1.0m/sec tailwind.

Weir, the 200m London bronze medallist, had time to beat his chest as he crossed the finish line in 19.79 seconds before Nickel Ashmeade took second in 20.06. Jason Livermore was third in 20.10 with a 0.9m/sec tailwind.

Without reigning world and Olympic two-time cham-

pion Usain Bolt or injured sprint star Yohan Blake entered in the 200, Weir’s title effort might seem a bit hollow, but he said his chest-thumping was meant to send a message to all.

“I just want Jamaica and the rest of the world to know that this was no fluke. This was for real,” Weir said. “Excellent race, excellent result.”

In the men’s 400m, Javere Bell won in a career-best 45.08, with Javon Francis second in a personal-best 45.24 and Akheem Gauntlett third in 45.48.

“It was a good one, good execution. It’s something we have being working on in training all season,” Bell said. “(I’m) going back into training now and see what the rest of the season will be like.”

Novlene Williams-Mills took the women’s 400 final in 50.01 ahead of Stephanie McPherson, runner-up in a personal-best 50.28, with Patricia Hall third in 51.13.

McPherson, who was the fastest Jamaican coming into the trials, felt fortunate to have even made the world squad. “On the backstretch, I felt my spikes leaving my right leg, and the same thing at the 200m mark, so it kind of threw me off a little bit, but I did enough to make the team,” she said.

Danielle Williams won the women’s 100 hurdles title in 12.69 while Kimberly Williams took the women’s triple jump crown with a leap of 14.40m. —AFP

Photo of the day

Dan Sandoval performs a tuck no-hander in Riverside, CA, USA. —www.redbullcontentpool.com

Lochte, Franklin head US championships INDIANAPOLIS: Olympic champions Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin headline the US swimming championships that start today, when a bevy of youngsters will also try to break onto the international scene. Franklin, still just 18, is already an established star after winning the 100m and 200m backstrokes and two relay gold medals in London along with a relay bronze.

The irrepressible teen is entered in six events in the championships, which serve as the trials for the FINA World Championships in Barcelona on July 19-August 4.

The top two finishers in most events book world championships berths, although in the non-Olympic events of 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly and the men’s 800m free and women’s 1500m free, only the winners punch their tickets to Barcelona.

Franklin is seeded first in the 100 freestyle, second in the 200 free behind Olympic gold medallist Allison Schmitt, on top in the trio of backstroke races (50, 100, 200) and is also entered in the 200m individual medley.

The 200m IM marks a departure for Franklin, although she finished second behind Caitlin Leverenz in the event at the Santa Clara Grand Prix on June 2.

The post-Olympic year, before she launches her collegiate competitive career, could be a good opportunity for Franklin to experiment.

Franklin won the 100m and 200m backstrokes and two relay gold medals

in London, along with a relay bronze.

Lochte, whose five medals in London included two golds and took his career tally to 11 Olympic medals, spent some time after the 2012 Games basking in celebrity, filming his reality television show and popping up regularly in the gossip columns.

But Lochte has returned to his famously fierce training routine and put

Lochte, who has been known to shift his schedule abruptly after entering multiple events, is also entered in the 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke, 50 and 100m butterfly and 200m medley.

Katie Ledecky, the 16-year-old who broke British hearts with her victory in the 800m free in London as home hope Rebecca Adlington finished third, is

Ryan Lochte his name down for the demanding 400m individual medley in Indianapolis.

Lochte won gold in the 400 IM in London, his time the second-fastest in history. With world record-holder Michael Phelps out of the picture, it’s now up to Lochte to hold off such challengers as Tyler Clary, Conor Dwyer and North Baltimore Aquatic Club product Chase Kalisz.

entered in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyles, although the longer distances appear to be her best bet both at trials and in Barcelona.

Other 2012 individual Olympic gold medallists slated to compete include Clary, who won 200m backstroke gold in London ahead of Ryosuke Irie and Lochte, plus Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers and Dana Vollmer. —AFP

Pakistan prepares for series on neutral soil KARACHI: Pakistan yesterday conceded their next two cricket series will be held at neutral venues, inviting bids to host South Africa and Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.

Officials had been reluctant to announce their next two series from October-January, instead hoping they could convince visiting teams to tour Pakistan, a country hard hit

by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked violence.

Pakistan has been forced to play at neutral venues since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in March 2009, suspending international cricket in the country.

On Saturday, 10 foreign climbers were killed by gunmen in the Himalayas, the worst attack on foreigners for a decade and an incident that has further inflamed the country’s reputation for insecurity. The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday took out an advertisement in a local newspaper, inviting bids to sponsor two series, now

confirmed for the UAE. “The two series will be played in the UAE as we have started our preparations,” a PCB official confirmed, refusing to be named.

Pakistan play two Tests, five one -day and three Twenty20 internationals against South Africa in OctoberNovember before returning to play three Tests, five oneday and two T20s against Sri Lanka in December-January.

Pakistan was already a “no go” area for many international teams even before the Sri Lankan attacks as security fears grew after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Those attacks paved the way to the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan, a subsequent Taliban insurgency, a series of backlash attacks in Pakistan and since 2007, Pakistan’s own domestic Taliban insurgency. Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998, citing serious threats to their players. —AFP

Rising stars delight Indian captain Dhoni

BIRMINGHAM: India’s cricketers Shikhar Dhawan (left), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (center) and Ravindra Jadeja pose for pictures with the ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham. —AFP

BIRMINGHAM: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was thrilled by the performance of his youthful side after they snatched a five-run win over England in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston.

In a match reduced by rain to 20 overs per side, World Cup holders India were restricted to 129 for seven after losing the toss in overcast conditions on Sunday.

England, after some early stumbles with the bat, needed 20 to win off the last 16 balls with six wickets in hand, only to ‘choke’ in a manner more usually associated with South Africa.

Ravindra Jadeja, the most successful bowler in the tournament with 12 wickets, was named man-of-the-match. Jadeja first made a rapid 33 not out, which saw him share a partnership of 47 with Virat Kohli (43), before taking two for 24 with his left-arm spin in front of an overwhelmingly pro-Indian capacity crowd.

The 24-year-old was nicknamed “rockstar” by Australia great Shane Warne, his Indian Premier League captain at the Rajasthan Royals, because of his confidence in his own ability.

And that confidence was there for all to see after India were reduced to 66 for five batting first after losing the toss. “Jadeja is someone who keeps it very simple,” said Dhoni.

“He just looks for the right area and the ball

does the talking. The good part was he contributed with the bat, which I feel is very important because he’s someone who will have to bat at number seven. “Now what we have seen is you can’t play with six batsmen and five bowlers. You know, the seven number slot is very crucial,” wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni added.

Meanwhile Jadeja said: “The (Edgbaston) wicket was slow and it was difficult to rotate the strike so myself and Virat Kohli built up a good partnership. “I enjoyed bowling on this wicket, the ball was gripping and I was bowling to my strength.”

India opener Shikhar Dhawan was named player of the tournament after scoring 363 runs in five matches, including two hundreds, at an average of 90.75 and an impressive strike-rate of 101.39. His 31 in the final was his most meagre effort of the tournament but, in the context of a low-scoring match, the 27-year-old left-hander’s runs were valuable all the same.

Sunday’s match was only Dhawan’s 10th one-day international and he was due a relative failure after a spectacular streak of success that started when he made the fatest century by a Test debutant during the course of a stunning 187 against Australia in Mohali in March-his lone five-day outing to date.

“I think Shikhar, he has just carried forward his confidence from the Test innings that he played,” said Dhoni. “He’s a slightly different character, but a fun-loving guy. At the same time, he backs himself to play those big strokes that he plays.”

Dhawan, effectively kept out of the India team by Virender Sehwag, one of the most dynamic openers cricket has known, said destiny had been on his side.

“I am loving this moment, I dreamt before this tournament that I would be the man of the tournament. I feel blessed.

“It makes it more special for me that I was out of the team for two or three years. I knew I had that talent in me so I sorted out myself and I am scoring runs now.”

Only the late decision by the International Cricket Council, who nearly paid for taking the gamble of scheduling a final without a reserve day, to tear up their own rulebook and find two extra hours in which to complete the match Sunday gave India a shot at victory.

Dhoni, who two years ago led India to a World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai, was unimpressed. “I think it’s a bit unfair that in the ICC Champions Trophy 50-over format we had to play a 20-over game to find a winner.

“But still, I think they needed the result.” —AFP

19

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

SPORTS

Blackhawks, Bruins head into Game 6 without stars BOSTON: Patrice Bergeron joined his Bruins teammates for a postgame dinner and was with them when they flew back to Boston to prepare for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

When they arrived at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon, he got off the bus, walked to a car without crutches or assistance and was driven off.

“He’s good. He came back with us and everything so hopefully he can play,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said Sunday, a day before playing a game Boston needs to win to extend the NHL championship series to Game 7.

“He looked really good today. He had a nice suit on, very dashing,” Marchand said with a laugh.

“Obviously, he’s a big part of the team and hopefully he can play.”

As the Cup final approaches a sixth and potential clinching game Monday night, the attention shifted from the players on the ice to the ones who might not make it there, including two of the top forwards

and biggest stars in the series.

Neither Bergeron nor Chicago’s Jonathan Toews finished Game 5 on Saturday night, and while their coaches expressed optimism that they would be able to play in Game 6, it was shrouded in the typical secrecy surrounding NHL injuries.

“He’s day-to-day,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said, declining to even give the usual upper body or lower body description of the injury. “Dayto-day is really good news to me, anyways. Should be to you, too.”

Bergeron was injured in the second period of Saturday night’s game, which the Blackhawks won 3-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. He made two brief appearances on the ice in the third but something was obviously wrong and he was unable to complete either shift.

Toews, who won the Selke Award as the NHL’s top defensive forward Bergeron was a finalist - missed the entire third period after a shot to the head from Bruins defenseman

Johnny Boychuk. “They’re both great players,” Chicago winger Patrick Sharp said. “I think any coach in the league, any player in the league would like to have those guys on their team. ... I can’t speak for what Boston is dealing with, with Bergeron. I know I don’t need to say much about Jonathan. I think everyone knows what we think of him in our locker room. Hopefully we can have him back for (Monday).”

Bergeron was taken from the United Center to a Chicago hospital in an ambulance for observation. He was released later Saturday night and rejoined his teammates for a team meal.

“He was crushing some food,” Marchand said. He did not speak to reporters on Sunday. Asked to elaborate on the injury, Julien said, “Body injury.”

The Blackhawks lost Toews after Boychuk knocked him down in the slot, making contact with his head.

Boychuk wasn’t penalized, and NHL

spokesman John Dellapina said Sunday that the league reviewed the hit and there will be no supplemental discipline.

“I think they said it was clean, wasn’t it? Then I agree with them,” Julien said. “I’m not going to hide from that.

If it wasn’t a clean hit - I’ve been a guy that supported those kind of things that we need to get out of the game. But it was a clean hit.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville alluded to the contact with the head but then said, “I’m not going to go there.” Toews was tied with Patrick Kane for the Blackhawks’ team lead with 23 goals during the regular season. Since being reunited with Kane on Chicago’s top line in Game 4, Chicago has rallied to take the lead in the best-of-seven series.

Before he was knocked out of Game 5, Toews assisted on both of Kane’s goals.

“He’s our leader,” Chicago defenseman Johnny Oduya said.

“You know, he’s one of those guys,

and when he’s full-speed he gives everything he’s got every game.

That’s something that is tough to replace.” Quenneville said Toews was doing much better and the team is optimistic he will be able to play in Game 6.

“We’ll see how he is. I think the progress today, he’s doing real good,” Quenneville said. “We’ll visit in the morning, and he seemed fine.

So nothing has changed. Nothing is different. We’ll keep an eye on him, and we’ll go from there.”

With or without Toews and Bergeron, the Blackhawks have a chance to clinch their second Stanley Cup title in four seasons on Monday night in Boston. If they lose, the series returns to Chicago for a decisive seventh game Wednesday. “It’s not the best situation for either team,” Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said. “But it’s a tough sport, and injuries happen. When you leave it all out there to help your team win, that’s all part of the game.”—AP

No offers to replace Brazil for 2014 — FIFA

BRAZIL: Italy’s Mario Balotelli (left) is tackled by Brazil’s David Luiz during the soccer Confederations Cup in this file photo.—AP

Balotelli to miss semifinal FORTALEZA: Forward Mario Balotelli will miss Italy’s semifinal vs. Spain in the Confederations Cup due to a strained thigh, handing the team another major injury complication before facing the World Cup holder. The Italian Football Federation made the announcement Sunday following medical tests on Balotelli’s left quadriceps.

The injury occurred during Italy’s 4-2 loss to Brazil on Saturday. The federation said that Balotelli would continue to be monitored in the hope that he can return for Italy’s next match - either the final or the third-place game.

Italy faces Spain on Thursday then the final and third-place games are scheduled for June 30. Balotelli has been the Azzurri’s most explosive player in the tournament so far. He scored the winner in Italy’s 2-1 victory over Mexico, converted a penalty in the 4-3 win over Japan and set up a goal for Emanuele Giaccherini in the loss to Brazil.

Also, Balotelli has started as Italy’s lone

true forward in each match thus far. Alberto Gilardino would seem to be the logical replacement if Italy coach Cesare Prandelli sticks with the single-striker lineup. Or he could use several forwards such as Stephan El Shaarawy, Sebastian Giovinco, Alessio Cerci or Alessandro Diamanti. A few other Italy players are also injured. Key playmaker Andrea Pirlo was expected back for the semifinals after missing the Brazil game with a muscle problem although he only performed a brief, light running session Sunday before being accompanied off the practice pitch by team trainers.

Also, midfielder Riccardo Montolivo underwent a cerebral scan after a knock to the head against Brazil although the tests were negative. Still, he will be evaluated over the next few days. Meanwhile, fullback Ignazio Abate was sent home after dislocating his right shoulder. Spain routed Italy 4-0 in their last meeting, last year’s European Championship final.—AP

Heat celebrate with parade through downtown Miami MIAMI: Chris Bosh held the NBA championship trophy, LeBron James stood atop a double-decker bus with a cigar in his mouth, and Chris Andersen flapped his arms in a nod to his “Birdman” moniker.

The NBA champion Miami Heat were in quite a mood to party yesterday.

Players, families, staff members and friends crammed buses, flatbed trucks and cars for the parade honoring the latest Heat championship, with the caravan snaking its way through downtown Miami before a huge crowd of fans. A crowd of up to 400,000 was expected on a hot, steamy morning where the heat index reached the mid-90s by 11 a.m. “It’s the ultimate,” James told Sun Sports, the Heat broadcast partner, as he rode along the route. “It’s the ultimate. This is what I came down here, to be able to have a parade at the end of the year. I’m extremely blessed, man. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Several players held super-soaker squirt guns and sprayed water on fans below, confetti blew through the air and dotted the streets, and bands blared as the team rolled past with horns honking. Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley stood in the front of one bus, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra - his championship cap turned backward waved and clapped at fans, and Dwyane Wade pointed at people along the route.

“All the fans that we’re seeing here is who supported us throughout the whole season, man,” James said. “This is the least we could do is ride through the city and show our appreciation.”

Miami became the sixth franchise in NBA history to win consecutive championships, after topping the San Antonio

Spurs in this year’s finals for the third title overall for the Heat franchise.

James was the series MVP for the second straight year, and won his fourth regular-season MVP award as well. “I’m honored,” James said. “I’ve watched so many NBA Finals throughout my years, growing up as a kid, wanting to be a part of those moments. To go down as one of the greatest Finals ever and to be a part of it is unbelievable.”

A rally inside the team’s home arena was scheduled for later Monday afternoon.

One vehicle carried a number of uniformed military personnel. The Heat have honored military members before every home game in Miami for the past several seasons.

Police reported no major problems early on, and bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs were spotted working their way through the crowd. City officials banned fans from carrying backpacks, though several were spotted along the route and some people were searched randomly for security reasons. The huge crowds and parking difficulty did not seem to take away from the fans’ celebratory mood.

“It’s the excitement of something that doesn’t come around too often, even though we’ve been lucky to experience it two years in a row,” said Heat fan Blake Thames, who made the trip down from Palm Beach County.

Some fans began arriving before sunrise Monday, and traffic into downtown was extremely heavy as people hoped to get close enough for a glimpse of the celebration. “It hasn’t hit me yet,” James said. “This is unbelievable to be a part of such a great franchise and to be able to go back-toback.”—AP

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke yesterday insisted football’s world governing body had received no offers from any country to stand in as hosts for the 2014 World Cup with Brazil racing to be ready in time. “I have never received any official offer from countries around the world to stage the World Cup in 2014,” Valcke said in Rio. Valcke dismissed fears that Brazil, which is hosting the Confederations Cup dress rehearsal event and has been beset by popular protests against the multi-billion dollar cost of hosting the Confederations Cup, the World Cup and the Olympics in 2016, would not make the date as it races to overhaul infrastructure and ready 12 venues across the country.

“We have seen an amazing amount of work delivered for the Confederations Cup,” said Valcke, while stressing once again that for the World Cup “we have to be ready on time the Confederations Cups is different from the World Cup.” And he underlined FIFA’s insistence that venues “must be ready for the end of December 2013,” allowing logistical final touches to be put in place thereafter ahead of a June 2014 kickoff.

Valcke, who caused a storm last year when he said Brazil needed a “kick up the backside” to get World Cup preparations on track, said the Confederations Cup had been a great success.

He also insisted it was not for FIFA to pass public judgement on the political situation in Brazil, where more than a million people have protested against poor public services and corruption.

Valcke compared the Confederations Cup, a competition for just eight teams compared with 32 for the World Cup, to the Brazil side, who have hit form to reach the semi-finals after the legendary Pele said they were not good enough to win the event. “When the Cup started people in the Brazilian team were asking about the qualities of the

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke speaks during a press conference to provide the half-time report on the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 football tournament. —AFP team and Neymar. But coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has found his eleven, he has been able to bring talents together and build a team.

That is exactly what we have been doing. “The work which was delivered in the last few days (up to the June 15 kickoff) up was just amazing,” Valcke said. “It was a challenge but the challenge went well.”

Brazilian Minister of Sport Aldo Rebelo said Brazil had a “special commitment to the World Cup and will look to host a celebration as bright as the world and the country expects it to be.”

Looking even further ahead to include the 2016 Olympics which Rio will host he said that the hope was those two events would improve life for the people of Brazil.

“We want the World Cup and the Olympics to be a means of improving living conditions for the people and providing opportunities for the country.”

FIFA, along with the Brazilian government, has been the focus

of some of the popular anger during street protests in the past fortnight owing to the perception it comes to town, acts as circus ringmaster and then walks off with hefty profits.

But Valcke said that image was wrong. “I am not ashamed about what we are doing, we are doing well. We are just organising an event - a major sporting event in the world.

“Yes, we organised a Cup in Brazil but with Brazil. “We are spending half a billion (dollars) on accommodation. We are supporting our own costs. We are making money but we have a number of responsibilities. FIFA is a non profitable institution.”

And he insisted FIFA actually helps to bring in money. “We are using our money to develop football because that is our obligation to do so,” Valcke told reporters adding FIFA had “the most transparent” accounting system available and that its staff were not spending their time being ferried aound in luxury limousines.

Valcke, Rebelo and the local organising committee revealed that the World Cup should provide at least temporary employment for some 24,000 people.

Although Braziians are outraged at the cost of new stadiums and the long, drawn out and costly process of renovating Rio’s fabled Maracana stadium Rebelo said such investment was necessary.

“We could never modernise Brazilian football without having the proper stadiums,” said Rebelo.

Rebelo also noted there were some unquantifiable benefits from hosting the event.

“This is much more than a sports event - Germany (in 2006) wanted an event that would project an image of a reunited Germany, leaving behind for good all the ghosts from the trauma and the tragedy of war, a Germay presenting itself to the world free of memories and stigma that German people do not deserve.”—AFP

Argentinos Juniors avoid relegation

Pablo Hernandez

BUENOS AIRES: Argentinos Juniors beat newly-crowned champions Newell’s Old Boys 1-0 away to avoid relegation from the Argentine first division on the final day on Sunday.

The 1985 Libertadores Cup winners were helped by San Martin’s 3-1 defeat at River Plate that sent them back down to the second-tier Primera B Nacional after two seasons in the top flight.

San Martin join Union and Independiente as the teams relegated after finishing in the bottom three of the relegation standings, a separate table of teams’ average points over three seasons.

Substitute Pablo Hernandez headed the only goal from a corner in the 86th minute as Argentinos coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi celebrated yet another success as a specialist in steering teams clear of the drop.

Caruso, often called in as a “fireman” by relegation-threatened clubs, has previously steered Tigre, Quilmes, Racing Club, Newell’s and most recently San

Lorenzo last year clear of danger.

“I’ve got nothing but thanks for this group of players, also the fans. We got together at the right moment and we’re safe,” Caruso told reporters.

“I feel really emotional because the players made a huge effort...They became men all of a sudden. “It’s an unhealthy job, you can’t believe how I suffered,” added Caruso, known for his verbosity in front of the cameras and microphones.

Independiente’s first relegation was the biggest shock since fellow Buenos Aires giants River Plate suffered the same fate two years ago.

Argentinos’ victory did not dampen Newell’s fans’ celebrations at their Marcelo Bielsa stadium in Rosario after their team had secured the title in midweek with a match to spare.

There were two championships in the Argentine 2012/13 season, “Inicial” and “Final”, with winners Velez Sarsfield and Newell’s meeting in a grand final in Mendoza next Saturday.—Reuters

Gay set for Moscow double

Duke ends title drought

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

18

17

Blackhawks, Bruins head into Game 6 without stars

Page 19

WIMBLEDON: Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after winning the first set against Kristina Mladenovic of France during their Women’s first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships. — AP

WIMBLEDON: Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after a point lost against Belgium’s Steve Darcis during their men’s first round match. — AFP

WIMBLEDON: Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka falls on court during a point against Portugal’s Maria Joao Kohler during their women’s first round. — AFP

WIMBLEDON: Roger Federer of Switzerland returns to Victor Hanescu of Romania during their Men’s first round singles match. — AFP

‘Shark’ takes bite off Nadal First ever loss for Spaniard in opening round LONDON: Rafael Nadal suffered Wimbledon humiliation at the hands of Belgian world number 135 Steve Darcis yesterday, a shock first round defeat which instantly cleared the title paths of Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

Journeyman Darcis clinched a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 win to condemn the fifth-seed Spanish superstar to a first ever loss in the opening round of a major.

It also came just two weeks after 12-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, had celebrated a record eighth French Open crown.

The sensational result was the first time since Gustavo Kuerten in 1997 that a French Open champion had lost in the opening round at Wimbledon.

Nadal’s last defeat to such a low-ranked player was to Joachim Johansson, the world 690, at the 2006 Stockholm Open. The defeat, which followed Nadal’s second round shocker at the hands of Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic at last year’s Wimbledon, brought to an end his 22-match winning streak in 2013.

But he refused to blame his constant struggles with his knees for defeat. “It’s not the right day (to discuss my knees). I tried my best in every moment, but it was not possible this

afternoon,” said Nadal.

“On grass, it’s difficult to adapt when you don’t have a chance to play on the surface before Wimbledon. “Darcis deserved to win today.”

Darcis, 29, and nicknamed ‘Shark’, had come into Wimbledon with just two wins under his belt on the tour all year. “Nobody was expecting my win today. I don’t know what to say. I’m really happy,” said Darcis, who has now matched his best performance at the All England Club having reached the second round in 2009.

