3rd Jul 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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SHAABAN 24, 1434 AH

Snowden’s options narrow as nations reject asylum

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Russian rocket explodes in Kazakhstan

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Lisicki and Radwanska star on day of understudies

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Morsi snubs ultimatum, army readies ‘roadmap’ President, Sisi in crisis talks • Brotherhood urges ‘martyrdom’

CAIRO: Opponents of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans and wave national flags in Tahrir Square yesterday. (Inset) A military helicopter flies over as a protestor waves a flag in Tahrir Square. (Inset right) A supporter of Morsi holds up his image during a rally outside Cairo University. — AP/AFP

69 Islamists jailed in UAE coup plot trial abuser of basic human rights,” said Nicholas McGeehan, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Today’s judgements mark yet another low point for the UAE’s worsening human rights record.” Alkarama, a Swiss-based Arab human rights group, called the verdicts politically driven and said they should be overturned. Amnesty International slammed the verdicts, saying the trial was “grossly unfair” and the charges were “bogus”.

“Not only do the defendants appear to have been targeted simply because of their views, but they have been convicted on bogus charges and denied the basic right to a fair trial,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

Continued on Page 15

Smooth Qatar handover rooted in ex-emir’s past Ex-PM loses QIA position DUBAI/DOHA: Qatar’s outgoing emir wanted to abdicate while he was still able to help his 33-year-old heir consolidate his authority, so ensuring minimal discord inside a family with a long record of palace intrigue. While no one other than outgoing emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani can know his full motivations, foremost among them appears to have been a need for stability in a dynasty that has ruled for more than 130 years. That is the picture of last week’s abdication that emerges from diplomats and others familiar with a country that during his rule rose from obscurity and relative poverty to global prominence in finance, diplomacy, sport and media.

Under the long planned handover, rare in a region where rulers usually die

in office, Sheikh Hamad, 61, stepped down following 18 years in office and made way for his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Sheikh Hamad, a forceful, independent-minded personality who now takes the title “Father Emir”, explained in an abdication speech that he wanted a new generation “with their innovative ideas and active energies” to take over.

Left unspoken were other, related priorities. The outgoing ruler has had kidney problems, and while the condition was not the reason for his decision, diplomats said, his continued ability to master Qatar’s complex dynastic politics will have been a factor in his thinking.

Hamad’s need for a smooth succession Continued on Page 15

CAIRO: Opponents of Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi poured onto the streets of Cairo yesterday to press their demand that he step down after the Islamist president snubbed an ultimatum from the army to agree to the “people’s demands” or face an imposed solution. Morsi and army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi have been locked in talks all day to “discuss the current crisis”, a military source said. Egypt’s military has drawn up a plan to suspend the Islamistbacked constitution, dissolve the Islamist-dominated legislature and set up an interim administration headed by the country’s chief justice if Morsi fails to reach a solution with his opponents by the end of today’s deadline, the state news agency later reported. The report yesterday provided the first details on the road map that the military has said it will implement if Morsi fails to meet its ultimatum.

Most businesses remained closed and very few cars were on the streets, as tensions soared ahead of today’s deadline, which the president’s supporters have condemned as a coup threat. Pro-Morsi demonstrators also massed in two parts of Cairo to defend the legitimacy of the president. Clashes erupted between Morsi supporters and opponents in the Cairo neighbourhoods of Giza and Helwan as well as in the northern province of Beheira away from the main rallies - leaving around 30 people injured, security officials said.

A senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood called on its supporters to be ready to sacrifice their lives to prevent an army takeover, recalling that hundreds had died during the 2011 revolution that ousted veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak. The main opposition coalition said it was ready to join the urgent talks on a negotiated transition called for by the army and named former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei as its chief negotiator.

Military sources earlier told Reuters that once a twoday deadline set by the head of the armed forces expires at 5 pm (1500 GMT) today, the military intended to install an interim council, composed mainly of civilians from different political groups and experienced technocrats, to run the country until an amended constitution was drafted within months. That would be followed by a new presidential election, but parliamentary polls would be delayed until strict conditions for selecting candidates were in force, they said.

Continued on Page 15

More prominent figures register Candidates call for participation • Convicted Fadhl flees

By B Izzak

Bahrain jails 8 Shiites ABU DHABI: Sixty-nine convicted coup plotters received jail terms of up to 10 years in the United Arab Emirates yesterday after a trial that targeted Islamists and drew criticism from human rights groups. Among those sentenced were academics, lawyers and members of prominent UAE families, including a cousin of the ruler of one of the seven emirates in the oil-rich federation, a longtime foe of Islamist groups seeking a role in politics and state affairs. Eight men were sentenced in absentia by the Federal Supreme Court to 15 years in prison, in a judgement rights groups said showed growing intolerance in the US-allied Gulf Arab country.

The government said the sentences could not be appealed. “These verdicts cement the UAE’s reputation as a serious

Max 47º Min 34º High Tide 07:25 & 21:25 Low Tide 01:16 & 15:01

DAR ES SALAAM: US President Barack Obama and former US President George W Bush pause for a moment of silence during a wreath laying ceremony yesterday to honor the victims of the US Embassy bombing. — AP

Obama joins Bush at Tanzania memorial DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican predecessor President George W Bush found common ground in Africa yesterday, honoring the victims of a terrorist attack in an unprecedented encounter a world away from home. The US presidents observed a moment of silence together at a monument to victims of the 1998 embassy bombing here in the east African city where Bush coincidentally happened to be as Obama wrapped up a weeklong tour of the continent.

While the two leaders didn’t say anything publicly, their wives engaged in a warm and chatty joint appearance at a summit on African women. Initially the two presidents weren’t even planning to meet while in town, but first lady Michelle Obama joked as she sat next to her pred-

ecessor: “They’re learning from us.”

The Obamas departed Africa for home shortly after crossing paths with the Bushes, who were hosting the summit promoting the role of African first ladies in bringing change to their countries. Bush ended up joining the current president for the wreath-laying ceremony honoring the Tanzanian victims of the simultaneous attacks at the US embassies here and in Kenya masterminded by Osama bin Laden. Both presidents have bin Laden in common. Bush’s two terms were tinged by the 9/11 terrorist attacks carried out in New York and Washington by bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network; Obama ordered the US military raid that ended with bin Laden’ death two years ago in Pakistan.

Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: More prominent figures registered for the polls yesterday including some members who were with the opposition and boycotted last December’s elections, as most candidates urged voters to head to the ballots on July 27. Former MPs Adnan Abdusamad, Mohammad Al-Abduljader, Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, Jaber AlMuhailbi and Duaij Al-Shemmari, a former member of the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), registered to run in the polls and urged the opposition to join.

Others included former members of the opposition Ahmad Al-Azemi, who was a member of the scrapped Feb 2012 assembly, Tarqi Al-Mutairi and Mohammad AlEnezi, who joined the opposition in boycotting the Dec 2012 election. Almost all those who registered yesterday, particularly those who had links with the opposition, said they decided to run in the election after last month’s constitutional court ruling which upheld the controversial amendment to the electoral law that reduced the number of candidates a voter can pick from a maximum of four to just one.

Continued on Page 15

Saudis extend amnesty for illegal expats RIYADH: Saudi Arabia yesterday extended by four more months an amnesty enabling illegal foreign workers to regularise their status or return home without prosecution. King Abdullah has ordered “extending the time limit” of the amnesty due to expire today until November, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. English-language daily Arab News said the amnesty would now expire on Nov 4. The ruler of the oil powerhouse had announced the amnesty on April 3, granting foreign workers a three-month grace period to regularise their residency or leave Saudi Arabia to avoid being jailed, fined or placed on a blacklist. Security forces will launch a widereaching campaign across the kingdom to crack down on illegal foreign workers once the amnesty has expired, the interior ministry warned.

The embassies of Asian countries from which most of the workers hail welcomed the extension. India’s embassy in Riyadh described the extension as a Continued on Page 15

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait hopeful of solution to Egypt crisis, says FM Senegalese delegation holds talks in Kuwait KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah yesterday expressed confidence the Egyptian people would resolve their problems noting this nation has a civilization dating to 7,000 years back. Egypt has succeeded in resolving crises and has emerged stronger, said Sheikh Sabah Khalid, at a news conference with the visit-

tion with the EU, due to high taxes on GCC products, the minister said the foreign ministers of the council member states were tasked to “make an assessment of the situation and file a report in this regard next November.” The joint action program is linked with the free trade accord and there is “some positive assessment of this program,” Sheikh Sabah Khalid said,

noted that the GCC had issued a statement urging the UNSC to “shoulder the responsibility” in shadow of continuing bombardment of Homs, “which warrants immediate cessation of the violence and the blood-shedding.”

On his talks with the visiting Senegalese minister, Sheikh Sabah Khalid said the eminent guest was honored earlier yesterday with a

KUNA: The Joint Higher Cooperation Committee between Kuwaiti and Senegalese governments held its first session headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad AlSabah and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Mankeur Ndiaye from the Senegalese side in Kuwait yesterday.—KUNA ing Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Mankeur Ndiaye. The foreign minister expressed hope that Egypt would succeed in strengthening security, stability and safety so it may restore its vital and constructive role on the Arab, Islamic, African and International arenas.

Asked whether Kuwait would ponder calling back its citizens from Egypt, the minister affirmed that following up on conditions of the Kuwaiti citizens abroad is among priorities of the ministry, noting that a decision in this respect should be taken upon recommendations of the ministry special panel, tasked with monitoring conditions in Egypt. The Kuwaiti embassy in Cairo is contact with the Kuwaitis there and the ambassador, Dr Rashid Al-Hamad, is coordinating with the special panel in this respect.

Joint program Asked on reports that the GCC states decided to suspend the joint program and free trade coopera-

expressing hope that cooperation would be pursued within framework of the program to reach a final agreement on the free trade.

Asked about reported call by the GCC on the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session to impose a no-fly zone in Syria about super powers’ seriousness toward the issue, he said the deteriorating situation in Syria has lured concern of the GCC and EU states “as we sensed during the meeting with their representatives in Manama last Sunday.”

The issue of Syria was a focal point in these talks with the Europeans, the minister said, adding that the two sides affirmed necessity of continuous action on the political track and peaceful transfer of authority. Elaborating, Sheikh Sabah Khalid said the two sides, during the talks in Manama, underscored necessity of thrashing out “details of the Geneva-2 (conference) and shift to setting date for the convention, in addition to the humanitarian aid to the Syrians in and outside Syria.” Moreover, he

meeting with HH the Amir, relaying greetings of the Senegalese president and affirming the aspirations to boosting cooperation with the State of Kuwait.

Sheikh Sabah Khalid added that he and the Senegalese minister, along with his accompanying delegation, held a meeting within framework of the KuwaitiSenegalese commission to discuss mutual cooperation and issues of point concern in the economic, political and cultural domains. He added that the two sides agreed on pursuing the coordination on various Arab and Islamic affairs, namely the Palestinian cause, Syria, Mali as well as preparations for the Arab summit due in Kuwait in November. Senegal opened an embassy in Kuwait in 1971 and Kuwait established a diplomatic mission in this African country in 1981. Sheikh Sabah Khalid praised Senegal’s support for Kuwait and participation in the alliance that liberated the country of the Iraqi occupation in 1991.He expressed hope to advance further the mutu-

al cooperation namely within framework of the third ArabAfrican summit and planned second session of the KuwaitiSenegalese commission, due in Dakar in 2014.

The Senegalese Minister expressed thanks for the warm reception and the great attention accorded to the Senegalese delegation, in addition to meeting HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, where they discussed ways to develop bilateral cooperation between the two countries and issues of common concern. The minister said he handed out a written message from President of Senegal Macky Sall to His Highness the Amir on strengthening relations of cooperation between the two countries and their peoples, in addition to an invitation for HH the Amir from Senegalese President to visit Senegal, saying HH the Amir has accepted the invitation where a date is to be determined through joint diplomatic channels. He explained that the Joint Committee is the first of its kind with Kuwait and represents a distinguished step in deepening relations of cooperation between the two countries, noting that since the opening of Senegal embassy in Kuwait and the opening of the Kuwait embassy in Dakar, relations have been progressing in the right direction towards the development of consultation on all issues and common interests, particularly in international organizations. He added that the positions of the two countries are almost identical concerning major issues especially on the Palestinian cause, supporting the struggle of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and the establishment of a free Palestinian state. He pointed out that the vision of the two countries also identical towards the situation in Syria, where both countries are within the Group of Friends of Syria, valuing the vital role played

by Kuwait in the Syrian crisis. The Senegalese Minister said that the first session of the Joint Higher Committee for Cooperation between the Government of the State of Kuwait and the Government of the Republic of Senegal has achieved what was hoped for of expectations, adding that his country looks forward to further bilateral cooperation in the second session of the Committee. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Deputy Chief of the National Guards Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah held talks yesterday with the visiting Director General of Public Security in Jordan, Lt Gen. Tawfiq Hamid Al-Tawalbeh on issues of common concern and means of boosting military cooperation. The talks also dealt with exchange of expertise and the distinctive ties binding the two countries.— KUNA

KUWAIT: The Jordanian delegation headed by General Security Director in Jordan General Tawfeeq Hamed Al-Tawlba paid a visit to Al-Othman house, and toured the house and saw contents which represent the Kuwaiti heritage and past of our fore fathers.

Cuban dancers enthrall audience KUWAIT: The Cuban folk dance and music group won the hearts of Kuwaitis, expatriates and diplomats alike with their skillful performance, rhythmic footwork, graceful body movement, music and thrilling light effects.

The pleasant cultural evening was organized by the Cuban Embassy in Kuwait in cooperation with National Council for Culture Arts and Literature at Dasman Theater.

The five male and five female artists enthralled the audience for more than one hour invoking continuous applause from the audience at the packed hall.

The presentation was titled “Flamenco Ecos.“ The Flamenco company was founded in 1999 in Havana, by a group of dancers and musicians whose musical roots can be traced to the Andalus region of Spain.

The main focus of the Ecos is the traditional art and its scenic expression though additional representation in tableau style was added to it in a more contemporary setting. The musical element, choreography and movements that are naturally evident in traditional Flamenco dance form have taken a different shape in the recent years. Ecos expresses its self in a perfect mix of a flamenco tradition and music and dance of Cuban origin.

—Photos of the event by Joseph Shagra

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

LOCAL

43 candidates enter poll fray on 6th day Scorching summer to add to election heat

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Ihasn Tahboub, who handed HH a letter from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas concerning bilateral relations and ways to develop them on various levels. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Up to 43 nominees for forthcoming parliamentary elections filed their nomination papers at the Ministr y of Interior Electoral Department yesterday, the sixth day for nomination for legislative seats.

The contestants are vying for seats in the National Assembly (parliament) in its 14th legislative term, due on July 27. Running in the first constituency were Khaled Issa Abdullah Al-Shatti, Adnan Sayed Abdul Samad Zahed, Mohammad Al-Hadiah and Yusuf BouAbbas. From the second constituency, the nominees were Duaij AlShemmari, Mubarak Al-Mutawaa, Mohammad Abdul-Gader and Mohammad Uwaid Rihan Al-Mutairi.

Contenders from the third district who delivered their registration documents yesterday were Ahmad Yusuf Ahmad Abdul Aziz Al-Mulaifi, Ahmad Abdul-Mohsen Turki Al-Mulaifi and Majed Jaber Hassoun Al-Enezi.

From the fourth constituency, the candidates were Bader Thani Jaber AlJassar, Bandar Saleh Thaher Al-Fuhaid, Eid Al-Rashidi, Jamal Al-Nesafi, Duwaim Al-Muwaizri, Saad Al-Rashidi,

Tarqi Al-Mutairi and Faisal AlMaimouni. Also contending from the fourth district were Mohammad AlEnezi, Mohammad Lafi Al-Azmi, Moahmmad Mefleh Al-Azmi, Mohammad Naif Al-Enezi, Mefreh Tahous Al-Otaibi and Nasser Metleg Dugheim.

Nominees for the fifth division were Ahmad Abdullah Saad Al-Azmi, Jaber Saad Al-Azmi, Humoud AlHamdan, Khaled Al-Obaidi, Khaled AlShemmari, Salem Muhailan Al-Hajeri, Saad Mohammad Mohsen Al-Enezi, Talag Fahad Hajjaj Al-Azmi, Thaher Besher Al-Enezi, Abdul-Aziz Al-Ansari, Omar Hudaiban, Awad Al-Rashidi and Eid Shuraim Al-Otaibi.

Also presenting their papers of candidacy for the fifth district were Fawaz Buhaish Hawash Al-Azmi, Faisal Hassan Reda Hussein, Faisal Al-Khaldi, Majed Al-Rashash Al-Mutairi, Mohammad Nasser Al-Dosari, Mujeb Al-Qahtani and Nasser Al-Shemmari.

The law allows the nominees to back down from the nomination seven days ahead of the balloting day, July 27. The MoI Electoral Department

Bader jaber Thani Al-Jassar

Bandar Saleh Al-Rashidi

Eid Shraim Al-Otaibi

Faisal Yasin Al-Khaldi

Mohammed Lafi Eid Al-Azmi

Mohammed Mefleh Al-Azmi

Mohammed Naser Al-Dousary

Mohammed Tana Al-Enezi

declared opening nomination registration for the elections as of June 27.

The grace period for delivering the papers expires on July 6.

Heated contest for seats in the National Assembly will be marked with scorching summer weather, particularly on the balloting day when the temperature is forecast to hit 50 degrees in shadow. Astronomer Adel Al-Saadoun said in a statement to KUNA yesterday that the weather in the coming period will be distinguished with high temperature in the Arab Peninsula.

The season is known by natives as “Bahourat Al-Saif.” As of next week, the temperature will hit record high levels, up to 50 degrees in the shade.

And, hot winds are forecast to blow as of July 23. Al-Saadoun noted that the upcoming elections will be the first polling process that would fall in the fasting month of Ramadan. Bi-elections had been held in 2000. He urged nominees and voters to abstain from direct exposure to sun light and called for necessary precautions at the ballot centers during the process. — KUNA

Khaled Ghazi Al-Shemmiri

Abdulaziz Hassan Al-Ansari

Al-Saqr skips elections, calls public to participate KUWAIT: Former MP Mohammad Al-Saqr announced his plans not to run for parliament in the upcoming elections on July 27, ending debate about whether the liberal figure could be targeting the speaker’s position that he lost in favor of top oppositionist Ahmad Al-Saadoun in the opposition-dominated 2012 parliament. However, Saqr indicated in a statement published yesterday that his decision does not mean that he is boycotting the elections, but that he chose to stay away in order to “maintain friendships with families of second constituency candidates rather than contest in a heated electoral race”. Saqr clarified that his decision also does not mean that he is retiring from political work. He urged voters to participate in the upcoming elections and honor the Constitutional Court’s ruling on June 16 which upheld the controversial single-vote system.

Saqr’s decision narrows the list of potential candidates for the speaker’s post, with favorites including Ali Al-Rashed who was the speaker of the second parliament to be elected in 2012 and later scrapped by a court ruling, as well as Abdullah Al-

Roumi, who was the deputy speaker in the first 2012 parliament. Fifth constituency candidate Nasser AlMerri who was elected in last December’s elections announced meanwhile that he plans to run for speakership if elected under claims of freeing the key post from “domination of certain families and [urban] areas”.

Meanwhile, Al-Qabas reported yesterday quoting sources within the fifth constituency that tribal communities there are preparing to hold consultative meetings this week in order to nominate candidates to represent the tribes. The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity explained that the decision came after Sheikh Falah Bin Jame, chief of the Awazem tribe, which is the largest tribal community in Kuwait, announced shunning practices that fall under the concept of byelections and done to improve the chances of tribal representation in the parliament. “Bin Jame’s call is seen to have the potential of costing the Awazem tribe between two and three out of five seats it usually controls in the fifth constituency, prompting other tribal communities

to focus on narrowing the number of their respective candidates in order to increase their chances of being elected,” the sources explained.

By-elections are illegal under Kuwaiti law, but tribal communities have resorted in recent years to ‘consultative meetings’ as an alternative, which refer to gatherings in which candidates agree to step aside in favor of boosting certain candidates’ chances. In this regard, Al-Anbaa quoted sources familiar with the government’s thinking who announced a ‘new work mechanism’ will be adopted by the interior ministry in monitoring the elections which focuses on keeping a closer eye on vote-buying and by-elections.

Separately, a top Islamist in the government clarified recent statements in which he called for establishing political parties as a necessary step to “organize political life” in Kuwait, stating that his remarks reflect a “vision for the future” and not his opinion for the upcoming elections. Furthermore, Dr Khalid AlMathkour indicated that his earlier statement does not reflect the opin-

ion of the Supreme Advisory Committee for the Implementation of Islamic Sharia that he chairs, nor that of the government. “Today we face the national duty of working together and electing a parliament that hopefully represents all political and social categories and would be able to complete its 4-year tenure”, Mathkour told Al-Watan on Monday.

He further indicated that setting up political parties is “the parliament’s job which is going to happen whenever MPs find it necessary to do so”.

“Today there might not be a chance to establish political parties, but it could always happen in the future”, he added.

In other news, second constituency candidate Dr Abdurrahman Al-Jeeran, a Salaf Islamist, weighed in on the situation in Syria by indicating that it has turned into a “ground for feuding parties to settle their differences there”. He specifically named AlQaeda whom he accused of releasing fatwas (religious ruling) “that serves the United States of America”, and Hezbollah whom he referred to as “one of Iran’s systems”. — AlQabas, Al-Anba & Al-Rai

Relationship between Kuwait and US is one of friendship, mutual agreement KUWAIT: Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in Kuwait, but not for battle. Kuwait is a crucial outpost for support operations in the Middle East. Hundreds of troops from the mid-state have been sent to the country. CBS 21’s Brandie Meng and David Oliver traveled half way across the world to find out why we’re in Kuwait, and for how long.

The answer is basically logistics, Kuwait serves as a staging area for our troops in and out of the Middle East, but even with our troop draw downs, we are told our presence in Kuwait will stay. That’s because both our government and the Kuwait government want it that way.

“We’ve had soldiers here performing sustaining operations in the Middle East since (19)91 and that has just continued,” stated Lt. Col. Todd Sowinski. Sowinski is the commander for the First Squadron 104th Calvary out of Fort Indiantown Gap with the 55th brigade.

Currently he is deployed to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. He sees firsthand what happens, and knows all too well what could happen. Kuwait is a small country in the Middle East. It shares a border with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The United States

played a big role in helping to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion back in the 90’s, but the friendship between the two countries actually goes back much further. “Many people think Kuwait and American relations started in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait, but this relationship actually goes back many years,” stated Tareq Eid Al-Mezrem. “When Kuwait was nothing with no oil, Kuwait was nothing.

Tareq Eid Al-Mezrem is with the Ministry of Information, he says the relationship between the United States and Kuwait began when two American missionaries came to his country to help his people. “In the 20’ s they came to help us as doctors to give medical support and at same time in the 1990 they came to help us liberate Kuwait this is a great indication how the United States and Kuwait have a strong relationship,” AlMezrem explained.

That relationship and respect has only grown stronger over the years. “We always look at the United States as an important ally, we like the idea of American, we look at America as an important friend,” Al-Mezrem continued.

And as we were there for Kuwait, Kuwait is

now there for us, “They willingly provide us with land for bases so we can have a safe location to move our troops in and out of war zones and threatened areas our solders need to be,” explained Sowinski. “If a conflict were to arise anywhere in the world, getting soldiers there is the easiest part,” believes Major Keith Hickox.

“Getting equipped soldiers there, it takes a lot more time.” Major Hickox is also deployed to Camp Arifjan and works with the National Guard units deployed from Central PA. He says our soldiers are part of the overall goal in maintaining the joint forces missions between the two governments. “There’s a lot of joint training missions that go on to develop both forces simultaneously,” Hickox addressed.

“There’s always been a mutual support mutual training and a presence here in Kuwait.”

“We still have a role in sustaining soldiers, airmen and Marines that operate in the Middle East,” explained Sowinski. “And this is one of those big sustainment hubs that do that.”

There are no combat missions in Kuwait. Our military presence stays on the base and does not mix with civilian life.

53 MPs represented 2nd constituency since 1981 Al-Dumaitheer won nine legislative terms KUWAIT: Up to 53 MPs represented the second constituency in the past 11 assemblies, between 1981 and December 2012, latest of which was dissolved upon ruling by the Constitutional Cour t. Khalaf AlDumaitheer represented the second constituency in nine legislative terms, thus he was number one in terms of longest representation of this district, which comprised the second, third, fifth, sixth and 18th in the 25-division electoral system.

Al-Dumaitheer had also served as member of the December 2012 assembly that was invalidated upon a ruling of the Constitutional Court. Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi came second, representing the constituency in eight legislative terms. Meshari Al-Enjeri and Ahmad Baqer were MPs in six legislative terms. Mohammad Jassem AlSager (member of the dissolved February 2012 assembly) and Ali Fahad Al-Rashed (who served in the dissolved February and December 2012 assemblies) served in five terms.

MPs Mohammad Al-Barrak AlMutair, Jumaan Thaher Al-Harbash (member of the dissolved February 2012 parliament), Marzoug Ali AlGhanem (member of the dissolved Februar y 2012 assembly), Khaled Sultan Bin Issa (member of the dissolved Februar y 2012 assembly), Rashed Salman Al-Hebeida and Abdullah Mohammad Al-Naibari represented it for four terms.

Representing the constituency for three legislative terms were Abdul-Aziz Al-Mutawaa, Meshari Al-Osaimi, AbdulWahab Al-Haroun, for two terms were Jassem Hamad Al-Sager, AbdulMohsen Yusuf Jamal, Hamad Humoud Al-Roumi, Sayyah Bou-Shiba, Hamad Abdullah Al-Joan, Ahmad Mohammad Al-Nassar, Fahed Saleh Al-Khennah, Adnan Ibrahim Al-Mutawaa (who had membership in the dissolved parliaments of February and December of 2012), Abdul-Rahman Fahad Al-Enjeri (who was member of the dissolved February 2012 parliament) and Ahmad Haji Lari (who was member of the dissolved 2012 assembly).

Mohammad Al-Rusheid, Mohammad Habib Al-Bader, Abdul Rahman Al-Ghuneim, Jassem AlQutami, Abdullah Al-Aradeh, Dueij AlShemmari, Mohammad Al-Abdul-Jader, Salwa Al-Jassar, Abdul-Latif Al-Omairi (member of the dissolved February 2012 parliament) represented the constituency in a single term. Kuwait witnessed an unprecedented constitutional event in 2012, the dissolution of the February and December assemblies upon rulings by the Constitutional Court, thus parliamentary membership of the February 2012 parliament for Riad Al-Adsani and Hamad Al-Mattar were suspended.

In the December 2012 parliament, membership of Abdul-Rahman Saleh Al-Jiran, Bader Al-Bathali, Adel AlKharafi, Khalil Al-Saleh, Hamad AlHershani and Salah Al-Atigi were waived. Moreover, the second constituency has a high record of occupancy of the parliament chairmanship.

Mohammad Al-Kharafi headed the parliament for five terms, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009. Ali Fahad AlRashed took over the post in the December 2012 assembly, that was dissolved by the Constitutional Court.

However, this district has the record of a small number of ministers and deputies in the governments, formed since 1981, amounting to four out of 26, picked up from the diverse constituencies.

Deputies of this constituency did not get any ministerial portfolio in the cabinet formations of 1981, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008 and 2009. But Jassem AlKharafi served as minister of finance and economy in the 1985 cabinet. With comeback of the parliamentary life in 1992, Meshari Al-Enjeri served as minister of justice and administrative affairs. Ahmad Yaagoub Baqer AlAbdullah worked as minister of justice, minister of Awqaf and Islamic affairs in 2001. Ahmad Al-Abdullah served as the minister of justice in the 2003 cabinet, following a reshuffle in 2005. Ali Fahad Al-Rashed served as minister of state for cabinet affairs in the 2011 cabinet. —KUNA

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

LOCAL In my view

Letters to Badrya

Not the time for a suntan

Clarification on Internet apps badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

By Labeed Abdal

labeed@kuwaittimes.net

T

he move by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to record more than 500 violations against companies who made their workers work outside from 11 am to 4 pm - breaking many laws that prevent it - is excellent. We have a peak hot season from the end of June to the end of August and this needs caution, by avoiding the direct sun which might cause severe dehydration that could be fatal. The ministry must be extra strict in this matter to eliminate these violations from the labor market.

Curbing a cocktail of violations against expatriate workers and deter companies and heartless employers who have no conscience when they demand their employees to work in the sun under harsh weather is a real must move. Not only this, but also delaying salaries, overworking employees or withholding leave or weekend pay by some employers must also be added to the tasks of the inspection unit of the ministry of labor.