Nadal had won 43 of his 45 matches and seven titles since his return to the tour in February after a seven-month injury lay-off to rest his notoriously suspect knees.

But he was flat-footed and half-hearted as Darcis fired 13 aces and 53 winners past the hapless Spaniard. Darcis will next face Poland’s Lukasz Kubot.

Second seeded Murray made history as the world number two cruised into the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Benjamin Becker.

Murray’s dominant display on Centre Court made him the most successful British man in Grand Slam history as he surpassed Fred Perry’s total of 106 matches won at the four

majors. The US Open champion will play Britain’s James Ward or Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan in the next round. “It’s a good start.

There are always nerves before the first match at a Grand Slam, especially here for me. I’m glad to get it out of the way and keep improving,” said Murray, the runner-up to Federer last year. Federer began his bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title with a 69-minute demolition of Victor Hanescu. Federer, 31, swept to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win on Centre Court to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his first triumph at the All England Club. vThe seven-time champion Swiss fired 32 winners and just six unforced errors as he clinched a sixth career victory over the 47th-ranked Romanian.

“It’s the most special thing to be back on Centre Court,” said Federer, playing in his 55th straight Grand Slam and seeking an 18th major.

“I am not sure how much better I could have played.”

Federer next plays Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine for a place in the last 32.

Women’s third seed Maria Sharapova put her bitter public feud with Serena Williams to one side to reach the second round. The 2004 Wimbledon champion was given a stern test

by France’s Kristina Mladenovic but the Russian third seed

Guardiola prepared for Bayern pressure cooker MUNICH: Treble-winning Bayern Munich unveiled their new coach Pep Guardiola amid a media frenzy yesterday as the Bavarians prepare to extend their domination at home and in Europe.

The former Barcelona coach said he was ready to accept the challenge of coaching a team that has just played an outstanding season under Jupp Heynckes, winning the domestic league and Cup double and topping it off with the Champions League title.

“I must accept the comparison,” Guardiola, dressed in a dapper three-piece grey suit and burgundy tie and speaking in German throughout, told an overflowing news conference at the club’s Allianz Arena. “I have to be able to live with that. I am under pressure, of course, but I know this and I accept this challenge without fear and that is why I am the coach,” he said.

The 42-year-old Guardiola, who won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona, is Bayern’s biggest signing for the coming season as they eye more silverware. He took a year out after leaving the Spanish club in 2012, spending most of his time in New York.

“I am ready. My time in Barcelona was wonderful but I needed to move on and Bayern gave me the possibility and I had to take it.”

“What I feel now is a gift, a blessing to be here to be with Bayern and the very thought about me as the coach is a gift,” added the Spaniard who has signed a three-year contract. He said his first reason for accepting the Bayern offer was the club’s players and history. “It is one of the world’s biggest clubs and the people who run the club know how to do it well and they took the decision to call

me.” “Sometimes you take over a team on the way down... like in my first year as professional coach,” said Guardiola, flanked by club bosses Uli Hoeness, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sports director Matthias Sammer.

“This situation is completely different. It is a good thing it is different. I take over a team that played exceptionally in the last season. They won three titles. This is the situation. When you are Bayern coach you a always have pressure to play well.”

Guardiola said he would not be changing much in a team that had just completed their most successful season in history and said it would be “arrogant” to talk about the start of a new era. He also refused to comment on individual players, saying he still had to get to know the team and take a look a the club’s youth teams as well.

“You don’t need to be changing a lot of things in a team that has just won four titles (including German Super Cup),” said the 42-year-old Spaniard.

“I will try to continue with that high-level game that Jupp Heynckes achieved. Everyone has their opinions about playing football but it will only be little things we will be changing, really tiny.”

The arrival of Guardiola has sparked a frenzy among Bayern supporters with some 30,000 expected in the team’s first training session on Wednesday, which had to be moved to the stadium from their training grounds due to the demand. “I am a bit nervous (about the hype) but this is Bayern,” said Guardiola. “They have won every title and so it is normal expectations are high. During my time as coach at Barcelona we had won everything. It is normal that there will be interest.” — Reuters

eventually triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.

Sharapova and Williams had exchanged angry words in the run-up to the tournament with both players aiming verbal volleys at each other’s love lives.

“I’ve said everything that I wanted to say about the issue.

Wimbledon started. This is my work,” said Sharapova who next meets Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.

Second seed Victoria Azarenka, a semi-finalist in 2011 and 2012, moved into second round, beating Portugal’s world number 106 Maria Joao Koehler 6-1, 6-2.

The 23-year-old Belarusian, the reigning Australian Open champion, broke down in tears after suffering a worrying fall in the second game of the second set on Court One as her right leg gave way in her service action.

Azarenka collapsed in crippling pain before her match was delayed by 10 minutes for her to have her right knee heavily strapped. Italian fifth seed Sara Errani slumped to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig. There were wins for French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as well 2010’s marathon men, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. In the women’s event, former world number ones, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic all progressed. — AFP

Russian cosmonauts to take torch to space

MUNICH: FC Bayern Munich new head coach Spanish Josep Guardiola poses in the German Bundesliga First Division football club locker room inside the Allianz Arena. — AFP

MOSCOW: Russian cosmonauts will in November take the Olympic torch to the International Space Station and on a space walk ahead of the 2014 winter games hosted in Sochi, Russia’s space agency announced yesterday.

The spectacular stunt will be the first time the Olympic torch has left the Earth’s atmosphere, and will be a dramatic curtain-raiser to the games, which Russia is hosting in its Black Sea beach resort.

“No one has done this before us,” the head of Russia’s Olympic committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, said in a statement.

“When a Russian cosmonaut goes out into open space with the Sochi 2014 torch, it will enter the history of the Olympic games and show the whole world how our country is striving for new victories.” It comes after Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield scored a huge hit on YouTube by performing a personalised version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” while floating in the ISS in May. Yesterday, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin handed the torch to venerated 79-year-old cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man ever to take a spacewalk, who then handed it to the captain of the spaceship who will take it to the ISS, Mikhail Tyurin.

The Olympic torch will be taken up to the ISS in a manned Soyuz spaceship in early November and then carried into open space by cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryzansky, the Roscosmos agency said. “For reasons of safety, it is not planned for the torch to be lit,” Roscosmos added, presumably referring to the torch’s voyage in the Soyuz.

The torch will then be returned to Earth by cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is currently on the ISS. Russia boasts that the route of its Olympic torch rally will be the longest ever, taking in 65,000 kilometres on transport ranging from planes to reindeer-drawn sledges. The ISS orbits at a height of around 400 kilometres above Earth. — AFP

Business

As banks eye Iraq, Citi plans office in Baghdad Page 22 Spain resists pressure for swift moves on banks

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Page 23 URC completes KD60m bonds

Putin beefs up Kremlin control over economy Page 25

Page 26

MADRID: Protesters gesture amid placards as they take part in a demonstration against budget cuts and plans to partly privatise medical services at Puerta de Alcala in Madrid yesterday.—AFP (See Page 23)

World stocks plunge amid credit fears Credit conditions tighten in US, China LONDON: Global stock markets reeled yesterday amid concerns that credit conditions will tighten in the US and China, the world’s two largest economies.

Shanghai’s stock index endured its biggest loss in four years after the country’s central bank allowed commercial rates to spike higher. Analysts say the move was part of an effort to curb the high level of off-balance-sheet lending in China that could threaten the country’s financial stability.

But the higher lending rates could also hurt economic growth. The impact for stock markets would be all the greater if the US Federal Reserve tightens its own ultra-loose monetary policy over the coming months, as it has signaled it would do so long as the US economy improves according to its forecasts.

Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite Index plummeted 5 percent to 1,968.51 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index plunged 6.1 percent to 881.87.

European stock markets closed lower yesterday, with London’s FTSE 100 index of leading shares losing 1.42 percent to 6,029.10 points. In Frankfurt the DAX 30 index fell 1.24 percent to 7,692.45 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 dropped 1.71 percent to 3,595.63 points.

Wall Street opened lower, with the Dow Jones industrial down 1.6 percent to 14,563.29 and the S&P 500 down 1.7 percent to 1,564.91.

Government bond yields rose in the US and other big economies on expectations that borrowing rates would not remain at their current lows for much longer. The US 10-year rate traded above 2.6 percent for

the first time since August 2011.

Bond yields also rose in Europe’s financially shaky countries, suggesting investors are relatively more cautious about lending them money despite the good returns they provide. Spain’s 10-year bond yield was above 5 percent for the first time in three months.

Analysts at Moody’s Investors Service said they saw the Chinese central bank’s action to allow lending rates to rise as “a conscious decision” to curb credit growth.

Moody’s added that a prolonged credit crunch could threaten Chinese companies, “especially those in the private sector with weak credit quality, because it heightens the risk that banks will scale back lending to those companies.” Moody’s says that China’s central government finances remain strong, but that rapid credit growth and liabilities at the local level pose a threat to growth.

Andrew Sullivan of Kim Eng Securities in Hong Kong said China’s new leaders want credit to be available to keep the economy moving but not so much as to promote asset bubbles. “After six months in power, the new leadership is putting its policies in place. It’s signaling that credit is going to remain tight,” Sullivan said. “All that is in line with moving China from being an export driven economy to being a domestic consumption economy.”

The concerns over China’s credit market were magnified by existing worries that access to money will tighten in the world’s largest economy, the US. Investors are concerned what will happen as the US Federal Reserve slows down its monetary stimulus program, which has

Regional markets slip as global gloom weighs MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi man checks shares prices at the Iraq Stock Exchange in Baghdad.

Citigroup Inc is set to become the first American bank to open an office under its own name in Baghdad, highlighting international financial firms’ growing interest in Iraq a decade after the US-led invasion. — AP (See Page 22) been pumping $85 billion into the financial system every month and helped many stock indexes reach multiyear or record highs. Markets tumbled last week when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the program would likely slow down this year and end in 2014. Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 2.2 percent to 19,813.98. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, the regional heavyweight, fell 1.3 percent to 13,062.78. South Korea’s Kospi lost 1.3 percent to 1,799.01. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200

shed 1.5 percent at 4,666.50.

In energy markets, benchmark oil contract for August delivery was up 8 cents to $93.77 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.71 to close at $93.69 on Friday. In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3091 from $1.3139 late Friday in New York. The dollar fell to 97.33 yen from 97.76 yen. Sampson reported from Bangkok. Joe McDonald in Beijing and Fu Ting in Shanghai also contributed to this report. — AP

Islamic finance lobby plans regional network DUBAI: A Bahrain-based association which lobbies on behalf of Islamic finance says it plans to expand beyond the Gulf, so that it can shape rules and practices in new markets as they grow. The General Council f o r I s l a m i c B a n k s a n d Fi n a n c i a l I n s t i t u t i o n s (C I B A F I ) , a n o n - p ro f i t organization headquartered in Manama, has traditionally focused on neighboring countries, which form a core market for the industry.

B u t O m a r H a f i z , w h o t o o k o ve r last year as secretary-general of the body, said he was keen to enlarge its geographic scope while engaging national regulators more ac tively.

“We are trying to have a representative office in Tunisia, operating as a gateway to Africa, and also in A ze r b a i j a n to re a c h ce n t r a l As i a n

countries,” he told Reuters.

Founded in 1999 by the Jeddahbased Islamic Development Bank , CIBAFI has 114 member institutions, including Egypt’s Faisal Islamic Bank, Kuwait Finance House and Bahrainbased Al Barak a Bank ing Group.

Saudi-Arabia’s National Commercial Bank joined last year. The Saudi-born Hafiz, 62, said that for its long-term health, the industry should focus as much on improving the regulator y environment as increasing its size.

“It is not just a matter of licensing Islamic banks, but preparing a platform for success for Islamic banking,” he said. “We want to ensure competition between the conventional and Islamic banking industry is in its best shape, not inferior or second class, but on the same level.”

Addressing a major weakness in Islamic finance, a lack of well-trained professionals, CIBAFI plans to expand its training and certification programs, which are currently distributed through a network of over 30 agents in countries from Jordan t o Fr a n c e . “ We h o p e t o r e a c h 5 0 agents by the end of 2014. Maybe our training centre can be a separate body - this is still in the develop ment stage, it still needs two to three years to develop,” Hafiz added.

The body also plans to hold forums in new markets for Islamic finance, including events in Morocco a n d L i b y a l a t e r t h i s y e a r. O n e o f CIBAFI’s key messages is that Islamic windows - units of conventional banks which offer Islamic financial products and ser vices - need to

operate under clear rules to improve the perceptions of consumers.

“In some cases, conventional banks which offer Islamic windows or Islamic transactions are trying to pull the financial products towards their conventional ways of operation,” Hafiz said, arguing this hindered consumers from distinguishing between conventional and Islamic products.

“It may be owned partially or totally by a conventional bank, but a full separation technically and legally should be shown to consumers.” This could improve the industry’s appeal and eventually reduce the reliance on the Islamic window model in favor of full-fledged operations, Hafiz said.

“This is maybe a transitional time, not the end situation.” — Reuters

DUBAI: Regional bourses fell yesterday as renewed selling pressure on global shares sparked a profit-taking spree, extending losses since the US Federal Reserve said it would cut back a stimulus program.

The US central bank’s plans and fears Chinese policy may be tightening sent the dollar sharply higher yesterday, while world shares extended last week’s dismal performance.

Kuwait’s benchmark retreated 1.6 percent, while Oman’s bourse lost 0.9 percent.

Saudi Arabia’s index, the largest regional market, fell 0.8 percent, cutting 2013 gains to 10.3 percent.

“I’m negative on Saudi for the summer months plus, technically, the market is not looking good - volumes are not supporting it,” said Farooq Waheed, senior portfolio manager at Riyad Capital.

Saudi companies will kick off earnings season from mid-July, the market’s only near-term catalyst.

Waheed said second-quarter earnings expectations for large-caps are not very positive. Indices for the heavyweight petrochemical and banking sectors fell 0.9 and 1.1 percent respectively. Long-term investors in Gulf markets however are holding positions in selected stocks as dividend yields are attractive compared to other regions, analysts said. In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s index fell 1.9 percent to 2,256 points, its third consecutive substantial drop, but it is still up 39 percent year-to-date.

Sunday’s drop triggered a bearish right triangle formed by the highs and lows since early June, signalling the end of the rally that began in early April.

The index is now testing minor support on the 38.2 percent retracement of the rally, but the triangle points lower, to near the 2,100-point area.

“We’re heading into a corrective phase, which could go on for months,” said Bruce Powers, technical analyst and corporate advisor at Orpheus Capital.

“The more a rally is extended, the greater the chance of a sharp fall and this is happening now.”

Powers said the dip, at a time when global markets are under pressure, is not a surprise and the next support level is at 2,038 points, followed by 1,929.

“Given the acceleration in the drop, there’s a pretty good chance we will hit the 1,950 area.” In Abu Dhabi, the benchmark dropped 1.1 percent, trimming its 2013 gains to 34 percent.

Weaker trading volumes helped UAE markets outperform the drop on more liquid emerging market stocks in recent weeks. The emerging market index slumped 14.1 percent between May 22-June 21, when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke fuelled expectations it would scale back its bond-buying program. In contrast, Abu Dhabi and Dubai gained 3.7 and 1.6 percent respectively in the same period.

Elsewhere, Doha’s index retreated 0.6 percent, its seventh decline in the last eight sessions since the market hit a 57-month high.—Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BUSINESS

Tapie in custody over scandal linked to Lagarde PARIS: French investigators yesterday placed tycoon Bernard Tapie in custody as they prepared to interrogate him in a corruption probe that has embroiled IMF chief Christine Lagarde.

Tapie, who can be held for up to four days without charge, was to be questioned over a 400-million-euro ($525 million) state payout he received in 2008 when Lagarde was France’s finance minister. A combative Tapie played down the procedure.

“I don’t give a damn,” he told Europe 1 radio earlier yesterday. “I’m not worried. I cannot imagine what they could find.”

The cash payout to Tapie, who served a prison sentence for match-fixing during his time as the president of France’s biggest football club, Olympique de Marseille, related to a dispute between the businessman and partly state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over his 1993 sale

of sports group Adidas. Tapie claimed that Credit Lyonnais had defrauded him by intentionally undervaluing Adidas at the time of the sale and that the state, as the bank’s principal shareholder, should compensate him. Lagarde was responsible for referring the issue to a three-man arbitration panel, which ruled in Tapie’s favor. Three people have been charged over the scandal since May, including Stephane Richard, the head of telecommunications giant Orange, for organized fraud.

The company’s board has however voted to let Richard remain boss and French President Francois Hollande has expressed strong backing for him. The French state is a major shareholder in Orange. Richard was Lagarde’s chief of staff when, in 2008, she sanctioned the payout to Tapie. Lagarde is suspected of having rigged the process that led to the

payout, thus ensuring that Tapie would get the cash in return for supporting her boss, Nicolas Sarkozy, in his successful 2007 presidential election campaign. A source close to the investigation said Richard told them that Tapie was present at a meeting at the Elysee palace in 2007.

The IMF chief was questioned for two days in May about her role in the affair.

She was not placed under formal investigation-the French equivalent of being charged in other legal systems-but she remains what is termed an “assisted witness”, which means judges can summon her for further interrogation at any time. One member of the arbitration panel, Pierre Estoup, 86, was placed under formal investigation on the same charge as Richard.

Also charged on the same count was Jean-Francois Rocchi, former president of the CDR, an ad hoc structure created

by the state in 1995 to settle the debt of the then-struggling Credit Lyonnais bank, which dealt with Tapie during the legal dispute and through whom the cash payout was made.

The International Monetary Fund’s executive board has repeatedly expressed confidence in Lagarde and said there is no reason for her to step aside from her duties while the corruption case is being concluded. That stance will inevitably be tested should Lagarde be placed under formal investigation.

Critics of Lagarde’s decision to send the Tapie case to arbitration say that, even if there was no shady motive, she should not have run the risk of the state being forced to pay compensation to a convicted criminal who was bankrupt at the time. Lagarde has always maintained that she acted in the best public interest and her supporters have pointed out

that she had inherited the arbitration idea from her predecessor at the finance ministry. — AFP

PARIS: A picture taken on September 10, 2008 in Paris shows French businessman Bernard Tapie attending a hearing of the financial commission of the National Assembly. — AFP

As banks eye Iraq, Citi plans office in Baghdad Financial firms show growing interest in Iraq

LAHORE: Pakistani farmers harvest sun flowers at a field in Lahore yesterday.

Pakistan’s cash-strapped government has set a target of 4.4 percent economic growth for the coming fiscal year, the finance minister said, while promising new measures to tackle crippling power cuts. — AFP

Win one of 3 major cash prizes in Gulf Bank’s Al Danah draw KUWAIT: Gulf Bank advises all its AlDanah customers to increase their deposits and prospective customers to open an Al-Danah account by June 30th to enhance their chances of winning one of the major cash prizes of KD500,000, KD125,000 and KD25,000 in the third AlDanah quarterly prize draw for 2013. Any withdrawal before the closing date of June 30, 2013 would reduce chances of winning.

Opening an Al-Danah account is easy, and Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to either open an account or for customers to increase their deposits to maximize their chances of winning. AlDanah 2013 draw lineup includes daily draws (two winners per working day each receive KD1000).

Al-Danah’s 3rd quarterly draw will be held on 26 September (KD500,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000) and the final

draw will be held on 9 January 2014, announcing winners of KD50,000, KD250,000 and the Al-Danah millionaire.

Al-Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and simultaneously encourages them to save. The more money saved and the longer it is in the account, the more chances individuals stand to win. To qualify for the next quarterly Al Danah draw, account holders must maintain a minimum deposit of KD200 in their accounts.

Customers can open an account by either visiting one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, transfer online, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s website, to find all the information regarding Al-Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services.

BAGHDAD: Citigroup Inc is set to become the first American bank to open an office of its own in Baghdad, highlighting financial firms’ growing interest in Iraq a decade after the US-led 2003 invasion. Executives say the representative office Citi has received preliminary approval for will help support its corporate customers in Iraq and act as a liaison for companies looking to do business there. British bank Standard Chartered is also making a push in Iraq with plans to open branches in three cities.

“Essentially what we are doing is following our clients,” said Mayank Malik, Citi’s chief executive for Jordan and Iraq, ahead of an official announcement yesterday. “We see this as a giant waking up. ... The time to enter is now. It’s not when everything has been done.”

Iraq has struggled to attract interest from Western companies outside of the oil sector in the 10 years since US-led forces toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Security and political instability remain major concerns, and corruption within the top-heavy statist economy is deeply entrenched. Even so, foreign banks see opportunities as Iraq’s economy opens up on the back of an oil boom. The World Bank expects Iraq’s economy to grow by 9 percent this year, compared with just over 2 percent for the global economy as a whole. Last year Iraq became the secondlargest oil producer in OPEC, and now churns out more than 3 million barrels of crude a day.

Iraq’s financial system is dominated by stateowned banks, though lenders from nearby countries including Iran and Lebanon have opened branches since the war. Abu Dhabi

Islamic Bank, one of the largest banks in the oilrich United Arab Emirates, opened its first outpost in Baghdad last year.

Iraq is slowly showing signs of economic development, with new hotels, restaurants and car dealerships popping up. But it remains a challenging place to do business. More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April in the worst outburst of violence in five years. And the country is politically volatile. Iraq’s long-serving central bank governor was abruptly removed from his post in October following a probe into alleged financial wrongdoing.

Citi’s Iraq country head, Dennis Flannery, who was previously the US Treasury Department’s representative at the US Embassy in Baghdad, described Iraq’s unpredictability and instability as “part of the landscape” of the country.

“The economic engine is still humming along.

We haven’t seen any reason to alter our strategy,” he said. At a cafe inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, Citi’s Malik and Flannery described the new office as the start of a broader relationship with Iraq that could lead to bank branches down the road. The office itself will start out small and will be located outside the confines of the Green Zone, a sprawling complex of government buildings and embassies sealed off from the rest of the city by blast walls and heavily armed soldiers backed by tanks. “There’ll be next steps,” Flannery said. “It’s important to collect information, to learn better what the market is all about, to learn the good parts, the bad parts, everything. ... And that will enable us

to take that next step to full-scale banking in a better informed way.” The bank says the Baghdad outpost may be followed by additional representative offices in the southern oil hub of Basra and the Kurdish regional capital Irbil in the north of the country. Citi already counts as clients many of the large international oil companies that have been brought in to develop Iraq’s vast oil reserves, he said. The bank is also advising Kuwaiti telecommunications provider Zain as it gets ready to list shares of its Iraqi operations on the Iraq Stock Exchange. Another Iraqi telecom, Asiacell, raised nearly $1.3 billion when it floated shares on the small stock exchange in February. It was one of the Middle East’s biggest stock offerings in years. Britain’s Standard Chartered, meanwhile, is working on plans to open bank branches in Baghdad, Basra and Irbil. Its reasons are similar to Citi’s.

“We need to be on the ground to support our global network clients in industries such as power, oil, telecoms and construction,” spokesman Piers Townsend said.

Saleh Mahoud Salman, the director of administration at the Central Bank of Iraq, was unable to say when the companies’ operating licenses would be issued. He welcomed the banks’ interest in Iraq, saying they could help “develop the economy and push the banking sector forward.”

Even as Citi and Standard Chartered push into Iraq under their own brands, British banking giant HSBC is considering an exit of its 70 percent stake in Iraq’s Dar es Salaam Investment Bank as part of a wider review of its global operations. —AP

WB lauds Oman’s economic efforts MUSCAT: A recent World Bank report titled “Transforming Arab Economies: Traveling the Knowledge and Innovation Road” praised the Sultanate of Oman’s package of reforms to transform the knowledge economy, represented in a combination of preoperating policies.