Moreover, the matter shouldn’t continue to be a calculation of plus or minus to reach better annual profits or less losses in the budget of the company.

Moreover, it’s clear with the many violations that depend on language or cultural barriers, the ill actions can have its roots in a local company or sleeping sponsor or foreign companies that are fronts of irresponsible local entities. Human rights should always be there in sunny days or even cold ones. Protection from sunburn by using hats or gloves when working on hot summer days should go further by considering the heart or stomach burns that could harm many dedicated workers.

I am glad about the latest strict decisions for applying the law on traffic violators, the huge inspections in the ministry of education against some irresponsible teachers selling exam papers, the faster services in the ministry of high education over scholarships and attesting graduation certificates and the fast services of the department of nationality and passports in the MoI. These are very positive signs in the country.

kuwait digest

Who is ruling the country?

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

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uring a time in which Arab Spring countries are witnessing true and bloody struggles between supporters of a civil state and their Islamist adversaries that snatched the youth revolutions for their own interests, the scary struggles that are going on today in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria can reach us in Kuwait if the authority does not watch its behaviors and reconsiders its political alliances. The ministers who belong to political Islam groups are entangling the country in a maze and unconstitutional issues, only because some decisions do not agree with their religious and partisan ideologies.

And in order to avoid being accused of attacking groups and government, we will write what was published in Al-Shahed newspaper on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, which said “Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf Shareeda Al-Maousherji refused to sign a decision of the higher judicial council in which it approved the appointment of 62 new deputy prosecutors who passed a course from the Kuwait Institute for Judicial Studies.” The sources said the reason behind the minister’s refusal is the presence of 22 female citizens on the list, and he said the appointment of women as deputy prosecutors, which is a judicial job, is a shame in his Salaf history and he will not accept this disgrace.

Since when is women’s work in the judicial sector a disgrace in a country whose leadership claims the respect of the constitution, freedom and equality in front of the law? Are we living in the State of Kuwait or the State of Taleban? The question: Does the minister’s

behavior come in his capacity as justice minister in a constitutional and legal state or as a member of a Salaf party practicing his religious principles? If the minister behaved as a minster, then he must accept the responsibilities of the ministry, as the decision by the higher council for the judiciary must be respected, because we live in a country of constitutions.

But if the minister is behaving according to personal convictions as member of the Salaf movement, then he should submit his resignation because the decision does not agree with his Salaf ideology, as accepting to be a minister means acceptance of what comes with it and he must apply the law. The minister’s behavior cannot be accepted by logic, because ministers have the responsibility of applying the law and the constitution, and must not act according to their partisan, sectarian or tribal affiliations.

The rejection of the minster to accept a woman in the prosecution, despite the approval of the higher judicial council, is strong evidence that our democracy is not actual and credible, because how can a politically ideological minister allow himself to deny the rights of women according to the constitution. The problem is not in the rejection of the Salaf minister of women’s rights - the tragedy is that there are no social powers, whether women societies, MPs or liberal movements, that deter the minister, because liberal movements are weak and do not dare raise their voice. Where are the women? Why do they not oust those who stand against their rights... what a shame! — Al-Watan

kuwait digest

Bouncing back from the dead

kuwait digest

A call to the decision maker

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

T

heoretically speaking, the return of 2009 Assembly is still on and theoretically speaking, the annulling of the 2013 Assembly is on too. The funny paradox is that the 2009 Assembly refuses to die, like the hero of an Indian movie. Despite tens of bullets raining on him, he still stands on his feet to rescue his sweetheart from the bad guys. In spite of all those bullets, he manages to even marry her and bring up several children.

Theoretically speaking again, if the fight among the opposing factions comes to an end totally after July 27, then the next Assembly will be changed by a percentage that could reach 100 percent. But if the fight is not over, and remains on hold as usual, then the house shall return with a change of 50 percent at the most after political settlements behind the scenes as happens after every parliamentary elections.

If the fight among the opposing factions comes to an end totally after July 27, then the next Assembly will be changed by a percentage that could reach 100 percent. But if the fight is not over, and remains on hold as usual, then the house shall return with a change of 50 percent at the most after political settlements behind the scenes as happens after every parliamentary elections.

Theoretically speaking, so that we will not be blamed for what they don’t want us to say, partnership in the late Assembly did not relate to the public or political groups, tribes and sects. But it was a partnership that satisfied the fighting parties mostly. One of the members of the annulled Assembly said: “The popular gains are the children’s allowance, the increase of the housing loan and the cancellation of loans”. No dear, you misunderstand the meaning of popular gains. These are not popular gains, but political falls for the members. The real popular gains are the implementation of 1962 constitution as it is without anything less, and to work as per its articles.

My shock really and frankly speaking, is the speed of implementing the law on ministry of education officials after the scandal of the exams of the high school.

The minister of education has fired those whom he believed to be behind leaking exam papers, and this is a good thing. But what about those who caused losses of millions of dinars at Sabah Al-Salem University City.

Why you did not fire them and hold them accountable, but left them in peace. No, hold them accountable and send them to the public prosecutor. Even if they deport the ministry of education inspectors, these are minor steps. And those who stole tens of millions are “nice people”?! —Al-Anbaa

By Khalid Al-Tarrah

A

s election day approaches, we have to realize the fact that the debate in the political scene over the single-vote system is not going to stop regardless of the level of participation compared to the last time Kuwaitis headed to the polls. The current political debate has signs of leading the country into further turmoil and social division, whereas initiatives calling for accord and reform that have been presented so far while they undoubtedly seek to achieve national interest - fall short of providing significant change that meets the people’s ambitions.

In this regard, it is important that we do not forget the movements within the ruling family and the activities of sheikhs on different levels and with different motivations. Of course this does not mean that these activities do not serve national interests, but it often comes in the shape of a group of goals controlled by general ambitions that in some cases would be legitimate, while in other cases could be influenced by personal interests that do not necessarily serve Kuwait’s present and future. Perhaps the recent statement of Sheikh Talal Al-Fahd Al-Sabah in which he claimed that the government’s decision to set up the Ministry of Youth Affairs was motivated by “fear from the Arab Spring”, supports the argument that some members of the ruling family are not necessarily on the same page

all the time. Kuwait has seen many conferences discussing various topics since the Jeddah Convention during the time of the 1990/91 invasion. However, it is clear that they haven’t brought anything of substance that would have put us on track to move forward past our differences. So far, we have failed to reach a level of change that controls the ongoing developments on the political scene and achieves long-awaited reform.

These challenges put us facing the need for national dialogue featuring all social categories and spectra, and such an initiative has to be adopted by the state. The final decision is left to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah, with hope that he personally supervises the dialogue or nominates another person or department he deems fit for the job. The dialogue that could also be followed by a referendum is necessary at this point in which the sharp level of political controversy is increasing along with the number of political blocs in a way that does not serve the national interest.

There are a lot of challenges, extremism, disintegrated state departments and regional insurgencies that are influenced by sectarianism and are unfortunately affecting Kuwait whether we like to admit it or not. National dialogue and a referendum under Amiri supervision could perhaps be the best way to save Kuwait and its people from falling into further conflict.— Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Not running!

By Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi

I

n view of some predictions that are no more than rumors, I recently received many inquiries whether I plan running for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Therefore, I would like to confirm that I had already made my decision two years ago not to run for any further parliamentary elections for several reasons including some I will talk about in this article and leave others for later ones.

My decision to run for elections four years back was based on a presumption that a parliamentary seat was not an end itself - it was not a step towards making a fortune or personal glory for its occupant. I believed it is an honorable means to find real solutions to the problems faced by citizens and the whole country and to fulfill our dreams to build a civil advanced state that we can pass down to future generations. Therefore, I took a pledge before myself and my voters to give a different example of political activity - an example that would meet the people’s aspirations and respect the ethics of the position on the one hand and to immediately step aside frankly and transparently telling citizens whenever I find difficulty achieving it. It is with this in mind that I declare not intending to run for the elections.

Parliamentary work and achievement is very diffi-

cult under the current system and the futile political environment and a regime with a non-elected Cabinet. It is also difficult in view of the lack of a law for political bodies that would oblige them set defined agendas and hold them accountable if they fail to turn them into reality. Our system is mainly built on random individual trials and impulses in the absence of laws that would guarantee the integrity and transparency of those operating it. This makes it easy for the corrupt to benefit, to question the conscious of the honest and crack down on them without proof, all of which would cost any institution its credibility and legitimacy.

Not running for elections does not mean boycotting them. I am not for vacuuming our legislative institution of honest and serious lawmakers and leave it to corrupt ones. I am not for giving up on it even if is too difficult to clean. For me, not running in the elections means choosing another position to work for and serve Kuwait in, maybe, better ways. My short parliamentary experience proved that public service can be done in various fields that could be more important than a parliamentary position.

Political work, as a means of reform, is not limited to the parliament. — Al-Jarida

Dear Badrya, You may be receiving many emails from expats in the last few weeks and I appreciate your efforts in doing whatever possible in your capacity to ease the tension and make things better understood. I am writing in an attempt to get the legal status of Viber and Skype. Are they illegal in Kuwait? I have searched the Net, including websites of the Ministry of Communication and the Government of Kuwait, but did not get the answer. Kuwait Times and Arab Times have reported that Kuwait is looking at means of how to block/ban these sites.

Which to me, means they are as of now OK. Can you, using your good offices, please let us all know the present legal status? Should those who have it (I think Skype is universal) uninstall it from their mobiles (and PC/laptops?) to avoid being victimized (fined, jailed, deported)? If they are truly illegal, why not just block them totally, so that there is no ambiguity, and nobody needs to check our mobile phones? I have heard friends installing the same over the weekend while at home, and uninstalling while going out. The belief is that they are not being blocked, as only citizens of certain countries are being targeted during checking or raid. And the apps are ‘OK’ for some, not so for others. This unnecessarily takes a racist hue, when there actually may be none.

Living in a state of uncertainty is to be avoided as far as possible. Thank you for understanding.

With regards, A reader Dear Badrya, One has to remember that all the Prophets from Adam right to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be onto all of them) were sent to various nations, races, cultures, traditions for one purpose and that is to provide guidance in whatever way possible. This of course means telling people or denouncing the sins of people and guiding them to righteousness.

This also includes correcting the mistakes people make irrespective how minute to simply improve the well being of your fellow brothers and sisters and mankind as a whole.

There are a few sensitive scenarios which I have learned about from my interaction with people that is worth mentioning, not to create an mutiny or controversy but to rather improve the stereotype of people in Kuwait towards a better future.

Road Rage Firstly, this topic needs no introduction, as it is a persistent pain that has to be eliminated. I was told that people become so sensitive to criticism about the way they drive or “reverse” in some cases that their reaction becomes abnormal, violent and absolutely idiotic. This can be very much related to a nagging child screaming, slandering and shouting because his/her favorite toy was either stolen or broken. Are we under so much pressure that when we drive carelessly and are told by innocent citizens (local or expat) that what we are doing is wrong, we become angry and feel like taking the poor innocent person’s life. There were couple of reports I had received and waived them initially as I saw them to be rather trivial but an accumulation of similar reports necessitates an article of this nature.

I have been told by many people that drivers drive so recklessly that even the slight bit of criticism especially from expats towards the dangerous driver turns out to be a fight, argument and assault case. Are divers and people in Kuwait under so much pressure that slight useful criticism for their own well being and the well being of others becomes a threat to drivers such that they have to jump out of their vehicles and run after people to slander, scream, shout and assault them? To what extend will drivers who are a risk go to dishonor themselves, their religion and pick on innocent expats who they very well know will not fight back as this could lead to further complications?

Are drivers a real threat in and out of their vehicles? What is the MoI doing about this especially the young teenagers driving sports cars in Salmiya? To what extend will one go to drive his aimless, unsupported point to an innocent expat who is in charge of his own and others well being?

Can we be so arrogant and stoop to such levels to drive an unessential point across when one very well knows that our driving is a risk.

Why are we under such pressure that sound advice is regarded as a threat, are we that moronic?

When are we going to learn, perhaps one day when the very same happens to us and we are victimized, that is when I guess we will appreciate the advice and suggestions of others and let me remind you that Kuwait is not far from that situation.

To the wonderful drivers we have, do you ever wonder about the advice given to you, are you so arrogant that you cannot accept sound advice or apologize if you know you are wrong. Do you ever wonder what you have done and realize how idiotically you had behaved, why does good criticism not be followed with a smile but rather with resentment and hatred especially if it comes from an expat. Do you think you are more superior to others after behaving in this irrational manner. Please go think again or get some seriously help on anger management and proper behavioral strategies, stop living in a fool’s paradise, it cannot last forever.

Thank you.

A reader

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

LOCAL

Filipina maid content after trials and tests No longer under house arrest

By Sunil Cherian KUWAIT: Believe it: This maid is getting KD 170 a month, off on Fridays, overtime and job satisfaction! Eva, 32, a Filipina housemaid working for a family - with no babies - in Mangaf, swears she gets peace of mind too. Her work - cook for three people and make sure the house is in order which is usually the case. Three years ago, things were different. Eva came to Kuwait eight years ago through an agency and worked for a family for KD 50 a month. The family paid the agency KD 75. The rest in her words: “After two years, at the end of my contract, the family, happy with my work, asked me to continue for KD 75. They said they won’t have to pay anything to the agency. I continued with that family, taking care of four kids, grandparents and the baba, a widower. After four months, I got only KD 50, not KD 75 as promised. I said I wanted to work elsewhere.

The grandma said, “Pay KD 250 to get a release”. So I worked for another five months

Filipina housemaid Eva without salary. Then they gave me my civil ID but withheld my passport. “When you change your residence, we’ll give you your passport,” said the grandma.

When Eva’s present employer asked her, at random in 2011, to check the validity of her civil

ID, they came to know Eva’s visa had been canceled. Eva contacted her former employer. “You are not working with us; hence the cancellation,” was the reply. “When I asked for my passport, they said I’d have to pay money. I somehow wanted to go home. When the amnesty came, I went home by using an emergency certificate from my embassy”.

Back home things were not pleasant for Eva. Her 73-year old mother was dying. Worse, her husband - now separated - had lost a good amount of money by gambling, a show of irresponsibility Eva said she detests. “ Those 4 months I went through tests after tests. But it was a miracle that I could serve my mom. She died in my hands.” Eva came back to Kuwait, this time on her present employer’s visa. Now after two years, she is happier than ever. “My present employer is like my mother who has given me the most miraculous event in my life - the precious time I got to serve my sick mother. She is very motherly. I continue to see my mother in her,” Eva said.

MOH committee meets on MERS Jahra officials destroy 1.9 tons of foodstuff

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The emergency team of Jahra Municipality destroyed 18.9 tons of expired foodstuff at a destruction site off the Seventh Ring Road.

The expired imported food items were seized from a store in Sulaibiya, which consisted of rice, corn, ready-to-eat Indian

food, olives and pickles, ghee and salads.

The food items expired in May. The public relations department at municipality called on the public to cooperate and report any violation to the hotline 139 which works round the clock for their service and called upon store and supermarkets owners to abide by municipality regulations.

KUWAIT: Presided by Health Ministry undersecretary Dr Khaled Al-Sahlawi, the ministry’s supreme committee for fighting the MERS coronavirus recently met, said informed sources, noting that the committee discussed the precautionar y measures and plans to fight the virus compared to those adopted worldwide.

On another issue, Sahlawi said that the MoH has amended its agreement with the British Great Ormond Street hospital, operating through NBK’s Children Hospital, to change their experts’ stay to be permanent instead of coming on periodic visits. On

another matter, Sahlawi stressed that M oH’s legal affairs manager Mahmoud Abdul Hadi has been officially asked to meet with officials from the TB prevention and treatment departments to discuss their disagreements in a way that would ultimately serve the public.

He also noted that precautionary measures to stop epidemics or diseases carried by Asian laborers arriving from affec ted countries needed to be revised in order to match the successful measures followed in Kuwait’s medical office in Cairo. — Al-Jarida

Woman killed in Salmi Road crash

Arab expat held with narcotics

Morsi supporters, opponents clash KUWAIT: A woman was killed in a car crash reported Monday on Salmi Road while investigations are ongoing to reveal the mystery behind the accident. Police and paramedics rushed to a location early in the morning following a report about a flipped car. The driver was pronounced dead on the scene before criminal investigators were called to carry out examinations. The body was taken to the forensic department for an autopsy while investigations are underway to determine the circumstances that led to the accident.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Anti-drug officers arrested an Arab expat and seized 7,500 Tramadol pills after receiving information about the man’s activities. Immediately, legal formalities were taken and a work team was formed to collect more information. The suspect agreed with an undercover agent to buy 100 pills and was arrested at the time of delivery with the purchase money, which he confessed was the proceeds of selling drugs. He also confessed getting the pills from another expat of the same nationality, who disappeared as soon as he heard about the arrest of this man.

His house was raided after he escaped and 7,500 pills of Tramadol was found. The suspect and the drugs were sent to concerned authorities.

Hotel guest in rape bid A man was arrested inside a Fahaheel hotel after he attempted to sexually assault a teenager who works there as a trainee. According to the police report, the 17-yearold summer program trainee was sent to the 28-year-old guest’s room after he called the reception. The young man told police that the Gulf national had first offered him money to oblige to his sexual requests, and then attempted to rape him when he refused. The suspect was held at the Fahaheel police station where the teenager along with his parents headed and pressed attempted sexual assault charges.

Trio held with weapon, drugs Three people were arrested Monday with drugs and firearms and were also found to be intoxicated during the time of arrest. The suspects, a Kuwaiti man, a stateless resident and a female citizen, where riding a luxury vehicle that was pulled over for swerving. They were put under arrest after police found out that they were inebriated and discovered multiple drug-related crimes when they checked their criminal records. Police searched their car and found an AK-47, 73 rounds and two plastic bags containing marijuana. The three were referred to the authorities to face charges.

Labor law violations Police are looking to arrest a Kuwaiti man who according to his driver hired illegal residents to carry out some manual labor in violation of labor regulations. Ahmadi police had pulled over a bus on the Seventh Ring Road that raised their suspicions when they noticed it carried a number of Asian workers. The officers checked the workers’ identities and found out that they all had expired visas and are reported missing by their original employers. Police then questioned the driver who explained that his employer had assigned him to hire workers for KD 5 a day each to collect steel, copper and other metal object so that they can be sold at the scrap market. The detainees were referred to the authorities for further action while orders were given to summon the employer for investigations.

Egyptian hurt in fight An Egyptian man suffered a broken finger during a fight with compatriots that was sparked by the ongoing unrest in their home country. Police rushed to a coffee shop in Farwaniya after receiving emergency calls reporting a fight between supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. The injured man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital for treatment while the others are in police custody for investigations.

Maid accused of theft A search is on for a domestic worker whose employer accused her of theft after she disappeared at the same time her jewelry vanished. In her statements to Jahra police station officers, the Kuwaiti woman explained that she first discovered that her housemaid was missing, before checking her bedroom and finding that gold jewelry worth nearly KD 2,000 was also missing. She accused the maid of stealing her jewelry and escaping. Police circulated the woman’s information to border checkpoints and Kuwait International Airport to prevent her escape as investigations are ongoing.

KUWAIT: A number of bedoon (stateless) students protested outside the Ministry of Education yesterday to protest against what they described as the atrocities allegedly committed by the principal of their school in Jahra.

Bangladeshis held Security sources revealed that two Bangladeshi expats were arrested on bribery charges. Sources said that a patrol in Mina Abdullah on routine round stopped a vehicle in which the two were riding, and after checking their IDs, they discovered that an absconding report was filed against them. After the patrol asked them to accompany them, they offered them KD 100 as a bribe in return of releasing them. But instead of being released, they were sent to Mina Abdullah police station with a new case of bribery.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

LOCAL

Regional situation roils travel season 3 main destinations excluded this year KUWAIT: It seems that the current regional political unrests are playing a major role in changing the summer travel plans of many people who decided changing their destinations to more expensive ones, mainly European, to avoid them, said various local travel agents noting that three of the most favorite annual destinations for Kuwaitis - Cairo, Istanbul and Beirut - were out of the race this year.

Local travel agents also said that with this in

mind, five Asian destinations (Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Thailand and the Maldives) that used to attract a high percentage of passengers from Kuwait have regained momentum in booking despite a 15 percent increase in prices and the lack of promotional offers compared to previous years. They added that some major agencies demanded a larger share of seats in view of overbooking their own seats as a result of the growing demand and passengers’

requests to change routes. The agents also said that these changes would surely increase the prices of European destinations by 25 percent and 20 percent for Asian ones including taxes.

Executive of the Broker Aviation Agency Jawada Mazlom stressed that the retreat in bookings to certain destinations may be temporary depending on the improvement of the situation. He added that the current tensions shifted priority to 15 European destinations. —Annahar

VIVA offer for students to check grades via SMS KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, yesterday announced its launch of a special service for the Ministry of Education (MOE) offering high school students the opportunity to find out their General Secondary results for this academic year 2012-2013 by sending their seat number to ‘50860’ via SMS. Once the minster announce the results readiness it will be sync automatically with VIVA data base and the service will be ready.

VIVA stated that “VIVA is always striving to make information more easily accessible to the Kuwaiti community. We are proud to take part in the Ministry of Education’s initiative which offers General Secondary students the chance to find out their examination results via SMS. This initiative demonstrates our commitment and support towards students across Kuwait especially during this critical time in their lives.”

VIVA will continue to explore different ways of staying closer to the different segments in Kuwait by providing them with the best and most innovative services and products.

To find out more about the new

SMS text message service with the MOE, or about VIVA’s competitive promotions, products and services, you can visit any of VIVA’s 15 conveniently located branches across Kuwait, or visit the company ’s website www.viva.com.kw. transparent, engaging, energetic and fulfilling. VIVA continues to take a considerable share of the market by offering an innovative range of best value products, services and content propositions; a state of the art, nationwide network and world-class service.

VIVA offers internet speeds of more than 100 Mbps, due to the implementation of the most advanced fourth generation (4G LTE) network in Kuwait resulting in superior coverage, performance and reliability.

For more information, visit VIVA at one of its 15 branches or on www.viva.com.kw or any of its authorized dealers across Kuwait.

CBK finishes second in IBS program

Dive Team records progress KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team announced making progress in its coral reefs rehabilitation project, recording a growth rate of up to 18 times compared to the coral’s size

when planted within 20 months. The project has been underway since 2010 at different locations in Kuwait’s territorial waters, but environmental projects super visor in the

team M ahmoud Ashkenani said that the most progress was recorded at the Al-Zoor coral reefs where rehabilitation started in 2011.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait finished second in a Branch Manager Program organized by the Institute of Banking Studies in Kuwait, the CBK announced in a statement yesterday. “ We acknowledge in the CBK the importance of offering constant training programs to our staff members as part of our efforts to provide opportunity for national manpower to improve. This improvement reflects positively on the quality of services presented to our clients”, said Acting General Manager of the Human Resources Department Huda Sadiq in the press statement.

She further said that CBK employees who took part in the training program were honored in a special ceremony held on the occasion for achieving good results in the training program.

Huda Sadiq

MoH opens new health office in Washington WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Health Minister Dr Mohammed Al-Haifi attended Monday the official opening ceremony of the new Kuwait Health Office in Washington DC which is to handle affairs for patients sent for treatment in US facilities. The opening ceremony was held under the minister’s patronage and the patronage of Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. It was attended by Head of Kuwait Health Office Dr Abdullah Al-Wteib. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Sheikh Salem expressed congratulations on the opening of the “wonderful” office and stressed that the Health Office is “an integral part of the embassy’s work here in Washington, taking care of the patients that are sent for treatment, as well as our students in America.”

“You have a big responsibility, frankly, and it will grow and get tougher, but you are qualified for it, and I have nothing but appreciation for the Health Office,” he remarked. He thanked Dr Al-Wteib for his leadership of the office, and thanked all of the staff of the office, saying “I want to thank you one by one for your efforts and the responsibility you bear before our patients and our students.”

“Because, again, this is an integral part of the embassy’s work. An important part. A part which involves humanitarian work much of the time, and the embassy places a great weight on humanitarian issues,” he remarked. For his part, Dr Al-Wteib thanked the minister and ambassador for their support in facilitating the

work of the office to fulfill the needs of Kuwaiti patients undergoing treatment in the US. He shed light on the reasons that led to the re-location of the office, such as the need for a newer building and bigger space to allow for more services and make it easier for the Kuwaiti citizens to visit the office.

He added that this move made it easier to divide work in a more convenient manner and update systems in the office. It also gave room for increasing staff members to respond to the large number of calls received daily from patients and their families.

He noted that the students’ division in the office has also been updated as the office is responsible for the health insurance of 7,728 students and their families in the US and 219 others in Canada. He indicated that the office also launched, today, its website and twitter account to broadcast all urgent news such as information during natural disasters, security incidents, and explosions, and to stay in contact with the patients.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Haifi told KUNA and Kuwait Television, “The most important thing in my opinion about this new office is the switchboard.” He stressed, “we have patients across many states, and one of the main problems was communication, and the need for phone calls.”

“In the old office, it was difficult to add a new line, but now with the new office, one of the first things they did and that I was pushing them for was communication via phone with the

patients. There must be communication and a hotline for the patients.”

“The other thing that was ushered in today was the website to serve our patients and students and help them understand what to expect in America.” Finally, the Minister thanked the Ambassador for his “unlimited support.” For his part, the Ambassador reiterated to KUNA that the Health Office is “an integral part of Kuwait’s embassy in Washington, and it performs a massive job, frankly, in taking care of our patients that turn to the US for treatment as well as providing insurance for our students that are here, whose number exceeds five thousand.” “So frankly, the responsibility [the Health Office] bears is huge, and they perform their work as best they can,” he said.

He affirmed that the expansion of the Health Office as well as its renovations “was necessary” for the tasks and responsibilities of the office to continue and grow. The Minister will leave Washington DC heading to Canada on an official visit, during which he will follow-up on signed agreements. The Minister was also in London on an official visit in response to an invitation from his British counterpart, during which he met with top health officials and discussed issues that are of mutual interest. Dr. Al-Haifi is accompanied by Assistant Undersecretary for General Health Dr. Qais Al-Duwairi, Director of Makki Juma Hospital Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi, Director of Public Relations and Media Faisal Al-Dowsari, and Director of the Minister’s Office Abdulaziz Al-Tasha. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait organized a workshop in cooperation with Ernst & Young on the principles of governance. Executives from different NBK departments discussed methods to apply the Central Bank of Kuwait’s instructions in this regard.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

An unmanned Russian carrier rocket explodes

Blasting heat keeps hold on US Western states Page 11

Page 10

ENNISKILLEN: This file picture shows US President Barack Obama (left) holding a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 summit at the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama have ordered the chiefs of their respective security agencies to find a way out of the impasse caused by fugitive leaker Edward Snowdenís stay in a Moscow airport. — AFP

Nations reject Snowden’s asylum requests Snowden threatens to leak more info MOSCOW: Several countries yesterday spurned asylum requests from Edward Snowden, the former US spy agency contractor wanted for leaking secrets, despite an appeal from Venezuela for the world to protect him. Snowden, who revealed the secret US electronic surveillance program Prism, has applied for political asylum in more than a dozen countries in his search for safety from the espionage charges in the United States.

The 30-year-old is in legal limbo in the transit area of Moscow ’s Sheremetyevo airport, unable to fly on to a hoped-for destination in Latin America because he has no legal travel documents and no Russian visa to leave the airport. On Monday, he broke a nine-day silence since arriving in Moscow from Hong Kong, challenging Washington by saying he was free to publish more about its programs and that he was being illegally perse-

cuted.

That ruled out a prolonged stay in Russia, where a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Snowden had withdrawn his request for asylum after the Russian leader said he should give up his “anti-American activity”.

But while country after country denied his asylum requests on technical grounds, Venezuela, part of an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America, said it was time to stop berating a man who has “done something very important for humanity”. “He deserves the world’s protection,” President Nicolas Maduro told Reuters during a visit to Moscow.

“He has a right to protection because the United States in its actions is persecuting him...Why are they persecuting him? What has he done? Did he launch a missile and kill someone? Did he rig a bomb and kill someone? No. He is preventing war.”

PARIS: Telecom network cables are pictured in Paris. The European Union angrily demanded answers from the United States over allegations Washington had bugged its offices, the latest spying claim attributed to fugitive leaker Edward Snowden. — AFP

Maduro said he would consider an asylum application. Snowden’s request for safety in Ecuador, which has sheltered the founder of antisecrecy group WikiLeaks Julian Assange in its London embassy, has seemingly ended. US President Barack Obama has made clear to a number of countries that granting him asylum would carry costs.