The reforms also include pro-

viding land ownership investment, facilitating access to modern products, and providing cutting-edge educational and health care services, all of which aim to create a suitable social and economic environment for a shift towards a knowledge-based economy.

Oman has adopted an ambi-

tious projec t to transform its economy and society befitting the era of developed information technology that is now called National IT Strategy (Digital Oman Strategy), the report added.

The strategy covers all areas of k nowledge, human economic potential for knowledge synthesis, and speed and efficiency of opera-

tion in achieving the electronic goals and services that the government will begin providing in the near future.

The National Committee for Information Technology has been formed in 1998 with the aim of developing an institutional framework that contributes to the transformation of knowledge. —KUNA

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 266.58 275.63 310.16 377.86 285.10 441.75 2.97 3.684 4.777 2.216 2.986 2.888 77.69 758.81 40.15 405.76 741.44 78.73 76.16

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 266.000 275.000 310.000 380.000 287.800 445.000 3.000 3.700 5.110 2.800 3.600 2.990 78.200 760.700 40.200 410.900 747.600 79.100 76.400

British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa

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

America 0.2663205 0.0001452 0.2831500

0.2753205 0.0001632 0.2853000

Asia 0.0036301 0.0031651 0.0455360 0.0164867

0.0036851 0.0033951 0.0505360 0.0195867

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) 285.150 377.000 441.750 274.150 2.950 4.775 40.155 2.210 3.660 6.520 2.886 759.150 77.550 76.150

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BUSINESS

Spain resists pressure for swift moves on banks Govt explores options on sale: Minister

BEIJING: A Chinese woman (left) carries a bag of vegetables as she walks in Beijing yesterday. The World Bank has recently slashed its growth forecast for China’s economy this year to 7.7 percent from 8.4 percent, warning of a potential “sharp” slowdown triggered by a fall in investment. —AFP

China CB urges lenders to manage liquidity BEIJING: China’s central bank has urged lenders in the country to strengthen liquidity management, according to an official note published yesterday, in a sign Beijing does not intend to loosen policy despite a recent credit crunch.

“Currently, overall liquidity in the domestic banking system is at a reasonable level,” said the statement dated June 17 that was issued to banks across the country. It was the first public comment by the People’s Bank of China since interbank borrowing costs spiked to record highs in recent weeks, raising concerns over a potential cash crisis amid an already slowing Chinese economy. Chinese shares slumped 5.30 percent yesterday in response to the publication of the statement.

Policy makers had refrained from injecting more liquidity-owing to fears about a growth of bad debt-which has in turn weighed on the economy. In the statement, the central bank repeated Premier Li Keqiang’s previous calls to “make active use of existing funds” to support the economy.

It asked lenders to “prudently manage liquidity risks that may result from overly fast credit asset expansion”. “All financial institutions should... maintain credit growth at a stable and moderate level,” it added. It also urged large commercial lenders to “cooperate with the central bank to stabilize the market”.

The rates banks charge to borrow from each other eased on Friday after jumping into double figures on Thursday amid rumours the central bank had pressured lenders to release funds.

Liquidity conditions further alleviated yes-

terday, with the seven-day repurchase agreement rate-a benchmark for interbank borrowing costs - falling to 7.58 percent on a weighted-average basis, from 9.25 percent at Friday ’s close, according to Dow Jones Newswires. “The worries (over liquidity) have now escalated to worries over a potential Chinese financial crisis,” Shen Jun, a Shanghaibased analyst with BOC International, said.

But he stressed that the central bank statement indicates authorities will likely stay on the sidelines and let banks deal with the issue on their own. “The central bank’s stance of sitting it out in fact shows that it is taking the initiative to squeeze out bubbles (from the financial system),” he said. China’s economy, a crucial driver of global growth, expanded 7.8 percent in 2012 — its slowest pace in 13 years-and recorded a surprisingly weak 7.7 percent expansion in the first quarter this year, well below forecasts.

Goldman Sachs yesterday revised down its forecast for China’s economic growth to 7.4 percent from the previous 7.8 percent for 2013, citing tight liquidity in the banking system. The government has set a growth target for 2013 of 7.5 percent, the same as last year’s, as it looks to retool its economic model from exports to domestic consumption. Zhang Zhiwei, a Hong Kong-based economist with Nomura International, said the central bank’s announcement suggested authorities would tolerate slowing economic growth and would not loosen credit policy.

“We believe these statements suggest that the central bank’s policy stance remains tight,” he said. —AFP

MADRID: Spain’s economy minister said yesterday he would not be pushed into selling two nationalized banks too quickly or too cheaply as bankers press the government to act to resolve the lingering problems of its financial system. Bankers say that Spain must pump more funds into some of the lenders it bailed out last year using EU aid and its own money if it hopes to sell them soon, with the government’s options for recovering some of the investment narrowing.

A recent government-commissioned report on the sector by investment bank Nomura and consultancy McKinsey suggested quickly selling Catalunya Banc and NCG Banco before their assets deteriorate further, two banking sources said.

Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said yesterday that the government was exploring all options for the sale of the two banks, although he said there was no rush. “ The buyers always try to give the impression that things are worth less than what they are... We are convinced that these entities have value,” de Guindos told COPE radio yesterday.

“We have to do it at the right moment and the process must be competitive... We have five years to do it, there’s no need to rush. I know there are some that want it to go quickly.”

Barcelona-based Catalunya Banc and NCG Banco, from the northern region of Galicia, together worth less than 10 percent of the Spanish market, were among the biggest recipients of the 41 billion euros ($55 billion) Madrid took from Brussels in aid last year. Fernando Restoy, deputy head of Spain’s central bank, opened the door on Friday to an asset protection scheme to speed up the sale of the banks, although he repeated the government’s view that they do not need more capital.

Bankers say potential bidders are demanding guarantees against losses, or more capital, even though the banks are now mostly cleansed of the soured property assets that nearly felled them.

But pumping extra funds into the banks would hinder Spain’s attempts to slash its deficit in a prolonged recession, as it faces public anger

Investors assured about post-Mandela S Africa LONDON: International investors need not worry about South Africa’s future when senior statesman Nelson Mandela eventually dies, as his legacy will be safeguarded, Planning Minister Trevor Manuel said yesterday.

The 94-year old Mandela, the country’s first black president, is critically ill with a lung infection, a huge concern for South Africa’s 53 million people who revere him as the architect of peaceful transition to democracy in 1994 after three centuries of white rule.

But many investors and economists also fear that the death of Mandela, often considered the moral compass of the ruling ANC party, will embolden the ANC’s radical elements, such as those who criticize him for making too many concessions to the white minority or others who call for nationalising the giant mining industr y. “ There have been concerns expressed, unjustifiably, about what happens when Nelson Mandela is no longer with us,” Manuel, a respected former finance minister, told Reuters.

He was speaking on the sidelines

of a conference held to launch a report on the validity of an annual World Bank business survey. Manuel noted that Mandela’s health had been deteriorating - his last public appearance was in July 2010 - so his role is already diminished.

“It is a deep and profound tragedy but one that in many ways we have been close to and thinking about for many months ... but over the past year he hasn’t been able to play the advisory role of a patriarch,” he said.

“It is up to us (to see) his legacy lives on. Whether he is physically here or not, it is his legacy we have to protect.” Mandela’s illness has coincided with a storm of events for South Africa, which is seeing investors flee its bond markets as domestic worries over chronic labor unrest coincide with a withdrawal of liquidity by the US Federal Reserve.

Many have criticized the government for lack of progress in implementing key reforms in an economy which is grappling with shortages of power, poor healthcare and high unemployment.

Manuel, who was known for his

prudent fiscal stance as finance minister, now oversees the National Development Plan, a blue-print for future development. The plan has been under fire from union leaders and communists who have attacked it for placing too much emphasis on private capital.

Manuel said the plan would be debated and he predicted that in coming months there would be advances on several fronts such as with civil service, education and on anti-corruption. But he said the plan would be implemented.

“Even as we work through all these issues, there is no holding off on the plan until some cataclysmic event happens.” Manuel, meanwhile, said it was natural that South Africa, like other emerging markets, was feeling the impact of the Fed’s stimulus withdrawal process.

“It’s a fact, there are very few safe havens left. There was a time South Africa was seen as one of the safe havens.... We will continue to see periods of uncertainty, but at some point people will start looking for value,” he added. — Reuters

In crisis times, frontier stocks hold on to long-haul investors LONDON: Hard to enter and hard to leave, frontier stock markets from Bulgaria to Pakistan have attracted investors who are in for the long haul, keeping them clear of the worst of the markets storm.

While these less-developed emerging markets suffer from a lack of liquidity, with buyers and sellers struggling to match up at times, that can be a bonus when nervous investors are dashing for the exits elsewhere.

More liquid emerging market stocks have slumped 15 percent since May 22, when US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke fuelled expectations the Fed will scale back its bond-buying program, reducing the appeal of high-yielding assets.

Those stocks plummeted last week after the Fed laid out a timetable for withdrawing the stimulus, with concern about China’s economy and interbank funding adding further pressure. Frontier stocks, in contrast, have fallen only 3 percent since May 22, outperforming even the S&P 500 , although Nigerian stocks fell 6 percent in one week this month when valuations were seen as over-

stretched. Part of the allure for asset managers is that these markets stand to benefit from growth fuelled by natural resources and young populations with increasing spending power.

While they may not be easy stocks to trade, investors know that and accept the risk in view of the longterm rewards. “Markets do not tend to move. Investors understand this is much more of a long-term bet,” said Philip Poole, head of global strategy at HSBC Asset Management.

While emerging market stocks are down 16 percent this year, frontier markets are up more than 10 percent, although they did underperform last year. Frontier equity funds have seen buoyant inflows of nearly $3 billion this year, according to Boston-based fund tracker EPFR - nearly half of all emerging-plus-frontier fund inflows.

One advantage of frontier market stocks is that they tend to be less correlated with both global markets and each another, making them an attractive diversification play.

The MSCI Pakistan index, for example, has only a 0.55 correlation with the MSCI Kazakhstan index , accord-

ing to Datastream, where 1 indicates full correlation. While larger markets have dropped in the past few weeks, some frontier markets have climbed.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have gained after MSCI this month upgraded the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to its flagship emerging market index, against which $1.4 trillion is benchmarked.

Other frontier markets which have performed well this year include offindex plays like Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Templeton, which manages $4 billion in frontier market assets, where many frontier funds only total $100-200 million, has a 12 percent exposure to Saudi Arabia in its frontiers fund.

“If you have a long-term investment horizon of 10 years or more, you cannot ignore (frontier markets),” said Carlos von Hardenberg, frontier stocks fund manager at Templeton.

Frontier market fans say their index is more heavily weighted than the energy-heavy emerging markets index to growth stocks in consumer goods and financial services, which cater for the rising middle class in these economies. —Reuters

MADRID: Protesters hold a banner and placards as they take part in a demonstration against budget cuts and plans to partly privatize medical services at Puerta de Alcala in Madrid yesterday. Several thousands of Spanish healthcare workers, many wearing white lab coats, marched in Madrid yesterday and other Spanish cities against budget cuts and plans to outsource the management of six of 20 large public hospitals and of 27 health centers of the 270 in the region. — AFP over deep public spending cuts.

It would also bring the money spent on saving Catalunya Banc closer to its cost of liquidation. Under the terms of the European bailout, Spain cannot spend more on capitalising a bank than it would on winding it down. “ There is interest in these banks,” one senior Madrid investment banker said. “But that interest is at a price which is very different to where the government’s price is. Buyers essentially want to get money to buy them, as bank acquisitions in Spain have been more sour than sweet as norms keep changing and provisioning needs keep rising.”

No formal process to sell the banks is yet underway, several bankers familiar with their situation said, although informal conversations with investors are taking place.

Spain has spent over 75 billion euros to help 14 banks in the past four years. With many still facing big hurdles as they recover from 2008’s

domestic property crash, it has the option to draw down more of a 100 billion euro aid line from Europe.

While Bankia, the biggest lender in state hands, became a symbol of Spain’s financial turmoil when it needed a 22.5 billion euro rescue barely a year after listing, Catalunya Banc has turned into the government’s most immediate problem.

Spain aborted its last attempt to sell Catalunya Banc in March when those interested - some of Spain’s healthier lenders - requested government-funded schemes to protect them against future losses, or other types of aid. Two financial sources familiar with the lender’s accounts said bidders have identified additional losses of between 3 billion and 4 billion euros at the bank due to souring loans to households and companies.

A spokeswoman for the bank denied it faced a 3 to 4 billion euro hole but said it had not conducted

analysis of projected losses under new provisioning rules.

For comparison, liquidating Catalunya would have cost 17.8 billion euros, the bank disclosed in a stock market filing this month. It has received 12 billion euros in state aid so far. The bank made a loss of 18.5 million euros in the first quarter of 2013 and its loans in arrears rose to 9.91 percent of outstanding loans at the end of March from 9.39 percent at end December. The average for the whole Spanish sector was 10.5 percent - compared to less than 7 percent in the euro-zone.

NCG Banco returned to profit in the same period, but its bad debt ratio grew to 14.4 percent at the end of March from 13.5 percent in December. I t has made some progress shedding assets, however, and is close to clinching the sale of parts of its branch networks outside Galicia, a source close to the bank said. —Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BUSINESS

Commodities slip on US monetary policy, China LONDON: Gold and copper prices fell yesterday and oil prices languished as the prospect of slower growth in China and the US central bank’s plans to rein in monetary stimulus worried investors.

Brent crude oil prices slipped below $100 a barrel to their lowest in three weeks, copper hit a near three-year low and gold fell more than 1 percent as investors turned to the safe haven of the US dollar. The US Federal Reserve has signaled it might rein in its quantitative easing policy while comments from the Chinese central bank have stoked fears it could keep money tight, slowing growth.

The United States and China are the world’s top two economies and biggest consumers of crude oil and copper so prices suffer if it looks

as though demand will slow. Gold is vulnerable to the prospect of rising interest rates. “There are two major focus points in the market at present the Fed reducing QE early, and uncertainties about what the latest spike in short term Chinese interest rates can lead to,” Saxo Bank vice president Ole Hansen said. “Both crude oils (are) stuck in ranges, with an expected pick-up in demand over the coming quarter together with geo-political worries supporting, while Fed and China pulls the other way,” he said. “Gold price action looks horrible.”

Waning appetite for higher risk assets prompted a drop in European stock markets after Asian shares slid to 9-1/2 month lows overnight, while the dollar index climbed. The Euro STOXX 50 Volatility index hit a four-month

high, signaling a sharp rise in risk aversion.

Spot gold was down 1 percent at $1,281.84 an ounce at 1032 GMT, taking its losses for the year to 23 percent, as fresh strength in the dollar added to pressure exerted by talk of an end to ultra-loose US monetary policy.

The Fed gave the clearest signal yet late last Wednesday that it was considering reining in its quantitative easing. The policy has benefited bullion in recent years by keeping interest rates at rock bottom and stoking inflation fears, and was a key factor sending gold prices to record highs in September 2011.

China’s central bank meanwhile fuelled concerns it could keep money tight, sparking a slowdown in growth, yesterday after it said liquidity in its financial system is at a “reasonable”

level. That came after interest rates for shortterm funds in China spiked last week.

Brent crude oil dropped to a low of $99.82 a barrel yesterday and was later flat at $100.94.

US oil was little changed at $93.62 a barrel.

“Given the grave concerns about the Chinese economy oil bulls are running for the exit,” oil broker PVM said in a note. “This week has not started in an upbeat mood and the chances of further misery are a real possibility unless the Chinese central bank quickly intervenes.”

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell to its lowest since July 2010 at $6,613 a ton, and was later down 2.4 percent at $6,656. The metal lost nearly 4 percent last week in its biggest weekly loss since mid-April.

Wheat prices eased and Chicago corn slid to a near one-week low yesterday while soybeans

dropped to the lowest since late May, weighed down by near-perfect growing conditions across the US grain belt.

Chicago Board of Trade new-crop December corn fell as low as $5.44-1/4 a bushel, the lowest since June 18. July wheat eased 0.9 percent to $6.91-3/4 a bushel after climbing to its highest since June 5 last week.

November soybeans eased 0.9 percent to $12.61-1/2 a bushel, having earlier hit their lowest since May 28.

Coffee and sugar rose and cocoa prices held steady, consolidating after last week’s sharp declines. July raw sugar on ICE was up 25 cents at 16.99 cents per lb. September arabica coffee futures on ICE were up 0.5 percent at $1.1985 per lb, while September cocoa futures were flat at $2,151 a ton. — Reuters

HUAIBEI: A stock investor reacts near a board displaying stock prices at a brokerage house in Huaibei in central China’s Anhui province yesterday. Global stock markets reeled yesterday with Shanghai’s index enduring its biggest loss in four years, after China allowed commercial lending rates to soar in a move analysts said was aimed at curbing a booming underground lending industry. —AP

Big farms set to lose in EU subsidy shake-up LUXEMBOURG: European Union negotiators gathered yesterday for talks to finalize reforms of the bloc’s 50 billion euro-a-year farm policy that could remove almost half of the subsidies now given to some of its largest grain and livestock producers. Many of the proposals are meant to make the 50-year-old common agricultural policy (CAP) more fair and environmentally friendly, to justify the huge sums paid to farmers each year.

But critics say EU politicians plan to reverse some of the progress made in previous CAP reforms and the proposals could harm Europe’s food security. Representatives from EU governments, the European Parliament and the European Commission will hold two days of talks in Luxembourg to agree the likely shape of the reform, before reconvening in Brussels tomorrow to seek a final deal.

Some of the toughest issues in the reform were agreed by EU leaders in February, including the overall size of the farm budget and the share each country will receive. Agriculture will consume nearly 40 percent of the bloc’s 960 billion euro ($1.3 trillion) budget for 2014-2020 - the period covered by the reform - ensuring it remains the biggest single item of EU expenditure. Europe’s biggest agricultural producer, France, will continue to scoop the largest share of CAP funds at around 8 billion euros a year, followed by Spain and Germany each with about 6 billion annually. But there are many areas where governments and the other EU institutions have yet to reach an accord.

Some governments want to water down moves to harmonize subsidy payments based on the current size of holdings, rather than on historical production levels as at present. The present system disproportionately benefits those who in the years 2000-2002 had the largest output, for

example industrial-scale grain producers in France’s Paris basin.

The change could see the subsidies paid to some of Europe’s biggest grain and livestock farmers cut by up to 40 percent, EU officials said.

“This is a major issue for some governments.

You’re talking about taking money away from some farmers and giving it to others, which politically is very sensitive,” said one EU official involved in the talks.

As a result, France is leading a push to let governments continue linking up to 13 percent of total subsidies to output, which some opponents say goes against the spirit of recent reforms.

Governments oppose a mandatory cap on annual payments to individual farms of 300,000 euros, which would also see the biggest and most efficient producers lose out. The limit is backed by the European Parliament and the Commission.

There is disagreement over the deadline for abolishing EU sugar production quotas, blamed for pushing up domestic prices and limiting European sugar exports due to global trade rules.

The Commission proposed an end to quotas in 2015, while governments would prefer 2017 and the parliament 2020. EU officials involved in the talks say a compromise of 2017 or 2018 is the most likely outcome, depending on the precise conditions.

All three institutions have agreed that 30 percent of future direct subsidies should be conditional on farmers taking steps to improve their environmental performance. But they disagree on the precise measures and sanctions for noncompliance. Governments and MEPs want to weaken the Commission’s proposal that farmers should leave 7 percent of their land fallow. Farm groups have warned that the move could hit Europe’s food production.—Reuters

Essar Energy expects Indian demand rise MUMBAI: Essar Energy Plc said it expects another strong year, backed by continued improvement in refining margins and higher demand from its core Indian market, sending shares up as much as 4 percent. The Londonlisted power, oil and gas arm of privately owned Indian conglomerate Essar Group, forecast demand for diesel to rise as much as 7 percent, and gasoline as much as 5 percent, annually in India.

Diesel, which accounts for a third of the country’s fuel use, powers small- to mediumsized generators to run air-conditioners and makes up for low hydro power output in the dry season.

When the monsoon rains hit, the lower demand for power use and irrigation leaves India refiners with plenty to export. “Vadinar is one of the lowest cost refineries in the world (more so with the depreciation of the Indian rupee), therefore it benefits from the option to redirect product to the international market,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Laura Webster said.

Essar Energy said it expects refining margins at its Vadinar refinery in the western Indian state of Gujarat to run about $7 to $8 per barrel above the International Energy Agency’s Singapore benchmark. Margins at the refinery rose 79 percent to $7.96 per barrel for the year ended March 31.

“We believe that refining margins globally will remain at current levels, or maybe, as we come closer to the third quarter, will strengthen

a bit-that will have a very positive impact on our business,” Chief Executive Naresh Nayyar said on a post-earnings call.

Essar Energy said 59 percent of Vadinar’s full-year output, which is mostly sold in India, was middle distillates-diesel, gasoil, jet fuel and kerosene, up from 43 percent a year earlier.

“The recent steps taken by the Government of India to reduce the heavy subsidy of retail diesel prices are encouraging,” Essar Energy said in a statement. “As current subsidies are removed, and retail sales become profitable, there will be an opportunity for Essar Oil to expand its franchise network of around 1,400 retail fuel outlets.”

Earlier this year, the Indian government said state-run fuel retailers would be responsible for diesel pricing, though with the government still retaining some control, a change from the previous system where the cabinet set prices.

Essar Energy yesterday reported betterthan-expected full-year earnings as increasing capacity at its Vadinar and Stanlow oil refineries pushed up margins. Margins at Essar Energy’s Stanlow refinery in Britain more than doubled to $7.38 per barrel. This year, 61 percent of Vadinar’s full-year output came from the use of cheaper, higher-margin ultra heavy crude, compared to 19 percent a year earlier. Essar Energy said earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization, on a current price basis, was $1.34 billion in the year ended March 31, compared with a company-provided analysts’ estimate of $1.17 billion. —Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BUSINESS

Fantasy World goes live on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 KUWAIT: In line with its mission to pursue more growth opportunities, leading Kuwait-based toy retailer, Fantasy World implements Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, an end-to-end effective enterprise resource planning ‘ERP’ system. Fantasy World is the first company in Toy Retail business in Kuwait to implement Microsoft AX 2012 across all stores for end-to-end retail operations.

Microsoft Dynamics AX is the comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for midsize and large organizations. With Dynamics AX, Microsoft provides a long-term solution that will take Fantasy World into a new era of technology. The solution will be instrumental in streamlining business processes in addition to improving efficiency in operations.

Salim Kumar, Director-Shared Services said “A major reason why we chose Microsoft over competing solutions is because it offers a solution that

meets our requirements. As an organization we feel elevated to a different platform, which will be a launch pad to take off to the next level. We felt that with the right tools, there were opportunities for growth that we could take advantage of.

We believed that the implementation consultants have an equal role in the successful implementation of any ERP system. In this context, we were lucky to be associated with Levtech Consulting and Headstart FZ LLC from Dubai who played a crucial role in guiding us through the implementation process and going live on time. We hope the integration of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 with our processes will be a milestone for Fantasy World and a turning point in our organization’s growth.”