MISTAKE Snowden has prepared asylum requests in countries including India, China, Brazil, Ireland, Austria, Bolivia, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela, WikiLeaks has said. But several countries, including Snowden’s favored Ecuador, said yesterday they could not consider an asylum request from Snowden unless he was on their territory. Norway said he was unlikely to get asylum there, and Poland said it would not give a “positive recommendation” to any request. Finland, Spain, Ireland and Austria said he had to be in their countries to make a request, while India said “we see no reason” to accept his petition.

France said it had not received a request. Officials in Russia, which has made clear it wants Snowden to leave, say an embassy car would be considered foreign territory if a country picked him up - possibly a message to leaders of oil-producing countries in Moscow for talks this week. Snowden’s options have narrowed sharply.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa was quoted in Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Monday as saying he could not consider the asylum request and that giving Snowden a temporary trav-

Turkey’s Jews ‘worried’ ISTANBUL: A Turkish deputy prime minister linked the “Jewish diaspora” to recent anti-government unrest and the country’s Jewish community expressed fears yesterday the comments could make them targets of popular anger. Turkey was rocked by violent protests last month when a small effort to save Gezi Park in central Istanbul from redevelopment mushroomed into a mass demonstration by tens of thousands of people opposed to what they see as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

Erdogan, in power for ten years, and other cabinet officials have spoken of conspiracies involving “foreign circles”, including an “interest-rate lobby” and international media organizations engineering the protests to undermine Turkey’s growing economy and political clout. “There are those inside and outside the country who are envious about Turkey growing too much,” Besir Atalay, one of four deputy prime ministers, told reporters on Monday in comments broadcast on the Cihan news agency website. “They are all uniting.

On the one side you have the Jewish diaspora. You have seen the foreign media’s attitude over the Gezi Park events, how quickly they bought into it and how quickly and widely they started broadcasting before any assessment was made,” he said. The Turkish Jewish Community, which represents most of Turkey’s estimated 23,000 Jewish faithful, said Atalay’s remarks could lead to reprisals against its members in a mostly Muslim country of 76 million.

“We are trying to obtain information about the meaning, the scope and details of Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay’s statement about the ‘Jewish Diaspora being behind Gezi protests,’” the Turkish Jewish

Community and chief rabbinate said in a joint statement on the community’s website. “(Because) Turkish Jewish citizens, as well as other Jewish people living all around the globe, may be affected and pointed (out) as a target of such a generalization, we wish to express our concerns and share our apprehension and worry of the consequences that such perceptions can cause.” Turkey’s Jews, most of whom trace their roots here to the 15th Century when their ancestors found refuge in the Ottoman Empire from the Spanish Inquisition, have in recent years faced pressure as relations between Israel and Turkey soured.

Ties between the erstwhile military allies hit a low in May 2010 when Israeli commandoes killed nine Turkish activists in storming the Mavi Marmara, a ship in a Turkish-led convoy seeking to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Earlier this year, Erdogan called Zionism “a crime against humanity”, prompting objections from US Secretary of State John Kerry. President Barack Obama subsequently orchestrated an Israeli apology for the Mavi Marmara raid.

While at least one other member of Erdogan’s ruling party has suggested Jewish involvement in the Gezi protest, the remarks by Atalay, appeared to be the first such public accusation by a senior member of the ruling AK Party, which traces its roots to a banned Islamist movement. On the microblogging site Twitter, the AK Party mayor of the Turkish capital Ankara, Melih Gokcek, said on June 16 the Gezi protests were a “a game of the Jewish lobby” and cited a Turkish newspaper report that a Washington-based think tank linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group had predicted the protests earlier in the year. — Reuters

el pass to fly to Moscow was “a mistake on our part”. “Are we responsible for getting him to Ecuador? It’s not logical,” he said, adding that Snowden was now Moscow’s problem. Moscow is unwilling to send Snowden to the United States, a move that could make it look weak, and has no extradition treaty with Washington. But it also

does not want to damage ties with the United States over a man with whom Putin, a former KGB spy, has little sympathy. At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Brunei, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he had raised Snowden “from our point of view” despite the affair not being in their domain.

“Russia has never extradited anyone, is not extraditing anyone and will not extradite anyone,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. Peskov said Snowden showed no sign of stopping releasing secret US documents and added that he had abandoned his intention of staying in Russia. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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

Brazil leader readies reforms to defuse social unrest BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was readying a package of political reforms on Monday designed to defuse social unrest after weeks of protests which have seen her popularity plummet. More than one million protesters have taken to the streets across Brazil since early June, targeting the Confederations Cup to vent fury at the $15 billion cost of that event and next year’s World Cup, rampant corruption and sub-standard public services.

Rousseff, who stayed away from Brazil’s triumph over Spain in Sunday’s final, has been rocked by the explosion of unrest, which has triggered a near 30point slump in her approval ratings in a matter of weeks. Brazil’s win on Sunday came as police and demonstrators clashed outside Rio’s Maracana stadium before kick-off, with security forces firing tear gas to quell the violence.

Rousseff meanwhile scheduled a cabinet meeting on Monday as she prepared to forward her political reforms to Congress. Rousseff’s proposal for a popular plebiscite on political reform focused on a review of election campaign finance and the current propor-

tional representation voting system-will go before lawmakers, a government official said. The reforms are seen as an antidote to the strong anti-establishment feelings expressed by protesters, analysts say.

Rousseff wants the reform to be approved by Congress before October, the deadline for it to be implemented in the 2014 national elections. She has an overwhelming majority in Congress but still will need the support of allied parties in the ruling coalition. “Our responsibility is to listen to the message (of the streets),” Rousseff said in her weekly radio address. She reiterated that the plebiscite was part of her bid to join with state governors and city mayors in offering “rapid and concrete solutions to problems of the economy, transport, health, education and politics.”

Rousseff has been jolted by a Datafolha poll that found that her approval rating has plummeted from 57 percent to 30 percent since the start of the protests in early June. The governors of Brazil’s two richest states, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, suffered a similar sharp drop in popularity, according to

Army reprises hero role in new Egyptian drama CAIRO: Egypt’s army reprised its role as hero in a new act of the country’s political drama with a move celebrated by protesters as a decisive blow against an unpopular president just two and half years after the military unseated his predecessor.

Cairo’s Tahrir Square erupted in party scenes reminiscent of the night Hosni Mubarak was forced from office in 2011, as hundreds of thousands of people rejoiced at an army move they believed heralded the end of President Mohamed Morsi’s rule. Fireworks burst over the square that was the theatre for the historic 2011 uprising. Delighted protesters waved flags, sounded horns, beat drums and danced in joy at what was widely seen as an army ultimatum to the Islamist head of state.

CAIRO: An Egyptian female opponent of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi flashes the V-sign for victory during a protest calling for his ouster at Cairo’s landmark Tahrir Square yesterday. — AFP In 2011, as now, the protesters praised the army for responding to the “will of the people”, disregarding the Islamists rallying in smaller numbers across the other side of town in support of the president freely elected last year. In Tahrir, there was no talk of the tensions that made the generals the focus of protester fury during 17 months of military rule punctuated with crises. Instead, there was relief that Mursi was on his way out - or so they believed - thanks to the army initiative that did not define his future.

“The army and the people are one hand!” they chanted - a refrain heard the night Mubarak was toppled - as five army helicopters flying Egyptian flags circled over central Cairo. Spurred on by mass anti-Morsi protests, the army moved in dramatic style on Monday by giving the president and his opponents 48 hours to resolve a standoff that has beset his first year in office. Failure to meet the people’s demands, the army said, would result in the military unveiling and implementing its own road map for the country.

Many analysts doubt the army wants to move back into an executive role.

Diplomats say 17 months of interim rule fraught with economic and political crises was more than enough for the generals.

In its statement on Monday, the army reiterated its commitment to the nascent democracy. For Akram Mahmoud, a 50year old civil servant, a year of Morsi’s presidency had made army rule an attractive option. “I prefer the army, I want the army to take power. There is nothing greater than our armed forces,” he said, clutching an Egyptian flag as he cursed himself for having voted for Morsi.

He said he had voted for the Muslim Brotherhood politician because he saw him as a man who “knew God”. A year later, he had concluded that he was a man who “traded in religion”. It echoes the complaints of Egyptians who also list the country’s economic crisis and what they perceive as a Brotherhood power grab as reasons why Morsi must go. The Islamists rallying for Morsi see the protests demanding he step down as an assault on democracy. If the army is seen as a hero to Morsi’s opponents, Islamists rallying outside a mosque in northern Cairo felt differently.

“Today’s statement is blatant interference in the president’s affairs,” said Mohamed Sabry, an Islamist camped out with others at the rally where their leaders addressed the crowd late into the night. But to political opposition parties that have struggled to get organized since Mubarak was toppled and lost a series of elections to the Brotherhood, the army’s intervention was a welcome if imperfect way forward. “They are very strongly supported by the public,” said Mohamed Aboulghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party. “The army will be very reasonable,” he added.

“We are optimistic, but not completely optimistic.” — Reuters

Iraq attacks kill 41 as violence surges BAGHDAD: Attacks in north of Baghdad left 41 dead yesterday as the UN said more than 2,500 were killed in the past three months, highlighting concerns that Iraq is slipping back into all-out war. The latest violence comes as the country grapples with months of protests among the Sunni Arab minority, tensions along a swathe of territory in northern Iraq, and a protracted political deadlock that has blocked key legislation. Analysts have warned that the stalemate and tensions could continue until a general election due next year.

On Monday, a series of attacks in restive areas north of Baghdad left 41 people dead as new figures released by the UN mission in Iraq showed a dramatic surge in violence in recent months. Most of the victims died when a suicide bomber set off his explosives-rigged vest in the middle of a packed funeral for an Iraqi soldier being held in a husseiniyah, or Shiite religious hall.

The 10:00 pm blast in the town of Muqdadiyah killed 23 people and wounded 27, a police colonel and a medic said. In nearby Baquba, capital of Diyala province, another bombing at a cafe in a Shiite neighborhood killed 10 people and wounded 22. Earlier in the day, eight former Sunni militiamen were kidnapped from their homes north of Baghdad in pre-dawn raids by gunmen wearing military uniforms before being shot dead, assassination-style.

The men were all former fighters in the Sahwa, a collection of Sunni tribal militias that turned against Al-Qaeda and sided with the US military from late 2006 onwards, help-

ing turn the tide of Iraq’s insurgency. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday’s violence, but Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda frequently target the Sahwa, whom they regard as traitors, and Shiite Muslims, whom they see as apostates.

The UN released new figures on Monday which showed that 761 people were killedmost of them civilians-across the country in June, bringing the overall death toll for the past three months to 2,518. Figures compiled

by AFP, meanwhile, showed the death toll from April through June was more than twice that of the first three months of the year.

“They (militants) are intent on causing large numbers of casualties, to embarrass the government, to raise frustrations and possibly stoke a return to militias again,” said John Drake, a Britain-based analyst for risk consultancy AKE Group. “There’s something about this period that’s very familiar. It feels like we’ve gone back several years.

“I remember saying the same things in 2007,” he added, referring to the brutal sectarian war that blighted Iraq in 2006 and 2007, leaving tens of thousands dead. Attacks last month targeted a wide cross-section of Iraqi society-government targets and security forces were hit by car bombs, mosques were struck by suicide attackers, anti-Qaeda militiamen were shot dead, and Iraqis watching and playing football were killed by blasts. Much of the unrest struck Baghdad, but attacks also hit predominantly Sunni Arab cities and towns north and west of the capital, whereas violence in the mostly-Shiite south and Kurdish north was markedly lower. —AFP

the same survey. In Sao Paulo, the country’s most populous and wealthiest state, Governor Geraldo Alckmin of the opposition Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) lost 14 points from 52 percent to

38 percent from June 6-7 to June 27-28.

In Rio de Janeiro, Governor Sergio Cabral, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement party which is part of Rousseff’s ruling coalition, lost 30 points

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff gestures during a press conference at Granja do Torto presidential residence, following a cabinet meeting in Brasilia on July 1, 2013. — AFP

from 55 percent to 25 percent during the period. And according to the same survey, the mayors of Sao Paulo and Rio, the country’s two largest cities, also saw their respective approval ratings dip.

Despite the setback, Rousseff, who enjoys the staunch support of her mentor and predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, still leads polls for the October 2014 presidential polls although she is expected to face a run-off.

PSDB Senator Aecio Neves, tipped as Rousseff’s likely opponent in presidential elections, said the polls reflected “Brazilians’ dissatisfaction not just with the president, but with the political class in general, due to the lack of effective responses.” The government has warned that it must prepare for the possibility the demonstrations may continue when Pope Francis visits the country July 22-28 for a major Catholic youth fest. “The demands have nothing to do with the papal visit. They are directed at our government. So we suppose there won’t be major problems,” Cardinal Hummes, the emeritus archbishop of Sao Paulo who backs the protests, said in a newspaper interview. — AFP

UAE Islamist group ‘had no desire’ to topple govt Islah group shares ideas with Brotherhood: Families DUBAI: With a small, wealthy local population, the United Arab Emirates seemed immune to both Islamist militancy and revolts of the Arab Spring. So when it said it had exposed a “secret organization” plotting to depose the ruling sheikhs, astonishment reigned. Many of the so-called UAE94 group belonged to Al-Islah, an Islamist association suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement which came to power in Egypt last year and advocates Islamic principles in everything from politics to education.

After a trial that began in March, the group, which includes lawyers, doctors and academics, were sentenced on Tuesday. Eight were sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, 61 received jail terms between seven and 10 years, and 25 were acquitted. The case highlighted the UAE’s sensitivities about political dissent in the wake of Arab Spring protests which have spawned a rise in the power and influence wielded by Islamists. But family members said that the charges were cooked up by authorities fearful of any call for change under a Gulf monarchy that bans all forms of political parties.

“They now want to say that (Al-Islah) are demanding the same as the Arab Spring, a revolution on power and its authorities ... Al-Islah’s ceiling of demands was to stop vicious penetration of security in civil life ... this really disturbed them,” said Khalid Al-Rukn, whose brother, a prominent rights lawyer, was sentenced to 10 years yesterday. “They are scared that the effects of the Arab Spring will reach the Emirates. And that is impossible,” said another family member, citing the generous welfare system most Emiratis enjoy.

Reuters met the families of the UAE94 twice in recent months to learn more about al-Islah’s activities, their motives and why they feel the government, which once sanctioned the creation of the group, is now cracking down on it. The family members said they have had scholarships revoked, jobs denied, are sometimes prevented from travelling abroad, have received death and rape threats on social media, and have been shunned by some family and friends through fear. While they acknowledged Al-Islah has a similar ideology to the Muslim Brotherhood, they denied any organisational links to the Islamist group and said they seek a dialogue with UAE authorities for greater freedoms in civil life.

SHEIKH’S COUSIN SENTENCED Al-Islah, which means reform, was set up in 1974 with the approval of then UAE Vice-President Sheikh Rashid bin Maktoum as an organization promoting stricter adherence to Islamic values. The group’s origins date back to the 1950s and 1960s when Emiratis sought out religious knowledge either when they travelled abroad, or from Egyptians, Syrians and Palestinian Islamists who had settled in the UAE. The group’s activities mainly focused on organizing charity events, Islamic lectures and student competitions. By 1994, the group was dissolved in Dubai but Sheikh Saqr Al-Qassimi, the-then ruler of Ras Al-Khaimah, an emirate to the north, “rejected the dissolution of AlIslah because he felt it played a role in preserving the youth”, said Rukn.

Heading Al-Islah is Sultan Al-Qassimi, the late sheikh’s nephew. Sultan Al-Qassimi is also a cousin of the current ruler of Ras Al-Khaimah, Sheikh Saud AlQassimi. That a member of a ruling family was so publicly detained was surprising in a region where powerful connections are generally seen as protection from the hand of the law. Before his arrest in April 2012, Qassimi interacted personally with many of the Emirates’ rulers, his son said.

“A group of armed men in civilian clothes entered the house and took my father. They did not show any official documents, they did not identify themselves,” Qassimi’s son, Abdullah said. He was then taken to the Ras al-Khaimah ruler’s palace where he was kept under what amounted to house arrest for five months in the grounds, Abdullah said. “He was given a paper which he was asked to sign but he refused to even look at it.”

In September, Qassimi was taken to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, but for a month his family had no idea where he was and they were not allowed to see him, Abdullah said. Eventually they visited him at a state security prosecution office in Abu Dhabi. He looked dazed, Abdullah said. “When we asked him the size of the place where he was being held, he replied ‘slightly larger than a grave.’ We asked him, ‘Do you see the sun.’ He said, ‘no’.”

TRIAL FREE AND FAIR, UAE SAYS The UAE Ministry of Justice said “the case was investigated, prosecuted and tried before an independent judiciary in full compliance with the applicable procedural, evidentiary and legal standards of the UAE judicial system.” It was committed to “the full application of the due process of law in the event of suspected threats to national security.”

But family members said the group posed no threat. “... Al-Islah in the United Arab Emirates is an idea that is influenced by some thoughts ... most of which are from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt,” said Hassan Mohammed Al-Mansouri, whose father was sentenced to 10 years in jail. “The political system is a

DUBAI: In this file photo, Ahmed Mansour, an Emirati blogger and a human rights activist, talks with his children after he was pardoned by UAE’s president and released from jail in Dubai. More than 65 suspects accused of plotting an Islamist coup in UAE received prison sentences of up to 15 years yesterday, in a mass trial that underscored the widening crackdowns on perceived Arab Spring-inspired dissent across the entire Gulf Arab region. — AP red line. We do not accept any foreign country or organization, even if it is similar to ours in our ideology, to interfere in the policies of the state,” said Rukn, wearing the traditional Gulf Arab white robe. “I believe in the ideology, but if the ideology leads to destabilizing society inside the United Arab Emirates or in Gulf society, then we do not take it.”

The relatives denied al-Islah received any funding from abroad, saying it only had membership fees.

Since its board was forced to resign in 2011, al-Islah members have met at each other’s homes and carried out activities in individual institutions. UAE authorities said they had invested money from Brotherhood membership fees and charity funds to set up commercial enterprises and real estate investments held in their own names to conceal their activities from the state.

ETHICS Asked whether his father had met the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Abdullah, Qassimi’s son, would only say: “He is in contact with symbols of Islamist movements worldwide.” Those in jail have said they have been tortured. UAE officials have dismissed the accusation. Authorities also said the group had sought to infiltrate state institutions including schools, univer-

sities and ministries.

“There isn’t a single recording or paper in the state prosecutor or state security’s office that has unequivocal proof that this group has outside contact or internal activities that confront the founding principles of the United Arab Emirates and the government and is planning to overthrow it,” Rukn said. In March 2011 a group of Emirati activists and intellectuals signed a petition which called for granting direct elections to the Federal National Council, the UAE’s quasi-parliament. Some of the signatories were arrested and later released, but UAE authorities have been watchful since then. Some of those who have signed the petition are among the UAE94.

Rukn insisted the group did not seek the removal of the ruling families despite reservations that they had allowed the UAE, a tourist hub, to be too open to Western influences. “Islamic religion rejects decadence in the streets, rejects alcohol, rejects what’s happening. For me to go to a mall and find a woman wearing transparent clothing through which you can see her underwear, is that really the ethics of the Emirates?”

“In the 1980s people used to go to Bangkok and Thailand for prostitution, now they come here. There are parties for homosexuals. This is all against Islam,” he said. — Reuters

Jailed Tunisian rapper to be freed on appeal TUNIS: A Tunisian rapper jailed for two years for a song in which he insulted the police will be freed on appeal, to the relief of his supporters who hailed yesterday’s ruling as a victory for freedom of expression. Ala Yaacoubi, who goes by the rap name Weld El 15, was imprisoned on June 13 for a song he wrote called “The Police are Dogs,” and the Tunis court of appeal on Tuesday reduced the jail term to a six-month suspended sentence, allowing him to go free.

“It’s a victory for freedom and democracy, for Weld El 15 who did nothing wrong but made a work of art,” attorney Ghazi Mrabet, who used the singer’s rap name, said following the court’s verdict. As the ruling was announced, shouts of joy erupted outside of the court of appeal in Tunis where friends and supporters of the rapper had gathered. “Freedom for Weld El 15!” they shouted.

“After being shaken by a great wave of concern, today’s verdict is a relief for us. It has given reassurance,” said Thameur Mekki, who heads the rapper’s support group. The 25-year-old musician was to be freed from the prison in a suburb of the capital where he has been held since his conviction by the court of first instance last month. The severity of the two-year jail sentence infuriated his supporters who attended the trial, and clashes with the police broke out afterwards in which some of them were badly beaten.

Two rappers and a French-Tunisian journalist implicated in the violence were later charged with abusing public officials in the course of duty and attacks on public morals, and are due to stand trial in October. The initial jail sentence was sharply criticized even by some government officials. Members of the opposition and human rights groups called it an attack on freedom of

speech, a charge rejected by Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh.

“He was not tried on the basis of his work, or the freedom of expression, but for inciting hatred and calling for the death of police and magistrates,” Larayedh said on Monday, in an interview with television channel France 24. In a video of the song which was posted on YouTube, the rapper is heard saying: “Police, magistrates, I’m here to tell you one thing, you dogs; I’ll kill police instead of sheep; Give me a gun I’ll shoot them.”

The decision to release Yaacoubi comes less than a week after three European women with radical topless protest group Femen walked free when their four month jail sentences for baring their breasts in Tunis were also suspended on appeal. Tunisia’s Islamist-led government has frequently been accused by its critics of seeking to curb civil liberties acquired after the popular uprising that overthrew former strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. In March 2012, two young graduates, both atheist, were sentenced to more than seven years for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on Facebook.

And Amina Sboui, a Tunisian activist with the topless protest group, was arrested in May for painting the word “Femen” on a wall near a cemetery in the city of Kairouan, in protest against a planned gathering of Salafists. She remains in custody waiting to hear whether she will be prosecuted for desecrating a cemetery and indecency, which carry prison terms of two years and six months respectively. Rights activists have written an open letter to French President Francois Hollande, who is expected in Tunis later this week, asking him to raise the most pressing human rights issues during his visit. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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

A global campaign to reduce the use of nuke US, Russia remove enriched uranium from Vietnam VIENNA: The United States and Russia have helped ship out nearly 16 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Vietnam as part of a global campaign to reduce the use of nuclear fuel that could also provide material for bombs. The move - making Vietnam the 11th country from which all highly enriched uranium has been removed in the last four years - was announced during a meeting in Vienna on how to prevent potential bomb ingredients from falling into the wrong hands.

There are about 1,440 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and 500 tons of plutonium stockpiled and in nuclear arms globally, says the Nuclear Security Governance Experts Group (NSGEG) lobby group. Most of it is under military guard but some for civilian uses is less stringently secured. Analysts say that radical groups could theoretically build a crude but deadly nuclear weapon if they had the money, technical knowledge and materials needed.

“With this accomplishment (in Vietnam), we will have removed nearly all highly enriched uranium from Southeast Asia,” US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. The material, he said, will be downblended into low-enriched uranium to fuel power reactors. But, “highly enriched uranium still exists in too many places where there are viable alternatives,” said Moniz. Refined uranium fuels nuclear energy reactors but, if processed further, can also form the fissile core of nuclear bombs. Highly-enriched uranium has traditionally been used for research reactors, making such plants especially sensitive.

The first uranium shipment from Vietnam’s Dalat

Nuclear Research Institute to Russia, where it originally came from, took place six years ago and there was a second delivery this month, Russian envoy

Grigory Berdennikov said. The UN nuclear agency and Canada also provided assistance. In the previous such case, the White House said in April that the

United States and its allies secured 68 kilograms (150 pounds) of highly enriched uranium from the Czech Republic.

AN KHE: US veteran doctor Sam Axelrad (right) holds the preserved arm bone of Vietnamese ex-soldier Nguyen Quang Hung (left) at Hung’s home in An Khe town, central highland’s province of Gia Lai. Axelrad said on July 1 he had returned the carefully-preserved arm bone of a Viet Cong soldier to its owner more than forty years after he amputated it during the Vietnam War. — AFP

JAPAN’S PLUTONIUM PLANS Obtaining weapons-grade fissile material poses the biggest challenge for militant groups, so it must be kept secure both at civilian and military facilities, experts say. A fairly simple-to-design bomb would require about 50-60 kg of highly enriched uranium, the NSGEG said. More sophisticated devices would need less material, experts say. The United States is working with other countries to “implement technologies to minimize and eventually eliminate the civilian use” of HEU, Moniz said. He also said he had asked Japanese officials during the week-long nuclear security conference in Vienna “of how the planning is going to manage plutonium stocks” in the country.

But Japan’s plans for a major nuclear fuel reprocessing facility - which would yield plutonium for the recycling of spent reactor fuel - is “clearly a sovereign choice in terms of how Japan operates its fuel cycle”, he said.

In May, the Wall Street Journal said Japan was preparing to start up the Rokkasho facility over the objections of the US administration, which it said fears the move may stoke a broader race for nuclear technologies and even weapons in North Asia and the Middle East. Japanese officials have said the plutonium would strictly be used for power generation, the WSJ added. — Reuters

Palestinian president to visit Beirut amid unrest BEIRUT: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is due in Beirut today, where he is expected to offer the Lebanese authorities assurances that the Palestinian refugee camps will stay clear of the country’s growing Syriarelated unrest. During his three-day visit, Abbas is also expected to discuss the situation of Palestinians who fled Syria for Lebanon, which is already home to some 470,000 Palestinian refugees living in 12 official camps.

Abbas is slated to meet with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman soon after his arrival mid-afternoon. Abbas will reassure the Lebanese authorities “of our firm and unwavering commitment to stability and security in Lebanon, and to the neutrality of the Palestinian camps” in Lebanon’s unrest, embassy spokesman Hassan Sheshniyeh said.

The main topic on Abbas’ agenda for his Beirut visit is “security”, including that of the Palestinian camps, researcher Michel Naufal said. Abbas will insist “on the principle that

the Palestinians are not a card that any (of Lebanon’s political movements) can use”, said Naufal, of Beirut’s Institute for Palestine Studies. The visit comes a week after a fierce battle pitting radical Sunnis loyal to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir against the Lebanese army raged in the southern city of Sidon, in which 18 troops were killed.

Nearby, clashes broke out pitting the army against Islamist fighters on the edges of Palestinian Ain al-Helweh camp, Lebanon’s largest. Within hours, the violence there subsided thanks to the intervention of Abbas and the chief of the Hamas Islamist group which runs the Gaza Strip, Khaled Meshaal. Abbas “wants to offer his guarantees to Lebanese officials over the situation in the camps, after the situation in Sidon was successfully brought under control”, added Naufal.

He also “aims to ensure that attempts by some sides to drag (the Palestinians) to intervene on Assir’s side are not repeated”, said the researcher. —AFP

Jordan govt blocks 254 news websites AMMAN: The Jordanian government said yesterday that it had blocked 254 unlicensed news websites, 16 of them in the previous two days, using powers under a 2012 law criticized as a threat to freedom of expression. Fayez Shawabkeh, head of the Press and Publication Department said: “16 local news websites were blocked in the past two days after carefully examining their situation. “This brings the total number of sites the PPD blocked recently to 254, while 111 sites have obtained licences.”

On June 3, authorities said they would block nearly 300 out of 400 local news websites “for failing to obtain the necessary licensing,” under last year’s controversial legislation.

The law gave the government powers to regulate “electronic publications,” requiring them to register with the PPD and obtain a licence. It stipulates that the chief editors of news websites must be members of the Jordan Press Association, giving the government the right to censor content and hold journalists liable for comments posted on webpages.

The PPD has insisted “the decision does not seek to restrict freedoms,” and that “the objective is to organize the work of these websites.”

“I call on all local news websites to correct their status in line with the law.

Operating outside the law, which we will continue to apply, will not be in their interest,” Shawabkeh warned. Journalists accuse the government of seeking to control who can publish news. One of the sites blocked in the past two days is 7iber, Arabic for “ink”.

Its editor, Lina Ejeilat, told AFP 7iber was an interactive website that published reports and features from contributors, and said it should not be covered by the legislation.

“We are a blog and definitely not a news website,” she said. Shawabkeh disagreed, saying that “7iber is registered at the trade and industry ministry as a news website and posts news and political analyses about Jordan, which means that

the law applies to it”.

The PPD’s decision drew renewed criticism of Jordan from international human rights watchdogs, as well as from journalists, activists and the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, who saw it as an attempt to impose censorship.— AFP

South Africa’s De Klerk hospitalized Fellow Nobel laureate Mandela lies critically ill JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s last apartheid president FW de Klerk was hospitalized yesterday to receive a pacemaker, as his fellow Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela lies critically ill. De Klerk cut short a visit to Europe over the weekend because of Mandela’s ailing health, only to fall ill himself. The 77-year-old felt dizzy after his return from Europe on Sunday and saw his physician. “The specialist recommended immediate installation of a pacemaker,” his spokesman Dave Steward said. “It’s a routine procedure. He will spend the night in hospital.” De Klerk will receive the device, which helps the heart beat at a normal rate, in a Cape Town hospital.

Meanwhile, 94-year-old Mandela is spending a 25th day of treatment in a Pretoria health facility for a recurring lung infection.

He is in a critical but stable condition, the South African president’s office said Monday evening. De Klerk-a one-time hard-liner-dismantled white-minority rule and authorized the release of Mandela from prison in 1990, a decision that changed the course of South African history. Sometimes heated talks between the two and their factions in the end brought about the first all-race elections in 1994 which propelled Mandela to power. The two men shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

At a prayer meeting in downtown Johannesburg yesterday, organized by the ruling African National Congress, hundreds of supporters gathered to wish Mandela well. “Growing old is not a curse-it’s a blessing,” ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the crowd outside the organization’s headquarters, which was adorned with a huge poster of Mandela. “We are not tired of having our old icon. We still want him to live for a long time,” Mantashe told the cheering crowd. ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete added: “We hope that you come out of that hospital. We still want to learn from your example.” — AFP

CAPE TOWN: This file picture shows South Africa’s President F W de Klerk (left) and anti-apartheid leader and African National Congress (ANC) member Nelson Mandela shaking hands after historic “talks about talks” between the South African government and the ANC in Cape Town. South Africa’s last apartheid president FW de Klerk was hospitalized yesterday to receive a pacemaker, as his fellow Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela lies critically ill. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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NSA: America’s ever-expanding digital spy agency WASHINGTON: Revelations from US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden have shed a rare public spotlight on the ultra-secret National Security Agency, which uses super computers and codebreaking mathematicians to oversee the world’s most powerful electronic spying operation. Hollywood directors and novelists have made the CIA famous for its undercover agents in the field, but in the digital era, the ohi-tech NSA may represent the most far-reaching arm of the country’s 16 spy agencies, with its intelligence at the center of decision-making and military planning, experts say.

The latest leak from Snowden alleges the NSA has been eavesdropping on US allies, including the European Union offices in Washington, which would fit in with the agency’s ability to scoop up any conversation or email relevant to “foreign targets.” Created after World War II to avoid another Pearl Harbor-style surprise attack, the NSA “has transformed itself into the largest, most covert, and potentially most intrusive intelligence agency ever created,” wrote author James Bamford, whose books helped lift the lid on the agency’s work. With codebreaking services in a disorganized jumble, President Harry Truman set up the NSA through a secret directive in 1952,

allowing the agency virtually free reign to snoop on the Soviet Union and to track communications entering and leaving the United States.

Employees at the secrecy-minded agency would say they worked at the Defense Department, earning the NSA nicknames such as “No Such Agency” and “Never Say Anything.” While the CIA may break into a building to plant a bug, the NSA is in charge of information “in motion,” vacuuming up data transiting telecommunication cables or radio waves. Congress imposed more oversight and stricter legal guidelines in the 1970s after a Senate inquiry exposed numerous intelligence abuses, including the use of the NSA to spy on Americans involved in anti-war and other protests.

Not only is the NSA in charge of all manner of “signals intelligence,” the agency’s chief also heads up the military’s Cyber Command for digital warfare, and the service plays a vital role in securing computer networks against a cyber attack on the United States. The NSA’s budget remains classified but it is believed to be the largest in the intelligence community. Funding doubled since the attacks of September 11, 2011, according to the book “ Top Secret America” by journalists Dana Priest and

William Arkin. The agency’s sprawling headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, northeast of Washington, has its own exit on the freeway for employees only.

The number of NSA workers is also a secret, though one top official once joked the workforce was somewhere between 37,000 and a billion. Since the advent of the Internet and the demand for intelligence on Al-Qaeda after 9/11, the NSA has steadily grown in importance, hiring tens of thousands of contractors, like Snowden, to manage its extensive operations that require cryptologists, linguists, electrical engineers and other technicians.

In its early years, the NSA inherited a program called “Shamrock,” in which the agency intercepted up to 150,000 telegraph messages a month, with the help of American companies who agreed to the arrangement despite worries about its legality. Now, each day “collection systems at the NSA intercept and store 1.7 billion emails, phone calls and other types of communications,” and the NSA “sorts a fraction of those in 70 separate databases,” according to “Top Secret America.” To store the massive amount of data, the agency is constructing a vast storage center in the Utah desert at a cost of $2 billion, which will serve a com-

HONG KONG: A television screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping US surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong. — AP puter “cloud” for the NSA. The NSA’s alleged spying on US allies is not the first time Washington has been accused of snooping on friendly governments to gain an edge in diplomacy and trade. In 2000-2001, members of the European

parliament were outraged after revelations of an elaborate eavesdropping operation carried out by the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which they alleged had been used to undermine some European firms. —AFP

Top Vatican bank managers quit after monsignor arrest Director-general, deputy resign amid scandal

In this frame grab, Russian booster rocket carrying three satellites crashes at a Russia-leased cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday. — AP

An unmanned Russian carrier rocket explodes ALMATY: An unmanned Russian carrier rocket exploded yesterday on takeoff at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, releasing tons of highly toxic fuel into the air in the space program’s latest disaster caught on live television. Spectacular footage showed the Proton-M rocket veering off its trajectory just seconds after its 6:38 am launch, before falling apart in mid-air, erupting into a ball of flames and unleashing clouds of noxious black smoke.

“It seems something is going wrong,” said a Russian television commentator during the live coverage of the launch at the Baikonur cosmodrome in the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan. “Something is wrong. It seems it will be a catastrophe,” said the presenter, his voice trembling, shortly before the rocket exploded.

President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the accident, the Kremlin said in a statement. The rocket, which fell to the ground some 2.5 kilometers from the launch pad at the cosmodrome that Russia leases from Kazakhstan, was supposed to take three Russian Glonass-M navigation satellites into space. The rocket carried 600 tons of kerosene, heptyl and amyl which are highly poisonous components of rocket fuel, said the head of the Kazakh space agency, Talgat Musabayev. The Russian space agency Roskosmos, citing preliminary information, said the accident caused no damage or casualties but the crash site was immediately cordoned off and residents of nearby towns including Baikonur were told to stay indoors and keep their windows shut. Heptyl is a highly poisonous component of rocket fuel and is known to be more toxic than the chemical weapon sarin. Kazakh officials played down the immediate danger to people, saying a lot of the fuel had burned in the air. A spokeswoman for the Kazakh space agency told AFP that officials had found no traces of heptyl and amyl in the air and soil

samples taken at 0600 GMT. Locals said the explosion sounded like thunder and that they were not unduly concerned about their safety. “They asked us to stay indoors and not to open windows,” said Mukhtar Umurzakov, a 46-year-old driver, who lives in the town of Kyzyl-Orda some 300 kilometers from Baikonur. “They also said you cannot release cattle out to pasture but no one paid attention,” he told AFP. Officials in Kazakhstan said earlier yesterday that a cloud of fumes that had formed over the cosmodrome could move beyond the area. Head of the emergencies ministry in Kazakhstan, Vladimir Bozhko, said that early indications showed the accident was caused by a malfunction of a first-stage engine. Experts say the disaster is a major blow to the reputation of the reliable ProtonM rocket. “Proton is our main workhorse for commercial use,” space analyst Vadim Lukashevich said. “Businessmen will now start thinking whether they should look for another carrier.”

He added that Russia would likely come under more pressure from Kazakhstan to increase rental payments for the cosmodrome. Prominent Kazakh environmental activist Mels Yeleusizov blamed the Russians for the disaster. “This is real slovenliness indeed. Accidents happen all the time,” he said. “It’s high time to ban this Proton.”

Though key accomplishments like sending the first man into space in 1961 have brought Russia’s space program acclaim, it has recently suffered several major setbacks, notably losing expensive satellites and an unmanned supply ship to the International Space Station. The most recent disaster brought to memory a horrific rocket explosion at the same Baikonur cosmodrome in 1960 when a prototype rocket exploded on the launch pad and released the highly poisonous rocket fuel in the air dubbed the “devil’s venom”. —AFP

Vatican judges approve John Paul for sainthood VATICAN CITY: The Vatican congregation in charge of examining candidates for sainthoods has recognized a second miracle by John Paul II, leaving just a papal signature necessary to authorize the former pope’s canonization, Italian news agency ANSA reported yesterday. The Polish pope is likely to be canonized by the end of the year in a ceremony which could take place in December, the agency said. Vatican theologians in June had attributed a second miracle to John Paul II, which Vatican sources had said would “amaze the world”, the report said. The long road to sainthood requires two “confirmed” miracles, the first of which is necessary for beatification, a hurdle the Polish pope cleared just six months after his death in 2005.

That was the healing of a French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, whose recovery

from Parkinson’s disease after praying for the late John Paul II’s “intercession” had no medical explanation. The second miracle reportedly took place on the very day that John Paul II was beatified in a lavish ceremony in St Peter’s Square on May 1, 2011, and was the healing of a woman from Costa Rica. The go-ahead from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints must be followed by a written decree, signed by Pope Francis, to authorize the Polish pontiff’s canonization and announce the date it will take place. For healings to be officially certified as miracles, they must be instantaneous, permanent and with no scientific explanation. John Paul II was hugely popular through his 27-year papacy, and at his funeral in 2005, crowds of mourners cried “Santo Subito!”-which roughly translates as “Sainthood Now!”

VATICAN CITY: Two top managers of the scandal-plagued Vatican bank have resigned following the arrest of a high-ranking cleric with close ties to the financial institution, in the latest of a string of embarrassments for the Holy See. Director Paolo Cipriani and deputy-director Massimo Tulli stepped down three days after the Vatican was rocked by the arrest of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, who is accused of plotting with two other people to smuggle 20 million euros into Italy from Switzerland. Ernst von Freyberg, a German who earlier this year became president of the bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), will assume the role of bank director until a permanent replacement is appointed.

The bank has also established a new position of chief risk officer who will be charged with improving compliance with financial regulations at a bank which has long been a byword for secrecy and lack of transparency. Scarano, 61, who worked as a senior accountant in the Vatican’s financial administration, was arrested along with an Italian secret service agent and a financial intermediary. According to transcripts from a judge’s report, Scarano, who is under two separate investigations by Italian magistrates in Rome and Milan, mentioned the director in phone conversations tapped by police investigators. The judge’s report, obtained by Reuters,

says Scarano controlled vast amounts of money and felt he could act with impunity because of his connections to the Vatican bank. Only last Wednesday, two days before the arrests, Pope Francis set up a commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank, which has been hit by a number of scandals in the past decades. Scarano was for years a senior accountant for a Vatican department known as APSA, whose official title is the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. SUSPENDED Magistrates have said there is no indication so far that the Vatican bank was directly involved in the attempt to bring the money into Italy, but that the investigation was continuing and more searches were under way. Scarano was suspended from his duties several weeks ago when he was placed under investigation by magistrates in Salerno.

In that investigation, his lawyer Silverio Sica said wealthy friends had donated money to Scarano in order for him to build a home for the terminally ill. According to Sica, his client wanted to use that money to pay off his mortgage so he could sell a property in Salerno and use the proceeds to build the care home. Scarano has been accused of taking 560,000 euros in cash out of his account in the Vatican bank and giving various amounts to friends who gave him checks in

Karadzic, Mladic hold key to Hague tribunal’s ‘credibility’ THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which saw some of its powers transferred to a new body in The Hague, has come under fire for a series of recent acquittals. But analysts say it will be future judgments on Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his army chief Ratko Mladic that will leave the longest lasting impression of the court in the minds of the public.

In a rare and ferocious critique, one of the tribunal’s own judges said the recent acquittal of two Croatian generals and three high-profile Serbs set an entirely new legal precedent. Frederik Harhoff sent a letter to the president of the court, American Theodor Meron, leaked to the Danish press in June, accusing him of establishing a legal precedent in the interests of a “military elite of prominent countries,” including Israel and the United States.

Harhoff further claimed that Meron had pressured other judges to acquit the officers, possibly under pressure from the US. The acquittals would mean that the highest-ranking officers were not automatically responsible for crimes committed by their subordinates, he said, adding wryly, “The American and Israeli military chiefs must be breathing a sigh of relief.” But according to Goran Sluiter, professor of international law at the University of Amsterdam, the court is still a respected source of authority, regardless of its recent decisions.

“Despite the recent debates, the ICTY remains the benchmark of international courts, because it has succeeded where all others have failed,” he said, referring to the indictment of 161 suspects since 1993 for serious violations of international humanitarian law in the former republic, a feat achieved by no other tribunal.

Contacted by AFP, Meron refused to comment on the damning claims made by his fellow judge.

The court’s chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz questioned whether the president’s continued silence on the issue was helping an already tense situation. “I would personally consider that, in a world where communication is so important, not reacting at all to criticism was perhaps not the best way to respond,” he said in an interview with AFP. “Any form of criticism must be seen in a constructive way and become a topic for a debate,” he added.

Without wishing to comment directly on the Harhoff letter, he would only say that the disputes triggered by the acquittals had “surely not helped” the credibility of the tribunal. Brammertz has said he “shared the disappointment” of victims, and had lodged an appeal to overturn the May 30 acquittals of two Serbian intelligence chiefs Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, who were accused of war crimes.

Furthermore, the cases of Mladic and Karadzic could not be compared with those of Yugoslavian army chief Momcilo Perisic, Stanisic and Simatovic, added Brammertz, as they were implicated directly in crimes in Bosnia rather than aiding and abetting from Belgrade. —AFP

exchange, apparently in a bid to cover his tracks.

He then deposited the checks into an Italian bank account to pay off the mortgage.

The case against Scarano came as an embarrassment to Francis, who, since his election in March, has pointedly eschewed many of the trappings of office and sought to stress the importance of a simple life of devotion. The IOR, tarnished by accusations of failing to meet international transparency standards intended to combat money laundering and tax evasion, is trying to clean up its image after a long history of scandals. Its most notorious incident came in 1982 when it was enmeshed in the bankruptcy of Italy’s Banco Ambrosiano, whose chairman Roberto Calvi was found hanging from London’s Blackfriars Bridge.

In 2010, Rome magistrates investigating money laundering froze 23 million euros ($33 million) held by the IOR in an Italian bank. The IOR said it was transferring its own funds between accounts in Italy and Germany. The money was released in June 2011 but the investigation continues. The European antimoney laundering committee, Moneyval, said in a July report that the IOR still had to enact more reforms in order to meet international standards against money laundering. The Vatican is due to give Moneyval a progress report this year. — Reuters

Protesters storm police HQ in Ukraine over rape KIEV: Ukraine’s president ordered a toplevel inquiry yesterday after a night of violence in a small southern town in which people angered by the rape of a local woman in which they said police were involved attacked a police headquarters with petrol bombs. The protests, prompted by suspicions one of the policemen involved was being protected because of family connections, came at an awkward time for the former Soviet republic. The European Union is pressing Ukraine to eradicate corruption and bias in the police and judiciary to improve its chances of signing landmark political and trade deals with the bloc in November.

Several hundred people took to the streets in Vradiyevka, 400 km south of the capital Kiev, after reports circulated of the attack on a 29-year-old shop assistant who said she was beaten and raped by two policemen after being grabbed on a street and forced into a taxi. Video footage at the scene showed police cowering back as mobs tried to force their way into the main police building and used metal bars to beat in windows and a metal perimeter fence.

Police used what appeared to be pepperspray to force them back.

Part of the building was ablaze in the early hours of Tuesday after petrol bombs were thrown. Angry crowds were still demonstrating in the town in mid-afternoon despite a visit by the regional gover-

nor to calm them. “What happened last night is a wake-up call,” Vitaly Klitschko, the world boxing champion-turned-politician, told parliament which interrupted a discussion on European integration to hear reports on the overnight unrest. “The impunity of law enforcement authorities has caused a people’s rebellion,” Klitschko said.

President Viktor Yanukovich, who is already at odds with the EU over the jailing of his main political opponent former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, told security chiefs urgently to investigate the incidents and violence. Authorities announced that the regional prosecutor as well as the heads of the regional and town police had been sacked.

Her face swollen and disfigured by bruising, Iryna Krashkova told a television channel from her hospital bed that she had been grabbed late at night on June 26 as she walked home from a discotheque. She was driven into woods and raped by two policemen, both of whom she knew by sight, while a taxi driver stood by and did nothing.

“They wrenched off my ear rings and threw me out of the car,” she said. Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko, delivering a report on Tuesday after visiting Vradiyevka, pledged to carry out a “fast, full and unbiased investigation”. He confirmed that one policeman and the taxi driver had been detained. —Reuters

VRADIYEVKA: Irina Krashkova, a 29-year-old woman from the town of Vradiyevka, Ukraine speaks from a hospital bed. Krashkova says she was driven to the woods, raped and savagely beaten by two local policemen, aided by a driver. — AP

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Blasting heat keeps hold on US Western states SEATTLE: A heat wave scorching the Western United States fueled lightning-sparked fires in several states and pushed temperatures well above normal on Monday in typically cooler regions such as Seattle and parts of the Rocky Mountains. In Arizona, the weather cooled off slightly - to 111 degrees (44 C) on Monday from 115 (46 C) the day before. But a wildfire that killed 19 firefighters on Sunday raged unchecked, engulfing 8,400 acres (3,400 hectares) of tinder-dry chaparral and grasslands. In Boise, Idaho, where a ridge of high pressure air pushed thermometers as high as 107 degrees F (41 C), grazing cattle clustered together under trees for shade, and teenagers

sought solace in mountain streams. “People are sweating, about to pass out, but they’re still walking around,” said Jordan Edwards, a college student who was making money selling bottled water to tourists in Las Vegas, where an elderly man died over the weekend in a house that had no air conditioning.

The heat topped 110 degrees (43 C) in the desert city on Monday, prompting 15 calls to the city’s emergency system for heat-related issues, and sending four people to the hospital, said Timothy Szymanski, public information officer at Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.

Pam Armstrong and her family planned to visit several places along the famed Las Vegas

Experts probe Arizona blaze; Bodies removed PRESCOTT: The bodies of 19 young firefighters killed in America’s deadliest wildfire in 80 years were removed in a cortege of white vans Monday, as experts probed how they perished so suddenly. The names of the dead men, mostly in their 20s, were released a day after the Yarnell Hill fire tragedy, in which all but one of a 20-strong elite team were killed, many in cocoon-like last-ditch protection shelters.

The blaze, which quadrupled in size overnight, was the most lethal since the September 11, 2011 which cost the lives of 340 firefighters in the ashes of the Twin Towers in New York. As a makeshift memorial grew outside the victims’ home station, including American flags and 19 water bottles arranged in a heart shape, Arizona governor Jan Brewer ordered flags to be flown at half-staff through Wednesday. “The Yarnell fire exploded into a firestorm that overran the local Granite Mountain hotshots,” she said, using the name of the elite firefighting unit, which typically goes in first to set up initial fire containment lines.

Recalling the 340 who died on 9/11, she added: “Just as we honor the memory of the firefighters lost that day as they charged into the burning towers, we will remember the brave men of the Granite Mountain hotshots.”

President Barack Obama tele phoned Brewer-a Republican with whom he has previously had strained relations-to pledge federal aid to help learn from the tragedy, and deal with the blaze. “He also expressed his gratitude to the hundreds of first responders who continue to work around the clock to protect homes and businesses from this deadly blaze,” the White House said in a statement. The victims’ bodies were loaded into a fleet of white coroner’s vans Monday for the 85 mile (135 km) trip south to Phoenix, where a large stars-and-stripes flag billowed in the wind as they arrived, guards standing solemnly by.

By Monday the raging fire had ripped through more than 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares), up from 2,000 late Sunday, and was zero percent contained, officials said. High winds were

expected to worsen the blaze, complicating the task for the some 400 firefighters now battling it, up from 200 on Sunday. “It’s a very difficult situation,” said Arizona land management spokesman Dennis Godfrey. “The high winds are a real danger... It’s even a greater danger when those winds are shifting directions.” The dead firefighters’ names were released: 14 of them were in their 20s; the youngest was 21, the oldest 43. Officials stressed that the nature of the hotshots’ work meant they needed to be in the peak of physical fitness.

Juliann Ashcraft told the AZ Central website that her husband Andrew died in the blaze.”They died heroes ..

We’ll miss them.

We love them,” said Ashcraft, who learned about the tragedy while watching TV with her four children.

Officials said the deaths were under investigation but that the firefighters appeared to have deployed fire shelters-last-ditch protection equipmentjust before they were engulfed in flames.

“It’s a very elite group of people who are highly trained, highly motivated, very fit... We don’t know what happened,” Wade Ward, a visibly shocked Prescott Fire Department spokesman, told CNN early Monday.

Hundreds of residents of Yarnell and Peeples Valley were meanwhile evacuated, officials said, as the blaze continued to tear through the area.

Figures from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show that the Arizona deaths are the worst firefighter fatalities from a wildfire since 29 died fighting a blaze in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park in 1933.

The Yarnell Hill wildfire is the worst of several raging across Arizona and comes two weeks after two people died and 360 homes burned down in the western state of Colorado’s most destructive blaze ever. Record and near-record temperatures left much of the US southwest sweltering over the weekend, with Death Valley in California equaling the hottest ever June temperature in the United States, at 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53 Celsius). —AFP

strip while visiting from England, but they made sure to walk indoors through cooled casinos, venturing outside only to dash from one building to the next. “We don’t get anything like this at home,” said Armstrong, who was in Las Vegas with her husband and children to visit family.

Matt Solum, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Monday marked the midpoint of the heat wave, which he added would begin to dissipate over the next few days.

“We’re about in the middle of it right now,” Solum said. “It started late last week and will continue through the Fourth of July.” Solum

said that lightning had ignited fires in several states, including the one in Arizona. “Given how dry it’s been, it hasn’t taken a lot. Any kind of lightning that’s out there, we’ve needed to keep an eye on,” he said.

MELTING TENNIS SHOES There was an excessive heat warning for Seattle, where the temperature on Monday reached 90 F (32 C), about 16 degrees (9 C) above normal for the Pacific Northwest city.

California’s Death Valley National Park drew hundreds of heat-seeking tourists as temperatures soared to 129 degrees (54 C) over the weekend, said public information officer Cheryl

Chipman.

By Monday at about 2 pm, Chipman said, it was 125 degrees (52 C) - and the temperature was still climbing. Next week marks the 100th anniversary of the day that Death Valley experienced the hottest temperature - 134 F (57 C) ever recorded on Earth, Chipman said. She said about 100 people were expected to attend a conference at Death Valley National Park marking the centennial. One attendee came early, Chipman said, just in case the record was broken again this week. It gets so hot at the park, she said, that buildings have backup generators just to make sure the air conditioning can keep going during a power outage. —Reuters

Colombian rebels hold rare summit Rebel groups talk peace, revolution BOGOTA: The top commanders of Colombia’s two biggest rebel groups met in secret to discuss ways to bolster the nation’s “guerrilla and revolutionary” movement, a sign the insurgent groups may be seeking to pressure the government for a joint peace effort. In a statement published by both groups on Monday, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, and the National Liberation Army, ELN, said they held a rare “summit” inside Colombia during which their leadership addressed the need for all rebel groups to be involved in peace talks.

Colombian government and FARC negotiators currently are holding talks in Havana in the hope of ending five decades of war. The two sides have clashed in recent days as they discuss how to incorporate the FARC, the Andean nation’s biggest rebel movement, into the democratic process. “We have held a summit in a fraternal environment of unity and camaraderie with the idea of strengthening advances toward a united guerrilla and revolutionary movement in our country,” said the rebel groups’ statement.

“Any solution to the internal conflict in our country through dialogue must inevitably advance through conversations with all Colombian insurgents,” it said. It was signed by FARC chief Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, and ELN leader Nicolas Rodriguez, known as Gabino. In what appears to be the Marxist FARC flexing its political muscles as talks focus on what may be the most controversial item on a fivepoint agenda, the joint statement is sure to annoy President Juan Manuel Santos who has called on the rebels to stick to what was agreed upon before talks began in Cuba.

The FARC and the ELN, which have fought each other for control of drug trafficking routes but maintained a distance in recent years, discussed issues such as “deep changes to society, the economy, politics and Colombia’s institutions,” the statement said. It did not specify when the meeting took place. A US-

Mexico politician killed in bloody run-up polls MEXICO CITY: A mayoral candidate in a northern Mexican municipality was shot dead on Monday, the third attack on a politician in less than a week and the latest incident in the run-up to Mexico’s first elections since last year’s presidential vote.

Ricardo Reyes, a candidate for the leftist Citizen’s Movement party, was running for mayor of San Dimas municipality. He was killed around midday in Tayoltita, a rural mining town in the northwestern state of Durango, a party statement said.

“The cowardly killer of comrade Reyes is part of an alarming climate of violence and impunity, which seems to be aimed at inspiring terror ... before the elections next Sunday,” the statement said.

The state attorney general could not immediately be reached for comment. Last week, a ruling party candidate for the state legislature in Mexico’s southern Oaxaca state was shot several times and left in critical condition.

That came just two days after police found the body of a top leader of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), also in Oaxaca state.

It is still unclear who or what groups were behind the three separate attacks.

Fourteen Mexican states will vote Sunday in the first major election since Enrique Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, took power last year.

The PRI, which ruled Mexico with an iron fist for much of the 20th century, was ousted in 2000 by the National Action Party (PAN).

The PAN is on track to retain the key electoral bastion of Baja California next month, according to a poll released last week, in a result that could strengthen a fragile cross-party alliance built by Pena Nieto to re-energize the economy. —Reuters

CALIFORNIA: People crowd Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California amid the heat wave gripping the southwest US.— AFP backed offensive against both groups has severely weakened their numbers in the past decade, halving the FARC’s fighting force to about 8,000 and whittling the ELN to less than 3,000. Still, neither are spent and are still able to hit hard at the nation’s economic infrastructure, attacking oil and mining installations as well as military and civilian targets.

At the heart of their struggles against the government is what they see as unfair distribution of land and policies that excessively benefit the rich and foreign interests. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions displaced. Santos has previously said he would consider negotiating peace separately with the ELN, the nation’s second biggest rebel group, but only if it stops its attacks on military

and civilian targets. He has refused to consider any changes to Colombia’s institutions or economic model as a condition for talks with either rebel group.

Efforts to rid Colombia of its reputation as one of the most dangerous places to do business have resulted in a rush of investment into areas that were once off-limits. Just a decade ago, armed rebels roamed almost unhindered over great swathes of land and prevented citizens from traveling in many areas for fear being kidnapped. Both the ELN and the FARC have battled a dozen governments since they were founded in 1964 and are considered terrorist groups by the United States and the European Union. The ELN was inspired by the Cuban revolution and established by radical Catholic priests.— Reuters

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Pakistan’s hub faces growing extortion menace KARACHI: One afternoon a stranger called at Muhammad Faizanullah’s stationery shop in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, and wordlessly handed the man behind the counter two items: a piece of paper with a phone number scrawled on it, and a bullet. “The letter contained a demand for 200,000 Pakistani rupees ($2,000),” Faizanullah, 20, said. “The man said ‘Just call this number and pay the amount, otherwise the bullet is meant for you.’”

Businesses in Karachi are facing a surge in extortion demands from criminal gangs, forcing many owners to delay new investment or to relocate their families to escape the sense of insecurity gripping the urban heart of Pakistan’s economy.

The worsening law and order situation in Karachi, which generates 25 percent of Pakistan’s economic activity, presents one of the many challenges new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must overcome to fulfill promises to set Pakistan on a path to faster growth.

An expanding middle class is fuelling consumer spending but extortion is hurting confidence among thousands of family-run firms that form the backbone of the economy. With the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan due to start in July, a

traditional time for extortionists to come calling, Karachi traders and shopkeepers are braced for what police say will be a record year of demands. “The extortion racket has blown out of all proportion with the previous year,” said Ahmed Chinoy, chief of the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a Karachi body set up to help police by providing crime statistics and technical support.

The growing demands reflect the shifting dynamics of a city of 18 million people where new challengers, including Pakistan’s Taliban movement, are locked in an increasingly violent, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood battle for control. Figures collected by Chinoy’s committee show there were more than 630 extortion complaints registered in Karachi from January to mid-June, compared to 589 in the whole of last year. Most cases were registered by people who have refused to pay.

Police say the actual number of incidents is many times higher since the vast majority of extortion demands go unreported and victims usually decide to pay.