Ehab Mostafa, Country Manager of Microsoft Kuwait, stated, “We are happy that Fantasy World is the first company in Kuwait to implement Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 through Levtech

Consulting. Businesses today need access to a comprehensive ERP solution that can support management and board decisions with objective data analysis and hard facts, thereby delivering greater productivity and enhanced efficiency. In such a scenario, Microsoft Dynamics AX is the ideal ERP solution that can provide Fantasy World with the scalability and flexibility to support growth and take control of performance.” “We were delighted to have been chosen by Fantasy World as the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 implementation partner, and are now glad to have successfully delivered the project as per plan, in four months. While every ERP project has challenges and bottlenecks, we worked closely with the team at Fantasy World to think through every process, plan project activities meticulously and deploy the solution in an optimized and scalable manner. We look forward to growing our relationship with

Fantasy World, and increasing our footprint across the regional retail industry,” added Manjunath T R, Managing Director, Levtech Consulting.

Levtech Consulting delivers missioncritical business solutions which support dynamic organizational growth and help businesses streamline operations and build process efficiencies with the help of Microsoft Dynamics. In partnership with associate company, Headstart FZ LLC, Levtech Consulting has built niche retail domain skills and technical expertise to deploy solution for the retail industry, and has a specialized retail team of over 25 consultants. With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Microsoft is redefining how business solutions empower people for greater success, predict potential issues and opportunities, and enable organizations to expand the possibilities for competitive advantage. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail delivers integrated business

processes, optimized inventories, greater customer responsiveness and better decision-making for Fantasy World.

Ehab Mostafa

Putin beefs up Kremlin control over economy Ulyukayev moves to Economy Ministry

LAHORE: A Pakistani farmer fills bags with sun flower seeds at a field in Lahore yesterday. — AFP

Barroso lashes out at France over EU role BRUSSELS: European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday compared France’s Socialist leaders to the far-right in a war of words just days ahead of an EU summit where the increasingly bitter spat is set to be a major talking point. In a blunt reply to criticism from Paris that reflects growing tensions in a European Union still struggling to recover from a devastating economic crisis, Barroso also accused France of using Europe as a “scapegoat” for troubles at home. “It would be good if some politicians understood that they will not get very far by attacking Europe and trying to turn it into a scapegoat for their problems,” Barroso said, stressing that he had been willfully misunderstood by critics.

“Some left-wing nationalists have exactly the same views as the far right,” he said in a scathing riposte to comments by French Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg who had accused Barroso of fuelling the rise of the far right. The Commission also said in a statement that French leaders should defend Europe “against nationalism, populism and jingoism” instead of “attacking globalisation.”

The row has its roots in France’s bid to protect the European film and television industry from Hollywood dominance by stalling free-trade talks with the United States, but has escalated into a broader dispute over the European project.

Barroso had branded France’s move to block the historic trade talks as “reactionary,” igniting fury in Paris. President Francois Hollande said he simply did not believe that Barroso could have made the comment while his Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said the remarks were “absolutely lamentable”. Hollande last month publicly warned the Commission it could not dic-

tate France’s economic policies.

Commission officials say the French sniping is unfair because they only implement the policies that EU member states agree on and which France was instrumental in creating. Europe is “paralysed,” Montebourg told France Inter radio. “It does not respond to any aspirations of the people on the industrial front, on the economic front, on the budget front, and in the end that plays into the hands of all the ... anti-Europe parties in the EU,” he said. “Mr Barroso is the fuel of the National Front,” he said, referring to the French far-right party that scored strongly in a by-election on Sunday that was narrowly won by the main centre-right opposition.

“I think the main cause of the rise of the National Front is related to the way in which the EU today exerts considerable pressure on democratically elected governments,” he said.

But European Commissioner Michel Barnier, also a Frenchman, rubbished Montebourg’s claims as “false and absurd.”

“I’ve had it up to here with this and I say that with a degree of anger,” Barnier said yesterday. “I’ve had enough of hearing ministers in my country, politicians from left and right, saying that it is all somebody else’s fault.”

The dispute comes at a highly sensitive time for the EU. The Dutch government said on Friday that the time of “an ever closer union” in Europe is over, laying out a list of policy areas that it said should be left to member states rather than Brussels.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has also called for powers to be wrested back from the European Union and for Britain’s future membership to be put to a referendum. — AFP

LISBON: Aires Margarido, 67, a former postal worker retired since 1998, posing in Seixal, outskirts of Lisbon. At the time of his retirement, his “good pension” was around 1,100 euros a month, now it is only about 800 euros. His wife, a former telecommunications worker, receives a monthly pension of 700 euros. — AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Andrei Belousov yesterday as his economic adviser, beefing up his Kremlin staff with an advocate of greater state action to revive the weak economy. Belousov takes the place of Elvira Nabiullina, who has taken charge at the central bank, in a staff rotation that enhances the influence of interventionists and further sidelines liberals who advocate a more marketoriented approach. “ The reshuffle could be interpreted as strengthening the axes of economic power around President Putin,” said Ivan Tchakarov, chief Russia economist at investment bank Renaissance Capital.

In Russia, economic policy is typically the preserve of the government, and not the Kremlin.

Yet, a year into his third term as president, Putin has taken increasing strategic control, relegating Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to a technical role. As economy minister, Belousov has come under fire from the liberal policy establishment for calling for the state to determine bank lending rates, which he argues would unblock the flow of affordable credit to the economy.

Belousov was replaced by Alexei Ulyukayev, who is moving from the central bank after missing out on the top job there. Nabiullina formally assumed her role on Monday after a year as the Kremlin’s ‘chief economist’. At a meeting with Putin, Ulyukayev said the government’s primary task would be to avert an economic recession and ensure the government can fulfil its spending promises to Russians.

The job moves, flagged in advance, set the scene for a shift towards a more activist approach to managing Russia’s economy as policymakers seek to engineer a recovery at a time of still-high inflation.

“This is all being done to embark on a dynamic stimulus of economic growth,” said Julia Tsepliaeva, a Russia economist at BNP Paribas in Moscow.

Belousov, 54, advised Putin during the latter’s four-year term as prime minister - when Medvedev was president - helping put together an anti-crisis program to nurse Russia through the global financial and economic slump.

Nabiullina, regarded as more dovish than her inflation-fighting predecessor Sergei Ignatyev, has nonetheless ruled out a dash for growth and warned that monetary stimulus could end in a toxic combination of stagnation and inflation.

“The long-term impact would in all probability be negative - we could end up with stagflation,” Nabiullina, 49, told Reuters in an interview.

She did say that the central bank might cut interest rates in the third quarter of this year if inflation is clearly falling, but argued that for Russia to achieve higher rates of growth, deep structural reforms would be needed. These included cutting bureaucratic red tape and fighting state corruption.

As economy minister, Ulyukayev will be running Russia’s ‘ministry for growth’, which is known for taking a more expansionist view than he has advocated at the central bank.

The staff moves underscore the marginalization of the liberal economic establishment still

informally led by former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who quit in September 2011 in a row over public spending. Kudrin tweeted his support for Ulyukayev: “He is a good specialist with rich practical experience and deep theoretical background.” He did not comment on Belousov’s appointment.

Speculation persists, meanwhile, that Putin’s Group of 20 summit coordinator, Ksenia Yudayeva, will land a senior role at the central bank where she could bolster Nabiullina’s authority.

Yudayeva, interviewed by Reuters last week, declined to comment on her career plans. She did, however, back Nabiullina’s criticism of calls for a weaker ruble. — Reuters

MOSCOW: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (left) speaks with the newly appointed economy minister as they meet in Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow yesterday. Russian President Vladimir Putin reshuffled his top economic aides today in a move analysts said was aimed at giving the Kremlin more control to spend its way out of a looming recession. — AFP

German business sentiment up slightly FRANKFURT: Germany’s Ifo index of business sentiment rose slightly in June, suggesting the euro-zone’s largest economy remains on track for a return to stronger growth after a weak stretch.

The closely-watched index came in Monday at 105.9 points, up from 105.7 the month before and in line with analysts’ expectations.

Economists are monitoring Germany’s economy because it has been a key source of growth in the troubled 17-country euro currency union.

Member countries such as Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are struggling with heavy debt and recessions.

The euro-zone economy needs all the growth it can get; it shrank in the first quarter, the sixth consecutive quarterly decline. The European Central Bank says it expects a gradual recovery to set in during the second half of this year, but key indicators such as lending by banks to businesses remain weak.

Germany’s export-driven economy shrank by 0.7 percent in the last three months of 2012 and then expanded only 0.1 percent in the first quarter. It was held back by worries about the bailout of euro-zone member Cyprus and by political uncertainty in Italy, where a confused election result delayed the formation of a government.

Second quarter figures aren’t out until midAugust.

“The German economy seems to cruise along nice and steady, defying any growth concerns,” economist Carsten Brzeski at ING wrote in a research note to investors. Wage increases in an economy with low unemployment should keep consumers spending, he said, while the main risks are from stagnation in euro-zone trading partners and any sudden slowdown in key export market China.

Christian Schulz at Berenberg Bank said signs that the euro-zone might be leaving recession soon were positive for Germany. He cited yesterday’s jump in the Italian consumer confidence index. “Chances rise that Germany can benefit from its strong fundamentals for the rest of the year and beyond,” he wrote. — AP

Gold falls on stronger dollar, Fed outlook LONDON: Gold fell by about 1 percent yesterday, following last week’s 7 percent decline, hurt by a stronger dollar and due to worries over an early end to the US Federal Reserve’s stimulus program.

The metal sank back towards a three-year low hit last week in a sharp sell-off triggered when the Fed said it would cut back its monetary easing by mid-2014, which supported interest rates and therefore made gold comparatively less attractive. Spot gold lost 0.9 percent to $1,284.80 an ounce by 1351 GMT after its worst weekly performance last week since September 2011 pushed the price as low as $1,268.89. It is down 24 percent so far this year.

Comex gold futures for August delivery fell $7.50 to $1,284.50 an ounce. “Sentiment now is overwhelmingly negative towards anything except the dollar and it looks like it is going to stay that way,” Marex Spectron head of precious metals David Govett said.

“The only thing that is saving the market at the moment is that there isn’t that much business to be done anymore, the big sellers have been in already and there is no more selling around to push it lower,” he added. “I think we can consolidate between $1,270 and $1,310 for the time being.”

The dollar traded near its highest in nearly three weeks against a basket of currencies, bolstered by expectations the Fed was considering scaling back its $85 billion monthly bond purchases.

The Fed’s remarks helped push up the

benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield to its highest in almost two years at above 2.5 percent. Given that gold pays no interest, the rise in returns from US bonds and other markets is seen as a negative signal. Gold was also hurt as interest rates for short-term funds in China rose to extraordinary levels last week after big commercial banks held back on lending in the interbank market.

Goldman Sachs cut its year-end 2013 gold price forecast to $1,300 an ounce from $1,435. Hedge funds and money managers slashed their bullish bets in gold futures and options for a second consecutive week to the lowest level in a month, a report by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed. Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell a further 0.54 percent to 989.94 tons on Friday, the lowest in over four years.

Physical demand was muted in the world’s top two gold consumers, India and China, unlike mid-April when the drop in gold prices attracted a rush for the metal, pushing up premiums and tightening supplies.

Silver fell 1.6 percent to $19.76 an ounce, having reached a near-three year low of $19.35 last week. Investment bank UBS lowered its 2013 outlook for silver to $24 an ounce from $29 previously, saying it would be hit as sentiment towards gold sours and silver has no drivers of its own.

Platinum fell 1.4 percent to $1,355.99 an ounce and palladium was down 1.1 percent to $665.72 an ounce. — Reuters

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BUSINESS

Nissan named a top global green brand for this year DUBAI: Nissan has been named one of the world’s greenest brands for 2013 in Interbrand’s third annual Best Global Green Brands report. Noted for its leadership in zero emissions mobility with the Nissan LEAF 100 percent electric vehicle, Nissan was ranked fifth place overall out of 50 brands that were selected. Nissan moved up 16 positions from its 2012 showing and was named the “top riser” in this year’s report, which was released today by the leading brand consultant.

The Interbrand green brand report ranks brands based on a company’s environmental practices and customers’ perceptions. Automotive brands took four of the top five positions. Reaching the top ten in only its second year of being chosen for the Interbrand top green brands roster, Nissan rapidly improved on last year’s 21st place result.

Cited in this year’s report was the Nissan LEAF 100 percent electric vehi-

cle’s positive effect on perceptions of the brand, and an array of eco-friendly actions such as plans to cut vehicle weight by 15 percent starting in 2017, and Nissan’s collaboration with Daimler and Ford for the development of fuelcell cars to be launched by 2017. Nissan aims to contribute proactively to the sustainable development of mobility and society while seeking profitable growth.

Accordingly, one of the key pillars of Nissan’s corporate and environmental strategies is to maintain its leadership in electric vehicles. To that end, with over 65,000 100 percent electric Nissan LEAFs sold as of May 2013, it is the best-selling EV in history. This recognition as a top global green brand is another step forward in Nissan’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact and communicate proactively about its corporate activities and innovative products to consumers.

Tareq AbdulSalam, URC Chairman

Mohammed Ahmed Al-Saqqaf, URC Chief Executive Officer

Faisal M Sarkhou, KAMCO Acting CEO

URC completes KD60m bonds oversubscribed by KD28.9m KAMCO, Gulf Bank, Burgan Bank joint lead managers

FedEx unveils strategic buy in Southern Africa DUBAI: FedEx Corp announced that it has completed the first stage of a strategic acquisition by signing agreements to acquire the businesses operated by its current service provider Supaswift (Pty) Ltd in South Africa and four other countries, including:, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia, and is also in discussions to acquire Supaswift’s businesses in Botswana and Namibia.

These acquisitions will operate under the FedEx Express business unit and the transaction is subject to necessary regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Once the acquisition is completed, FedEx Express will have direct access across the seven markets to 39 facilities and will welcome approximately 1,000 of Supaswift’s team members, who will join the ranks of more than 300,000 FedEx team members globally. FedEx Express will then offer a complete suite of FedEx branded export, import and domestic solutions, connecting Southern Africa to more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, enhancing customers’ business flexibility and speed to market.

“The acquisition of Supaswift’s businesses, once closed, will provide customers with greater access to some of the world’s most rapidly growing economies,” said Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx Corp.

“It is an important step in our international growth strategy and further strengthens

our FedEx Express portfolio.”

Gerald P. Leary, President of FedEx Express Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa, added: “FedEx Express has been active in Africa since the early 1990’s, through a well-established network of Global Service Providers. This acquisition, once completed, will reaffirm our support to customers in this region.”

Africa is currently the world’s fastest growing continent. Over the next decade its GDP is expected to rise by an average of 6 percent a year. South Africa alone makes up 21 percent of Africa’s total GDP, and is home to most major businesses in this region. “We are joining one of the most admired companies and best places to work globally. The transaction, once closed, will put us in a solid position to meet the growing needs of our customers, representing a common commitment to offer an enhanced service portfolio and superior quality to both current and prospective customers,” said Andrew Lovell, Chief Executive Officer, Supaswift (Pty) Ltd. Supaswift started operations in South Africa in 1990. In 2005, Supaswift merged with MyExpress Pty Ltd, which had been offering FedEx Express international services in Southern Africa since 1991.

The integration of Supaswift’s businesses will commence once the transaction has been closed and is expected to be achieved gradually over a number of months.

Sri Lanka imports rise 5.7%, reversing drop COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s imports jumped nearly six percent in April, reversing a yearlong trend and indicating stronger domestic economic activity, the central bank said yesterday.

Lower interest rates and a stronger local currency encouraged imports in April while exports fell by 6.4 percent leaving a trade deficit of $825 million, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said.

However, the bank said the trade deficit in the first four months of this year was $$2.96 billion, less than the $3.47 billion in the corresponding period last year. The reducing trade deficit reflected the sharp contraction of expenditure on imports up to March, the bank said. However, imports in the month of April increased by 5.7 percent to $1.52 billion, the bank said.

“Indicating a strengthening of domestic

economic activity, expenditure on imports of all major categories recorded year-onyear increases in April,” the bank said. Last week, the government slapped a new 10 percent tax on gold imports which had surged following a decline in global prices.

Sri Lanka sharply raised import taxes on cars and luxury goods early last year amid a looming balance of payments crisis.

Exports fell 7.8 percent in the first four months of the year to $3.05 billion amid slow global demand for Sri Lankan clothing and processed food.

Sri Lanka spent $6.02 billion on imports in the first four months of the year, down from $6.78 billion in the corresponding period last year. The overall balance of payments improved thanks to Sri Lankans employed abroad sending home more money in the first four months year. —AFP

KUWAIT: United Real Estate Company (URC), the Middle East’s leading real estate development company has announced the successful completion of a KD60 million ($211.8 million) bond Issue which was oversubscribed by almost 50 percent.

KAMCO, Gulf Bank and Burgan Bank were the joint lead managers of the issue.

The five-year bond was rated investment grade BBB- with a positive outlook by Capital Intelligence and was issued in fixed and floating rate tranches of which, one will pay a fixed interest rate of 5.75 percent per annum, while the second tranche will pay a floating interest rate of 3.25 percent over the CBK discount rate, provided that the rate shall never exceed 1 percent per annum over the fixed rate for the fixed tranche.

Interest will be paid quarterly in arrears and the bond will mature in June 2018. Subscribing customers will enjoy a Kuwaiti dinar denominated fixed income investment opportunity which will deliver regular income in the form of quarterly coupon payments. Redemption of the bond will be upon maturity, at the end of the full five-year term.

The proceeds of the bond will be used to refinance the KD 40 million bond ending on June 22, 2013 and the remainder for general corporate purposes. Tariq Mohammed AbdulSalam, URC’s Chairman stated, “The appetite of the market to the URC Bond Issue and the oversubscription is a testament to URC’s strong financial credibility and

OneCampus goes global at Gulf education conference LONDON: ITS (International Turnkey Systems) Group, a leading technology solution provider for higher education institutions, will take its OneCampus university technology platform global today by presenting its benefits and cutting edge technology to leaders and education experts from the Middle East, Africa and around the world at the Gulf Education Conference and Exhibition in London. ITS is proud to sponsor the event for the 2nd time which will be held at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel.

ITS OneCampus is dedicated to providing a comprehensive solution that offers a suit of leading products from internationally acclaimed educational vendors. From efficient administration handling to downloading classroom lectures, OneCampus incorporates all aspects of an academic environment to suit both large and small educational establishments. Together with full support from ITS education specialists, OneCampus offers a fully integrated centrally operated and seamless solution.

“Over the past decade more than 633,500 students benefited from ITS products in universities all over the region,” said Hanny Alshazly, Head of Education Technology Solutions Commercial at ITS. “With ITS’ continuous improvement and growth, the number of students has increased to over quarter of a million in the past 12 months.”

The theme for this year ’s event is: Facilitation Innovation and Change Rethinking Higher Education in a Global and Digital Age: Issues, Implication and Opportunities. Notable dignitaries from organizations such as the UK Home Office, Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Alhambra USChamber of Commerce, Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and a number of leading UK and US universities will attend the event “The conference is an ideal platform for us to cooperate and share new ideas learn from each other. The event will enable us to discuss how universities and schools can implement OneCampus solutions and embrace the technology of the future such distance learning and teaching. Achieving such levels of interactivity will determine the competitiveness of universities going forward and will act as the catalyst for attracting students and educators alike,” he continued.

The event which kicks off today, will see Hanny Alshazly, along with Justin Diver, Senior Enterprises Sales at Talisma present their joint vision on Education across the MEA region and focus on student relationship management (CRM), is an important part of the OneCampus solution that plays an important role in assisting educational institutes in serving more requests and helping prospective students choose the right program and contacts With offices expanded over 23 countries serving more than 40 clients, ITS always strives to bring the best products to the region and gain 100 percent of client satisfaction.

sound management approach.” On the same note, URC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Saqqaf added, “We are very proud to be adding this successful transaction to our accomplishments. We are very pleased to partner with KAMCO, Gulf Bank and Burgan Bank to build a long standing, mutually beneficial relationship.

We would like to thank them for their efforts and also thank all regulatory agencies for their ongoing support and assistance.”

On his part, Faisal M Sarkhou, KAMCO’s Acting CEO stated, “The completion of this Bond issue is an important occasion for KAMCO as we are very proud of being a part of a bond issuance of this scale, not only at the level of our Company, but at the level of the local capital markets. KAMCO’s team enjoys an extensive experience in managing bond issuances, as we have successfully completed four bond issuances, raising KD266.5 million from investors since the beginning of 2012 until the first half of 2013, including completing the largest size and longest tenure corporate bond issuance in Kuwait’s modern history in December 2012.”

Sarkhou also added, “We at KAMCO have a firm interest in the development and support of the local bond and sukuk markets to achieve diversification in debt tools for the local companies, which in turn contributes to increasing the stability of the financial and investment environment in the local capital markets. We also hope to

have added value through this bond issuance by further reviving the local economy and retrieving confidence in investments within the real estate sector.”

Commenting on this transaction, Adrian Gostuski, Burgan Bank’s Group Chief Operating Officer said, “We are honored to be one of the Joint Lead Managers of this Bond Issue. This transaction reflects the level of trust and experience that Burgan Bank offers in this arena. We believe that a healthy debt capital market is needed for the development of Kuwait’s economy and the private sector. I would like to thank all participants for their support and contribution for the success of this issue, as well as the government entities and companies that are participating in the development of the local dept capital market.”

Michel A Accad, CEO at Gulf Bank added, “We are proud of the completion of this bond for URC. We are positive that this agreement is the start to future successful partnerships. The support we received from the local investment market proves the strength of United Real Estate Company and the local attractiveness of the bond. From Gulf Bank’s aspect, this issue is a great opportunity for our clients, and the success of this transaction reflects Gulf Bank’s reputation, whether from investment opportunities we offer clients, or from our experience and skills in the management and structuring of bonds.”

NBK’s Jawhara draw for KD250,000 prize today KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announces the three lucky winners in Al Jawhara weekly draws during the month of June. Today (Tuesday 25th of June 2013), NBK will hold the quarterly draw for the KD 250,000 Al-Jawhara grand prize.

NBK has re-launched Al-Jawhara account by offering customers more chances to win bigger prizes; KD 5,000 weekly, KD125,000 monthly and a grand prize of KD 250,000 quarterly.

Minor Fatima Ibrahim Abdulkareem Alibrahim, Laila Rafiq Mustafa Qadan and Mahmoud Hassan Mohammed Abdullah each won KD5,000. The winners expressed their gratitude and thanked NBK for its great services and promotions.

Al-Jawhara is one of Kuwait’s leading cash prize accounts offering numerous benefits to its customers. Not only is it an interest-free account with regular deposit and withdrawal privileges, it also entitles account holders to enter the weekly, monthly and quarterly Al-Jawhara draws. Each KD 50 in an Al-Jawhara account entitles the customer to one chance in any of the draws. All prizes are automatically credited to the winners’ accounts the day after the draw.

The more money held in Al-Jawhara account, the greater the chances of winning. Al-Jawhara account is available to both Kuwaitis and expats and can be opened at any of NBK’s branches in

Kuwait. For further information visit www.nbk.com , or call Hala Watani at 1801801.

Spike in US E&P spending can change global supply-demand balance: E&Y DUBAI: US oil and gas producers significantly increased exploration, development and acquisition spending in 2012 despite a 58 percent decline in after-tax profits that was largely driven by low natural gas prices, according to Ernst & Young’s US oil and gas reserves study. The study analyzes US upstream spending and performance data for the largest 50 companies based on 2012 end-of-year oil and gas reserve estimates. Total capital expenditures for the 50 companies reached $185.6b - the most in the study’s history. Largely due to increased tight oil and liquids activity, exploration spending reached $26.3b and development spending soared to $103.4b “The increased exploration and development spend we’re seeing in this year’s study speaks to the incredible opportunity unfolding in tight oil from shale formations and the high cost of developing these unconventional resources,” said Marcela Donadio, Americas Oil & Gas leader for the global Ernst & Young organization. “Everyone wants in and they are paying a premium to play.”

Impact on Middle East Increasing US production is impacting Middle Eastern players not only by reducing US import needs. It also changes the global supply-demand balance and its impact on oil prices. “Increased production and reduced cost originated by shale gas has contributed to the rise of new petrochemical production capacity in the US,” said Dr. Thorsten Ploss, MENA Oil & Gas Leader, Ernst & Young. “New feedstock cost advantaged capacities can reduce exports from the Middle East into the Americas. Middle Eastern producers will have to focus more on alternative markets which potentially yield lower profit margins.”

Capital expenditures Total 2012 capital expenditures rose by 20 percent compared to the prior year. The cost to find and develop new reserves surged to $45.03 per barrel or equivalent (boe) in 2012, reflecting not only the increased spending, but also the substantial downward revisions of natural gas reserves as a result of low natural gas prices.

Oil and gas reserves Tight oil developments and an increased focus on natural gas liquids contributed to a 45 percent surge in US oil/liquids reserves over the five-year study period. Extensions of existing reserves and discoveries of new reserves which have increased every year of the five-year study time period, reached 3.8 billion barrels in 2012. These strong additions helped fuel an oil production replacement rate of 258 percent in 2012. “For years, people said the industry would struggle to replace US oil reserves,” Donadio said. “The steady rise in extensions and discoveries as well as oil production replacement rates changes that story.” Depressed natural gas prices, however, resulted in substantial downward revisions to reserves and drove total gas reserves down 10 percent from 2011 to 2012. Despite production curtailments throughout much of 2012, gas production increased 4 percent.

Revenues and profits Although total US oil and gas production increased 7 percent in 2012, it could not compensate for the $26.4b in property impairments recorded due to low natural gas prices. These impairments, paired with a price-driven 3 percent decrease in revenues and increases in other costs, contributed to a 58 percent fall in after-tax profits for study companies.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

technology

Vodafone agrees $10bn Kabel Deutschland deal LONDON/FRANKFURT: Vodafone has agreed to buy Germany’s largest cable operator Kabel Deutschland for 7.7 billion euros ($10 billion), betting on TV and fixed-line services in its biggest deal since 2007.

Announcing its second major acquisition for a European fixed-line network in 12 months, Vodafone said it would pay 87 euros ($110) per share for the group to enable it to offer more competitive packages with TV, fixed-line and broadband services to its mobile customers.

The world’s second-largest mobile operator, following up its acquisition of Cable & Wireless Worldwide, is however paying a rich price for the German firm and its 8.5 million homes, which it considered buying before it went public in March 2010 at 22 euros per share.

One trader who asked not to be named said the offer, Vodafone’s biggest

since a 2007 Indian acquisition, valued Kabel Deutschland at 12 times enterprise value against 2013 core earnings, a 35 percent premium to the sector.

However, this falls to 8.5 times when taking into consideration the synergies Vodafone expects to extract. “ We believe this is a decent deal for Vodafone,” the trader said.

Shares in the group had been trading at 63 euros before Vodafone’s initial interest was reported in February.

The UK-based company was forced to raise its offer in the last week after John Malone’s Liberty Global entered the fray, forcing it to up the stakes or face losing ground toLiberty ’s own cable operator Unity Media and to Deutsche Telekom “German consumer and business demand for fast broadband and data services continues to grow substantially, as customers increasingly access TV, fixed and mobile

broadband ser vices from multiple devices,” Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said. “The combination of Vodafone Germany and Kabel Deutschland will greatly enhance our offerings in response to those needs.”

The board of Kabel Deutschland said it expected to recommend the offer to its shareholders, although some analysts thought Liberty Global could still return with a counter offer even though it would likely face high regulatory barriers. “The Vodafone offer has a bigger chance of succeeding over any potential offer from Liberty Global, as it will be in cash and will face no antitrust hurdles,” said a shareholder, who holds both Vodafone and Kabel Deutschland.

The investor declined to be named as it is his fund’s policy not to comment in public about separate stocks.

“There remains the possibility of a counter-offer from Liberty Global, how-

ever we believe Liberty’s appetite may be tempered by the significant regulatory risks of such a transaction,” analysts at JPMorgan said in a note.

The combination of Vodafone and Kabel Deutschland will result in a group with 11.5 billion euros of revenue in Germany, from 32.4 million mobile customers, 5 million broadband and 7.6 million TV customers.

Vodafone said it expected synergies from the deal to exceed an annual 300 million euros before integration costs, by the fourth full-year post completion.

Vodafone also believes there is the potential for revenue synergies of 1.5 billion euros from cross-selling products and improved customer loyalty.

Quad-play services have caught on rapidly in markets like France and Spain, where they have been pioneered by major local companies France Telecom and Telefonica.

Germany is still some way behind and buying Kabel Deutschland could allow Vodafone to steal a march on Deutsche Telekom, the traditional fixedline group.

Cable operators across Europe including Liberty Global, Ziggo, Kabel Deutschland and Virgin Media have been winning customers and investors with their offer of a combined package of TV, broadband and telephony services. Their cable lines, designed to deliver TV to homes, have been upgraded to carry voice calls and Internet at speeds often five times faster than competing services from the telcos.

Bundled offers have been snapped up by customers wanting to watch television on an array of devices from TVs, laptops and tablets. Vodafone shares were up 1.4 percent in early trading and Kabel Deutschland was up 1.8 percent at 86 euros. — Reuters

Boost for cars or bust?

Ethanol issue heats up Feverish lobbying campaign

SYDNEY: An office worker uses his mobile phone in front of the Sydney Opera House as he leaves Sydney’s CBD recently.

Australia shelves plans to store phone, Internet metadata CANBERRA: Australia’s government yesterday shelved plans to force phone and Internet companies to hold two years of phone call and email data following concerns raised by a parliamentary inquiry into telecommunications interception laws.

The move follows long-running criticism by privacy advocates in Australia, and comes in the aftermath of revelations in the United States, where spy agency contractor Edward Snowden exposed secret U.S. surveillance of vast amounts of Internet data under a programe known as Prism.

The government had wanted phone and Internet companies to hold metadata for two years to help fight criminal activity, but lawmakers on the telecommunications inquiry called for changes.

They said Internet browsing data should be excluded from the plans, and called for greater oversight of government agency access to telecommunications data by the ombudsmen and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus responded to the inquiry findings by delaying any changes until after the September 14 parliamentary election and only after further consultations. “ The government will not pursue a mandatory data retention regime at this

time and will await further advice,” Dreyfus said in a statement after the report was tabled.

Conservative opposition lawmakers, who are expected to win power in September, have raised concerns about surveillance of cloud server data stored in the United States, but are still likely to support the new laws in Australia if they take office. The influential Australian Greens Party, which holds the balance of power in the upper house, said the security and intelligence committee report reflected political and privacy concerns first raised last year about plans to collect and store the telephone and email data of all Australians. “This report refused to endorse data retention and condemned Government’s secretive approach,” said Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlum. The report did not specifically mention the Prism programme, as its hearings were completed before the Snowden revelations about Prism.

But the inquiry’s report did raise concerns about the wide number of Australian government agencies able to access private data, with 293,501 requests made in 2011-12 to access communications data without a warrant. — Reuters

HTC working on Windows Phone 8 Version of One NEW YORK: HTC Corporation is reportedly working on a Windows Phone 8 smartphone that will feature the same design language of its current flagship device HTC One, claimed a new report by Neowin.

The website citing sources said HTC is developing a Windows Phone running device that looks similar to the HTC One but not “completely identical” to it.

The Windows Phone device is expected to come with a display measuring around 45 inches and feature an aluminum body casing. It is also speculated that the handset will feature Beats Audio enhancements along with HTC UltraPixel camera.

The Beats Audio enhancement is used in the company’s high-end smartphone line-up such as HTC 8X and HTC One, while the HTC UltraPixel camera is used its flagship HTC One. Furthermore, the Windows Phone ver-

sion of HTC One will get GDR3 (General Distribution Release) update, which is rumored to bring support for 1080p display and quad-core processor on Windows Phone 8 operating system. However, if the device is expected to come with GDR3 update, than it is clear that the rumoured device will feature pretty impressive specs and will make its debut sometime later this year.

HTC One, which was first launched in February in New York City, is crafted with distinct zero-gap aluminum uni-body design and sports a gorgeous 4.7-inch full HD display with pixel density of 468 ppi. It is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor with 1.7 GHz clock speed paired with 2GB of RAM and operates on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system along with a completely renovated HTC Sense user interface.

TOKYO: Robot music band Z-Machines guitarist robot Mach performs with a dancer during the band’s first live event in Tokyo yesterday. Supervised by Japanese artists and creators, Z-Machines has been developed to realize the cutting edge party scene by featuring the guitarist robot with 78 fingers and 12 picks, a keyboard robot that can flash multi-layered beams from its eyes and a drummer robot with 21 sticks, enabling transcendental music performance. —AP

WASHINGTON: It’s a dilemma for drivers: Do they choose a gasoline that’s cheaper and cleaner even if, as opponents say, it could damage older cars and motorcycles? That’s the peril and promise of a high-ethanol blend of gasoline known as E15. The fuel contains 15 percent ethanol, well above the current 10 percent norm sold at most US gas stations.

The higher ethanol blend is currently sold in just fewer than two dozen stations in the Midwest, but could spread to other regions as the Obama administration considers whether to require more ethanol in gasoline.

As a result, there’s a feverish lobbying campaign by both oil and ethanol interests that has spread from Congress to the White House and the Supreme Court.

The American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s chief lobbying group, has asked the Supreme Court to block sales of E15. The court could decide as soon as yesterday whether to hear the ethanol case, which combines similar requests by groups representing refiners and car manufacturers. Putting fuel with up to 15 percent ethanol into older cars and trucks “could leave millions of consumers with broken down cars and high repair bills,” said Bob Greco, a senior API official who has met with the White House on ethanol issues. The ethanol industry counters that there have been no documented cases of engine breakdowns caused by the highethanol blend since limited sales of E15 began last year. “This is another example of oil companies unnecessarily scaring people, and it’s just flat-out wrong,” said Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol industry group.

The dispute over E15 is the latest flashpoint in a long-standing battle over the Renewable Fuel Standard, approved by Congress in 2005 and amended in 2007. The law requires refiners to blend increasing amounts of ethanol into gasoline each year as a way to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a 16.5 billion-gallon production requirement for ethanol and other gasoline alternatives this year, up from 15.2 billion gallons last year. By 2022, the law calls for more than double that amount.

Biofuel advocates and supporters in Congress say the law has helped create more than 400,000 jobs, revitalized rural economies and helped lower foreign oil imports by more than 30 percent while reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

But the oil industry, refiners and some environmental groups say the standard imposes an unnecessary economic burden on consumers.

Using automotive fuel that comes from corn also has significant consequences for agriculture, putting upward pressure on food prices, critics

say. “The ever increasing ethanol mandate has become unsustainable, causing a looming crisis for gasoline consumers,” said the API’s Greco.

“We’re at the point where refiners are being pressured to put unsafe levels of ethanol in gasoline, which could damage vehicles, harm consumers and wreak havoc on our economy.”

Along with the E15 court case, the API and refiners have swarmed Capitol Hill and the White House to try to have the current mandate waived or repealed.

Charles Drevna, president of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which represents refineries, accused the EPA of putting politics ahead of science.

An EPA official told Congress earlier this

Lawrence, Kan., was the first in the nation to offer E15 last year. But Zaremba said he had to stop selling the fuel this spring after his gasoline supplier, Phillips 66, told him he could no longer sell the E15 fuel from his regular black fuel hoses. The company said the aim was to distinguish E15 from other gasoline with less ethanol, but Zaremba said the real goal was to discourage use of E15. New pumps cost more than $100,000. The American Automobile Association, for now, sides with the oil industry.

The motoring club says the government should halt sales of E15 until additional testing allows ethanol producers and automakers to agree on which vehicles can safely use E15 while ensuring that consumers are adequately informed of risks.

KANSAS: This July 11, 2012, handout photo provided by the Renewable Fuels Association shows a Lawrence, Kansas, fueling station pump with various grades of fuel, including E15, which contains 5 percent more ethanol than the current 10 percent norm sold at most US gas stations. —AP month that the agency does not require use of E15, but believes it is safe for cars built since 2001. “The government is not saying ‘go ahead’ “ and put E15 in all cars, said Christopher Grundler, of the EPA’s director of the office of transportation and air quality. “The government is saying this is legal fuel to sell if the market demands it and there are people who wish to sell it.” Ethanol supporters say E15 is cheaper than conventional gasoline and offers similar mileage to E10, the version that is sold in most U.S. stations. Scott Zaremba, who owns a chain of gas stations in Kansas, scoffs at claims that E15 would damage older cars. “In the real world I’ve had zero problems” with engine breakdowns, said Zaremba, whose station in

A spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents 12 major car makers, said E15 gas is more corrosive and the EPA approved it before it could be fully tested. Older cars were “never designed to use E15,” spokeswoman Gloria Bergquist said. Use of the fuel over time could create significant engine problems, she said.

The API cites engine problems discovered during a study it commissioned last year, but the Energy Department called the research flawed and said it included engines with known durability issues. For now, E15 remains a regional anomaly. About 20 stations currently offer the fuel in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. —-AP

Big data from cheap phones BOSTON: At a computer in her office at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, epidemiologist Caroline Buckee points to a dot on a map of Kenya’s western highlands, representing one of the nation’s thousands of cell-phone towers. In the fight against malaria, Buckee explains, the data transmitted from this tower near the town of Kericho has been epidemiological gold.

When she and her colleagues studied the data, she found that people making calls or sending text messages originating at the Kericho tower were making 16 times more trips away from the area than the regional average. What’s more, they were three times more likely to visit a region northeast of Lake Victoria that records from the health ministry identified as a malaria hot spot.

The tower’s signal radius thus covered a significant waypoint for transmission of malaria, which can jump from human to human via mosquitoes. Satellite images revealed the likely culprit: a busy tea plantation that was probably full of migrant workers. The implication was clear, Buckee says. “There will be a ton of infected [people] there.”

This work is now feeding into a new set of predictive models she is

building. They show, for example, that even though malaria cases were seen at the tea plantation, taking steps to control malaria there would have less effect on the disease’s spread than concentrating those efforts at the source: Lake Victoria. That region has long been understood as a major center of malaria, but what hasn’t been available before is detailed information about the patterns of human travel there: how many people are coming and going, when they’re arriving and departing, which specific places they’re coming to, and which of those destinations attract the most people traveling on to new places.

Existing efforts to gather that kind of travel data are spotty at best; sometimes public-health workers literally count people at transportation hubs, Buckee says, or nurses in far-flung clinics ask newly diagnosed malaria victims where they’ve been recently. “At many border crossings in Africa, they keep little slips of paper-but the slips get lost, and nobody keeps track,” she says.

“We have abstractions and general models on travel patterns but haven’t been able to do this properly-ever.” The data mining will help inform the design of new measures that are likely to include cheap, tar-

geted campaigns of text messagesfor example, warning visitors entering the Kericho tower’s signal zone to use bed netting. And it will help officials choose where to focus mosquito control efforts in the malarial areas. “You don’t want to be spraying every puddle for mosquito larvae all the time. But if you know there is a ton of importation from a certain spot, you want to increase your control program at that spot,” Buckee says. “And now I can pinpoint where the importation of a disease is especially important.”

Buckee’s most recent study, published last year in Science and based on records from 15 million Kenyan phones, is a result of a collaboration with her husband, Nathan Eagle, who has been working to make sense of cell-phone data for more than a decade. In the mid-2000s, after getting attention for his work mining data from the phones of volunteers at MIT, Eagle started to get calls from mobile carriers asking for insight into questions like why customers canceled their phone plans.

Eagle began working with them.

And when the couple spent 18 months in Africa starting in 2006— Buckee was doing work on the genetics of the malaria parasite-he studied call data for various purpos-

es, trying to understand phenomena like ethnic divisions in Nairobi slums and the spread of cholera in Rwanda. Buckee’s results show what might be possible when the technology is turned on public-health problems. “This demonstrated ‘Yeah, we can really provide not just insight, but actually something that is actionable,’” says Eagle, now CEO of Jana, which runs mobile-phone surveys in the developing world.

“This really does work.”

That demonstration suggests how such data might be harnessed to build tools that health-care workers, governments, and others can use to detect and monitor epidemics, manage disasters, and optimize transportation systems.

Already, similar efforts are being directed toward goals as varied as understanding commuting patterns around Paris and managing festival crowds in Belgium. But mining phone records could be particularly useful in poor regions, where there’s often little or no other data-gathering infrastructure. “We are just at the start of using this data for these purposes,” says Vincent Blondel, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Louvain in Belgium and a leading researcher on data gleaned from cell phones. —MCT

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Sleeve Gastrectomy: Trend or responsibility?

What you have to know before doing this surgery!

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besity kills: life expectancy of a 20-year-old person with a BMI of 40 (for example 121kg/174cm tall) is 13 years shorter compared to a person of the same age with a normal BMI. Obesity is measured by body mass index or “BMI.” BMI is the weight in kg divided by squared meter height.

Surgery has been proven to be the most effective, and long lasting treatment for morbid obesity and its related conditions, and results in significant weight loss compared to slimming diets (“yo-yo” effect of weight regain) or intra-gastric balloons (weight regain after removal).

This new trend to do Sleeve Gastrectomy completely changes the person’s life and life expectancy. People are realizing that after surgical weight loss that they will enjoy a new quality of life. 96 percent of the patients are satisfied with their life and body changes. I remember a patient coming to my clinic in a wheelchair because her excess weight gave her knee problems which caused her difficulty walking. Eight months after the operation, she had lost 45 kg, and she could go walking with her children along the oceanfront. Her wheelchair was relegated into the garage.

Sleeve Gastrectomy is not a cosmetic surgery.

Of course it changes your silhouette, but the main goals of this operation are to reduce mortality risks due to obesity. People with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese, and have a 50 to100 percent increased risk of premature death compared to

individuals with a healthy weight, as well as an increased risk of developing more than 40 obesityrelated diseases (diabetes, heart disease, sleep problems, acidity reflux, high blood pressure, cancers...). Who is eligible for this surgery? Above a

BMI of 30, indications for surgery can be discussed depending on other diseases the person may have.

Obese people with diabetes are the best candidates for surgery because it may cure obesity and diabetes at the same time. Patients usually leave the hospital without any anti-diabetic medications.

How to be prepared for surgery? It is important to be involved in a weight loss management program driven by a multidisciplinary team, composed of different specialists with support groups. A team approach will help patients to lose weight by changing their habits, including the way they think about food. Depending on their BMI, some patients may not need surgery at all if they are given the support to stay motivated.

I recognize how difficult it is for people to decide to take the outrageous step of opting for obesity surgery. It is important to do a rigorous preoperative workup based on international guidelines. This will include gastroscopy, diet and nutrition counseling, psychological and lifestyle assessment. The various members of the team will support the patient through the different steps of the surgical route. Patient screening and selection before surgery and close follow-up after surgery are the keys to a successful outcome. . Having established a successful center of excellence for obesity surgery in France, I have learned that a team approach is necessary, paying special attention to nutritional and metabolic issues. Once the operation is finished, all the work is not done: the patient has to modify his unhealthy diet habits and make healthy changes including regular exercise.

Sometimes psychological follow-up is necessary because the image of the body is completely changed after surgery What are the different types of obesity opera-

tions? Sleeve gastrectomy is not the only operation but it is the most popular in Kuwait. There are also Gastric Bypass, Gastric Band, Duodenal Switch, and Gastric Plicature (investigational). What are the possible complications of Sleeve Gastrectomy? The risk of death for obese patients who do not have surgery is 89 percent higher than after surgery. The most important complication related to surgery is leaking (1- 3 percent). The management of such a problem is complex and takes time. Unlike with Gastric Bypass, the incidence of vitamin deficiencies is uncommon with Sleeve Gastrectomy, and there are no changes in bowel movements. Weight loss begins quickly after surgery and continues for 18 to 24 months. It may leave an excess of skin that may need to removed surgically after weight loss is complete. A patient once told me, “before the operation I was 165kg and I was like furniture in my home. My children saw me sitting in a chair all day, and when they wanted to be read a story or to go outside to play, they asked my husband. I was miserable and felt depressed. Today, after losing 55kg, I am now able to do a lot of activities with them”.

So in conclusion, if all the surgical options including risks, treatment plans before and after surgery, and follow up are clearly explained to the patient, and they are followed by a multidisciplinary team using international recommendations, then they may expect to succeed with obesity surgery.

Surgery helps to allow patients to enjoy a longer, healthier and happier life.

GROHE head of design Paul Flowers to sit on German design award jury German Design Council names 30 design experts

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Saudi declares new death from MERS virus RIYADH: A Saudi man has died from the MERS virus, bringing the kingdom’s death toll from the SARS-like infection to 34, the ministry of health said yesterday.

The ministry said on its website that new cases had also been recorded, especially in Eastern Province where most of the infections have occurred. The ministry said it had now recorded 66 cases of infection from the coronavirus MERS in the kingdom since the disease erupted last year. It said 34 of those who contracted the disease had died. The World Health Organization said on June 17 that 64 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease, dubbed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), had surfaced worldwide to date, including 38 deaths.

The virus is a member of the coronavirus

family, which includes the pathogen that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

SARS sparked global panic in 2003 after it jumped to humans from animals in Asia and killed some 800 people.

Like SARS, MERS appears to cause a lung infection, with patients suffering from fever, coughing and breathing difficulties. But it differs in that it also causes rapid kidney failure.

While most of the cases have been concentrated in Saudi Arabia, the MERS virus has also spread to neighboring Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Cases have also been found in France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Britain, although most of these patients had been transferred for care from the Middle East or had travelled to the Middle East and become ill after they returned, the WHO said. — AFP

Scientists warn against complacency on H7N9 LONDON: A new and deadly strain of bird flu that emerged in China in February but seems to have petered out in recent months could reappear later this year when the warm season comes to an end - and could spread internationally, scientists said yesterday.

A study by researchers in China and Hong Kong found only one human case of the H7N9 bird flu strain has been identified since early May. In the preceding months, the virus, which was unknown in humans until February, has infected more than 130 people in China and Taiwan, killing 37 of them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “ The warm season has now begun in China, and only one new laboratory-confirmed case of H7N9 in human beings has been identified since May 8, 2013,” the researchers wrote in a study published in The Lancet medical journal. But they added: “If H7N9 follows a similar pattern to H5N1, the epidemic could reappear in the autumn.”

H5N1 is another deadly strain of bird flu which emerged in 2003 and has since spread around the world. Latest WHO data on H5N1 show it has killed 375 of the 630 people confirmed as infected in the past 10 years. Many H5N1 cases have been in Egypt, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The researchers, from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Beijing and the University of Hong Kong, said the potential lull in H7N9 could offer health

officials the chance to properly discuss and plan ahead for the possibility of the flu’s return and wider spread.

This should include plans to build healthcare capacity in the region “in view of the possibility that H7N9 could spread beyond China’s borders,” they said.

Experts from the United Nations agency said last month the bird flu outbreak in China had cost the economy some $6.5 billion. In a second study published in the same journal, the researchers also found that while H7N9 flu has a lower risk of death than its muchfeared cousin H5N1, it has a higher fatality risk than the 2009 H1N1 flu which swept the world in 2009 and 2010 in a pandemic.