There is no way to know the sums involved, but police say payments run into tens of millions of dollars annually and that 2013 will be a record year. Ten

days after the extortionist paid his visit to Faizanullah’s shop in the bustling Alam cloth market in December, two men on motorbikes stopped him, his father and uncle as they were driving home from work. One of the men, a gun visible in his waistband, told Faizanullah: “You people don’t seem to understand our polite attitude, we will have to shoot you.” They demanded the men’s cellphones and roared away. “We live under constant stress,” Faizanullah said. But he has insisted that his family refuse to hand over any cash. Professionals, not just shopkeepers, are also targets.

When Javed Hanif, a doctor, answered his cellphone in June the caller reeled off a list of Hanif’s personal details: his work in a government hospital, the registration number of his car, and preparations for his son’s wedding. The man demanded 500,000 Pakistani rupees.

Hand-grenades Karachi traders say paying extortion has long been part of the cost of doing business in Karachi. The police say thugs working for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the dominant political party in Karachi, are the biggest extortion menace in the city. The police have also

linked other political parties to extortion, although the MQM and other parties in Karachi repeatedly deny any involvement.

In the past year, the rules of the game have changed as competing political parties, militant groups and criminal entrepreneurs intent on challenging MQM’s grip on Karachi have expanded their extortion rackets to fund ever deadlier turf wars, police officials say.

The number of killings in Karachi jumped to more than 2,300 in 2012 from 1,700 the previous year. More than 1,400 murders have already been recorded since the start of this year. The increasing death toll has made it easier for gangs to coerce people into paying money, although there have been few reports of extortion-related killings. “The extortion racket in Karachi has become an industry,” said senior police officer Niaz Ahmed Khosa. “There are around 50 no-go areas in Karachi, which police cannot enter.

Most of the extortion rackets and other crime are being generated from these population pockets.”

The police blame much of the increase in extortion on a criminal gang known as the People’s Aman Committee (PAC), based in the district of Lyari, one of the police no-go areas, and which they say is

expanding into new parts of the city. The gang, the police say, is linked to the Pakistan People’s Party, which ruled Pakistan until its defeat at May general elections. “If some political party says they are not involved in the extortion racket, they are lying,” said Majyad Aziz Balagamwala, a former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Police say Pakistan’s Taliban movement, which originated on the northwestern frontier with Afghanistan, has also ramped up extortion operations in Karachi in the past year and has been blamed for attacks that have killed dozens of police. In spite of the climate of fear, business sentiment is not universally bleak. Retail is booming in Karachi, symbolized by the opening of a flashy modern shopping centre called Dolmen Mall Clifton in 2011 which showcases international brands such as Debenhams and Fatburger. But nobody is immune from an extortionist’s call. Byram D Avari, the owner of a prominent hotel chain and a well-known figure in Karachi, refused to pay the demands of a caller who threatened to set off hand grenades at his hotels and home. But many others dare not say no. —Reuters

Taleban attack on NATO suppliers kills 9 in Kabul 4 Nepalese, 1 Briton, Romanian among killed

ALLAHABAD: Policemen carry an unidentified body recovered from the Ganges river in Allahabad yesterday. A total of five unidentified bodies were recovered in flood water as the water level of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers rises in Allahabad. — AFP

Pakistan PM’s advisor meets US, India officials ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid in Brunei on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEANS) summit yesterday. During the meeting with Kerry, bilateral relations and matters of mutual interests were discussed, it was officially reported here. They also discussed Issues relating to Afghanistan. The meeting was the first high level contact between Pakistan and United States since assumption of power by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) after May 11 general elections.

Moreover, Kerry is expected to visit Pakistan this month after the cancellation

of his visit due to unexpected developments in the Syria situation. Aziz also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to review the confidence building measures with New Delhi. Aziz after meeting the Indian minister told media that Sharif and Singh were likely to meet in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

India had expressed its desire to enhance bilateral relations and wished to take positive steps for improved ties between the two countries, he further added. Sharif also met a delegation of Pakistan India Business Forum earlier this week and reiterated his resolve to boost bilateral trade ties between the two countries. —KUNA

Environmentalists slam catfight over India’s lions NEW DELHI: Environmentalists yesterday slammed an Indian state’s attempt to halt the relocation of some of the country’s endangered lions, saying it was undermining efforts to boost their dwindling numbers. The country’s top court ruled in April that some of the 411 Asiatic Lions found only in the Gir forests of the western state of Gujarat must be moved to a wildlife sanctuary in a neighbouring state.

The Supreme Court’s decision was applauded by wildlife experts, who said restricting the lions to just one area put them at risk of inbreeding, disease and extinction. But the Gujarat government on Monday petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking a review of its judgement, saying that moving the wild cats would prove “disastrous” for the species. “Any external intervention in a Lion group by removing some of them may result in social disturbance,” the state said in its petition. The petition also said that previous experience had showed that “top carnivores had never been successfully relocated”.

Environmentalists rejected the arguments. They said the lions were being caught in a political tussle between Gujarat, where the cats are a source of pride, and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state which says it has the expertise to manage them. “It is important to have a second or third independent home for the long-time survival of the animals,” said Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. “It should have nothing to do with politics. No animal belongs to any state,” Wright said.

The cats are a subspecies of lion which are slightly smaller than their African cousins and have a fold of skin along their bellies. They are a major attraction for tourists to Gujarat. Their numbers have slowly increased thanks to decades of conservation work in the state. But the Wildlife Trust of India said their habitat was under threat in Gir from encroaching villages.

“The lions in Gir are in conflict with the local villagers. Lions are audacious creatures, they will hunt if they have to and they do go after livestock.

If the cattle is killed, it is a severe loss to the locals,” the Trust’s Mayukh Chatterjee said. He rejected suggestions that the lions may not withstand the move to a new habitat. “Lions are tough and ferocious creatures. They adapt very easily to the surroundings.” Wright said today’s scientists were well equipped to successfully move the lions. “For the sake of the future of the Asiatic lions, they must be relocated,” she added. —AFP

AHMEDABAD: Asha Foundation animal shelter and hospital founder, Harmesh Bhatt poses with three Jungle Lynx kittens being nurtured at the shelter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad yesterday. The Jungle Lynx kittens, who are native to Central and Southeast Asia, were rescued from Dabhoda village of Gujarat. — AFP

KABUL: A Taleban truck bomb and gun attack killed nine people in the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday, destroying the entrance to a NATO supply company’s compound in the latest insurgent assault to shake peace efforts. Four Nepalese, one Briton and one Romanian were among those killed in the bombing, which followed a series of recent Taleban suicide attacks targeting the Supreme Court, the airport and the presidential palace.

The US has been pushing for peace talks as 100,000 NATO combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan next year and local security forces take on the fight against the Islamist extremists.

“Four Nepalese guards, one Afghan guard and two Afghan civilians have been killed,” Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said after the attack. The British embassy said one male British national had also died, giving no further details, while the Romanian mission said a male civilian contractor was killed and another wounded.

The group provides many NATO bases with food, water, fuel and other supplies, as well as maintaining military storage buildings and accommodation. Its compound is close to UN offices and several NATO bases. Salangi said the attack began with a suicide bomb in a large

truck, and two or three insurgents then fought guards for about 30-40 minutes. All the attackers were killed. The bomb left a large crater in the ground, and reduced walls and a guard post to a pile of rubble and twisted steel. Police said some suicide vests were later detonated by security forces. The Taleban claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack, as pressure grows on the Afghan government to secure a peace deal with the rebels before international troops pull out by the end of 2014.

“An important foreign logistic and supply facility was attacked, first by an explosive-filled truck which removed all the barriers and followed by devoted mujahideen armed with small and heavy weapons entering the base,” the Taleban said in a statement. A Taleban office that opened in the Gulf state of Qatar on June 18 to start peace talks enraged President Hamid Karzai by styling itself as an unofficial embassy for a government-in-exile.

Karzai broke off bilateral security talks with the Americans and threatened to boycott any peace process altogether. The Taleban, who have been fighting a guerrilla war for 12 years, have consistently refused to hold peace talks with the Afghan government. But the Pentagon on Monday expressed optimism over negotiations

for a US-Afghan security deal which would allow a “residual” US force to stay in the country with legal immunity. NATO commanders, the Afghan government and the Taleban have all vowed to fight on at the same time as international efforts are made to secure a ceasefire and kickstart a peace process.

Only hours after the Qatar office opened, a Taleban rocket attack killed four Americans on the largest military base in Afghanistan. Days later, a suicide squad targeted the presidential palace and a CIA office in Kabul. US President Barack Obama has said he anticipated “a lot of bumps in the road” but that a peace settlement with the Taleban was the only way to end violence in Afghanistan.

More than 3,300 coalition personnel have been killed in the country since 2001, peaking at 711 deaths in 2010, according to the independent icasualties.org website. Half of the 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan will exit by February, and the newly-trained Afghan army and police are increasingly taking the lead in the battle to suppress the Taleban.

The Taleban were deposed in a 2001 US-led invasion for sheltering Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. —AFP

US sanctions Myanmar general for dealings with North Korea WASHINGTON: The Obama administration yesterday sanctioned the head of a missile research and development facility in Myanmar for ignoring international requirements that he stop buying military equipment from North Korea. Lieutenant General Thein Htay runs the Directorate of Defense Industries, which was sanctioned in July 2012 for buying military equipment and material from North Korea.”Thein Htay has disregarded international requirements to stop purchasing military goods from North Korea,” said US Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen. “We will continue our efforts, alongside our international partners, to shut down North Korea’s dangerous and destabilizing weapons proliferation.”

Yesterday’s action prohibits US citizens from engaging in transactions with Thein Htyay, and freezes assets he might have in the United States. It comes on the heels of sanctions imposed June 27 on a North Korean bank and other individuals. The US has been ratcheting up the pressure on North Korea since its latest nuclear test in February. —Reuters

News

in brief

Pakistan Hajj quota reduced ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to incur a loss of $10 million after decreasing of Hajj quota by 20 percent by the Saudi government. The Joint Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs, Shehzad Ahmad, said in a statement yesterday applications of 85,000 pilgrims had been accepted and there would be a loss if 18,000 were not allowed to perform the annual religious rituals. Advance payments had been made for the housing of pilgrims and the issue of returning funds had been raised with Saudi government, he further added.

The hajj Quota was decreased by 20 percent for all Muslim countries due to the ongoing expansion project of the Masjid-e-Haram.

Polio-free Pakistan The Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, has assured full cooperation of his government to with the Non-Governmental Organization “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” in the fight to eliminate polio from Pakistan. Bill Gates, the 57-yearold businessman-turned-philanthropist and head of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, telephoned Nawaz Sharif and said that his foundation would continue to extend its support and assistance to Pakistan for complete eradication of polio from the country. Sharif told Bill Gates that his government was committed to a polio-free Pakistan. Bill Gates had claimed that vaccination campaigns could eliminate polio within six years from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria where it was still endemic.

PATNA: The bodies of slain Indian policemen lie in a vechile after a Maoist attack in a jungle area of Kathikund where a police patrol was ambushed. —AFP

Maoist rebels kill five policemen in India PATNA: A group of more than 50 Maoist guerrillas ambushed a police patrol in eastern India yesterday, killing the district police chief and four others, officials said.

The rebels opened fire on vehicles carrying police Superintendent Amarjeet Balihar in the Dumka district of Jharkhand, an impoverished and densely forested state home to a large Maoist movement. “Five policemen including police Superintendent Amarjeet Balihar were killed in the Maoist attack,” Rajeev Kumar, the director general of police, said from the state capital Ranchi.

“Two persons are seriously injured,” he added.

More than 50 Maoists were involved in the attack on the police convoy which was

returning from a security meeting nearby.

Last month about 100 of the leftwing guerrillas opened fire on a passenger train in the adjacent state of Bihar, killing one police officer and two passengers. In May they killed 24 people including the top local leaders of the country’s governing Congress party during an ambush in the central state of Chhattisgarh.

The revolutionaries, described by the government as the country’s most serious internal security threat, have waged a decades-long battle across central and eastern states to overthrow local and national authorities. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless farmers in India. —AFP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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

Kerry raises Snowden issue FM at ASEAN N Korea under fire at Asia security forum BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: US Secretary of State John Kerry said he raised the sensitive issue of secrets leaker Edward Snowden in talks with his counterpart from Russia, where the US fugitive is in diplomatic limbo. But Kerry told reporters after an Asia security summit in Brunei that his discussions with Sergei Lavrov failed to yield any progress on an impasse that has further strained testy US-Russian ties. Kerry said the issue was more a matter for justice officials.

“So it is fair to say that we didn’t discuss any substantive progress but I certainly raised from our point of view how

nations to consider asylum. President Vladimir Putin has said that Snowden is welcome to stay in Russia but that he must “stop his work aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners-no matter how strange this may sound coming from me”.

Meanwhile, North Korea came under fire at an Asia-Pacific security forum yesterday as foreign ministers called on the defiant communist state to end its nuclear weapons program. In a flurry of diplomatic activity, the gathering in Brunei also saw Beijing pressured over its South China Sea claims while the top

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: US Secretary of State John Kerry bids farewell to onlookers as he boards a plane bound for Washington in Brunei. — AFP it fits within the context of our relationship...,” he said. “It wasn’t discussed in a way that he would be able to take any action on it, though I hope he will communicate the things I expressed.” The talks were the highest-level contact between the two nations since Snowden, a former government contractor who leaked explosive details of US surveillance, flew from Hong Kong to Moscow over a week ago. He has asked 21

US and Russian envoys met to discuss the thorny issues of Syria and US fugitive Edward Snowden. Participants in the ASEAN Regional Forum, which include 26 countries across the Asia-Pacific and the European Union, sent a “very strong message” to North Korea, Seoul’s envoy said.

“Most ministers at the meeting expressed a very strong message to the North Korean delegation that they should denuclearise, they should refrain

from provocative action,” South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se told reporters on the sidelines.

“So they have to listen to these messages very seriously.” However, North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun fired back in the discussions, calling the United States the “true provocateur” and saying it would retain its nuclear weapons program until Washington drops its “hostile” stance.

“Unless the US removes all its antiNorth policies and threats against us, any problems including the nuclear issues on the (Korean) peninsula will not be solved,” North Korean official Choe Myung-Nam told reporters, citing Pak. A day earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks with his counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea in Brunei that the four nations were united on the issue. China is the main ally of North Korea, which defiantly carried out its third nuclear weapons test in February and threatened to attack the United States, in language shrill even by the standards of the reclusive communist state.

A joint statement released hours after the forum ended avoided tough language but “encouraged” Pyongyang to abide by UN resolutions, and called for denuclearisation and peaceful dialogue.

Diplomats also urged a resumption of long-stalled six-country talks hosted by China aimed at negotiating the North’s disarmament. The issue of the South China Sea also simmered on after the Philippines at the weekend accused Beijing of a military build-up to enforce its claims to nearly all of the disputed waterway.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario told reporters that one foreign minister after another at Tuesday’s event stressed the need for negotiations on avoiding conflict at sea. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been pushing a reluctant

Five dead, dozens hurt in Indonesia quake LAMPAHAN, Indonesia: A powerful earthquake in Indonesia’s Aceh province flattened buildings and sparked landslides yesterday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens in a region devastated by the quake-triggered tsunami of 2004.

The 6.1-magnitude quake struck inland at a depth of just 10 kilometres

and roads badly damaged and blocked by landslips. Five people had so far been confirmed dead in the quake, Fauzi, an official from the local disaster agency, told AFP late Tuesday.

In Suka Makmur village a landslide engulfed a coffee plantation, killing one man, said the official who uses one name. “A man was working at a coffee

LAMPAHAN: Acehnese earthquake survivors are brought outside the hospital at Lampahan village in Aceh province yesterday. A powerful earthquake in Indonesia’s Aceh province flattened buildings and sparked landslides yesterday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens in a region devastated by the quake-triggered tsunami of 2004. — AFP

(6.2 miles) in the mountainous Bener Meriah district in the heart of Aceh, the US Geological Survey said. It destroyed houses in the district, some 320 kilometres (200 miles) from the provincial capital Banda Aceh, and triggered several landslides.

Police and troops were deployed to lead rescue efforts, as pictures showed the walls of houses reduced to rubble

plantation with his wife when a landslide caused by the quake struck,” he said. “His body was found under a pile of earth soon afterwards,” he said, adding that his wife and another woman were missing at the site.

Four other people died in hospitals in the district from injuries sustained in the quake, he said. One of the fatalities was a child who died when a wall collapsed,

Ema Suryani, a doctor at a health clinic in Lampahan city in the district, told AFP. “We have received around 50 people with injuries sustained when the walls of their houses collapsed,” added the doctor.

“There are around 30 people seriously injured, some with head injuries. The rest have only light injuries like minor cuts and grazes.” Injured people had been transported from several affected villages in two trucks, she said. Around 40 houses were damaged by the quake, including some which were flattened, said disaster agency official Fauzi. Most of the damaged houses were in the Wih Pesam area of the district, he added.

People ran outside in panic in Banda Aceh as the quake shook houses, and in Medan city to the south of the province on Sumatra island.

“The quake was felt strongly for around 15 seconds, from Bener Meriah to Banda Aceh. People panicked and rushed out of their homes,” national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, is regularly hit by quakes. In 2004 a massive tremor sparked a tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province and tens of thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean.

In April last year an 8.6-magnitude quake struck 431 kilometres off Banda Aceh, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert. Five people died and seven were injured in Aceh in the quake and following aftershocks. In September 2009 a major earthquake near Padang city on Sumatra killed more than 1,000 people.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. — AFP

Pressure on Taiwan to keep radio broadcasts into China TAIPEI: Several US legislators have urged Taiwan to stop tearing down shortwave radio transmission towers which have broadcast uncensored news to China since the 1960s. The legislators have raised fears the move could reduce the range of the broadcasts by the state -funded Radio Taiwan International(RTI). On Monday RTI began work to demolish towers at two radio stations in the southern cities of Tainan and Huwei.

The Tainan station, once one of the world’s biggest, has 20 signal transmission towers which are each 75 metres (247 feet) high. “I have been informed that Senators James Inhofe and Bob Corker are concerned about plans that may reduce pro-democracy shortwave broadcasts into mainland China by Radio Taiwan International,” US Representative Dana Rohrabacher said in a letter to Taiwan’s

President Ma Ying-jeou. Ma initiated the island’s ongoing detente with China after being elected in 2008. “ These towers are power ful strategic assets that can broadcast uncensored news and information to all of mainland China,” the letter said. “Any demolitions that would reduce the capability to transmit into China should be halted until alternatives can be fully explored.”

The move also raised eyebrows at the Sound of Hope Radio Network, a San Francisco-headquartered radio station which has entrusted RTI to broadcast Chinese-language shortwave programs to the mainland 17 hours a day. “Shortwave radio programs are critical to the people in mainland China, where half of its 1.3 billion population don’t know how to use keyboards.

Many of them rely on shortwave radio to find the truth,” Allen Zeng,

president of the network said.

RTI insisted that despite the demolition of the ageing facilities, its shortwave broadcasts on behalf of clients which also include Radio Free Asia of the United States would continue.

“All the programs transmitted through the two stations will be moved to other stations which have updated facilities and greater transmission power,” an RTI publicity manager said.

She said the demolition, aimed at reducing the number of RTI transmission stations to six, was in accordance with a resolution approved by parliament in 2010 to enhance RTI’s efficiency. Taiwan and China have remained technically at war since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but tensions have eased markedly since Ma came to power. He was reelected in January 2012. — AFP

China for talks on a set of rules governing conduct at sea meant to prevent actions that could lead to conflict.

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea and has long resisted moves to talk with ASEAN as a bloc, reluctant to cede any ground on its claims. On Sunday in Brunei it agreed to begin discussing a code of conduct. But a senior US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed the move

as merely a gambit to deflate pressure while in Brunei. On the final day of a series of related diplomatic events in the sultanate, Kerry said he and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov agreed on the need to hold an elusive international conference to end Syria’s civil war. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar AlAssad in the more than two-year conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives, while Washington has said it is boosting

support for the rebel movement. Kerry said “we both agree that the conference should happen sooner rather than later”.

However, despite some hopes that the conference could be held this month, Kerry said it was unlikely until after August. Their meeting took place under a cloud spawned by the sensational case of Snowden, who has been in limbo for a week in a Moscow airport in a bizarre, globe-circling asylum bid. — Agencies

14

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

ANALYSIS

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Issues

Mysteries of middle class

By Chrystia Freeland f you are worried about the Western middle class - and we all should be - you may have started to have some doubts about the virtues of flexible labor markets. In theory, flexible labor markets should make our economies more productive, and all of us richer, by making it easier for people to do the work the economy needs and to stop doing the work it doesn’t. In practice, though, some economists who once championed flexible labor markets without reservation, like Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have begun to have second thoughts. Acemoglu doesn’t doubt the positive economic effects of flexible labor markets, but he has begun to be concerned about their political and distributional consequences. They might help the economy grow overall, but they may also be contributing to the hollowing out of the middle class by weakening its political bargaining power.

That’s why a recent paper by Joao Paulo Pessoa and John Van Reenen, both of the Center for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, makes such fascinating reading. Van Reenen and Pessoa set out to unravel the two big mysteries about Britain’s economic performance over the past five years. The backdrop to both is the devastation that Britain, with its oversize banking sector, suffered in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

“The big story in the UK is that the economy has shrunk by 2.5 percent since the pre-crisis period,” Van Reenen told me. “That’s the longest depressed economy in this country for more than a hundred years.”

Britain’s dismal economic performance certainly helps to explain the grimness of British politics at the moment, and the growing appeal of the nationalist fringe. But the story becomes more mysterious when you start investigating what is happening inside the country’s shrunken economy. Given the prolonged recession, economists would normally predict that unemployment would soar. It has risen, but, Van Reenen said, “not nearly as much as you would expect, and not as much as in, for example, the United States,” where the economic contraction has not been as prolonged. So, when it comes to jobs, Britain has surprised on the upside. The second riddle is a less cheerful one: While employment has held up relatively well, given the country’s poor economic performance, productivity has plunged, an unanticipated departure from the pre-crisis trend line. “We are 12 percent lower in productivity today than we would expect,” Van Reenen said. “That is the puzzle. Why has this happened? Have we gotten more stupid?”

Van Reenen and Pessoa propose a single answer to these two mysteries: flexible labor markets. In contrast with previous economic downturns, the British economy today has a much less sheltered workforce. The result is what classical economic theory would have predicted: The job market has adjusted more successfully to the shrinking economy than it did during previous downturns. But that good news comes at a price: The flexibility in the British labor market has been in wages, which have shrunk even more than the economy as a whole. “In this recession, unions are much weaker than they were in the 1980s, and we’ve had welfare to work reform, so there’s a lot more pressure on people to find jobs,” Van Reenen said. “The labor market is much more flexible, which means wages fall. That is bad news for the people whose wages fall, of course, but the positive side is that employment has stayed up. Some pay is better than no pay, at least in a recession.”

It is easy to understand how Van Reenen’s labor market theory explains the combination of falling real wages and relatively strong employment at a time of economic slump. What’s less obvious is how weak productivity fits into the story. He believes that, too, can be explained by flexible labor markets. Workers have become cheaper in Britain and, despite low central bank interest rates, capital is still expensive for many firms, or hard to come by. As a result, Van Reenen argues, “instead of investing in machines, firms are keeping on workers.” That means each hour of human work is less productive.

Van Reenen and Pessoa’s paper is thought-provoking because it connects the two British economic phenomena that are inspiring a great deal of hand-wringing - falling productivity and falling real wages - with the one bright spot in the British economy: the relatively low increase in unemployment. As in Germany, where job cuts were avoided thanks to more formal deals to decrease the hours and pay of a wider group of workers, Britain’s flexible labor markets allowed a lot of people to weather the recession by pricing themselves into a shrunken economy.—Reuters

I

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

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

A racially challenging week in America

By Suzanne Gamboa ake a glance at the anniversary calendar this year and it’s clear that in America, racial progress comes in fits and starts. The Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves to be free 150 years ago. Within a decade, a trio of amendments to the Constitution made them citizens. Over the next century, the Supreme Court and Jim Crow segregation in the South snatched their rights away, Medgar Evers was murdered trying to get them back, and Martin Luther King Jr’s populist protests yielded laws that restored them before King, too, was killed.

Less than a year ago, the nation reelected its first black president - a step widely considered the culmination of all this labor. President Barack Obama, the product of integration with an Ivy League education, was sent to the White House by a diverse American electorate, and presides over a country where people are free to live, work, play, go to school and marry regardless of race, things that by no means were guaranteed 50 years ago.

Yet in this week alone, a series of events illustrated just how fragile that progress really is. The Supreme Court chipped away at that King-inspired voting rights law and others on job discrimination and affirmative action, then punted them to Congress to fix - a very divided Congress that has accomplished little since President Barack Obama first took office and which includes GOP conservatives who want to avoid voting on whether those who came to the US illegally should become citizens.

This and other events percolating in American culture - George Zimmerman’s trial in Florida for shooting to death black teenager Trayvon Martin, and celebrity chef Paula Deen’s career meltdown because of her past use of the N-word amounted to a gut punch for many, prompting questions about what exactly is going on. “It’s so troubling for me, who has sort of bridged many, many years of social change, and to not see an end to this, I find it really nauseating,” said Suzy Post, 80, of Louisville, Kentucky, a white woman who has worked for civil rights causes since the 1950s and is now a member of the state’s Human Relations Commission.

Those sentiments were echoed last Tuesday by a visibly shaken collection of black and Hispanic members of Congress who bemoaned the fresh blows to the laws that helped to put many of them in office. “The issue of race, slavery - it’s our original sin as a nation,” said Rep John Lewis, who as a student activist was severely, and repeatedly, beaten in the voting rights struggle of the 1960s. “It’s going to take years and maybe a generation before we end it. It’s a long, ongoing struggle. It’s the struggle of more than a lifetime.”

Where strides toward equality once were met by fire hoses or head-cracking blows from billy club-wielding police, now they can elicit racist commentary on Twitter, such as the hateful barrage over the national anthem being sung by Sebastien De La Cruz, a young MexicanAmerican, during the National Basketball Association finals. Or they generate oddly placed outrage, such as criticisms of a Cheerios commercial that depicted a white mother, a black father and their biracial child.

“What I believe is happening is that while the country’s demographic and

T

age is changing rapidly, we as a nation have hit racial fatigue,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, co-founder of Voto Latino. “We no longer want to discuss race, and we like to believe that we’re above it. We are not.” Briana Bacon, 20, of Philadelphia, put it more bluntly. “I think they’re shutting down opportunities for minorities, and I think minorities are in a (expletive) place to begin with,” said Bacon, who is black and recently enlisted in the National Guard.

Civil rights leaders are unwilling to say that things today are as bad as they were in King’s heyday. But they acknowledge that there are some uncanny parallels at

would change its mind with Brown vs.

Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. While the Supreme Court didn’t ban the use of race in university admissions on Monday, it returned the case to a lower court and set a higher standard for the University of Texas to meet before using race in deciding who may enroll. In two other decisions that same day, the court made it harder for employees to sue businesses for retaliation and discrimination.

A day later the high court stopped enforcement of a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that has kept states

Carolina state conference.

Gail Christopher, who has been leading a five-year racial healing project sponsored by the W K Kellogg Foundation, attributed the cyclical setbacks to the view that the country has yet to deal with its fundamental belief in a racial hierarchy. “We are being called on as a country to do serious work on this,” Christopher said. While the court’s rulings came down, Kellogg announced $3.8 million in grants to community groups in Mississippi that work to improve life outcomes for young men of color. Those monies come on the heels of the state’s commemoration of Evers, the

This June 25, 2013 photo shows representatives from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund standing outside the Supreme Court in Washington awaiting a decision in Shelby County v Holder, a voting rights case in Alabama.— AP play. Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said that in the first four months of this year, restrictive voting bills were introduced in more than half the states. “I don’t question whether Dr King’s dream remains viable.

What one questions is whether the nation has the commitment to freedom, justice and equality of opportunity for all on a broad basis. What we currently see in the country is a tension,” Morial said.

Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP, recalled that King’s widow, the late Coretta Scott King, once observed that freedom is never really won in full; every generation must win it anew. “The times we are living in remind us that Mrs. King was right,” Jealous said. The United States has seen backlash against black Americans before. After the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, which banned slavery, extended blacks’ equal protection as citizens and granted them the right to vote, respectively, blacks experienced fairly rapid gains in political and economic power. Southern states responded by passing laws that allowed them to circumvent the 15th Amendment.

Enter the Supreme Court in 1896 with its Plessy vs Ferguson ruling, which declared segregation legal if accommodations for blacks are “separate but equal” to those of whites. Fifty-eight years went by before the high court

and local governments from implementing racially discriminatory election and voting laws and rules. Between those rulings, civil rights activists stood together across town and announced plans to use the 50th anniversary of the August 1963 March on Washington to renew the push for racial equality. The times, they said, require it. “We have a black president and a black attorney general, but that is not achieving Dr King’s dream,” said the Rev Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist. “That may be a means to achieving it.