After analyzing data on hospital admissions, the team found that H5N1 bird flu had a fatality risk of around 60 percent for patients admitted to hospital - almost double that of the new H7N9 strain which has a death rate of about a third of those hospitalized with the infection.

Pandemic H1N1, often referred to as “swine flu”, killed 21 percent of those it infected who were taken into hospital, the researchers said. The team urged health officials and doctors not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the sharp drop off in H7N9 cases in recent weeks. “Continued vigilance and sustained intensive control efforts against the virus are need to minimize risk of human infection, which is greater than previously recognised,” they said. —Reuters

SINGAPORE: A group of people take photographs against the backdrop of the financial district of Singapore yesterday. Singapore woke up to clear blue skies yesterday thanks to favorable winds but Malaysia was still being suffocated by smog from forest fires in Indonesia, where cloud-seeding flights have produced little rain. — AFP

aul Flowers is used to his design creations being scrutinized by expert judges. Ever since he took charge of the GROHE in-house design team in 2005, the sanitary manufacturer has garnered some 150 design awards. On various occasions Grohe AG’s Senior Vice President Design has also made his expertise available to the organizers of international awards who appreciate having him on their panels of judges. For his latest assignment, he will join the 30-strong jury of the German Design Award. 2014 will see the third edition of the German Design Council’s premium prize which has firmly established itself as a major award scheme following the success seen in recent years.

prised of design experts from different disciplines who are drawn from business, science and the design industry. Their backgrounds are as varied as the diversified categories of the award, ranging from architecture and interior design to lifestyle and industrial design, from transportation to work-

place design. Each award discipline will be judged by a group of jury members who will pick up to ten “winners” per category. The “Gold Winner” for each disciplinewill subsequently be chosen by the full jury.

Design invites interaction Paul Flowers will join the group scrutinizing the entries for the “Interactive User Experience” category, which chimes very well with many aspects of the user-driven design philosophy of the GROHE Design Studio. All GROHE branded items - from mechanical and digital products to packaging and websites - are designed with a clear focus on user needs. “We want our designs to surprise and delight people and to invite interaction. Using our products should always be fun. And this is also something which I will be looking for in the entries.”

The GROHE Group comprises Grohe AG, Hemer, Joyou AG, Hamburg, (fully consolidated since 1 July 2011) and other subsidiaries in foreign markets. Grohe AG is Europe’s largest and the world’s leading provider of sanitary fittings under one brand. As a global brand for sanitary products and systems, GROHE relies on its brand values quality, technology, design and responsibility in order to be able to offer “Pure Freude an Wasser”.

Exciting contributions “I feel honored to have been selected for the jury by such a renowned design institution as the German Design Council,” says Paul Flowers. “This is an exciting project, seeing that this competition encompasses a wide range of designs from all areas of daily life. I particularly look forward to the entries for the Newcomer award which will provide us with a good overview of the design approach taken by a new generation of designers. This will certainly be a highlight for me.”

The jury for the German Design Award is com-

Frigid hospitals cloud North Korea’s picture of health PYONGYANG: In the lobby of Pyongyang’s maternity hospital, a government guide pauses during a tour, pointing down to an elaborate flower pattern glowing in buffed red and green marble. “One hundred and sixty-five tons of rare stones were used on the floor,” Mun Chang Un proudly tells the foreign visitors being offered an unusual glimpse inside.

He walks toward a row of tiny booths with mounted TVs, video cameras and ‘70s-style phones, explaining that the “high-tech” conferencing stations are used to protect mothers and newborns from visitors’ germs. Just a few floors upstairs, he says, a well-equipped breast cancer center was recently opened under new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It’s a rehearsed picture of health the reclusive government wants the outside world to see, complete with spotless granite corridors. But the reality of that image is clouded every time Mun takes a breath that explodes into icy wisps.

The hospital is so cold during this February visit, patients remain bundled in thick coats, gloves and scarves during exams, while nurses swish with every step as they hustle through the halls in white snow pants and matching puffer jackets. Mun himself wears big, furry teddy bear slippers.

The contrast raises one fundamental question: If there’s no heat in many parts of one of the country ’s best showcase hospitals in Pyongyang - where temperatures can plummet well below zero - what type of health care exists at small clinics in the rugged mountainous countryside where even government officials say electricity and running water are sometimes hard to find?

As with so much in North Korea, it’s difficult to know what the true overall picture of health really looks like beyond the face presented. Only a handful of foreign aid groups and UN agencies operate in the country, and none of them can move around freely. Some areas remain totally off limits.

Even in the gleaming capital, some health facilities appear to be a throwback to another time. Hulking machines and antiquated equipment in exam rooms could have arrived decades ago, when there was still a steady flow of medical supplies from the former Soviet Union.

The government also typically collects and analyzes health data, raising questions about accuracy and sampling methods. Some prominent foreign aid workers in Pyongyang say they were initially skeptical, but now trust the numbers after independent attempts to check their accuracy revealed similar results.

Yet even the Ministry of Public Health’s own recent reports reveal glimpses into a system where all is not well. More than one in four children under 5 years old suffer from stunted

growth due to a chronic lack of food; tuberculosis is raging within the country; infant death rates have jumped to levels higher than in the 1990s.

Foreign doctors, aid workers, North Korean defectors and various reports, such as a scathing 2010 assessment by Amnesty International, paint an even darker picture. They describe beer bottles used as IV drips and broken legs splinted with sticks instead of plaster. Amputations performed without anesthesia. Dirty needles reused. A husband holding up a candle while a doctor removes a fetus from his hemorrhaging wife. Surgeons operating with Soviet-era instruments with no heat or running water.

The health system has crumbled and languished over the past few decades amid deepening poverty and desolation. Government health spending ranks among the world’s lowest, with one World Health Organization estimate putting it at less than $1 per person in 2006. Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions have resulted in further isolation and years of crushing international sanctions, with the toughestever restrictions coming after the country’s third nuclear test in February. Humanitarian aid is not supposed to be affected, but health officials say the sanctions have made it difficult to import medicine and supplies.

Donors have also been reluctant to offer support amid rising tensions. The United Nations recently reported a desperate shortage of funds for its North Korea operation, resulting in a scarcity of drugs and vaccines for children and pregnant women. The country also lacks the basic health infrastructure and hygiene to reduce diarrhea and pneumonia, the two biggest child killers worldwide.

“Overall, it’s a stark contrast between Pyongyang - which is the window to the world for North Korea - and the rest of the country,” says Katharina Zellweger, who has traveled to every province during nearly two decades of humanitarian work. She routinely found clean facilities with old equipment, limited drugs and intermittent supplies of water and electricity.

“There is an extended health infrastructure across the whole country. The question is really how well does it function?”

Back at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, Mun, the facility’s director of foreign affairs, steps off an elevator with flickering lights and begins spitting facts about the newly built Breast Cancer Research Center. Here, it’s like being transported to a heated exam room in the US or Europe equipped with high-tech machines for mammograms, radiation and ultrasound.

Mun refuses to say how much this new addition cost, adding only that one X-ray machine totaled 700,000 euros, or $910,630, and that the late leader Kim Jong Il and his successor son spared

no expense. (Young Kim’s mother is rumored to have died from breast cancer, but when asked, a hospital official declined to answer). There was just one thing missing from the model health center: patients. A waiting room with rows of shiny chrome benches is deserted, while a lone nurse sits almost hidden behind a towering work station. Mun says 80 of the hospital’s 100 beds are full, but only one room shared by three women is shown.

“This morning there were many patients,” says Pak Hyang Sim, director of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging. “They were all diagnosed. That’s why it’s so empty now.” Defectors and aid workers say hospitals everywhere are often eerily vacant. Bad roads, a lack of transportation and no money make it impossible for many to access health centers. Medicine and care are supposed to be free. But in reality, everything has a price.

“There’s a saying in North Korea: If your relative has cancer then your entire family is ruined because everything will go to getting that medicine,” says Jeon, a 24-year-old defector in Seoul who fled North Korea five years ago and asked that only one name be used to safeguard her father still living across the border. “Some families who can’t afford the medicine have no choice but to watch their loved ones die.”

Despite the new center, breast cancer is far from the top of the list of health problems gripping the country, revealing a disconnect between where the government spends and what the people really need. Hunger remains perhaps the biggest health concern, with 16 million North Koreans - two-thirds of the population - not getting enough to eat. The resulting malnutrition exacerbates a range of health issues, from hijacking child brain development to maternal death.

In the famine of the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are believed to have died. The government launched a “let’s eat two meals a day” campaign, and people foraged for bark, roots and grasses, according to the Amnesty International report.

The period, known inside the country as the “arduous march,” left a devastating mark on its overall health despite food aid from the international community that continues today.

Child stunting rates remain high, at 28 percent nationally and 40 percent in the worst-hit isolated province of Ryanggang. North Korean men are up to 3 inches shorter than their South Korean counterparts, according to findings published two years ago by Daniel Schwekendiek, an economist at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. North Koreans also can expect to die around 12 years earlier than their southern neighbors. However, some say the outside world’s perceived picture of health may also be skewed. —AP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

MSD App to support Type 2 diabetics patients who fast during Ramadan MSD raises awareness of how to maintain healthy blood sugar levels KUWAIT: Recently MSD a leading pharmaceutical company, launched its diabetes awareness campaign, aimed at tackling the issue of Muslims with Type 2 diabetes who choose to fast during Ramadan.

Despite the serious health risks that fasting could pose to diabetics, research shows that more than 50 million people with diabetes continue to fast during Ramadan against the advice of healthcare professionals. As part of their initiative to understand the best ways to support diabetics who choose to fast, MSD undertook a study assessing 1,066 patients in 43 clinical centers across the Middle East.

Recognizing the critical role that healthcare professionals play in providing advice to diabetics who fast, in 2011 MSD launched a campaign to promote greater awareness, supporting diabetics that made the decision to fast. A big part of this awareness campaign, included the development of a new information kit specifically designed to give healthcare professionals further tools, to help them in supporting their diabetic patients in deciding whether they will fast.

The information kit which was based on a study that was published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, showed that patients with Type 2 Diabetes who chose to fast during Ramadan and were taking JANUVIA (sitagliptin) experi-

enced less hypoglycaemia than patients taking a sulphonylurea (SU). In addition, the relative risk of symptomatic hypoglycemia was significantly lower in patients treated with sitagliptin versus patients treated with SUs. In 2012, this campaign was further built upon with the introduction of an MSD commissioned cookbook, which was specifically designed for Arab diabetics, offering them healthier alternatives to the traditional Arab recipes they know and love. This year, as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting diabetics that choose to fast, MSD is introducing a new and innovative tool; the Ramadan App. Developed specifically for Apple devices, the app will offer patients immediate access to the information kit “Facts About Fasting” as well as providing them with an important tool, the blood sugar tracker, enabling fasting diabetics to record their glucose levels throughout the holy month, for discussion with their healthcare provider.

The app will also offer a Ramadan Calendar and prayer compass, as well as a tool that alerts users to the times of prayers. The App which will be accessible through the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is expected to support more than 20 percent of the population who already suffer from diabetes and can be downloaded for free

via iTunes App Store. Talking their decision to launch this app Mazen Altaruti, Managing Director of MSD Gulf said, “Hypoglycaemia is a condition that can greatly impact the lives of people with Type 2 Diabetes and a common problem faced by diabetics who fast. Diabetes can result in serious complications and even death when not properly managed. In fact it is estimated that in 2012, more than 1,000 Kuwaiti citizens died as a result of diabetes and its complications.

To be able to create an app that not only uniquely caters to the needs of fasting diabetics but also addresses the need to innovate and provide an option that is suitable to the needs of patients on the go, is something we are extremely proud of. If we are to truly start addressing the growing prevalence of diabetes in Kuwait, we must do more than simply raise awareness of the risks that uncontrolled diabetes can lead to be. This year by introducing this app we have gone a step further by providing a tool which will help patients and healthcare professionals in communicating with each other more effectively and significantly support physicians in providing their patients with educated advice on how to best manage this disease.”

Discussing the potential dangers that Kuwaiti diabetics could face when fasting please Mazen Al-Taruti, said, “For people

with Type 2 Diabetes, decreased food intake, increased exercise, along with certain diabetes medications, are well-known risk factors for hypoglycaemia. If left untreated, it can lead to serious medical problems including loss of consciousness, convulsions and seizures, which require emergency treatment.”

“Obesity, coupled with increased sedentary lifestyles and lower levels of physical activity are known to be the major reasons for the development and exacerbation of Type 2 Diabetes. With the Ramadan App, Kuwaiti diabetics will have a better opportunity to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, allowing them to better manage their weight and reduce the possibility of diabetes-related complications which obese diabetics are at increased risk of developing.” Al Taruti continued MSD’s study marks the first research conducted in the Middle East for people fasting during Ramadan and is a crucial part of the company’s philosophy that raising awareness can reduce the prevalence of serious diseases like diabetes.

Currently, more than 362,000 Kuwaiti citizens are thought to suffer from diabetes.

According to the latest IDF figures, if prevalence continues to increase at current rates, this figure will have almost doubled by 2030 to reach more than 648,000 citizens.

Pesticides tainting traditional China herbs: Greenpeace BEIJING: Traditional Chinese herbs are being contaminated with a toxic cocktail of pesticides that poses a threat to consumer health and the environment, campaign group Greenpeace said yesterday.

Some residue levels were hundreds of times higher than European Union food safety standards, according to tests carried out for a Greenpeace report “Chinese herbs: elixir of health or pesticides cocktail?”, the latest to focus on the harmful effects of China’s large-scale farming industry. “These test results expose the cracks in the current industrial agriculture system that is heavily reliant on toxic chemicals at the expense of human and environmental health,” said Greenpeace ecological farming campaigner Jing Wang. “Chinese herbs are trusted and used as food ingredients for healing purposes by millions of people around the world. They are an iconic part of our heritage we must preserve. Chinese herbs should heal, not harm people and must be pesticide free.”

Exposure to pesticide residue causes toxic chemicals to accumulate inside the body, leading to learning difficulties, hormone disruption and reproductive abnormalities, according to Greenpeace. The group sampled 65 herb products, finding 51 different types of pesticide residues. Twenty-six of the samples contained pesticides that are illegal in China. Some pesticides were found in “extremely high concentration”, with residues on the san qi flower 500 times over safety limits and on the honeysuckle more than 100 times over. The report follows an investigation by Greenpeace in April which revealed mountains of hazardous waste left from China’s huge phosphate fertiliser industry are polluting nearby communities and waters. China, the world’s top maker of phosphate fertiliser, has seen production more than double over the past decade to 20 million tons last year, leaving 300 million tons of a byproduct called phosphogypsum that can contain harmful substances.—AFP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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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

Announcements The Commercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored a ceremony for the Fahaheel National School held recently to honor outstanding students.

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.

Landmark Group to launch flagship Centrepoint and Homecentre stores at The Avenues

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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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trengthening its position as the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, Landmark Group announced yesterday that it will increase its Kuwait portfolio with the launch of its 9th Centrepoint and 5th HomeCentre store in Kuwait. Customers and patrons will soon benefit from the significant expansion and launch of the stores at the Avenues - The Mall which has a separate north entrance from 3rd Avenue.

Further underscoring the importance of Kuwait as one of Landmark Group’s fastest growing markets in the region, Saibal Basu, Chief Operating Officer, Landmark Group Kuwait said: “The expansion plan in 2013 reflects the strong response to our concept from locals, nationals and the expat population in Kuwait. With the new stores in Kuwait, we are expanding rapidly across the region, and are set to launch more stores before year end.”

“We are in full-swing getting our stores closer to our customers in Kuwait. The substantial investments earmarked for this expansion seal our commitment to be a leading player in the retail apparel industry in the country. Since our first store opened in November 1996, we have continued to grow. This year is an indication of our

strength and success in the market. Our growth is all due to valued customers who have continuously supported and trusted our brand and our products.”

“We have made major investments and are keen to offer good quality at reasonable prices to our customers.

Our new flagship stores are a one-stop shopping destination for the entire family” further concluded Basu.

The stores are customized in a way that captures the attention of local shoppers and their needs. Just like any other Centrepoint and HomeCentre store in other regions, the concepts will offer a huge variety of on-trend, good-quality, and affordable merchandise to their consumers in Kuwait.

To enhance the shopping experience, the Centrepoint and Homecentre store design in the Avenues has been adapted keeping in mind the fashion and style oriented consumer. As they are the largest stores in Kuwait, they feature several entrances as well as a broad entrance to offer convenience and ease of shopping. A leader in the Middle East retail industry, the Landmark Group has successfully established itself as a forerunner in providing high value for money to customers.

Sebamed-future kid

IMAX IMAX film program Tuesday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Tornado Alley 3D 10:30am, 6:30pm, 8:30pm Flight of Butterflies 3D 11:30am, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 5:30pm Wednesday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups To The Arctic 3D 10:30am Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 6:30pm, 9:30pm Flight of Butterflies 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm Journey to Mecca 5:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 8:30pm

In collaboration with the Future Kid Company, Sebmed recently sponsored a special ceremony to honor outstanding primary school kids. The ceremony included special games, numbers and performances that highly appealed to kids.

Voice of AUK’S blood drive

Thursday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 11:30am Tornado Alley 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D 6:30pm Friday: Fires of Kuwait 2:30pm Tornado Alley 3D 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm To The Arctic 3D 4:30pm, 7:30pm Flight of Butterflies 3D 6:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 9:30pm Saturday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 1:30pm, 8:30pm Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm To The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 6:30pm Born to be Wild 3D 3:30pm Journey to Mecca 4:30pm

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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he Voice of AUK, AUK’s official student newspaper, held its 7th Annual Blood Drive this year. The Kuwait Central Blood Bank set up a location on campus from 10 am to 5 pm in the multipurpose room, where 123 members of the AUK community we presented with an opportunity to donate blood.

Prior to the event, The Voice of AUK provided a registration booth for two days, in the Liberal Arts building, to encourage members of the AUK community to register to donate blood. They were provided with useful information about the donation process, such as criteria, tips for a successful donation, and

answers to frequently asked. As always, the Kuwait Central Blood Bank was invited to carry out the donations and provided a specialized team of doctors and nurses to ensure a smooth process.

On the day of the Blood Drive, the multi-purpose room was divided into several areas; a registration booth, where potential donors are required to complete a questionnaire and get registered into the system; a mini-physical test area, where blood tests were conducted by the Blood Bank staff to certify whether an individual’s blood is at the right hemoglobin level and thus determining final eligibility as well as their blood pressure levels; and the actual blood dona-

tion area. A segregated area for donating blood was made available to provide those who asked for privacy feel comfortable. Additionally, refreshments were available to donors to help revitalize themselves after the donation was complete, as some may experience drowsiness afterwards. Copies of the latest issue of the Voice of AUK issue were available for the donors to read while they were donating.

The idea of holding a blood drive was originally conceived by the AUK alumna, Dina El Zohairy, seven years ago, to raise awareness among the community about the importance of donating blood to help make it readily available for cancer,

trauma and post-surgical patients, wherever blood was needed.

The Voice of AUK is the university’s official student newspaper, operated exclusively by a student board in consultation with an AUK staff advisor. Issues are produced monthly and contain diverse sections such as News, Arts, Health & Science, Opinions/Editorials, and an Arabic Corner.

The Voice of AUK board members found the blood donation drive an excellent opportunity to recruit students as Voice members, particularly writers, and to increase the organization’s visibility on-campus and promote readership.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Al-Mulla International Exchange Company opens 5th branch in Hawally

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcccom for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. nnnnnnn

A

l-Mulla Exchange, the leading exchange company in Kuwait, inaugurated their 5th branch in Hawally on Friday, June 21, 2013. The latest branch in Hawally highlights the company’s commitment to making money remittances safer, more accessible and convenient for their customers.

A large gathering of customers, wellwishers and Al-Mulla Exchange officials attended the launch ceremony. The new branch, which is equipped with several service counters and focuses on both operational and aesthetic aspects is designed to provide personalized services for customers. The branch is located on the main Tunis Street in Hawally, in Building number 5, Shop 10 near GAD Restaurant.

Customers voiced their opinion that the opening of the fifth branch in Hawally is testimony of the demand and appreciation for the safe, secure, value

added and fast remittance services of AlMulla Exchange. As with other branches of Al-Mulla Exchange, the new branch in Hawally offers free insurance and loyalty points on every transaction, as well as SMS confirmation on delivery of remittances. Server to server transactions also ensures that the account of the beneficiary is credited within seconds in a most secured manner.

Since its inception in 2001, Al-Mulla Exchange has revolutionized the exchange industry in Kuwait through ongoing investments in technology and by offering innovative, customer-centric remittance solutions.

Besides making money transfer a quick, safe and relaxed experience for its customers, Kuwait’s premier exchange also offers the facility to send money from the comfort of one’s home or office through their online service.

Culinary quality, stellar service make The Regency’s catering services stand out

I

n a drive to expand it’s already widereaching services to discerning clientele and to serve better those clients requiring personalized service and international standards of quality, The Regency is developing its well respected catering services. Having recently won the contract to provide food and refreshments at the Pearl and Derwaza Lounge in Kuwait’s International Airport, the multi award-winning hotel is gearing up for the summer.

Whether catering for a family celebration, birthday, ladies’ tea party or extravagant supper, or treating hard working staff to a well deserved ghabqa during The Holy Month of Ramadan, The Regency’s team is ensures the complete success of events from start to finish.

Moreover, with over three decades of experience to its credit, The Regency is already caterer of choice to some of the most prestigious addresses in town, including innumerable diplomatic missions where it has provided tailor-made arrangements in addition to unparalleled choices of menus and competent service staff.

With the approach of Ramadan and Eid The Regency is of course, delighted

to provide private ghabqas at home, as well as in the hotel’s stunning ballrooms or in the beautiful beachside sanctuary of the Ladies’ Lounge. Of course, thanks to its Italian and Lebanese pastry chefs, the hotel is well known for its homemade Arabic sweets and irresistible European desserts, which always make a delightful - and popular - centre-piece of any family gathering during the Holy Month.

“Catering excellence is a key part of The Regency’s culinary repertoire” added Aurelio Giraudo, General Manager. “Our unmatched catering services give clients an opportunity to enjoy those same exemplary standards of fine food at home, as we offer within the hotel and Convention Centre”. “In addition to the unbeatable value, it is the quality of food and service that we provide that assures our reputation” he added. Indeed the reputation of The Regency has recently been further endorsed internationally by the double win at the World Travel Awards in Dubai where The Regency garnered not only ‘Kuwait’s Best Luxury Hotel’ award but also the title: ‘Kuwait’s Best Convention Hotel’.

Kozhikode District NRI Association (KDNA) office bearers

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resident - Zubair MM, Vice President (1)-Kalathil Abdurahiman, Vice President (2)-Santhosh Punathil, Vice President (3) -Azeez Thikkodi, General Secretary- Suresh Mathur, Treasurer-Sathian Varoonda, Secretary Organizing-K Ali Koya, Secretary Media-Asha Premraj, Secretay Arts & Culture- Ilyas Thottathil, Secretary Investment & Benefits-RN Shoukath Ali, Secretary Charity-Hakeem Villyapalli, Secretary Membership-Zaheer Alakkal, Secretary Web,IT & Data-Naser Thikkodi, Secretary Sports-Abdurahiman Naduvannur, Secretary Employment-Premraj Koroth, Secretary Academic-Praju TM.