Achievement is when we have one nation with equal protection under the law and equal opportunity.”

In some parts of the country, 1960sstyle civil disobedience is already underway. “Moral Monday” protests at North Carolina’s General Assembly have resulted in nearly 600 arrests since late April.

The protests began over healthcare access but have grown to include demonstrations over unemployment benefit reductions and proposals to toughen voter identification requirements and other rules for voting. “It seems as though every time that we start making strides the forces that seek to dismantle any equality or any justice efforts, they rise up and they do all that they can to undermine any progress that’s made,” said the Rev Anthony T Spearman, 62, a small-town pastor and vice president of the NAACP’s North

state’s first NAACP field secretary, who was shot to death on June 12, 1963.

In an interview before that grim anniversary, Evers’ widow, Myrlie EversWilliams, told AP how she thought her husband would perceive the times he did not live to see. “I believe he would look at the landscape of this country and realize what so many of us have said: We have made progress but there’s still so much to be done, and if we don’t guard the progress we’ve made, that too will slip away,” she said. One thing Evers did envision, his widow said, was the election of a black president. That president, Obama, said last Tuesday he was “deeply disappointed” by the Supreme Court’s voting rights decision, but it would not stop his efforts to end discrimination. A day later, he boarded Air Force One and took off. For Africa.

He surfaced in Senegal on Thursday and visited Goree Island, a transit point for the ships that brought African slaves to America. He said the Supreme Court “made a mistake” in gutting the Voting Rights Act, and he looks forward to seeking “potential remedies” that preserve everyone’s ability to vote. “It was the cornerstone and the culmination of years of struggle - blood, sweat, tears - and in some cases, deaths,” Obama said. “I might not be here as president had it not been for those who courageously helped to pass the Voting Rights Act.” — AP

NEWS 69 Islamists jailed in UAE coup plot trial Continued from Page 1 “The only thing this trial shows is the fundamental flaws in the UAE justice system,” she added. According to Amnesty the trial “was marred by allegations of torture which were blatantly ignored, the rights of defence were flaunted, and independent observers were banned from the court room.” The Londonbased watchdog pointed out that the convicted men have no right to appeal. “The slick PR of the UAE is enough to hide the fact that the trial was grossly unfair and that fundamental rights have been recklessly disregarded,” said Hadj Sahraoui.

State news agency WAM said that apart from those sentenced in absentia, 56 were jailed for 10 years and five for seven years, while 25 were acquitted, including all 13 women accused. Among the 56 is Sheikh Sultan bin Kayed Al-Qassimi, a member of the ruling family of the emirate of Ras AlKhaimah, WAM said. Prominent human rights lawyers Mohammed Al-Roken, the former head of the UAE Jurists’ Association Mohammed Al-Mansoori, and Salem Al-Shehhi each received 10 year jail terms, WAM said. Dozens of suspected Islamists have been detained in the past year amid government worries about a spillover of Arab unrest. The trial was widely seen as an attempt to tackle what the UAE sees as a threat from the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Many of the 94 defendants belong to Al-Islah, a group which the UAE says has links to Egypt’s Brotherhood. Al-Islah denies this, but says it shares some of the Brotherhood’s ideology. The defendants, known as UAE94, were accused of “belonging to an illegal, secret organisation ... that aims to counter the foundations of this state in order to seize power and of contacting foreign entities and groups to implement this plan”. The defendants had denied the charges, and some

said they had been abused in detention, an accusation the state denied.

International media have been barred from attending the court hearings, which began in March. Yesterday, witnesses said police blocked roads outside the court. Family members gathered at a parking lot nearby said they had expected tough verdicts but were disappointed that the court had not examined allegations of torture and procedural flaws. A British lawyer, Melanie Gingell, mandated by several human rights groups to attend the hearing, was informed at the last minute that she could not do so, the groups said in a statement.

Attorney General Salem Saeed Kubaish said in January the defendants had sought to infiltrate state institutions, including schools, universities and ministries. He said the accused, all UAE nationals, had invested money from Brotherhood membership fees and charity funds to set up commercial enterprises and real estate investments held in their own names to conceal their activities from the state. A government statement after the verdict said the court had been transparent, fair and independent, with more than 500 observers at each hearing, including relatives of the defendants, local media and a statelinked rights group. Rights groups had urged authorities to grant full public access to the trial. They did not do so.

Separately, a Bahraini court sentenced seven Shiite men to 15 years in prison yesterday for the attempted murder of a police officer in Aug 2012, a judicial source said. An eighth Shiite was sentenced to three years in prison while two others, on trial over the same case, were acquitted, the source said.

The group were also accused of setting a police station ablaze in the Shiite village of Sitra using petrol bombs and of taking part in an “unauthorised gathering”, according to the charge sheet. — Agencies

More prominent figures register Continued from Page 1 “The constitutional court’s ruling has settled the dispute and those who boycotted before have no other option but to take part,” former Islamist lawmaker Muhailbi said after he filed his nomination papers. Enezi, who boycotted last December polls, said he decided to contest the election after the single-vote amendment “has been confirmed by the court and out of respect for the judiciary.” Mutairi, who also boycotted the polls in December, stressed that taking part in the election has become a “duty” after the constitutional court ruling. He also said that a boycott will not achieve anything.

Lawyer Mubarak Al-Mutawa, a well-known activist and constitutional expert, insisted the need to halt the boycott in order to participate in improving parliamentary work, adding that prolonging disputes is not in the interest of anyone in the country.

Shemmari said that the opposition has no justification for continuing the boycott if they truly respect the state of institutions” and urged them to respect the opinions of others. He however said that he is running in the election as an independent and not as a member of

the ICM, adding that the movement has openly declared its boycott of the polls. Shemmari said that Islamists boycotted the previous nullified election with the exception of Salafists and “now, most Islamists are returning”.

Former MP Mulaifi, who was a member of the scrapped Assembly, said that the opposition has no right to claim that they are boycotting the election for the sake of safeguarding the constitution, because this is untrue. He said that if they truly believe in the constitution, they should respect the constitutional court ruling, the judiciary and other institutions. The statements by the candidates came after former opposition Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef called on voters to take part in the polls. Hayef has maintained that he will not contest the election but is urging voters to take part in order to elect good candidates.

In another development, former member of the scrapped assemblies Nabeel Al-Fadhl was yesterday sentenced to one month in jail for slandering the wife of former opposition MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei. The court ordered the sentence to be implemented immediately but Fadhl left Kuwait for an unknown destination just hours before the ruling.

Obama joins Bush at Tanzania memorial Continued from Page 1 Obama and Bush bowed their heads as a Marine placed the wreath of red, white and blue flowers in front of the large stone memorial on the grounds of the new US Embassy. After a few moments, they shook hands with survivors of the attack and relatives of those killed before returning to the embassy together in private discussion. At that very moment, their wives were putting on a public display of mutual affection in a discussion moderated by American journalist Cokie Roberts. Mrs Obama said she wanted to appear with Laura Bush because “I like this woman” and it’s therapeutic to share the challenges of their roles. “It’s sort of a club, a sorority, I guess,” Mrs Bush responded.

Their goal was to encourage African first ladies to raise their voices for causes they are passionate about, even if the public is sometimes focused on more trivial matters, they said. “While people are sort of sorting through our shoes and our hair, whether we cut it or not ...” Mrs Obama started. “Whether we have bangs,” Mrs Bush interjected to laughter. Mrs Obama expressed surprise that her change in hairstyle this year would prompt so much media coverage. “Who would have thought? I didn’t call that. But,” Mrs Obama said, “we take our bangs and we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see. And eventually people stop looking at the bangs and they start looking at what we’re standing in front of.”

“We hope,” Mrs. Bush joked. Mrs Obama replied, “They do, and that’s the power of our roles.” When it

comes to the power of their husbands’ roles, Obama has said he wants to usher in a new era of US-Africa relations. Obama has praised Bush for helping save millions of lives by funding AIDS treatment. But, he said Monday, “We are looking at a new model that’s based not just on aid and assistance, but on trade and partnership.”

“Ultimately, the goal here is for Africa to build Africa for Africans,” Obama said. “And our job is to be a partner in that process.”

In that spirit, Obama announced a program to bring more power to Africans without access to electricity.

During a visit to a local power plant built with a US grant, Obama demonstrated a soccer ball designed to bring power to communities off the power grid. One invention that could help on the electricity front is the SOCCKET ball, developed by two Harvard graduates.

The ball has a pendulum-like mechanism inside that creates kinetic energy during play and stores it. Its maker says 30 minutes of play can power a simple LED lamp for three hours. Obama kicked the ball off his foot and did a low header. “We’re going to start getting these all around Africa,” Obama said. “Pretty impressive stuff.”

In remarks afterward, he touted his “Power Africa” electricity program as a win-win for Africans and US companies. He also reflected on the trip, recalling some of the folks he met along the way, including a female farmer in Senegal and young people in the Soweto area of South Africa’s capital city, Johannesburg. “I’m inspired because I’m absolutely convinced that with the right approach, Africa and its people can unleash a new era of prosperity,” Obama said. — AP

Morsi snubs ultimatum, army readies...

Continued from Page 1 They would not say how the military intended to deal with Morsi if he refused to go quietly.

The June 30 Front called for mass protests to keep up the pressure on Morsi and tens of thousands packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square and the large avenues outside the capital’s two presidential palaces. Chants of “Leave” rang out from the crowds. The mood contrasted with the tension that had gripped protesters camped out in Tahrir earlier in the day after Morsi’s office issued a statement rebuffing the army’s ultimatum. Accountant Mona Elghazawy said she was “very worried”. “It’s now a battle between all the state institutions and the Islamists.” Fellow demonstrator Mostafa Gharib said he feared the Islamists would “fight to the end”.

Backers of the president joined a sit-in in his support in Cairo’s Nasr City neighbourhood, as crowds massed near Cairo University vowing to defend his legitimacy.

Brotherhood leader Mohamed Al-Beltagui urged them to honour the sacrifices of those killed during the 2011 revolution that paved the way for Morsi to take power as Egypt’s first freely elected president. “Seeking martyrdom to prevent this coup is what we can offer to the previous martyrs of the revolution,” he said.

The opposition too expressed concern that the military was poised to play a political role in the deeply divided country, even as the army hastened to damp down talk of an imminent “coup”. In a statement issued overnight, the presidency insisted it would continue on its own path towards national reconciliation. The army declaration had not been cleared by the presidency and could cause confusion, it said. The president was consulting “with all national forces to secure the path of democratic change and the protection of the popular will”, it said. Egypt’s main opposition bloc, the National Salvation Front, said it would “not support a military coup”. It expressed trust in the army’s insistence that it does not want to get involved in politics. The army denied there was any attempt at a “coup”, saying that army chief Sisi’s statement was merely

aimed at “pushing all political sides to quickly find a solution.”

The June 30 Front, which includes the grassroots Tamarod movement that brought millions of protesters out onto the streets across Egypt on Sunday - said it had delegated ElBaradei “to be the voice” of the opposition.

The Front “entrusts ElBaradei with the responsibility to ensure the execution of the Egyptian people’s demands and to draft a scenario that aims at the complete implementation of the roadmap for the political transition.” As the political uncertainty grew, Morsi was hit with a spate of resignations, including by his foreign minister Mohammed Kamel Amr and the ministers of tourism, environment, investment and legal affairs. Presidential spokesman Ehab Fahmy and cabinet spokesman Alaa AlHadidi also resigned, officials and the media reported.

US President Barack Obama, whose government is a major military aid donor to Egypt, called Morsi to warn him that the voices of all Egyptians must be heard, a White House official said. Obama told him Washington was committed to “the democratic process in Egypt and does not support any single party or group,” the official said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called on all sides not to squander the hopes of democracy of the 2011 revolution. “These are decisive days for the political transformation in this key country of the Arab world,” he said.

Morsi’s opponents accuse him of having betrayed the revolution by concentrating power in Islamist hands and of sending the economy into free fall. His supporters say he inherited many problems from a corrupt regime, and that he should be allowed to complete his term, which runs until 2016. Yasser El-Shimy, Egypt analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the army ultimatum had hardened positions on either side, making it very difficult to find a constitutional way out of the crisis: “Things could deteriorate very rapidly from there, either through confrontations on the street, or international sanctions,” he said. “Morsi is calling their bluff, saying to them, ‘if you are going to do this, you will have to do it over my dead body’.” — Agencies

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

Saudis extend amnesty for illegal expats Continued from Page 1 “humanitarian” gesture, urging its citizens in the kingdom “to fully utilise the grace period effectively”. Deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy Sibi George said that he hoped “that the grace will be enough” for Indians working in Saudi Arabia to regularise their status or leave.

Mohammed Nazmul Islam, consul general of Bangladesh in the western city of Jeddah, also welcomed the amnesty, saying many of his compatriots “who decide to go back... would search for a new company, a new sponsor” to stay in Saudi Arabia.

Foreign workers must have a Saudi sponsor in order to obtain residency permits. According to the labour ministry more than 1.5 million illegal foreign workers have come for-

ward so far. Of these, some 180,000 have left the kingdom in addition to more than 200,000 unregistered workers expelled at the start of the year under new regulations to stamp out illegal immigration. Foreigners desperate to work in the country are willing to pay for sponsorship, and sponsoring expatriates has become a lucrative business for some Saudis. But under the new rules workers can be employed only by their own sponsors.

Rules mainly impact low-paid workers, most of whom are from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, but with some from Yemen and Egypt as well. They had been fearful of the campaign of arrests promised by authorities once the amnesty expires. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged the kingdom to abolish its sponsorship system and allow workers in abusive situations to easily change their jobs. — AFP

Smooth Qatar handover rooted in ex-emir’s...

Continued from Page 1 appears to have been shaped by an awareness of volatile Al-Thani family history: He himself took power in a coup, as did the man - his own father - that he ousted. As a result, Sheikh Hamad will have wanted to arrange matters so that he has maximum time to steer his son’s early months in office and help him deepen his own power base.

Shibley Telhami, a Middle East expert at the Unversity of Maryland said his abdication, carried out at a time when Qatar was “thriving, moves the country into the hands of a new generation with minimal dissent, while giving his son a golden chance to bolster his own legitimacy and credentials”. Jane Kinninmont, a Gulf Arab expert at Britain’s Chatham House think tank, said: “In a country with no tradition of smooth successions, leaving now allows the father to help oversee his son’s succession, and help him build up his support base within the ruling family. Emir Hamad left on a high note ... He clearly has a sense of history and drama.”

Sheikh Hamad’s earlier experience of power was turbulent and marked by continual tensions over control of state finances. He became effective ruler in 1992 when his father, Sheikh Khalifa, allowed him to appoint a cabinet of his own choice and left him to run Qatar’s day-to-day affairs, although his father kept ultimate power by retaining financial control. But they fell out in early 1995 when Sheikh Khalifa apparently tried unsuccessfully to claw back some of his previous authority and to resume control of the economy. Later that year Sheikh Hamad ousted his father in a bloodless coup. In early 1996 he survived a coup attempt that analysts attributed to his father, who had come to power in a similar palace takeover in 1972 when he ousted his cousin.

Fears of a possible repeat of the 1996 attempt continued to overshadow the country for several more years. The former emir’s priority now appears to be to help Sheikh Tamim stamp his own mark on the state unbeholden to any powerful personality such as his own key lieutenant, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar’s top diplomat. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim lost his jobs as prime minister and foreign minister in Sheikh Tamim’s first cabinet reshuffle, in what some diplomats saw as a long-planned step by the “Father Emir” to remove a potential rival to the young emir’s authority.

Yesterday Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim was also replaced as deputy head of the powerful Qatar Investment Authority in a shakeup ordered by the new emir, official QNA news

agency reported. Sheikh Tamim decided in a decree to restructure the QIA’s administrative council, of which he is the head, handing the vice presidency to his half-brother Prince Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, QNA said. The decree also named Finance Minister Ali Sherif Al-Emadi and Economy and Trade Minister Ahmed bin Jassim Bin Mohamed Al-Thani to the new administrative council. A separate decree appointed Ahmad Mohamad Al-Sayed, managing director of Qatar Holdings, as executive chairman of the QIA. The emir also announced the formation of a higher council for economic affairs and investment, which he will head himself, QNA quoted a separate decree yesterday as saying. Several ministers and top officials, including the prime minister and representatives of the QIA and Qatar Development Bank, will sit on the new council.

Analysts familiar with the country said the outgoing emir wanted his son to have something he had never enjoyed - the experience of wielding office without the handicap of feeling obligated to others. In his own case, Sheikh Hamad had placed considerable reliance on Hamad bin Jassim, the then foreign minister who helped his 1995 takeover by building support for the move amongst major Qatari families and contacts. “HBJ”, as he is known, went on to turn the country’s gas export earnings into investment holdings with global clout, an achievement that provided the emir with the economic muscle to back his activist regional diplomacy.

“Tamim starts without being in debt to anyone,” said Saad Djebbar, an Algerian lawyer who knows Qatar well.

“HBJ (Hamad bin Jassim) was very good at business. He was kept busy. He knew how to deliver a deal. His strength was that he knew everyone and had a network. He provided money at a time when the emir didn’t have much,” he said.

“Now, the new emir comes without any baggage. And he has plenty of money. He has no constraints. The old emir will still have a vision and power. He will stand behind the (new) emir. And he believes that the vision will guide his son.”

His departure from the cabinet has stirred speculation that recent setbacks by Syrian rebels armed by Qatar were the real reason for the abdication. Rebels backed by Qatar and other Gulf Arab states have suffered reversals on the battlefield at the hands of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

Qatar’s policy of arming Syrian rebels is viewed with unease by some other Gulf Arab states. But the abdication was planned at least two years ago, if not even earlier, people who know Qatar well say. — Agencies

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

S P ORT S

Casey’s Irish inspiration

NHL deal for Olympics

Paulinho to join Spurs

IRELAND: Paul Casey has suffered his share of trials and tribulations in recent years and it was close friend Justin Rose’s first major victory at last month’s US Open that inspired him to land the Irish Open title on Sunday.

The three-shot victory at County Kildare represented his first win on the European Tour for two and a half years, a period when form and fitness deserted him and he also went through a painful divorce.

“Watching Justin really lit the fire for me,” Casey told reporters after a win that sent him soaring from 169th to 102nd in the world rankings. “Justin’s victory was phenomenal. He’s a good friend and I was so proud of what he did, the way he played and the way he conducted himself,” he said of his fellow Englishman. Casey’s win was his 12th on the European Tour but he said it felt like a breakthrough triumph. “Psychologically I think this is huge,” the 35-year-old explained. “This almost feels like a first win.

“I have struggled with confidence and this is a huge relief, knowing I am moving in the right direction, that I’ve got some great golf left in me for another 10-plus years.”

Casey rubber-stamped his victory at Carton House by rolling in a 60-foot eagle putt at the final hole. —Reuters

SOCHI: The National Hockey League (NHL) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) inched closer to an agreement on Monday that would free players to take part in the next year’s Sochi Winter Olympics. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, IIHF chief Rene Fasel and NHL players’ association boss Donald Fehr met for five hours at the league’s New York offices and left expressing confidence an agreement was nearly in place.

“There are still some ‘I’s to dot and ‘T’s to cross,” Bettman told reporters. “We are on track and things are moving along, I think it is fair to say we are not quite ready to announce it’s done.

“There’s still a little bit of work to do but on most issues, not all issues, there is a pretty good understanding of where we need to be.

“We’re on a compact schedule and everybody is working hard and we seem to be pulling the oars in the same direction.”

NHL owners and officials have long been unhappy with what they perceive as second class treatment by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are seeking some form of compensation for shutting down for two weeks in the middle of the season and releasing the players. The key issues standing in the way of an agreement center around travel, insurance and hospitality for players’ and owners’ families. The NHL also wants to be treated more like a rights holder or top sponsor and to trade on the Olympic brand to help sell and promote the league. —Reuters

SAO PAULO: Influential Brazil midfielder Paulinho has accepted an offer from Tottenham Hotspur and will join the Premier League club from Corinthians before the start of the season, the player said on Monday. A powerful box-to-box midfielder, Paulinho, who scored 34 goals in 167 games for Corinthians, shone in Brazil’s successful Confederations Cup campaign last month.

“These were three wonderful years of my career, of victories, of working with great people, who always helped me,” Paulinho said in a tearful farewell on Monday.

“All I have to say to Corinthians is ‘I’ll be back’.”

Widespread media reports say Spurs will pay 20 million euros ($26.07 million) for the 24-year old, who helped Sao Paulo side Corinthians to the World Club Cup in December and became a regular choice for the national side.

He picked up the bronze boot trophy for the third best player in the Confederations Cup on Sunday, shor tly after Brazil destroyed world champions Spain 3-0 in the final. —Reuters

Nationals whip Brewers

TORONTO: Omar Infante No. 4 of the Detroit Tigers hits an RBI double in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays. — AFP

Blue Jays defeat Tigers TORONTO: RA Dickey won again, Jose Reyes and Mark DeRosa homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the slumping Detroit Tigers 8-3 on Monday for their seventh straight home win.

The Blue Jays delighted a sellout crowd of 45,766 on Canada Day with their 11th victory in 13 games at Rogers Centre.

Coming off his two-hit shutout against Tampa Bay, Dickey (8-8) was sharp and won for the third time in four starts. The knuckleballer allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking one.

Reyes hit a leadoff shot in the third against Tigers rookie Jose Alvarez (1-2). For Reyes, it was his third homer of the year and second in two days.

DeRosa added a three-run drive in the fourth off reliever Luke Putkonen. Prince Fielder and Omar Infante hit solo homers for the Tigers. Detroit lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Infante went 4 for 4 with a two-out homer in the ninth. Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, who came in with an AL-leading .373 batting average, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

YANKEES 10, TWINS 4 In Minneapolis, Robinson Cano homered twice and Andy Pettitte broke Whitey Ford’s club record for career strikeouts to help New York snap a five-game skid with a victory over Minnesota.

Zoilo Almonte had three hits and two RBIs as the slumbering Yankees offense woke up with seven runs in the last two innings to reach double digits for the first time since May 10.

Struggling reliever Jared Burton (1-6) gave up three runs and three hits while getting only one out for the Twins, who coughed up another eighth-inning lead.

Ryan Doumit had two hits and two RBIs. Cano also had a double, a walk and three RBIs for the Yankees, who totaled 13 runs during their losing streak. Pettitte allowed four runs in five innings. Joba Chamberlain (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

RAYS 12, ASTROS 0 In Houston, Matt Moore allowed two hits in seven innings for his 11th win and Ryan Roberts homered twice to lead Tampa Bay over Houston.

Moore (11-3) won his third straight decision and Cesar Ramos pitched two perfect innings to complete the two-hitter and help the Rays win their third in a row.

Roberts made it 3-0 with a two-run homer in the third off Dallas Keuchel (4-5) and tacked on another run with a solo shot in the eighth inning.

Sean Rodriguez had a career-high four hits - two doubles - with three RBIs, and three other Rays added three hits apiece on a night when they tied a season high for runs and finished with 17 hits.

Chris Carter and Jake Elmore got Houston’s only hits with singles as the lastplace Astros dropped their fourth in a row.

Moore struck out nine and walked three to tie his win total from last season.

Tampa Bay slugger Evan Longoria was out of the lineup for the third straight game with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but the Rays don’t plan on placing him on the disabled list. — AP

WASHINGTON: Bryce Harper homered on his first swing since coming off the disabled list and his Washington Nationals teammates quickly joined in, beating the slumping Milwaukee Brewers 10-5 on Monday night.

After missing 31 games with bursitis in his left knee - the most lingering fallout from his collision with the Dodger Stadium wall - Harper energized the Nationals and sparked their second rout in two days. After toying with .500 for the entire month of June, Washington moved two games above the break-even mark for the first time since late May. Jayson Werth had five RBIs, and even pitcher Jordan Zimmermann was an offensive juggernaut with a team-high three hits, including a double to start a five-run third inning and a single to open a two-run fourth. Working with an 80 lead, Zimmermann (12-3) pitched six innings and allowed four runs to tie unbeaten Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers for the major league lead in wins.

Harper launched the second pitch he saw from Yovani Gallardo (6-8) into the visitors’ bullpen beyond left field for an opposite-field homer that drew a thumbs-up curtain call. The Nationals improved to 26-19 when Harper plays; they are 16-21 when he doesn’t. The 20-year-old slugger finished 1 for 4 with a walk. The Brewers, missing injured Ryan Braun, have lost six straight.

REDS 8, GIANTS 1 In Cincinnati, Todd Frazier homered and drove in four runs, leading Cincinnati out of its offensive slump to a victory over San Francisco in a game shortened to six innings because of rain.

Frazier had an RBI single and a three-run homer off left-hander Mike Kickham (0-3), who has been hit hard in each of his three major league starts.

Bronson Arroyo (7-6) gave up a pair of hits in six innings, including Brandon Belt’s homer. Rain halted the game after the sixth. The umpires waited 1 hour, 28 minutes before calling it.

MARLINS 4, PADRES 0 In Miami, Jose Fernandez struck out 10 and allowed only two hits in a career-high eight innings as Miami beat San Diego to match a season high with its third consecutive victory.

Jeff Mathis delivered the big hit for the second game in a row, raising his batting average to .154. He hit a three-run double in the sixth, when the Marlins scored four unearned runs off Jason Marquis (9-4), who issued a career-high seven walks in 6 1-3 innings. Mathis’ ninthinning grand slam beat the Padres on Sunday.

The Marlins began the week with the worst record in the majors, but since June 1 they’re 1610, and they’ve won six of their past seven games. They’ve allowed three runs in the past three games. San Diego lost for the seventh time in nine games. Padres shortstop Pedro Ciriaco made an errant throw that led to the unearned runs. Fernandez (5-4) walked one and equaled a

WASHINGTON: Jordan Zimmermann No. 27 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. — AFP career high in strikeouts. Steve Cishek entered with two on and got the final out for his 15th save in 17 chances, completing a three-hitter.

Fernandez improved to 3-1 with an ERA of 1.34 over his past six starts.

METS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4 In New York, Andrew Brown hit a two-run single with two outs in the 13th inning and New York put together a pair of late rallies to beat Arizona, handing the NL West leaders their fourth straight loss.

Hot-hitting Josh Satin tied it with an RBI single in the ninth off Arizona closer JJ Putz, his first

save opportunity since the ex-Met went on the disabled list May 8. Cody Ross led off the 13th with a homer against David Aardsma (1-0), but the Mets fought back again against the Diamondbacks bullpen.

Satin doubled with one out off Josh Collmenter (4-1) and John Buck was intentionally walked. Mets pitcher Matt Harvey pinch hit for Aardsma and sacrificed the runners over.

After Omar Quintanilla was intentionally walked, Brown lined an 0-2 pitch into left-center to end a game that lasted 5 hours, 13 minutes.

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run homer for Arizona, his 20th. — AP

Puigmania breaks out in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES: Yasiel Puig probably won’t finish the season hitting .436, though by now there’s a growing number of people in Los Angeles who surely believe he can.

Hard to fault them, because Puig has turned a lot of people into believers in the month he has played baseball in the big leagues.

The buzz he’s generating at Dodger Stadium is reminiscent of what Fernandomania was like when Fernando Valenzuela took the mound more than three decades ago. The numbers he’s put up in his first month at the plate bring comparisons to the debut of Joe DiMaggio 77 years ago.

He’s a 22-year-old phenom who put a spark in the Dodgers when they were desperate for it most. He may have saved manager Don Mattingly’s job, and he may just save the season for the Dodgers.

History says it won’t last. Never does at this level, where pitchers and hitters continually engage in a cat-and-mouse game of adjustments and more adjustments.

But there’s not much doubt by now that the player called “wild horse” by Mattingly in spring training because of the way he attacks the game is something special. Fans make sure they’re back from the beer lines in time to watch him hit, and even a Puig strikeout has a certain air of excitement to it.

“He kind of reminds me of myself,” Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp said. “Sometimes he plays too hard, and sometimes you have to tell him: ‘Man, calm down. You can’t make every play.’

But he’s done an amazing job in his first month in the big leagues. He’s gotten big hits and made big plays on defense. He’s doing a lot, and I think we’re just feeding off the kid.”

A month ago the question was whether the Cuban could handle the lifestyle of a major league player. Now it’s whether one spectacular month in

the bigs is enough for an invite to the All-Star game.

Already, a write-in campaign for Puig is underway online. Even if that falls short, it would be hard to imagine fellow players not voting Puig in as a backup or manager Bruce Bochy not using one of his selections on him.

His statistical sampling is small, yes, but it tells a big story. In just 101 official at bats he’s hitting .436 and his OPS of 1.180 is the best in the National league. His 44 hits since being called up on June 3 are a monthly rookie record for the Dodgers, and only DiMaggio (48, May 1936) had

more in his first calendar month in the majors.

He looks a lot like Bo Jackson once did, though so far he’s connected with curve balls at a lot higher rate than Jackson ever did. His seven home runs have included shots down the left-field line and into the right-center bleachers.

He’s also figured out how to say the right things in postgame interviews, even if they’re translated from Spanish.

“I’m really excited to be part of that list,” Puig said after getting four hits Sunday in a win against Philadelphia, “but more excited that the team is winning.”

LOS ANGELES: Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig breaks his bat as he hits a single during the seventh inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in this file photo. — AP

Indeed, the team is finally winning, much to the relief of Mattingly and the new owners who bankrolled more than $200 million in payroll this year. The Dodgers still haven’t reached .500, but after winning eight of their last nine are just four games out in the NL West.

Puig wasn’t supposed to be the player to get them there, even after impressing everyone in his first stint in spring training. He was sent to the minors for seasoning before things really got desperate at Chavez Ravine and he was called up to play right field.

He hasn’t been out of the lineup since, energizing his teammates not only with his bat but with daredevil base running that doesn’t always end well. After stealing two bases himself last week to set up the winning run in a game, Kemp was asked what the difference was in the Dodgers of early season and midseason. “Puig,” he answered.

The Dodgers took a big chance on Puig, who was viewed as a raw talent when he was signed for $42 million over seven years in a gamble only a deep-pocketed team can afford. The contract now looks like a bargain on a team loaded with big contracts, including one with Andre Ethier, who used to occupy right field at Dodger Stadium and could be the odd man out in the outfield once Carl Crawford returns from injury.

For all Puig is doing on the field for the Dodgers, his impact on the franchise might be greater than his ability to hit or run the bases.

Before he was called up the Dodgers were struggling mightily, and Dodger Stadium was littered with empty seats.

Now, fans who are notorious for leaving early to beat the traffic are staying to the end of games just to get another chance to see Puig hit.

The .436 average isn’t likely to last the summer.

But early indications are Puigmania could be in for a long run in LA.— AP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

S P ORT S

Football, rugby teams play on same day for Mandela JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s national football and rugby teams will play on the same day at the former World Cup showpiece stadium in Soweto to honor Nelson Mandela, bringing together in a rare move the country’s two most popular sports that once portrayed its deep racial divisions.

The South African sports ministry said yesterday that the Nelson Mandela Sports Day on Aug. 17 at FNB Stadium — formerly Soccer City — was aimed at uniting the country and the world “in celebration and promotion” of the anti-apartheid leader’s legacy, as South Africans continued to long for the critically ill former president to recover.

While calling the sports day a celebration of Mandela, the ministry referred to the somber current mood in South Africa, with its inspiring and beloved national hero, now 94, still in a critical but stable condition after 25 days in the hospital.

“The launch happens at a time when South Africa is a nation in distress following the hospitalization of our father and icon Nelson Mandela, who also happens to be the primary inspiration behind this initiative,” the ministry said.

On the day, South Africa’s football team will face Burkina Faso in a friendly and the Springboks will start their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina, both at the 94,000-seat FNB Stadium on the outskirts of Soweto, a site which holds significance for sport and for Mandela himself.

The old FNB was where Mandela made his first speech in Johannesburg and held his first major rally after his release from prison in 1990, having been jailed by the apartheid regime for 27 years.

Renamed Soccer City and rebuilt for the 2010 World Cup — the first in Africa — it also was where Mandela made his last public appearance, smiling

and waving to nearly 100,000 football supporters as he circled the pitch before the World Cup final, three years ago next week.

South Africa’s first democratically elected president has strong and emotional ties to sport in his nation, having famously supported the Springboks rugby team when it won the World Cup in 1995, and then the football team — known as Bafana Bafana — a year later when it lifted the African Cup of Nations trophy at the FNB. Rugby and football were previously examples of South Africa’s racial segregation, with rugby mainly followed by whites and football by blacks until Mandela’s act of reconciliation and unity at the ‘95 Rugby World Cup, when he embraced the Springboks, a team associated just a few years earlier with apartheid and white racist rule.

Wearing team shirts on both occasions, Mandela

endeared himself to sports-mad South Africans with his appearances at those rugby and football games, and he is still often referred to as a motivation for current South African sportsmen and women.

As well as the Springboks and Bafana Bafana sharing the same field, the Aug. 17 sports day also will have a music concert and another football game between former South African and Italian internationals. And South Africa’s continental champion netball team and leading Springboks try-scorer Bryan Habana will be recognized, the sports ministry said.

South Africa’s minister of sport and minister of arts and culture will visit Mandela’s foundation offices in Johannesburg today to deliver messages of support for the ailing former president, they said.—AP

Horwill ready to take on Lions

Brian O’Driscoll

O’Driscoll: Game of our lives SYDNEY: British and Irish Lions stalwart Brian O’Driscoll is urging his team mates to shrug off the disappointment of last weekend’s defeat and play the 80 minutes of their lives in the decisive third test against Australia.

The 34-year-old Irish centre is still searching for his first test series win on his fourth Lions tour after the Wallabies came from behind to pip the tourists 16-15 in Melbourne on Saturday.

After the 23-21 first test victory for the Lions, the series remains in the balance going into this weekend’s decider in Sydney with O’Driscoll looking likely to be named captain in place of the injured Sam Warburton. “It’s still all to play for,” O’Driscoll told reporters at the team’s training camp in Noosa, Queensland. “They have been two incredibly keenly contested games.

Both of them should probably have gone the other way that they did, and it now culminates with a winner-takes-all on Saturday.

“We knew we were never going to get it easy against Australia, and it has been proved. Yes, there is disappointment and you have to have a little bit of a mourning period after any loss, but the spirits of the guys have been picked up.

“It is important to be able to feel the disappointment because if you try to banish it immediately it will come back to you, and it still does at times throughout the day.

“But then after a couple of days you just have to have the ability to shelve it and focus on the target. One more 80 minutes this season is all that is asked of everyone in the squad - the 80 minutes of their lives.” The decision to take the

Lions up to the seaside resort of Noosa for four days before the deciding test has come under fire from former England coach Clive Woodward, who described it as a “big mistake”. O’Driscoll, who was captain to Woodward’s coach on the illfated 2005 tour of New Zealand, begged to differ. “You have to be able to switch off for 24-48 hours away from rugby, even on Lions tours,” he said. “When the time kicks back in to getting back on the park and into team meetings and talk about rugby we will do exactly that.

“There is always a mental toll in games of this magnitude. Thankfully, you do get seven days to try to get over one game and have the building process for the next one.”

O’Driscoll made his Lions debut in the last tour to Australia 12 years ago, when the home side lost the opening test and trailed at halftime in the second before winning the series 2-1.

That the first two contests were decided by a combined three points suggested to O’Driscoll that 2013 would be different in terms of how much momentum the Australians would take from their Melbourne victory.

“People talk about the momentum going with the team that wins the second test, and I would have agreed with it in 2001 because it was a comfortable victory they had back then,” he said. “But the way these two games have gone, with two points in the first one and one point in the second one just shows how tight it is. “I think the team that turns up on Saturday and gets some momentum from early on in the game will get the upper hand.” — Reuters

US tour supports new rule on long putters JACKSONVILLE: The US PGA Tour will follow a new rule that bans the anchored putting stroke used by four of the last six major champions, asking instead on Monday for a temporary reprieve for those who play the game for fun.

The announcement after a tour board meeting is the final piece of confirmation from a major golf organization for Rule 141b, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2016 when the next “Rules of Golf” is published.

The rule makes it illegal for players to attach the end of the club to their body to make a stroke. Adam Scott used a long putter held against his chest when he won the Masters. Ernie Els (British Open) and Webb Simpson (US Open) used a belly putter last year. Keegan Bradley in the 2011 US PGA Championship was the first major champion with a belly putter.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and US Golf Association proposed the new rule in November and allowed for a three-month comment period. It formally adopted the rule in May. Finchem said in February the tour was opposed to the new rule because there were no data to suggest an advantage and no “overriding reason to go down that road.” The tour’s opinion was shaped by a players-only meeting that month.

“In making its decision, the policy board recognized that there are still varying opinions among our membership, but ultimately concluded that while it is an important issue, a ban on anchored strokes would not fundamentally affect a strong presentation of our competitions or the overall success of the PGA Tour,” Finchem said in a statement.

“The board also was of the opinion that having a single set of rules ... applicable to all professional competitions worldwide was desirable and would avoid confusion.”

The decision to go along was not a surprise. The common ground by all sides was the importance of golf being played under one fundamental set of rules, as has been

the case for hundreds of years.

The wrinkle that came out of the tour’s meeting was asking the R&A and USGA to give amateurs more time to adjust away from the anchored stroke. PGA of America president Ted Bishop was among those concerned that banning the stroke used for long putters would force too many people to quit the game out of frustration, at a time when golf is worried about decreasing participation.

“The policy board continues to believe that extending the time period the ban would go into effect for amateurs would be beneficial for golf participation and the overall health of the game,” Finchem said.

Finchem cited the USGA changing the groove configuration for irons in 2008. It was effective for elite play in 2010, but does not apply to recreational play until 2014.

But the decision on grooves was an equipment issue. Anchoring is a change in the actual rules of golf. For the USGA and R&A, which set the rules for the 600-yearold game, to allow amateurs more time to use anchored strokes would be created two sets of rules.

The PGA of America also said it would follow the new rule, while expressing concern about amateurs. “We continue to feel strongly that the amateur player needs a longer period of adjustment to this rule,” Bishop said.

Neither Finchem nor Bishop recommended a date for amateurs. Finchem also sounded a warning that the tour reserves the right to make its own rules for its players, and that the USGA pledged “open and effective communication” on any future discussions on the rules.

“It is not inconceivable that there may come a time in the future when the policy board determines that a rule adopted by the USGA, including in the area of equipment, may not be in the best interests of the PGA Tour, and that a local rule eliminating or modifying such a USGA rule may be appropriate,” he said. —AP

SYDNEY: James Horwill is free to lead Australia in Saturday’s third and deciding test against the British and Irish Lions after being cleared of stamping charges in a second judicial hearing ordered by the International Rugby Board.

Appeal officer Graeme Mew of Canada rejected the IRB appeal brought against Horwill after he was cleared of foul play charges at a previous judicial hearing by New Zealand-based Nigel Hampton, who found there was no intentional or deliberate action of stamping or trampling on Lions lock Alun-Wyn Jones in the first test in Brisbane.

The IRB launched its unprecedented appeal before the second test in Melbourne, where Horwill led Australia to a 16-15 victory to level the series.

The decision was released yesterday, more than 14 hours after a two-hour hearing held late Monday in Sydney by video conference and with Mew in Toronto. Horwill said he found out during a weight training session that he’d be eligible to play Saturday.

“It’s huge,” Horwill said. “I love what I do and it means a lot to me to represent my country, and not only to represent it but to lead it in what is arguably the biggest game in this country since the Rugby World Cup final in 2003. I’m excited at that opportunity and now we can focus on the game.

“I feel very vindicated by the way it’s gone.

The process is what it is but I have to say it was a very fair process both times.”

In his findings, Mew said that there was no errors of law or principle in the original decision and no evidence that Hampton’s decision was “manifestly wrong or that the interests of justice otherwise required his decision be overturned.”

“There was sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable judicial officer could have reached the decision that was made,” Mew said.

However, Mew also noted that the IRB’s appeal had been properly taken in the discharge of its responsibilities to promote and ensure player welfare and to protect the image and the reputation of the game. The Dublin-based IRB issued a statement saying it ‘fully accepts” Mew’s decision, and was satisfied it took the right approach with the case.

“The protection of players from foul play, intentional or otherwise, is vital in upholding the values and image of rugby and to send a clear message to all levels of the game that such acts are unacceptable,” the statement said. “In light of the potential adverse implications, the IRB is keen to ensure all acts of foul play involving the head should be given serious and thorough consideration.”

Lions tour manager Andy Irvine said the decision was “no great shakes as far as we’re concerned” and reiterated that the combined British and Irish team had nothing to do with the IRB’s decision to appeal the original findings.

“As far as we’re concerned, once a judicial officer gave his decision last week we were of the view that it was done and dusted and let’s move

James Horwill on.” Irvine said, adding that the incident didn’t look good on TV but he’d seen a lot worse in his time.

The judicial officer “looked at all the different angles and replays, he is as very decent guy Nigel Hampton ... he is a very experienced individual, if that’s his decision we’re happy to accept it.”

The Wallabies had prepared contingency plans in case Horwill was banned, but are back to training at full capacity for the third test.

“You are always hopeful,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said, adding he was “delighted to have Kevvy (Horwill) back.”

If Horwill had been banned, it would have meant both captains were lost to their teams. On Monday, Lions flanker Sam Warburton was ruled out of the third match with a torn left hamstring.

Horwill told a news conference last week after the IRB announced the appeal that he was “confident of what happened on the field.”

The original hearing, he said, “was four hours and we had nine different camera angles to look at so it was very thorough and in that case the

hearing went through its due process via an IRBappointed judicial officer.”

Jones needed stitches to a head wound after the Lions won the first test 23-21 and Horwill was subsequently cited. Hampton’s original finding caused outrage among fans in Britain, and the IRB said it wanted to “further examine potential acts of foul play which either potentially or in reality impact on the preservation of player welfare.”

In his earlier comments, Horwill said the one TV angle shown on replays wasn’t a full reflection of the incident, when he claimed to have lost balance before making contact with Jones’ head with his right boot. “You can slow anything down to make it look different but if you look at the other angles you can see what happened,” Horwill said. “I’ve played more than 130 professional rugby games and never been cited once and never been to any judicial hearings.

“It was a complete accident. Unfortunately accidents happen in rugby — it’s a contact sport.

There was no intent or malice.” — AP

Park will chase fourth major at British Open SOUTHAMPTON: Inbee Park hoped to win a Grand Slam. A career Grand Slam, that is. The single-season variety was just too outlandish.

Yet she’ll head to St. Andrews next month for the Women’s British Open with a chance to become the first player to go 4 for 4 in majors — whatever that may be called, now that there are five majors in a year.

“Whether I do it or not, I’m just a very lucky person,” Park said Sunday after winning the US Women’s Open for the second time.

Park’s four-shot victory at windy Sebonack would seem to bode well for Scotland, though the world’s top-ranked player has won in pretty much every situation this season on the way to six titles, including all three majors and three straight tournaments overall.

Park talked Sunday about how calm she felt, and Annika Sorenstam could only marvel.

Sorenstam was the last player to try to win the year’s first three majors, in 2005, and she didn’t come close at the U.S. Women’s Open. “I was NOT calm,” she said with a laugh.

“I know the pressure you can feel, the expectations,” Sorenstam added. “She’s handled it beautifully. Nothing seems to faze her.” Brad Beecher, Park’s longtime caddie, said he’s never seen her angry or emotional on the course.

“I think it’s because I feel the happiest when I’m at the golf course,” Park said. “I feel calm when I’m on the golf course. I think I’m just a much better person when I’m on the golf course.

Yeah, outside the golf course, I feel the pressure and I feel what everybody else is feeling. But on the golf course, it’s just the golf ball and clubs.

And when I have that, it just puts a lot of pressure off of me.”

She’ll head home to South Korea for a rare visit before the British. Park knows she won’t get much time to herself there, but she wants to

share her success with the fans who wake up in the middle of the night to watch her play.

St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf, seems only appropriate as the spot for where Park could make history, Sorenstam said.

Park will just have to keep not thinking about that on the course. “If I knew what I was doing,” Park said, “I think I wouldn’t be able to stand.”

Beecher said she’ll glance at leaderboards but excels at not worrying about what other players are doing. The rest of the field, though,

SOUTHAMPTON: Inbee Park of South Korea putts in this file photo. — AFP

will have a hard time not noticing if Park quickly pulls in front again. “You don’t even know if she has a pulse out there half the time,” said Paula Creamer, who tied for fourth at Sebonack.

“Doesn’t matter if it’s a good shot or a bad shot, I think I’ve seen her actually smile maybe 10 times.”

The only player to win the year’s first three majors had been Babe Zaharias in 1950 — and there were only three then.

“After Annika retired I didn’t think anybody would ever do it,” said Angela Stanford, another of the players who tied for fourth, nine strokes behind Park.

After the Women’s British Open on Aug. 1-4, The Evian Championship is Sept. 12-15 for the year’s fifth and final major. If Park can win at St. Andrews, everyone will need to decide whether a new term is required for winning all the majors.

Park recalled when there were other players she thought she couldn’t beat. She kept working at her game and proved herself wrong. So she figures there’s no reason her rivals won’t do the same now.

“I know I have a long ways to go to go somewhere like what Yani (Tseng) or what Annika and what Lorena (Ochoa) have achieved,” Park said.

She added: “I still have a lot of things to learn.”

No matter what happens in Scotland, Park will always be the first player in the modern era to win the year’s first three majors. “We might not see that again for another 60 years,” said Sorenstam, now an analyst for Golf Channel.

Park and Beecher didn’t talk about the record book until after she hit her third shot on the par5 18th hole Sunday. “I just said to her, ‘Mate, you’re just about to join history, enjoy this walk,’” the Australian recalled. And Park actually grinned. —AP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

S P ORTS Preview

Photo of the day

Janowicz, Kubot no longer Poles apart at Wimbledon LONDON: What should have been a dream showdown between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal has turned into the battle of Poland as Lukasz Kubot and Jerzy Janowicz unexpectedly find themselves in Wimbledon’s quarter-final mix along with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

The shock exits of seven-times champion Federer and Nadal during a topsy turvy opening week at the grasscourt major paved the way for Kubot to set up the unlikeliest of quarter-finals against 6-foot-8 countryman Janowicz.

“Whatever happens one of us will be in the semi-finals which makes history for Polish tennis. We are happy about what’s going on right now - it’s magical,” said a beaming Kubot, who has entertained the crowds with his high-kicking celebratory can-can routine. The two friends are poles apart in the rankings, with Kubot a lowly 130th while world number 22 Janowicz has been tipped as the next big thing in tennis.

On the eve of Poland’s match of the century, though, the two stood side-by-side draped in their country’s red-and-white flags as the world’s media bombarded them with questions.

While Kubot and Janowicz are two new faces at what the players call the ‘business end of a grand slam’ Murray and Djokovic are old hacks.

Top seed Djokovic, in pursuit of a second title at the All England Club, will be contesting his 17th consecutive major quarter-final against 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych.

The Czech beat six-times grand slam winner Djokovic in their only previous clash on grass - at Wimbledon in 2010 - and in their most recent meeting, but the Serb will be more eager to rely on the overall 13-2 win-loss record he holds when the two lock horns

on Wednesday. Djokovic’s expected final date, second seed Murray, has made it through to his sixth successive quarter-final here and having won all 12 sets he has contested in the tournament, he is shaping up well to go one better than his runner-up finish to Federer last year. Fernando Verdasco will be eager to end the US Open champion’s hopes of becoming the first British man in 77 years to hold aloft the Challenge Cup. However, the clay-loving Spaniard might find his debut quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon a daunting prospect as he will also have to deal with Murray’s 15,000-strong fan club.

Much was made of Verdasco’s fellow Spaniard David Ferrer being installed as the fourth seed above 12-times major winner Nadal but the 31-year-old proved his worth by reaching his second success quarter-final here.

He will take on gentle giant Juan Martin Del Potro, who broke into the big time when he won the 2009 U.S. Open but has not made it to the final four of a slam since.

The Argentine is still feeling the effects of an on-court collision with a chair during his third-round match and hopes his battered knee will stand up to the test of taking on the inexhaustible Ferrer.

“The ankle is good and the knee is not good. The knee is bothering me a lot. I couldn’t extend the knee 100 percent,” said Del Potro, who is no stranger to injury woes after his 2010 season was wrecked by a wrist problem. “I’ve had many injuries in the past.

But this time I don’t have luck, and that’s it. I was winning so easy the third round. Just for run a dropshot, I twist my ankle and hyper extended my knee. I will do all the treatments to see if I can be better. “Winning here on grass for one Argentinian guy could be very, very special.” — Reuters

Toma Coconea and Martin Freinademetz perform during the Red Bull Man Against Machine at Lake Balea.

—www.redbullcontentpool.com

Who’s that girl? Fans have to check who is playing

The leaser team with Sheikh Talal Al-Mohammad

Kuwait plans unique Futsal opening ceremony

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: The opening ceremony of the Kuwait Mini World Futsal Club Tournament will be unique and a qualitative move, as the segments to be presented by an Australian company are not like those we are familiar with as the start will be with a song by Bashar AlShatti. The ceremony will be an hour long, including the speech of the chairman of the organizing committee Sheikh Talal AlMohammad. The ceremony was decided to be short to avoid boredom. It was learned that the ceremony relies on technology and lasers, along with other surprises.

There is no doubt that Sheikh Talal wants to send a message to all those who believed that Kuwait’s role as a pioneer in sports has taken a backseat, and this cannot happen as we have young leaders who are able to manage and organize such as Sheikh Talal AlMohammad. The tournament and its opening ceremony will be an outstanding mark in international indoor football and organization.

Tournament Director Khalid Habeeb said the Australian company has finished installation of all equipment according to the time schedule and trials are underway. Habeeb thanked Sheikh Talal for providing all these facilities, adding that what will be shown during the opening ceremony are special

requests by Sheikh Talal, adding that he has designed the medals and cups.

Meanwhile, Qadisiya Club player and member of the national team Abdallah Sheikhan thanked Sheikh Talal for the efforts he exerted to bring indoor soccer to higher levels lately, adding that Sheikh Talal is the patron of the game and “always in our support both morally and materially, and this makes us bring out the best”. The Kuwaiti team is now participating in the world indoor cup, and performed strongly in Asia.

Goalkeeper of the National Team and Qadisiya Club Sayyed Hassan Al-Mousawi said holding a tournament such as this in Kuwait will bring good returns to Kuwait’s sports in general and indoor soccer in particular. “I am proud that a major tournament is being held in Kuwait, especially that it is sanctioned by FIFA and the Asian Federation,” he said.

Mousawi said Al-Qadisiya’s participation will not be “just to participate”, “as we have four international professionals, and we will bring three more, which will make the team stronger and coherent”.

The opening ceremony will be on Saturday, July 6. It was also revealed that the total prizes amount to $500,000. The champion will get $100,000, runner-up $50,000, third and fourth places $25,000 each and the rest will be distributed to the teams.

Kuwait junior shooters show promise

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait’s junior team that participated in the 55th GP Zbrojovka Brno 2013 in the Czech Republic were able to register a significant win which promises the rise of young men who will play a major role in the future.

Head of the participating delegation Duaij Al-Otaibi said plans of Kuwait Shooting Sport Club concentrated on preparing a new lineup of shooters that supports the leaders. He said that junior teams in all Olympic events were prepared, and the successful participation in the Czech Republic “gives us high hopes as shooters Mohammad Al-Azmi, Nasser AlMutairi, Nasser Al-Khalidi and Abdelaziz Al-

Duaij Al-Otaibi with Kuwait’s delegation

Saad proved to be highly good”.

The skeet results were as follows: First - Slavic Milo, Cze, 116 Second - Sholti Otridge, Cze, 112 Third - Mohammad Al-Azmi, Kwt, 111 Otaibi lauded the efforts of the board members for their support to bad achievements at all levels. Otaibi also welcomed youth to the shooting school and Sheikh Saad Academy. A championship will be held in the name of the late Sheikh Sabah AlSalem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah under the patronage of the chairman of the board on Saturday at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex in the rifle, pistol, skeet and trap events.

LONDON: Clutching tickets won in a raffle, acquired through the local tennis club or bought at a charity auction, the fans huddled together on a chilly Centre Court all agreed — the Wimbledon women’s quarter-finals were low on star names.

But the diehard aficionados ready to queue all night outside the grounds were delighted to find it took them only three hours to get in to watch what Britain’s Times newspaper scornfully called “the women you’ve never heard of.”

Five-times champion Serena Williams is out.

Maria Sharapova has gone. In the last eight, household names are hard to come by as only three of the top 10 seeds made it into the last eight. Williams’ unexpected downfall in the fourth round prompted American great John McEnroe to quip: “Serena’s exit has kept this crazy tournament as crazy as it’s ever been!”

With one of the quarter-final line-ups now boasting a showdown between Sabine Lisicki and Kaia Kanepi, fans were feeling a little underwhelmed.

“It has lost its edge. We are slightly disappointed,” confessed Daniel Francis, on Centre Court with his mother Breda with their tickets won in an auction.

But, eager to put a positive spin on a thoroughly British experience, he said: “I suppose it is good to see the underdogs just like we do in football with the FA Cup.” Jenny Gibbs, enjoying her Centre Court debut as a spectator, said: “I must say I was disappointed it wasn’t men’s tennis. That at the moment is so much better.” Dorothy Richardson agreed: “I am disappointed we are not going to see the stars.” Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska is the highest ranked survivor. Name a famous Belgian tennis player and most would pick Kim Clijsters or Justine Henin.

Few would choose Kirsten Flipkens, one of the last eight at Wimbledon 2013. Fans of British number one Andy Murray were fanatical enough

WIMBLEDON: Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi returns against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki during their women’s singles quarter-final match on day eight of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament. — AFP to queue from Friday to Monday for a chance to see their hero in action. Such devotion does not stretch to the women’s game.

“Seeds are falling like flies,” said Michael Ly, a tennis fan from Melbourne, Australia. Delighted that it took so little time to get in, he said: “This is a once in a lifetime thing to do.”

Jonathan Down could not believe his luck in the queue. “We got Centre Court tickets as there is much less interest.”

But Sue Barker, former French Open winner and now a BBC presenter, argued that change was positive. She told Reuters: “I would love to see Serena and Maria through but times change and times have to change. It’s lovely to see new faces and get some new stories.”

Men’s number one seed Novak Djokovic also welcomed the new-look second week after Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal suffered shock early exits.

“It’s good for change in a way because top players are always expected to reach the final stages of major events,” he said. “I think it’s interesting also to see new faces for the crowd, for (the) tennis world in general.”

But fan Dave Chisholm, quaffing Pimms up on Henman Hill, was not so sure. Sitting with friends on a picnic table looking up at the giant screen put up beside the grassy knoll named after former British number One Tim Henman, he said: “I think we are going to go off and see some of the men’s doubles instead.” — Reuters

IOC members set to be hit by election fever LAUSANNE: Electioneering fever will hit the Swiss city of Lausanne this week as the three cities bidding for the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and the six men vying to succeed Jacqes Rogge as International Olympic Committee (IOC) president will make presentations to their electorate the IOC members. While both those final decisions will come in September in Buenos Aires — the 7th for the city and the 10th for the presidency — the host of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games — one of Rogge’s innovations during his 12 year reign — will be designated in a vote tomorrow. The 2020 Games bid teams from Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo will approach their presentations today all in relatively good heart, emboldened by positive assessments by the IOC Evaluation Commission last week. Istanbul in particular will be keen their effective message about being a bridge to different cultures, religions and generations returns to centre stage after an uncomfortable period when mass street protests round Turkey threatened to destabilise their bid. Aside from that the question marks raised by the Commission over transport congestion in the city could arise again from other members but Istanbul’s energetic chief executive Hasan Arat believes solving that problem is already well in hand.

“With regards to transport the report also states that we have significantly improved public transport and we have enough funding to continue on the other projects,” he said last week. Madrid will have an even greater spring in their step and justifiably so after the Evaluation Commission crucially gave them the thumbs up over their relatively modest planned budget for remaining building work should they get the Games. The Commission said they were confident that the modest budget of 2.37 billion euros ($3.10 billion, �2.01 billion) for fulfilling the remaining building work is feasible. “As the additional investment required to deliver the Games is relatively modest, the Commission believes that Spanish economy should be able to support the delivery of the Games,” read the report. While the terrible economic problems bedevilling the country will not be solved any time soon the bid team can at least regard that factor posing a constant question mark over their viability as a candidate as being laid to rest. “Madrid are very much a live candidate to win the right to host the Games,” one IOC source told AFP. “They have 28 of the 35 venues built, the infrastructure is in place and they are running an effective campaign,” the source added.

Tokyo, the only one of the three to have previously hosted the Games in 1964, still appear to be the

favourites after a glowing report from the Commission but question marks remain over whether their campaign has sufficiently captivated the members. The report, though, lauded their plans. Tokyo intends to use “the power of sport” to offer hope to the Japanese people and promote national spirit, unity and confidence,” in particular after the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the report said.

On the fear of more natural disasters in Japan, the IOC report said the Tokyo bidders had ensured that “robust” anti-quake construction standards and necessary anti-tsunami safety measures were in place.