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 OF 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

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

14:35 Border Security 15:05 Auction Hunters 15:30 Auction Kings 16:00 Ultimate Survival 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 Off The Hook: Extreme Catches 21:55 Off The Hook: Extreme Catches 22:25 Extreme Fishing 23:20 Moonshiners 00:15 Off The Hook: Extreme Catches 00:40 Off The Hook: Extreme Catches 01:10 Extreme Fishing

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

Empire Reign Of The Dinosaurs Great Planes Mystery Cars Mystery Cars Marine Corps Survival School Real Gangs Of New York Living With The Kombai Tribe What The Ancients Knew Real Gangs Of New York Legend Detectives Most Evil Mystery Cars Mystery Cars Real Gangs Of New York

14:20 Food Factory 14:45 Food Factory 15:10 Thunder Races 16:00 Nextworld 16:55 Mega World 17:45 Last Flight Of The Space Shuttle 18:35 The Gadget Show 19:00 How Tech Works 19:30 Scrapheap Challenge 20:20 Prototype This 21:10 Food Factory 21:35 Food Factory 22:00 Scrapheap Challenge 22:50 Stuck With Hackett 23:15 Stuck With Hackett 23:40 Food Factory 00:05 Food Factory 00:30 How Do They Do It? 01:00 Prototype This 01:50 Stuck With Hackett

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

American Pickers American Pickers American Pickers American Pickers American Pickers Ax Men Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Storage Wars Storage Wars American Pickers Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Storage Wars

OSN FIRST HD 14:00 C.S.I. 15:00 Glee 16:00 Emmerdale 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show

18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00

C.S.I. Royal Pains House Of Cards The Americans Banshee Greek Glee Banshee The Americans

03:00 Samantha Who? 03:30 Samantha Who? 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 Samantha Who? 09:30 Hot In Cleveland 10:00 Parks And Recreation 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 Samantha Who? 14:30 Parks And Recreation 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 All Of Us 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Last Man Standing 18:30 Raising Hope 19:00 Hot In Cleveland 19:30 Men At Work 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The New Normal 22:30 Out There 23:00 Brickleberry 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The New Normal 02:00 Out There 02:30 Brickleberry

05:15 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 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 Good Luck Charlie 10:40 A.N.T Farm 11:05 A.N.T Farm 11:25 Jessie 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 18:55 19:20 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35 00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35

That’s So Raven Austin And Ally Jessie Gravity Falls A.N.T. Farm 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 What Would Ryan Lochte Do? 17:30 What Would Ryan Lochte Do? 18:00 Married To Jonas 18:30 Married To Jonas 19:00 THS 20:00 Chasing The Saturdays 20:30 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 21:30 Playing With Fire 22:30 Fashion Police 23:30 Chelsea Lately 00:00 Scouted 00:55 Style Star 01:25 THS

03:05 Coastal Kitchen 03:30 Food Poker 04:15 Bargain Hunt 05:00 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish 05:25 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish 05:50 Cash In The Attic 06:35 Coastal Kitchen 07:00 Food Poker 07:45 Planet Cake 08:15 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 09:05 Bargain Hunt 09:50 Antiques Roadshow 10:45 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 11:30 MasterChef Australia 11:55 Come Dine With Me 12:45 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 13:10 Food Poker 13:55 Bargain Hunt 14:40 Cash In The Attic 15:25 Antiques Roadshow 16:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 17:55 The Hairy Bikers Come Home 18:50 Home Cooking Made Easy 19:20 New Scandinavian Cooking With Claus Meyer 19:45 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 MasterChef Australia 01:55 New Scandinavian Cooking With Claus Meyer 02:20 Cash In The Attic

03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:30

Andy Bates Street Feasts Food Wars Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Unique Eats Chopped Iron Chef America

06:10 Food Network Challenge 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 Red, Hot And Yummy 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 Red, Hot And Yummy 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 Red, Hot And Yummy 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 Food Wars 22:25 Food Wars 22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:40 Food Wars 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:20 Unwrapped 01:45 Food Wars

03:00 Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer-PG 05:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 07:00 Flower Girl-PG15 09:00 Water For Elephants-PG15 11:00 I Don’t Know How She Does It-PG15 13:00 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years-PG 14:45 Hugo-PG 17:00 Water For Elephants-PG15 19:00 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol-PG15 21:15 Chronicle-PG15 23:00 The Sitter-18 01:00 Another Earth-PG15

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

The Ides Of March-PG15 Deadly Hope-PG15 Crisis Point-PG15 12 Dates Of Christmas-PG15 The Big Year-PG Do No Harm-PG15 Crisis Point-PG15 Frankenweenie-PG 13-PG15 Albert Nobbs-18 Do No Harm-PG15 13-PG15

04:00 06:00 PG15 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:00

Arctic Blast-PG15 True Justice: Angel Of Death-

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

Raising Arizona-PG15 Gabe The Cupid Dog-PG15 Beethoven-FAM Scrooged-PG15 Gabe The Cupid Dog-PG15 Beethoven’s Second-PG Hard Breakers-18 The Angel’s Share-PG15 Extract-PG15 Hard Breakers-18

09:30 12:15 14:00 16:00 18:45 21:00 23:15 02:00

Neverland-PG15 A Kiss At Midnight-PG15 L’ Eleve Ducobu-PG15 Neverland-PG15 The Preacher’s Wife-PG15 Out Of Sight—PG15 Troy-18 Vincere-18

01:00 02:00 06:30 07:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:45 15:00 15:30 19:30 20:00 22:00

Trans World Sport PGA European Tour NRL Full Time PGA Tour PGA European Tour Weekly Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket 360 NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership PGA European Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Futbol Mundial British & Irish Lions Live PGA Tour

ATP Tennis Trans World Sport Futbol Mundial British and Irish Lions Tour ATP Tennis Live AFL Premiership Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket 360 NRL Full Time

01:00 Golfing World 02:00 International Rugby League 04:00 Trans World Sport 05:00 World Pool Masters 06:00 World Cup Of Pool 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 International Rugby League 10:00 Total Rugby 10:30 IRB Junior World Championship 12:30 IRB Junior World Championship 14:30 Golfing World 15:30 British & Irish Lions 17:30 AFL Premiership 20:00 Golfing World 21:00 NRL Premiership 23:00 Trans World Sport

01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 18:30 20:30 21:30 22:00 23:00

07:00 Planet Ocean-PG15 09:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15 11:00 The Wild Thornberrys Movie-PG 13:00 My Own Love Song-PG15 15:00 The Stool Pigeon-PG15 17:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15 19:00 Underground: The Julian Assange Story-PG15 21:00 We Need To Talk About Kevin18 23:00 Project X-18 01:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15

European Le Mans Series Motor Sports 2013 Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing NHL WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing WWE NXT Mobil 1 The Grid UIM Powerboat Champs UIM Powerboat Champs Motor Sports 2013 WWE NXT NHL NHL UFC The Ultimate Fighter Motor Sports 2013 Motor Sports 2013 UIM Powerboat Champs

MY OWN LOVE SONG ON OSN CINEMA

DUBAI: The critically acclaimed American thriller series Hannibal is one of the tastiest dramas to hit OSN Play, the region’s first online TV viewing platform, this month. After the unprecedented success of House of Cards and The Kennedys, which recently premiered on OSN Play, viewers can now enjoy back-to back episodes of NBC’s hit series, Hannibal from June 26th.

Viewers can also look forward to the first series by Brian McGreevy, Hemlock Grove, which is set to premiere exclusively on OSN Play in August after Eid. Hannibal Lector is an iconic figure that has been at the forefront of the horror genre for the last 25 years.

The series is based on characters featured in Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, and has been billed as one of most beautifully shot shows on network TV. Starring Hugh Dancy as Special Agent Will Graham, a gifted profiler and hunter of serial killers, and Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal focuses on the budding relationship between the two characters.

Hemlock Grove, set in a fictional town in Pennsylvania, explores the brutal murder of a teenage girl, which sparks the hunt for her killer. But in a town where everyone is hiding a secret, the monster could be anyone. Starring Famke Janssen and Penelope Mitchell this series will have viewers gripped to the edge of their seats.

Launched in March 2012, OSN Play is the region’s first online TV viewing platform, providing customers with added value, convenience and enjoyment from their OSN subscription. OSN Play is absolutely free for OSN subscribers and the networks exclusive deals with major studios including Warner Brothers, HBO and Disney guarantees viewers a line-up of the biggest and

Ip Man 2-PG15 Burden Of Evil-PG15 Soldiers Of Fortune-PG15 Ip Man 2-PG15 Boiler Room-PG15 Soldiers Of Fortune-PG15 Seconds Apart-PG15 Doom-18 Chain Letter-R Seconds Apart-PG15

01:00 IRB Junior Championship 03:00 International Rugby Union

HUGO ON OSN MOVIES HD

05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 10:30 12:30 15:30 16:00 16:30

By Alonso Duralde

I

don’t know why sometimes I get frightened,” as the old song says, and it’s tricky to recommend horror movies to other people, because what scares us is so very subjective.

You can take a critical stance on the performances or the editing or the cinematography or what have you, but when it comes to down to talking about something raising the hairs on the back of your neck or why you throw your hands in front of your eyes, it’s a very personal matter.

All of which to say, “The Conjuring” scared me more than any other movie in recent memory. I’ve been grossed out by gore, and jolted by cats jumping out of closets, yes, but this is something else entirely. For full-on fear and dread, the kind that makes you start squirming at the beginning of the scene, because you know someone’s about to open a door they shouldn’t, this movie starts creepy and maintains a hold on your spine for the next 112 minutes.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as married ghostbusters Lorraine and Ed Warren-she’s clairvoyant, he’s a Vatican-endorsed demonologist-and “The Conjuring” takes us into their case files for their creepiest assignment. (I rolled my eyes at the opening “Based on a true story” title card, since those are the five most abused words in movies outside of “Look out, we’ve got company!” But during the closing credits, we see pictures of the Warrens, and of the other real-life versions of the film’s characters.)

In 1971, trucker Roger Perron (Ron Livingston) moves into a rambling old Rhode Island country house with wife Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and their five daughters. Aficionados of haunted-house movies will pick up on the danger signs before the Perrons do: there’s a boarded-up basement, the dog refuses to come inside, the clocks all stop at the same time every day, and the youngest daughter suddenly has a new imaginary playmate.

“The Conjuring” doesn’t try to reinvent the tropes of horror movies, whether it’s ghosts or demons or exorcisms, but Fred Astaire didn’t invent tap-dancing, either. Director James Wan, whose “Insidious” felt like a loving homage to “Poltergeist,” comes into his own as a masterful manipulator of

best movies and series from Hollywood and beyond.

With OSN Play, viewers now have more control over when and how they watch their preferred shows either on TV, computer or laptop, the iPad or Android Tablets.

Currently, hundreds of hours of premium content and two sports live streaming channels are available for online viewing by OSN subscribers, with both an English and Arabic interface. Watch what you want, when you want -anytime, anywhere only on OSN Play!

audience tension.

We’ve seen these creaking floorboards and middle-ofthe-night unexplained events a thousand times before, but he knows just how to stage them for maximum effect. As just one example, the Perron daughters play a blindfolded version of hide and seek that leads to a sequence with Taylor that had me clawing at my armrest.

Wan is aided substantially by a talented cast that throws themselves into the material. Wilson (apparently borrowing Pete Campbell’s sideburns from this season of “Mad Men”) plays a man who knows his demons but also appreciates that this line of work takes a psychic toll on his wife; Farmiga, for her part, completely convinces as a woman whose abilities make her both powerful and vulnerable, thus making it all the more meaningful when she plunges herself into danger.

And after being saddled with that wretched 1999 remake of “The Haunting,” it’s a pleasure to see the talented Taylor scream her way through a really good horror movie for a change. Most thrillers stop being terrifying when their mysteries are revealed, but in the screenplay by Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes (“Whiteout,” “The Reaping”), the more we know, the more we dread. And again, one person’s edge-of-the-seat screamfest has another person checking their watch. As for me, I was screaming. Out loud. Which I generally don’t do in crowded theaters. — Reuters

Classifieds TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 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

66101542. (C 4447)

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

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 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

Nissan Tiida, 2011 model, silver color (1.8), hatch back, 60,000km, price KD 1,750/-. Contact: 66729295.

(C 4448) Mitsubishi ASX (Jeep), 2011 model, dark gray color, full options, 71,000 km, price KD 2,900/-. Contact: 50994848. (C 4449) 25-6-2013

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

1889988

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Pajero, 2007 model, single man driven, maintained by Mitsubishi, for immediate sale. Contact:

112

Prayer timings Fajr:

03:14

Shorook

04:50

Duhr:

11:50

Asr:

15:24

Maghrib:

18:51

Isha:

20:23

No: 15850

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

Airlines BBC QTR RJA PIA JZR JZR THY ETH GFA UAE ETD THY FDB RJA RBG MSR OMA QTR THY DHX FDB BAW KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR FDB UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD GFA MEA TMA UAE MSR THY KNE MEA KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR QTR FDB SVA KNE SYR RJA

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 25/6/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 644 AMMAN 239 SIALKOT 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 67 DUBAI 642 AMMAN 555 ALEXANDRIA 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 416 JAKARTA 555 ALEXANDRIA 1541 CAIRO 531 ASSIUT 53 DUBAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 406 BEIRUT 284 DHAKA 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 514 TEHRAN 352 COCHIN 561 SOHAG 165 DUBAI 503 LUXOR 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 472 JEDDAH 341 DAMASCUS 640 AMMAN

Time 00:05 00:05 00:30 01:05 00:20 00:40 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 02:50 03:10 03:10 03:15 03:15 03:20 03:30 04:35 05:10 05:50 06:30 06:15 07:25 06:35 06:20 06:25 06:40 07:45 08:25 08:50 09:00 09:15 09:20 09:30 10:40 10:55 12:00 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:20 09:45 08:15 07:50 07:55 13:40 08:05 12:00 11:35 7:40 13:45 13:50 14:30 14:35 15:50 15:55

QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL SVA GFA QTR FDB GFA AXB JAI RBG OMA FDB ABY MEA IRA MSR KLM ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA QTR JAI FDB AIC UAL FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR DLH JAI MSR THY JZR JZR

134 303 857 127 982 510 215 144 63 219 393 572 553 647 61 129 402 619 618 415 229 859 307 136 217 146 576 59 981 981 8057 166 788 674 562 786 546 618 1802 104 542 678 742 774 239 177 557 535 777 185 257 189 636 574 614 772 135 513

DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES RIYADH BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA MUSCAT DUBAI SHARJAH BEIRUT LAR ALEXANDRIA AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN DUBAI PARIS JEDDAH DUBAI AMMAN JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA DOHA CAIRO LONDON CAIRO MUSCAT DAMMAM RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH

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

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

Departure Flights on Tuesday 25/6/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 206 LAHORE 490 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 411 AMSTERDAM 44 DHAKA 502 LUXOR 240 SIALKOT 773 ISTANBUL 765 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 645 AMMAN 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 561 AMMAN 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 1801 CAIRO 302 ABU DHABI 604 ISFAHAN 101 LONDON 407 BEIRUT 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 556 ALEXANDRIA 776 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 223 DUBAI 611 CAIRO

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

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

THY KNE UAE FDB QTR KAC KNE FDB KAC SVA KAC JZR KAC SYR RJA JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR QTR FDB GFA JZR KAC AXB RBG JAI FDB ABY OMA KAC KAC MEA IRA MSR DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC QTR JAI JZR JZR KAC JZR

767 481 872 58 141 673 473 8058 617 501 773 188 741 342 641 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 511 216 982 184 266 145 64 220 134 283 394 554 571 62 120 648 343 351 403 618 607 171 415 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 205 147 575 554 1540 411 528

ISTANBUL TAIF DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI DOHA JEDDAH RIYADH DUBAI DAMMAM DAMASCUS AMMAN AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH MUSCAT CHENNAI KOCHI BEIRUT LAR LUXOR BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA CAIRO BANGKOK ASSIUT

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

34

stars CROSSWORD 231

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Your inner resources and emotions are accented. You can expect a sense of support and determination from those around you. You enjoy playing detective and you are able to ferret out information and all kinds of secrets. You are research-oriented and security minded. The boss or the customer may become much more interested in your talents today. With a shrewd and penetrating mind, you have great psychological instincts and are able to get at the causes beneath the surface of life. You enjoy mental effort and discipline.

You could be working long and hard with some project today. If you are a student now you will find your studies quite interesting. Your possessions give you great comfort and you think on ways to improve your surroundings.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Your work or career is in real harmony with the rest of your life. You could gain some insight from subordinates or young people that are around you this day. Outer circumstances are favorable and it should be easy for you to push onward with some important projects. Things seem almost magical in the way they work out for you now. This is a great time to get things accomplished. You demonstrate a good understanding to the needs of others and may often be called upon to do just that. This is a great time, when good fortune surrounds you. It is easy for you to make correct decisions, find the right path and move forward where your career is concerned. Use some fun form of exercise or sports to release any tensions—invite a friend.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. Indicating the most important performer or role.

5. An area of ground used for some particular purpose (such as building or farming).

12. (informal) Roused to anger.

15. A unit of length equal to 1760 yards.

16. Someone who negotiates (confers with others in order to reach a settlement).

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

18. English prelate noted for his pessimistic sermons and articles (1860-1954).

19. The location of something surrounded by other things.

20. State in northeastern India.

22. Power to control.

24. A small bottle that contains a drug (especially a sealed sterile container for injection by needle).

26. The work of caring for or attending to someone or something.

27. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

28. Genus of chiefly small rock-loving ferns.

29. Being ten more than one hundred forty.

30. Single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance.

31. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

35. Having a pattern of fretwork or latticework.

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

41. God of the earth.

42. A transuranic element.

43. Someone who is morally reprehensible.

45. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

47. Conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC).

52. A United Nations agency created to assist developing nations by loans guaranteed by member governments.

53. The largest continent with 60% of the earth's population.

54. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

55. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

56. A river that rises in central Germany and flows north to join the Elbe River.

59. A radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of radium.

60. A highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series).

61. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

62. A pale rose-colored variety of the ruby spinel.

64. A Hindu prince or king in India.

67. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.

69. An anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as guilt about surviving or reliving the trauma in dreams or numbness and lack of involvement with reality or recurrent thoughts and images.

72. (of reproduction) Not involving the fusion of male and female gametes reproduction".

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

77. Moths whose larvae are cutworms.

80. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

81. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and

yielding a yellow dye.

82. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.

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

DOWN 1. A smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure.

2. Infections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches.

3. (medicine) Chilly.

4. Enact or perform again.

5. A unit of pressure.

6. Disabled in the feet or legs.

7. Someone who has red hair.

8. With ease.

9. Unarmed feather palms of central and northern South America.

10. A brittle gray crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors.

11. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

12. An independent group of closely related Chadic languages spoken in the area between the Biu-Mandara and East Chadic languages.

13. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

14. Informal terms for a (young) woman.

21. A fraudulent business scheme.

23. A white or colorless vitreous insoluble solid (SiO2).

25. Soft white semisolid fat obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of the hog v 1.

32. Jordan's port.

33. (Norse mythology) An enormous wolf that was fathered by Loki and that killed Odin.

34. A port city in southwestern Iran.

36. Squash bugs.

37. (Greek mythology) The Titaness who was mother of Helios and Selene and Eos in ancient mythology.

38. Disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed.

40. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

44. Herb of the Pacific islands grown throughout the tropics for its edible root and in temperate areas as an ornamental for its large glossy leaves.

48. A deep bow.

49. Lying in the same plane.

50. Having the shape of a sphere or ball.

51. A member of an extinct North American Indian people who lived in the Pit river valley in northern California.

57. Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.

58. Experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness.

63. An ancient upright stone slab bearing markings.

65. A city in northern India.

66. Immense East Indian fruit resembling breadfruit of.

68. Pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance.

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

71. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

73. A tight-fitting headdress.

75. The bill in a restaurant.

78. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

79. Being one more than fifty.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

A lot of energy goes into getting things scheduled and planned now is the time to make a strong effort to ride the crest of the wave into fame and fortune or, at the least, success. It will be hard for you to do wrong, for all the cycles are working in your favor. Reflective and tactful, you are able to please others. Above all, you are forever charming and gracious, fascinating and mysterious. You could be in charge of coordinating groups or representing groups, perhaps to enlarging the volume of production. After the work is done, you are able to show your abilities at putting the feelings of a group into words and you may serve as a teacher or spokesperson. At home this evening you will find that friends share fun stories and laughter with you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your career decisions may suffer from a lack of self-discipline today. Perhaps your mental concentration is working in too many different directions. Perhaps by keeping a notepad handy, you can jot down the ideas and thoughts that come to you unrelated to work.

Eventually, your focus will be back and your work will not suffer for the distractions. Also, try being guided by a list for your work, as this will help cut back on the interruptions that you can create for yourself. Perhaps it is time for that vacation soon. Money and the ability to save or invest wisely are the measures of success for the day. Thinking about the future is a wise thing to do and financial planning is advised. Pay attention to the people that have the same goals as you.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a day to dress in those new clothes or carry through on some previously made plans. You are proud of your accomplishments and you are proud of the accomplishments that your loved ones have made. There are emotional beginnings and a feeling of a fresh start—perhaps the establishment of new habit patterns. Enjoy the progress you are making—you are in charge! This afternoon you may get caught up in someone’s captivating story. If you are encouraged to help, remember, a path is not always learned unless it is driven or experienced. You can, however, lend a listening ear. A sense of security is always uppermost in your mind and you will soon create a routine that will help you steadily see your finances increase.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You do not like making career decisions and you can get downright confused when it comes to making the right choice. You may enjoy working just to make the money and then having a part-time job at home to eventually take the place of your day job. This is a time to discipline your mind. Perhaps this is also a time to enroll in a continuing education class that will help to focus on just what it is you most enjoy—writing, drawing, advertising, repairing, cleaning, decorating and saving the best for last, catering. You could teach your most enjoyable work and talent and may even be surprised at the interest you have created. Pursue peaceful interests this evening. Helping someone else build self-confidence will help build up your own confidence.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) You have come a long way; you recognize the progress too. Someone could challenge you on a sensitive issue, resulting in a very intense discussion. You may touch upon very emotional parts of you and find yourself psychoanalyzing. Do not go overboard here—letting things work out may be the best method of action for now.

There are some new emotional understandings that may result in you starting a positive routine. You make your way through ideas, concepts and your ability to communicate and express them to others. You encourage students to try new things and become involved!

There is an emphasis on the importance of having reachable goals. There are some adventure possibilities coming up soon.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Perhaps there is a sense of the artificial or senseless today. Someone may come into your shop and be all interested in your product and then just leave as suddenly as they appeared. It is hard to understand but you are good to take the positive attitude and leave room for the possibility that the customer will return. It seems to be one of those days when the new is just not in your work for just now. Building relationships is a very good thing. You are gifted and even lucky when it comes to professional decisions, however.

Things usually manage to work out for you so taking little steps is advisable for now. This week has begun in strange ways but at home you find ways to enjoy yourself . . . Perhaps a fun family hotdog festival.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are riding a high in terms of taking advantage of the cycles in your life.

This may well be a high-water mark; however, this is also the beginning of a series of cycles in which you should begin to consolidate and tie down the advances you have already made. All of this will become clear soon. There is a change of direction for you, away from the material and glitter, toward inner needs and security. You will find that you are more concerned with maintaining and strengthening your position, rather than making a lot of noise. In summary, this is a kind of high-water mark in the social department. This time should be easy and filled with opportunities and friendships. Enjoy them. Be sure to set aside some prime time for your sweetheart this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) CAPRICORN You are a very forceful speaker and will communicate with great enthusiasm.

Words just flow—whether you have the attention of an audience, co-workers or authority figures. An emotional impact will bring the subject matter home to your listeners. As a born doer—everyone knows about your incredible drive to accomplish and achieve in life. Be careful not to allow others to take advantage of you. Your ambitions are backed by the will to get things done. You try hard and you push on toward whatever goals you have in mind—you are a good mentor. You pride yourself in the challenges that are presented in the workplace.

You may have a new interest in a new hobby—perhaps something you saw this last weekend has you inspired.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have to exercise self-discipline to make career progress today— apply a little temporary pressure. Fortunately, these days do not come often. You have an inner drive to be thorough and responsible in minute details—self-disciplined. You are learning to express yourself deliberately and not waste your words. You already have a natural sense of organization and come across as disciplined. With all this going for you, you could not help but achieve success. You may come across some unusual ways to help or care for others. A whirlwind romance is a strong possibility at this time. Take the opportunity this evening to relax with your feet up for at least fifteen minutes . . . Come on, you can do it—deep breath now—a little music may be helpful.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You may be unusually motivated or driven to move into new and unexpected directions. You could receive unexpected backing and, in general, your efforts are successful. You will reach new heights of originality today. New and unexpected emotions may come up as well. There is a burning zeal for humanitarian goals: what is best for the many, the community. With little patience for red tape and superficialities, you could insist on getting right to the heart of any question. This is a time when you may feel very passionate. Be careful not to allow your passion free reign and you will continue that road to success. You may find that a pay raise or promotion is likely soon. This is a good time for public relations—you will accomplish much.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

li fe s t y le F e a t u r e s

Lebanese singers Elissa and Wael Kfoury arrive for the 13eme Murex Díor Festival taking place at the Casino Du Liban, north of the capital Beirut, yesterday.

Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram

Egyptian actress Elham Shahin and Lebanese singer Maya Diab pose on the red carpet.

— AFP photos

Two young women smile with their Bascetta Stars during an Origami class.

undreds gathered in New York over the weekend for a convention celebrating origami, the ancient Asian art of paper folding, as the craft gains increasing recognition as serious art in the West. Animals, shapes, landscapes and spaceships constructed with astonishing intricacy were on display at OrigamiUSA, all fashioned entirely from uncut paper squares and without a drop of glue.

“We say the universe is flat and is contained in a square piece of paper. With paper you can do everything: the limit is the imagination,” explained Jorge Pardo, a self-taught origami artist. Pardo, a special guest at the convention, is the director of the Zaragoza School Origami Museum, which will open in December in northern Spain, where the West’s oldest origami association was founded six decades ago. It will be Europe’s first museum dedicated to the art.

A recent test run with temporary exhibits boasted 60,000

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visitors over three months, said Pardo, who specializes in “modulars,” such as his “flexball”: a hollow sphere with openings created using several sheets of paper formed into different geometric figures. The museum plans to feature works by current masters including Satoshi Kamiya of Japan, Robert Lang and Bernie Payton of the United States, and Dinh Giang of Vietnam-many of whose works were on display in New York.

Laura Rozenberg, a member of OrigamiUSA and publisher of “The Paper” magazine dedicated to the art, said the museum represents a major step in the trend towards creating “permanent exhibition spaces for the critical mass of exceptional work” that has accumulated. Origami, a term which comes from the Japanese words “ori” (folding) and “gami” (paper), has a home in Tokyo’s House of Origami museum.

But in the West, until now, exhibits have been temporary. In

obby “Blue” Bland, a distinguished singer who blended Southern blues and soul in songs such as “Turn on Your Love Light” and “Further On Up the Road,” died Sunday. He was 83. Rodd Bland said his father died due to complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tenn, home. He was surrounded by relatives. Bland was known as the “the Sinatra of the blues” and was heavily influenced by Nat King Cole, often record-

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In this Jan 15, 1992, file photo, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, left, receives his award for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from B.B. King during induction ceremonies in New York. — AP

ing with lavish arrangements to accompany his smooth vocals.

He even openly imitated Frank Sinatra on the “Two Steps From the Blues” album cover, standing in front of a building with a coat thrown over his shoulder.

“He brought a certain level of class to the blues genre,” said Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, son of legendary musician and producer Willie Mitchell. Bland was a contemporary of B.B. King’s, serving as

addition to the upcoming Spanish museum, Rozenberg, an Argentine who has lived in the United States for 15 years, is helping build an origami museum in Uruguay, slated to open in 2014.

New tech transforms an ancient art The art of folding figures dates back to the invention of paper in China in the first or second century and its arrival in Japan a few hundred years later. The first known book with folding instructions is the “Senbazuru Orikata,” published in Japan in 1797. Since then the art has come a long way, with a modern phase starting in the 1950s and evolving further in recent decades with the rise of computers and the Internet, explained Rozenberg. “In the 50s, people began to connect around the world, sending letters with models,” said the biologist and journalist, highlighting the role of Akira Yoshizawa.

the blues great’s valet and chauffer at one point, and was one of the last of the living connections to the roots of the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and was an influence on scores of young rock ‘n’ rollers. Born in Rosemark, Tenn., he moved to nearby Memphis as a teenager and became a founding member of the Beale Streeters, a group that also included King and Johnny Ace. Upon his induction, the Rock Hall of Fame noted Bland was “second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis’ Beale Street blues scene.”

After a stint in the Army, he recorded with producer Sam Phillips, who helped launch the careers of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, in the early 1950s with little to show for it. It wasn’t until later that decade Bland began to find success. He scored his first No. 1 on the R&B charts with “Further On Up the Road” in 1957 and it was around this time he got his nickname, taken from his song “Little Boy Blue” because his repertoire focused so closely on lovelorn subject matter. Beginning with “I’ll Take Care of You” in early 1960, Bland released a dozen R&B hits in a row. That string included “Turn On Your Love Light” in 1961.

Some of his best-known songs included “Call on Me” and “That’s the Way Love Is,” both released in 1963, and “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” in 1964. “Lead Me On,” another well-known song, breaks the listener’s heart with the opening lines: “You know how it feels, you understand/What it is to be a stranger, in this unfriendly land.” Bland wasn’t as well known as some of his contemporaries, but was no less an influential figure for early rock ‘n’ roll stars. Many of his songs, especially “Further On Up the Road” and “I Pity the Fool,” were recorded by young rockers, including David Bowie and Eric Clapton. “He’s always been the type of guy that if he could help you in any way, form or fashion, he would,” Rodd Bland said. — AP

Origami enthusiasts are divided between the “purists” who work exclusively from paper squares, without cuts or glue, and those who allow cutting and rectangular papers.

The computer has added a new dimension, with some artists using programs to design their creations. “This is a new stage, with some folders moving towards the super complex and others who want to return to simplicity without losing originality,” she said.

The technology has also opened new horizons for the art, including a scientific collaboration that has led to designs being applied to engineering. The art form has also spread to other fields, including occupational therapy and rehab therapy, in addition to its most popular and traditional role as a mental exercise that also helps children develop fine motor skills. — AFP

This undated publicity image released by Sony Legacy shows, from left, Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson from the band Earth, Wind & Fire. — AP

arth, Wind and Fire initially wanted to release its new album around the 2012 presidential election, but the band realized it wasn’t satisfied with the songs it created. “We have a lot more bells and whistles in place now and the record is better,” singer Philip Bailey said in a recent interview. “Now, Then & Forever,” the group’s first album in eight years, will be released Sept 10. Bailey said the band called co-founding member Larry Dunn and others to help produce its latest sound.

“I said, ‘Let’s go back to the drawing board,’” he recalled. “It’s a great representation of who Earth, Wind and Fire is now, but not departing from the classic sound.” “It doesn’t sound like we’re trying to be anyone other than Earth, Wind and Fire,” added bassist Verdine White. The band - which includes

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founder Maurice White and Ralph Johnson has worked on the album for two years. Its new single, “My Promise,” was released Monday and was co-written by Academy Award nominee and Grammy winner Siedah Garrett. Fans who pre-order the album will have their names put in the album packaging.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are currently on a tour. Bailey said he enjoys having his son, Philip Bailey Jr, on the road and as a writer and producer on the new album. “It’s a great experience to the say the least. I spend so much time away from my family and kids. (that this is) bonding like never before,” he said. “He has the same passion.”—AP

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

lifestyle F e a t u r e s

File picture shows Nepalese sherpa climbers posing after collecting garbage from the Everest clean-up expedition at Everest Base Camp. — AFP photos

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t is a traditional role using skills passed down through the generations, but young unskilled boys with no knowledge of the mountains are flocking to become porters in Nepal’s Himalayas. The lure of comparatively high wages is encouraging the teens to carry packs for tourists during the busy trekking season. But some experts say they are putting both themselves and climbers at risk.Wage hikes for porters, praised by unions and advocacy groups, mean treks through the Himalayas have now become a lucrative venture for Nepalese boys, some as young as 14.

“Friends who’ve done portering told me it’s a good way to earn money, so now I’m doing it too,” says 19-year-old Tendisha, who uses just one name, during a trek down from Everest Base Camp. “I didn’t know anything about the mountains before,” he adds. Porters traditionally carry food, safety equipment and camping gear, often trekking ahead of the group, setting up camp before the trekkers arrive, or staying behind to pack up.

Some of them are Sherpas, experienced mountaineers who guide climbers through the Himalayas.

In a profession that requires local knowledge about factors such as altitude and temperature, as well as basic medical skills for emergencies, lack of experience can endanger an expedition. And without expertise, the porters themselves are at risk of injury. “They’ve never carried anything in their lives,” says Jo Chaffer, a veteran guide and trekking company consultant

based in Nepal. “They have no knowledge of altitude, they have no mountain clothing, they have no mountain footwear. It’s not good for them, it’s not good for the clients, it’s not good for the trekking industry at all.” The porters however are unlikely to complain.

“They are out there to make good, quick money, and they also feel pressure to prove themselves, so they don’t object to poor conditions until several days into a trek when they’re seriously injured,” she adds. Companies are hiring the youngsters as urbanization and labor migration have drained many rural Himalayan trekking regions of the men who have traditionally worked as porters. In a report released last year, the UK-based advocacy group Porters’ Progress called Nepal’s portering trade an “industry in crisis”. Their research reveals that many men are leaving the mountains, and the country altogether, to seek higher wages as Nepal’s economy struggles to recover from a decade-long civil war that ended in 2006. More than a thousand Nepalese citizens migrate abroad each day looking for work.

Safe trekking may depend on foreigners With the exodus of experienced porters, traditional practices-such as eating garlic during an ascent to help mitigate the effects of altitude-are disappearing. “There used to be a tradition of older porters training younger porters,” says Chaffer. “But

now, the older porters are frustrated by the swaths of unskilled young men who go to the mountains-they don’t believe the younger guys are genuinely there to learn the trade,” she says.

Labor conditions for porters have long been a focus of advocacy groups in Nepal, where tourism is a leading industry and Himalayan trekking attracts an estimated 40 percent of the foreign visitors to the country each year.

Despite new minimum wage guarantees, some say the flood of young porters is being exploited. Alonzo Lyons, a US writer and mountaineer based in Nepal, says he has witnessed crews of young men carrying overloaded packs over treacherous terrain. “When I have asked porters out loud how much they are carrying, they all usually say 25 kilos,” Lyons says. “It’s only later when I ask again in private that they change it to 40, even 60 kilos. Then they admit they were encouraged by their employers to lie,” he says.

Dhiraj Tamang, 22, says he often carries 45-kilogramme packs during treks, without proper equipment such as walking sticks, and works alongside porters who know little of the hazards of mountaineering. “There’s no uniformity in terms of wages and the agencies don’t usually provide sufficient gear and equipment for us,” says Tamang, a porter for three years. “If it’s a trek with camping, things are likely to go wrong because you are talking about a huge logistical operation.” A porter’s minimum wage is around $8 a day, but trekking guide Sonam

An Indian archer counts the amount to be paid to another member of the club before he can collect his group’s arrows which made their target at an archery club in the north-eastern city of Shillong.—AFP photos

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An Indian man takes aim during an archery session at a club in the north-eastern city of Shillong.

Indian men examine shot arrows during an archery session.

very weekday afternoon in the picturesque Indian city of Shillong, dozens of men meet to play with bows and arrows, place bets and gamble, keeping a centuries-old tradition alive. The origins of the game, known simply as Siat Khnam or Shoot Arrow and played by men belonging to northeast India’s Khasi tribe, are unclear. Today, participants choose a twodigit number and place a bet on that number. The sum of their haul, if they win, depends on the amount they pay to participate in the game.

Everyone draws their bows and arrows and begins shooting. Arrows fly through the air, as each archer tries to strike the target, located about 50 meters (150 feet) from them. Only the arrows that stick to the target-a bamboo barrel-like structure are counted, not the ones that fall off. The arrows are counted and the last two digits of the number make up the winning bet, so if 285 arrows hit the target then whoever chose 85 wins.

If no one gets lucky, the money is added to the pool for the next game.

The game hit a rough patch during the 1950s and 1960s when local governments outlawed the practice. But officials eventually overturned the ban

File picture shows a Nepalese sherpa packing garbage.

Sherpa says that he has worked on crews where porters receive less than a third of that.

“The young guys who know less about the work also know less about their rights,” he says. With corruption and political instability still plaguing the country, there is little hope of better government monitoring or enforcement deep in the mountains. As a result, responsibility to make trekking safe might in part fall on foreign visitors themselves, Chaffer says. “Tourists coming to visit the Himalayas need to pay attention to their staff, talk with their porters, ask them about their lives,” she says.

“It not only makes for a pleasant, genuine experience in Nepal, but it can let them understand who is supporting them, and potentially alert them to danger.” In May, European climbers were involved in a brawl with a group of Sherpas who had been rigging up ropes for their clients on the upper reaches of Everest. The fight, essentially over climbing rights, shocked the mountaineering community and caused a damaging rift between Western climbers and their Nepalese guides. — AFP

Indian men remove arrows from the target during an archery session.

since the game was deemed much too popular and an important source of income for the archers involved. After it was legalized in October 1982, allowing bookies to buy licenses to gamble, its popularity returned. The game is played twice a day, every afternoon except on Sundays and public holidays.

India boasts a strong record of sporting success in archery and the country’s Hindu epics are packed with tales of princes famed for their prowess with a bow and arrow. In this remote corner of the country however, although some archers play in league tournaments organized by local clubs, most simply turn up for a good time, part of a sizeable herd devoted to carrying on an old tradition. — AFP

Indian bookies are served coffee and sweet bites as they work the phones to complete bets placed through-out the city.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

lifestyle F a s h i o n

A model gets her hair redone between designers, backstage at Hotel des Almadies, in Dakar, Senegal. — AP pho-

Models pose for a picture as they wait backstage ahead of the runway show of Dakar Fashion Week.

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cations from this practice,” Ly said.

Women often use prescription-strength corticosteroid creams to lighten their skin, she said. “When absorbed into the blood stream, corticosteroids pose serious risks, particularly for the heart,” she said. Skin cancer is also a potential side effect.

This year’s collections emphasized sleek minimalist designs, in forceful primary colors and jet blacks, with designs targeting international women. Models strutted in towering Louboutin platform pumps down a runway inside a luxurious nightclub.

The African designers showcasing their talents hailed Ndiaye’s public stance at the event, which ended on Sunday.

Sophie Nzinga Sy, a couturier educated at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York, was infuriated when she

ackstage at Dakar Fashion Week a group of young women squeeze into impossibly high heels while others sit still as make-up artists paint their eyelids a shining emerald color. All legs and cheekbones, the models are subject to the same pressures as their counterparts walking runways in London, Paris, and New York. And perhaps more. Like many women from the streets of Senegal, some fashion models in West Africa have bleached their skin, seeking to achieve a “cafÈ au lait” color regarded by some as the aesthetic ideal.

This year, however, Senegal’s marquee fashion event is making a stand against the damaging practice. “I am against it,” said Adama Ndiaye, better known as Adama Paris, who started the annual fashion fete in 2002. Ndiaye announced at the opening

of Dakar Fashion Week that she had banned any models using skin depigmentation cream from participating in the six-day event. A local newspaper, Sud Quotidian, claimed more than 60 percent of Senegalese women use skin bleaching products for non-medical reasons.

Women of all classes and education levels use these often unregulated skin creams. Well-heeled and unshod women across Senegal bare the tell-tale signs of long-term bleaching blotches of discolored skin on their arms and faces. “I’m trying to teach them to like themselves,” said Ndiaye of the naturaltoned models selected for this year’s show. Self-esteem is not the only issue at stake, according to dermatologist Fatoumata Ly. “In my practice, I see a huge number of women with compli-

Models wear creations of Emporio Armani men’s Spring-Summer 2014 collection part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy yesterday.

— AP/AFP photos

saw huge billboards promoting skin lightening products springing up around Dakar. “It was ridiculous,” she said of the blanched face used in the advertising campaign. “Our skin is something that we should value.”

Sidling nervously between hair and make-up stations, models also expressed their support for Ndiaye’s initiative. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Dorinex Mboumba. “It will discourage others from the practice.” “We don’t need to change the color of our skin to be beautiful.” For Ndiaye herself, the stand against skin bleaching largely boils down to aesthetics. “It’s not even pretty,” she said. “For me, it’s just a turn off.”— Reuters

Gucci Spring-Summer 2014

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

lifestyle F a s h i o n

Etro Menswear Spring-Summer 2014 collection

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HANEL reinforces its presence in Kuwait with the opening of a second boutique, in prestige mall, the Avenues.

Like the other CHANEL boutiques around the world, this boutique was designed by the celebrated New York based architect Peter Marino. Throughout, it recalls Mademoiselle Chanel’s declaration that “The most beautiful things are the simplest.”

Behind the impactful marble faÁade, the world of CHANEL

opens out over two floors and 505m≤ featuring the icons of the House perpetually reinterpreted by Karl Lagerfeld in his six Ready-to-Wear and accessories collections for the House each year. Pure lines are explored in a palette of the emblematic colors of the House, with white and beige marble floors and black carbon fiber walls punctuated by artworks by Peter Dayton and Robert Greene, as well as a coffee table by Ingrit Donat.

On the ground floor, clients are greeted by two spaces dedicated to accessories, as well as the shoe area which features a chandelier from Goossens, and a room dedicated to all the ranges of CHANEL watches, headlined by the PremiËre and J12, displayed alongside the Ultra collection of fine jewelry. A staircase leads to the first floor, where the refinement and cosiness of the private apartment of Mademoiselle Chanel at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris is recreated in two Ready-to-Wear

spaces where clients are welcomed by comfortable tweed sofas and private fitting rooms. Adjoining this area, an intimate room is devoted to the most precious accessories.

Luxury, elegance and modernity, the three elements that represent the very essence of the House, are brought together with perfect harmony at CHANEL’s boutique at Prestige Mall, The Avenues.

Gambling with bows and arrows in India

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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The bassist of US rock band Kiss Gene Simmons performs on stage during the Hellfest Heavy Music Festival in Clisson, western France. — AFP

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Workers chip away at the concrete laid as the plinth for a the Lion of Babylon, at the ancient archaeological site of Babylon, south of Baghdad, that was put in place during its renovation under Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein’s rule on May 19, 2013.— AFP photos

People walk through the Ishtar Gate at the ancient archaeological site of Babylon.

t ancient Babylon’s Ishtar Gate, Iraqi workers labor with a heavy saw, hammers, a chisel and crowbar to break up and remove a concrete slab that is hastening the structure’s decay. The concrete lies between the two long, towering walls of tan bricks decorated with processions of bulls and dragons that make up the more than 2,500-year-old Ishtar Gate, in what is now Iraq’s Babil province. The masonry slab was laid during the late dictator Saddam Hussein’s rule. Removing the concrete is deemed essential to preserving the Ishtar Gate at Babylon, which also served as the base for a later gate of the same name, the reassembled remains of which are now located in Germany.

In the 1980s, “there was a large intervention of modern masonry inserted behind the facades” of the Ishtar Gate, in addition to “changes in the terrain behind, and resurfacing of the base of the gate with concrete,” said Jeff Allen, field manager for the Future of Babylon project which is carrying out the work. All of those factors are accelerating “the rate of damage at the site, and decay, and what we’re doing at Ishtar Gate is trying to arrest or to slow down those mechanisms that are causing the gate to collapse,” Allen said.

Removing the concrete “will allow the ground to breathe and evaporate water, because at the present time... the water cannot escape, so it routes through the easiest direction to get to the surface,” which is through the gate itself, he said. The Future of Babylon project is a joint effort between the World Monuments Fund, which works to save key cultural heritage sites, and Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. The project’s original aim was to complete a management plan for Babylon, but it has been expanded to include restoration and conservation work at various parts of the site as well.

Babylon, one of the most famed cities of antiquity and now an important archaeological site, has a long history of damage and abuse. In addition to the concrete problem, modern work atop the Ishtar Gate directs rainwater down its front, causing erosion. And parts of the gate are riddled with modern bricks that will have to be removed and replaced with others that are historically accurate. In the past, people also removed original bricks from Babylon for use in construction elsewhere. —AFP

An Iraqi man walks past an image on a wall of the ancient archaeological site of Babylon, south of Baghdad.

Nik Wallenda walks without any harnesses or any safety precautions on a tightrope stretched across the Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon. — AFP

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ecord-breaking US daredevil Nik Wallenda hopes to make history again Sunday by walking across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, 1,500 feet above ground over the world-renowned landmark. Wallenda, who was the first person to walk across the Niagara Falls last year, will be rigged up with multiple cameras and microphones broadcasting the death-defying feat live around the world. And unlike the Niagara Falls walk, the 34-year-old will wear no safety harness for the stunt, likely to take him 25 minutes in searing temperatures over the famous tourist attraction.

At Niagara, Wallenda-who first walked the wire aged 2 — braved strong winds and heavy spray to walk on a cable suspended around 200 feet (60 meters) above North America’s biggest waterfall, on the US-Canada border. On Sunday he will step out into the void over six times higher-a height greater than that of the Empire State Building-with nothing but a twoinch (five-centimeter) thick steel wire between him and the rocky canyon bottom.

The walk is set to begin from around 6:00 pm Sunday (0100 GMT Monday), an hour or two before sunset over the Grand Canyon and will be broadcast live in 219 countries by the Discovery Channel, whose coverage will begin at 5:00 pm. On Saturday, organizers described conditions at the walk site, in a remote area at the eastern end of the Canyon, as “very windy.”

Wallenda has been planning the walk for about four years, homing in on a remote location at the eastern end of the mighty geological chasm, on land operated by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation.

He began final training in Florida weeks ago, boosting stamina by walking repeatedly along a 1,000-foot long rope, and using wind machines to simulate gusts of up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour. Sunday’s walk across 1,200 feet of rope could potentially be delayed in the unlikely event of winds of above 45 miles per hour, or if there was a risk of lightning. A new attempt could then be made the following day.

There will be a seven- to 10-second delay on the live broadcast. Wallenda, a seventh generation member of the Flying

Nik Wallenda speaks at a press conference after he crossed the Little Colorado River Gorge.

Wallendas circus family, said that as he steps out he will be thinking of his great-grandfather Karl Wallenda, who died in 1978 after falling from a tightrope.

He has trained for the worst, and said that-unlike his greatgrandfather, who had an injured collarbone and double hernia, and grabbed vainly for the wire before falling to his deathhe would be able to hold on if necessary. “It’s not like I just grab with my hands like people visualize. I wrap my legs round it, my hands round it, I hug that wire like a bear hug until help comes. I’ve got rescue teams that would be with me within a minute,” he said. That help would be in the form of rescue trolleys, which hang underneath the cable and could be rolled out in seconds on a winch system to Wallenda, clinging on for his life.—AFP