The six contenders to replace Rogge — after a largely successful and peaceful presidency — will outline their vision for taking the movement forward post Rogge. Cracking down on illegal gambling and doping

plus an emphasis on educating the young in Olympic ideals are high on many of their lists while several are keen to see the Olympic Games kept to a reasonable size and not getting bigger and more expensive to put on. German IOC vice-president Thomas Bach is still seen as the favorite to take a post that he has seemingly been groomed for years but Singapore businessman and diplomat Ng Ser Miang as well as Puerto Rican banker Richard Carrion are viewed as real dangers to that coming to fruition. The Youth Olympic Games race is a three-way one with Medellin being praised for an impressive campaign but both they and Glasgow could well lose out to Buenos Aires, who by happy coincidence are hosting the IOC Congress in just a couple of months time and the members will probably prefer not to have a chilly welcome. —AFP

Klitschko to fight Povetkin in October HAMBURG: Wladmir Klitschko will defend his multiple heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin in a highly anticipated showdown on Oct. 5 in Moscow.

Klitschko’s management says the fight, long in the making, will take place in the Olympic Arena. “This is the best fight that the heavyweight division has to offer at the moment,” Klitschko said in a statement yesterday.

Klitschko holds the IBF and IBO belts and is also the WBO and WBA “super champion.”

Povetkin, 33, is WBA’s “regular champion.”

Klitschko’s older brother Vitali is the WBC champion. The Ukraine-born brothers have dominated the heavy division for a decade.

Russia’s Povetkin is like Wladimir Klitschko a former Olympic champion and has a 26-0 record, with 18 KOs. Klitschko is 60-3. His last fight was a sixth-round TKO over Francesco Pianeta in May. The Klitschkos rarely fight outside Germany, their base. “I’ve never boxed in Moscow and I’m looking forward to many Ukrainians and Russians who will come to the arena and create a special atmosphere,” Klitschko said.

Wladimir Klitschko Povetkin, who beat Ruslan Chagaev on points in August 2011 for the then-vacant title, also last fought in May and stopped Polish challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk in the third round for his fourth successful title defense. Klitschko, 37, will be in his 24th title fight. — AP

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

SPORTS

Exploding F1 tyres bad news for Pirelli brand LONDON: “Take the F1 performance to your car,” runs a slogan on the website of Italian tyre maker Pirelli that risks alarming motorists after a weekend of high-speed blowouts in the British Formula One grand prix.

Pirelli, which supplies all 11 teams in F1 motor racing, suffered the downside of supporting high profile sport on Monday after images of its shredded tyres were beamed to millions of TV viewers around the world.

“Terror tyres” was the headline on the back page of Britain’s Daily Mail, while The Times said “Road to hell as tyre chaos almost halts grand prix.”

The case has echoes of the PR meltdown suffered by Britain’s G4S last year when it failed to supply enough security guards for the London Olympics, forcing organisers to draft in soldiers and exposing the company to ridicule.

Pirelli’s motor sports specialists were urgently trying to discover what caused the five tyre failures during the British grand prix at Silverstone, whether it was something to do with their product or whether the track was to blame.

The sport’s millionaire drivers raised the spectre of boycotting next weekend’s German grand prix if changes were not made, fearing for their safety. Brazilian Ayrton Senna in 1994 was the last driver to be killed in a race.

F1’s complex rules, internal politics and team rivalries have all complicated Pirelli’s efforts to produce a good racing tyre this season but those subtleties were lost on most viewers.

“A lot of these things are beyond their control,” said Joel Seymour-Hyde of sports marketing agency Octagon. “The bottom

line is your product is a tyre. It goes around on a fast car and it failed spectacularly,” he added.

The British race was the eighth stop of 19 on the F1 calendar this season and the first time that tyre blowouts have been a major problem.

The Pirelli tyres had been the centre of controversy all season, with drivers complaining they had to cut their speed to prevent them wearing out after only a few laps.

One possible solution to the crisis would be to revert back to last year’s tyres, leading team Red Bull suggested.

Shares in Pirelli edged lower on Monday when news also broke that Italian prosecutors were seeking to jail company chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera for two years in a case related to his time as head of Telecom Italia.

Pirelli, the world’s fifth biggest tyre maker, has been the sole supplier to Formula One since 2011 under a contract that expires at the end of this season.

The 11 teams make a cash payment to Pirelli for the tyres and also carry branding for the company. The teams complain that the value of the advertising they supply far outweighs the cost of the tyres.

Sponsors and suppliers use major sporting series and events like the Olympics to show their ability to deliver under the most exacting circumstances.

“F1 is Pirelli’s attempt to shout louder than anyone else, to get noticed,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports marketing at Coventry University in central England.

Chadwick said that few viewers would have decided never to buy a Pirelli tyre on the basis of Sunday’s blowouts. However,

SILVERSTONE: McLaren Mercedes’ Mexican driver Sergio Perez drives with a shredded tyre during the third practice session at the Silverstone circuit in this file photo. —AFP the risk was that the brand would develop negative associations - the exact opposite of what sponsors are trying to achieve.

“You normally associate F1 tyres with safety and security. It’s about reliability,” he said. “Its brand to a greater or lesser extent will have been affected.”

Pirelli must now decide whether to

remain in the sport and repair its image or cut its losses and quit. It has already committed to contracts for trackside advertising for next season so a withdrawal would be a surprise.

The company declined to comment on Monday. Paul Hembery, its motorsport director, said on Sunday that the company

was urgently analysing the failures.

One by-product of Sunday’s chaotic race, won by German Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes, was that it put the sport back in the news on a weekend when it was competing with Wimbledon tennis and the British and Irish Lions rugby tour to Australia.—Reuters

Blatter hails Maracana, predicts great WCup

LONDON: In this file picture taken on June 20, 2013 Australian cricketer Chris Rogers poses for a photo after playing a game of cricket. —AFP

Rogers gets surprise Ashes opening slot NOTTINGHAM: Rookie Test batsman Chris Rogers will open for Australia in the first Ashes test against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, next week, coach Darren Lehmann said on Monday.

The 35-year-old has only played one previous test, scoring 19 runs in two innings against India at Perth in January 2008. “I’ve dreamt about this but I didn’t necessarily believe it would ever come true,” Rogers told the BBC. “This opportunity is one that is not going to come too often. “I have nothing to lose and hopefully I can take that attitude into the test match. It’s going to be about managing my emotions.”

Rogers will partner Shane Watson at the top of the order but first the untried pairing will team up in Australia’s final warm-up match against Worcestershire yesterday.

Rogers may be a test novice but he has plenty of experience in English conditions.

He is the captain of county side Middlesex and has also played for Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northants.

He averages 50.38 from 239 first class matches. The team for Worcester also features 19-year-old left-arm spinner Ashton Agar and seamers Jackson Bird and Ryan Harris, as new coach Lehmann rings the changes after taking over from Mickey Arthur who was sacked on June 24.

Last week Lehmann also confirmed Watson’s return to the top of the order for the Ashes and the opener responded with a powerful 90 in a tour victory over Somerset.

Rogers’s inclusion sees regular opener Ed Cowan move down to number three, with all-rounder Steve Smith handed an opportunity at number six.

Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle are all rested. Yesterday’s game is also a test for Somerset opener Nick Compton, who was replaced by Joe Root for England’s warm-up match against Essex this week, but hit 81 against the tourists last week and has been given a “guest” place in the Worcester side. The first test starts on July 10.—Reuters

Mineiro take on Newell’s BRAZIl: With Confederations Cup outcast Ronaldinho itching for action and forwards Jo and Bernard back after Brazil’s success, Atletico Mineiro play Newell’s Old Boys today with a Libertadores Cup final on their minds.

Atletico travel to the Argentine city of Rosario for the first leg of the semi-final after a month’s break in the Libertadores and the Brazilian championship while the 2014 World Cup hosts staged and won the Confederations Cup. “We’ve been missing the ball,” Ronaldinho, overlooked by Brazil despite his fine form for Atletico, told the club’s TV channel.

“This break has come at a good time.

We’re all going to come back keener to play and reach the final. It’s going to be another ‘final’, the hardest match we’ve had so far,” he said of the game at the Marcelo Bielsa stadium.

Jo, joint top scorer with team mate Diego Tardelli on six goals, and Bernard

should be confident after their role in Brazil’s success.

But centre back Rever is out of both legs of the semi-final after being sent off for dissent at the end of Atletico’s dramatic quarter-final win over Tijuana.

With the score 1-1 and 3-3 on aggregate, the Mexican debutants looked set for a shock victory in the second leg in Belo Horizonte. But goalkeeper Victor saved a penalty with his foot to keep Atletico in the tournament on the away goals rule.

Ronaldinho’s side are looking to win South America’s top club title for the first time. Victory over Newell’s would put them into a final against three times champions Olimpia of Paraguay or Independiente Santa Fe of Colombia.

Olimpia, Paraguay’s most successful club who last lifted the South American crown in 2002, are at home in the first leg at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion yesterday against Colombia’s Santa Fe.—Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA president Sepp Blatter hailed the Maracana fans and the electric atmosphere at Sunday’s Confederations Cup final as the most incredible he had ever heard and said Brazil would host a great 2014 World Cup. Speaking at a news conference where FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke pledged possibly to bring World Cup matches to Brazil’s impoverished favelas via fan zones and giant screens, Blatter declared the test event a success despite unrest on the streets.

What moved Blatter most during the two-week competition was the astonishing rendition of the Brazilian national anthem before Sunday’s final between Brazil and Spain, a game the hosts won 3-0. “In all my years I have never witnessed anything like that,” Blatter said on Monday.The 70,000-plus crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium continued singing the anthem after the musical accompaniment stopped, rising to an ear-splitting crescendo.

They continued chanting and singing after the match began and by the time Fred scored the opening goal after two minutes it was impossible to hear the person next to you talking without them shouting. “The Maracana is

something exceptional and that was a very special roar. The fans were extraordinary yesterday.

Not fanatical fans but fantastic fans,” Blatter said.

“They sang the national anthem for so long they delayed

between expensive new stadiums and the poor state of public services including health and transport.

“It was a success despite all the unrest and protests,” Blatter said.

“But I think the social unrest is

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA’s President Joseph Blatter during a press conference in this file photo. —AFP the start of the match for two minutes but it was not important.

Yes there have been problems but they will be solved and we will have a great World Cup in Brazil next year.”

Scenes of riot police firing tear gas were common during the tournament with protests centred on a number of grievances, the main one being the contrast

now resting. I don’t know (for) how long but it is now resting.”

Valcke said the protests would not stop the governing body’s plans to take the World Cup to the people next year.

“There are three million tickets available for the World Cup but this is a land of 200 million people so we will have fan zones and giant screens in different loca-

tions, maybe in the favelas and other places where people have no access to the stadium,” he said.

“We want to give them the chance to watch and be part of the World Cup. We have done it before in past World Cups and that is exactly what we will do in Brazil.”

Valcke added that while protests had been a part of tournament, a degree of respect also emerged between the protesters outside the stadiums and people wanting to watch the match.

“The protesters did not stop them,” he said. “We know what the situation is and we have had it for the last two weeks. But on one side you had all the fans wanting to watch the match and on the other side the demonstration.

“There was respect between the two groups and they co-existed in this Confederations Cup.” Valcke maintained security issues were a matter for the government and said the tournament had been a success.

“It was a great competition but from the minute it was over, it was over,” he said.

“Now we are totally focused on the World Cup, the World Cup did not start today it started the minute the Confederations Cup ended.”—Reuters

Premier League looks to tend to local roots

Shahid Afridi

Afridi wants to play both Twenty20 & ODIs ISLAMABAD: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi made it clear yesterday he is hoping for a recall after being dropped for last month’s Champions Trophy.

The 33-year-old veteran of 348 one-day internationals paid the price for a below-par performance on the tour of South Africa, where he remained wicketless in all five ODIs and scored only one half century. But Pakistan’s humiliating three successive defeats in the Champions Trophy have raised his hopes for this month’s tour of the West Indies for five ODIs and two Twenty20s.

“I am doing all the hard work and I want to play both oneday internationals and Twenty20s,” Afridi told reporters in Lahore, where he has been practicing at the National Cricket Academy for the last three weeks with former international Mansoor Rana.

“I have tried to bat for longer periods in the nets and have worked on quite a number of things with Mansoor Rana,” Afridi said.

Afridi has scored 7,201 runs and taken 348 wickets in ODIs. But his form dipped sharply in the last 12 ODIs, when he scored only 161 runs at an average of 17.88 and took just four wickets.

However, Afridi believes he still has a lot to offer his country and should be allowed to play himself back into form.—AP

LONDON: English soccer’s Premier League put a fraction of its riches into a scheme to support youth sport yesterday, seeking to underline a commitment to local communities its clubs are accused of taking for granted.

Flush with cash from a 5 billion pound ($7.6 billion) television windfall, English clubs face pressure to cut ticket prices and familiar questions about their failure to produce gifted young players for the national team.

But Chief Executive Richard Scudamore defended the 20-club League against accusations it was not doing enough to support teams lower down the soccer pyramid and grassroots sport.

As part of efforts to stay in touch with local communities, the Premier League has teamed up with government-backed Sport England in a 17 million pound scheme to encourage young people to take up a variety of sports.

Scudamore bridled at suggestions that such funding was small change for the Premier League where players can earn up to 200,000 pounds a week.

“There is no other company in this country that gives away more than we give away,” he told reporters at a London school. “We will give away next year more than 260 million pounds. We will give away 50 million just in raw charitable causes,” he added, surrounded by teenagers showing off their soccer, table tennis and basketball skills.

The larger figure includes money distributed to other parts of the professional game, including “parachute payments” to clubs to cushion the financial impact of relegation.

The Premier League is one of Britain’s most

successful exports, with overseas TV rights for the next three seasons worth an estimated 2 billion pounds ($3 billion) and top clubs like champions Manchester United able to sign sponsorship deals in dozens of foreign markets.

United and title rivals Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal are about to embark on long-haul overseas tours to tune up for the new season and help build their international following.

Back home, some fans argue that the TV windfall should be used to subsidise cheaper tickets to prevent less affluent fans being priced out of going to matches.

Scudamore said it was up to clubs to set their own prices but added they should maintain strong local ties to complement their global ambitions.

“It means making sure that the local people that live and breathe and work around the clubs are able to go and watch those teams, not every week perhaps, but certainly on an occasional basis,” he said. England has the most lucrative league in the world, but has only won a major international competition once - the World Cup on home soil in 1966.

The Premier League attracts many of the world’s top players but critics argue that homegrown youngsters are getting crowded out. Scudamore said a 320 million pound investment to improve academies for young players was starting to pay dividends.

“There were 210 players qualified to play for England playing in the Premier League last year,” Scudamore said. “We ought to be able to find 11 to take the field to do well,” he added.—Reuters

Rogers gets surprise Ashes opening slot

Puigmania breaks out in Los Angeles

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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Exploding F1 tyres bad news for Pirelli brand

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WIMBLEDON: Germany’s Sabine Lisicki serves against Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi during their women’s singles quarter-final match on day eight of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament. — AFP

Flipkens, Lisicki book semi spots LONDON: Kirsten Flipkens and Sabine Lisicki, whose careers were almost wrecked by illness and injury, booked emotional places in the Wimbledon semi-finals yesterday.

Flipkens will be playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 27 after knocking out 2011 champion Petra Kvitova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Belgian 20th seed goes on to face 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli, the 15th seed, who defied a chorus of boos before seeing off American 17th seed Sloane Stephens, 6-4, 7-5. Lisicki made her second Wimbledon semi-final by cruising past Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-3, 6-3.

The German 23rd seed now tackles Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska who battled past Chinese sixth seed Li Na, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2.

This time last year, Flipkens, the 2003 junior champion, was ranked a lowly 262 in the world after blood clots in her left ankle forced her to take several months off.

“It’s amazing, it’s more than a dream come true to be in the semi-final of a Grand Slam, it’s ridiculous,” Flipkens said.

“Last year I didn’t even get into the qualifying of Wimbledon. I still cannot believe it. I was so calm on the court, I had nothing to lose and I just went for my shots.”

Lisicki followed-up her shock defeat of five-time champion Serena Williams to book her place in her second Wimbledon semi-final.

The German also made the last-four as a wildcard in 2011, three months after her world ranking had slumped to 218 as she fought her way back from a serious ankle injury which left her “needing to learn to walk again”.

“It was an amazing match yesterday, but I had to make sure that I had calmed down and was ready for today,” said Lisicki, who completed victory in her fourth Wimbledon quarter-final just before rain began to fall.

“I have had experience of other years to help me. I also played the semi-finals in 2011 so that helped me be ready for today.”

Lisicki, who was defeated by Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals two years ago, insisted that she felt no pressure

coming into Tuesday’s match having downed Williams in the fourth round.

“There’s no pressure. I just keep playing the game that I love,” she added. It’s also a surface she loves-the German’s record at Wimbledon stands at 18 wins and just four losses while she is only 16-15 at the three other Slams.

Kanepi has now played and lost six quarter-finals at the majors. Radwanska, the highest seed left following the exit of defending champion Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Sharapova, beat Li in a gripping two-hour, 43 minute contest which was completed under the Centre Court roof.

Radwanska, the runner-up in 2012, took victory on an eighth match point. The 24-year-old Pole, who had gone into the quarter-final with a 4-6 losing record against Li, also overcame an injury scare when she needed her right thigh tightly-strapped at the start of the deciding set.

“Li played unbelievable tennis. I was just happy to get through after struggling in the final set,” said Radwanska who had also needed three sets to beat Tsvetana

Gerrans takes yellow jersey NICE: When Simon Gerrans started cycling to help rehabilitate knee injuries suffered while racing motor bikes, he never imagined he would go on to emulate the feats of pioneering Australian compatriot Phil Anderson.

On Monday Gerrans, who won his maiden Tour de France stage in 2008, grabbed his second career win on the race to hand his Orica-GreenEdge team their maiden Tour win.

It got the proverbial monkey off his team’s back a year after their race debut in 2012 ended with lots of encouragement but no stage wins. But few expected Orica to make it two in a row.

Yesterday, the Aussies kept the momentum going with victory in the fourth stage team time trial over 25 km around Nice. To top it off, Gerrans took possession of the fabled yellow jersey.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s been a dream two days for us. It really doesn’t get any better than this,” said Gerrans. While Gerrans had caused minor shock on Monday by throwing his wheel over the line ahead of Slovakian sprint specialist Peter Sagan, team sporting director Matt White was even more surprised by Tuesday’s winning performance.

“It’s certainly been a very big two days,” said White, who only returned to the sport recently following a ban after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs while a rider with Lance Armstrong’s US Postal team.

“Most teams are judged very much by how they perform at the Tour de France,” said White. “We’ve won more than 50 races since our inception ... but yesterday (Monday) was obviously the biggest win

Pironkova in the fourth round.

“I have played so much tennis in the last few days, that’s why I have the problem.” Li fired 58 winners in Tuesday’s quarter-final but was undone by 40 unforced errors.

Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up to Venus Williams, fell foul of the fans on Court One when she demanded that play be stopped when she was leading 5-4, 40-40 with Stephens serving as light rain began to fall.

When they resumed after two and a half hours, Stephens quickly dropped the first set and slipped 2-0 down in the second, losing the first nine points as the crowd, convinced that the Frenchwoman’s complaints over the state of the court had been unjustified, jeered following their lengthy wait.

“I don’t get why the crowd was against me,” said the 28year-old Bartoli. “The courts are slippy even when they are dry but when they are wet they can be dangerous. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t get hurt. I didn’t want to come off for any other reason.” — AFP

Finnish islanders take on Europe

FRANCE: A combination of pictures shows (from top, left to right) Australia’s Simon Gerrans celebrating his overall leader’s yellow jersey on the podium; riders of Orica Greenedge team competing; riders of the Sky team crossing the finish line; and Australia’s Simon Gerrans (center) celebrating his overall leader’s yellow jersey with his teammates. — AFP for the team. To win today, to put Simon (Gerrans) into the yellow jersey, we didn’t really expect it.”

On a mainly flat course suited to teams with powerful riders Orica pushed Omega-Pharma into second place by just one second with Sky and Team Saxo in third and fourth at three and nine seconds adrift respectively.

Of the big hitters, Cadel Evans was one of the principal casualties. His BMC team finished ninth at 26sec behind Orica to leave him with a 23sec deficit to race favourite Chris Froome and a 17sec

deficit to former two-time winner Alberto Contador.

Evans, who usually speaks out in defence of his teammates, was less charitable this time. “You look to gain every second you can at this stage in the Tour and losing a lot of seconds certainly isn’t what I hoped for today and isn’t what I expected,” said the 36 year old.

“But we’ll have to go back and have an analysis and look at why and go on from here. The simple analysis is that we weren’t fast enough.” — AFP

HELSINKI: Finnish club IFK Mariehamn, from the capital of a Swedish-speaking archipelago in the middle of the Baltic Sea, make their European debut this week in a remarkable rise for one of the continent’s smallest sides.

The team have been drawn against Inter Baki of Azerbaijan in a two-legged first-round qualifying match for the Europa League to be played tomorrow and next week.

Tiny Mariehamn’s appearance in the competition is by all accounts astonishing, as 10 years they were playing in the depths of the Finnish third division.

Competing in Europe has been “the team’s dream for years”, manager Pekka Lyyski, told AFP. Lyyski, now 59, played for the club in the 1970s and took charge as coach in 2003, taking them to two successive promotions and into the Finnish top-flight.

Last year, he steered Mariehamn to an unprecedented 4th place-and a tilt at Europe for the first time. For their European opponents, Mariehamn is an unlikely footballing destination.

The sleepy town is the capital of the Aaland chain of islands between Finland and Sweden. Just 80 of the 6,500 islands

are inhabited and the total population is only 28,000.

Aaland could have become Swedish and its inhabitants voted as such when Finland became independent in 1917. But Helsinki, which claims sovereignty, obtained an agreement from the League of Nations in 1921 that Aaland would remain definitively under its control, in exchange for autonomous status.

Aaland today has its own flag, vehicle number plates, parliament and stamps that sets it apart from the rest of Finland.

The recent success of Mariehamn’s footballers is another source of local pride.

Lyyski, who has run a number of hotels on the archipelago for several years, is pleased with his successful transformation of the club into a professional outfit.

“Since our promotion to the Veikkausliiga (1st division), financing from private sponsors has increased considerably, allowing us to make our club into a business,” he explained.

“We don’t pay big wages in international terms but for Finland we’re competitive,” he added. With an annual budget of about one million euros ($1.3 million, 854,000 pounds), Mariehamn reflects the average in Finnish football. —AFP

Business

Egypt surges after army ultimatum; Gulf mixed Page 22 The ‘worst is over’ for India economy Page 23

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

Ford and Chrysler post solid gains in auto sales

US home prices jump 12.2 percent

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DETROIT: Jeff Caldwell, 29, a chassis assembly line supervisor, checks a vehicle on the assembly line at the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit. The auto industry is on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to build the next generation of vehicles. —AP (See Page 22)

Portugal destabilized as finance minister quits Economy reels as social discontent mounts LISBON: The shock resignation of Portuguese Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar puts the government in a dilemma over reforms imposed by creditors and has triggered calls for an early election.

Opposition Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro was due to meet President Anibal Cavaco Silva later in the day to press for an early ballot, media reports said yesterday.

The minister’s decision on Monday also reveals the full depth and drama of the budget rigor imposed by the IMF and EU. But the centre-right government has little choice but to plough on. It has just two weeks to come up with a program to reform the state before auditors arrive on July 15 to examine progress on reforms for the IMF, EU and European Central Bank.

“Vitor Gaspar quits, austerity stays”, the newspaper Jornal de Negocios said. “The government is dead and only the funeral date has to be decided,” the left-wing Block party declared. The Communists, whose labour union allies held a general strike last week, called on the centre-right government headed by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to resign. The government came to power in early elections June 2011. This came after the Socialists had admitted that their policies had failed and asked the IMF and EU for bailout funding of 78 billion euros ($102 billion) over three years.

REFORMS STILL NEEDED The resignation changes the political base of the coalition which involves the

small conservative CDS-PP party headed

by Foreign Minister Paulo Portas. Portas now becomes the number two minister after the prime minister, and he has warned that he could bring the coalition down if a plan to raise taxes on pensioners is applied. But Passos Coelho has given Portas the task of completing by July 15 a reform of the state to save 4.7 billion euros by the end of 2014. This exposes Portas to the same political fire as has brought down the finance minister.

Gaspar, a onetime EU and ECB official, played the main role in applying the reform program agreed with the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

But in his letter of resignation, he acknowledged that “repeated slippages” in achieving targets “have undermined my credibility as finance minister.” The drastic cuts in spending and tax rises which he has overseen have plunged the country into a deeper recession, and with higher unemployment, than had been expected.

At the end of March the public deficit amounted to 10.6 percent of annual output. The target set by creditors, already relaxed twice, is for a deficit of 5.5 percent at the end of the year. The national debt is running at 120 percent of GDP. The government is increasingly isolated, as shown by the fourth general strike organized last week by trades unions. Business leaders are also highly critical, calling on it to recognize the failure of the strategy of restoring Portugal’s international financial credibility-at any price.

Gold sales to Iran under US sanctions

Portuguese Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar

But the European Commission was quick to exhort the government to stick to reforms, saying that “a lot has been done to consolidate public finances.” Gaspar was to be replaced from Tuesday by the Treasury Minister Maria Luis Albuquerque.

At Commerzbank, analyst David Schnautz commented that this “will not change the rules of the game.” Political analyst Antonio Costa Pinto also commented that “the margin for manoeuvre is so narrow that unless conditions are eased from outside, the future of the Portuguese people will continue to be marked by sweat and tears.”

At BNP Paribas bank, economist Ricardo Santos commented that the new minister should take over without difficulty since she had been directly involved in the efforts by Portugal to return to raising funds normally on financial markets. This is critical if the rescue program is to come to a successful end in a year’s time as planned. In Berlin, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble regretted the resignation, describing Gaspar as a “colleague and friend” but also said he was reassured by the knowledge that Albuquerque would continue the work achieved so far.— AFP

Saudi taps new oil areas in plan to preserve capacity KHOBAR: Saudi Aramco plans to develop two less productive areas of major oilfields, industr y sources said, as Riyadh takes care to maintain excess capacity for the long term, even while non-OPEC oil supplies are on the rise.

The plan to increase capacity from K hurais and Shaybah by a total of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2017 will take the strain off Ghawar, the world’s largest conventional oilfield, two sources familiar with the plans said.

Such projects are not intended to raise Saudi produc tion capacit y beyond the current stated 12.5 million bpd, Saudi oil officials have previously

said. After pumping its biggest fields at near record rates to make up for lost supplies from Libya and Iran over the last two years, the kingdom wants to focus on less productive fields to ease pressure on aging reservoirs to help keep their output robust.

“The targeted area includes the two fields south of Khurais, Abu Jiffan and Mazalij, which are smaller complex fields that have not produced much oil in past years,” Sadad Al-Husseini, a former top executive at Saudi Aramco, said. “As for Shaybah field, they want to mainly raise production from the south where the reservoir is less productive and to gather large volumes of addi-

tional natural gas liquids, which are recovered from the associated gas.”

By 2017, Saudi Aramco aims to boost capacity at Khurais by 300,000 bpd to 1.5 million bpd and at Shaybah by 250,000 bpd to 1 million bpd, the sources said. The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

Saudi Arabia had planned in 2008 to increase production capacity to 15 million bpd but then put the plan on hold after the financial crisis. A surge in North American unconventional oil over the last few years, meanwhile, has taken pressure off Riyadh. Officials now say there is no plan to expand beyond the kingdom’s current capacity.

Aramco is still investing in new production projects, however, to increase its options and take pressure off big fields such as Ghawar and Abqaiq that have been the main source of wealth for the economy for decades. Husseini said the expansion plans would require new oil and gas processing facilities and a dedicated pipeline to transport natural gas liquids from Shaybah.

Aramco completed a large capacity expansion plan in 2009-2010, which included the start-up of Khurais and the expansion of Shaybah to 750,000 bpd. Khurais contains highly prized Arab Light crude, which is easily converted into transport fuels.— Reuters

WASHINGTON: Rigid new US sanctions against Iran came into force Monday including bans on the sale or barter of gold to the Islamic republic, as Washington ratchets up efforts to isolate the country over its nuclear program. Turkey is believed to conduct extensive business with Iran using gold, and US lawmakers suspect it of importing Iranian natural gas and paying for the energy with the metal to circumvent existing restrictions on financial transactions with Tehran.

For years, the US and the international community have imposed an arsenal of sanctions against Iran, accusing it of using its civilian nuclear energy program as a cover for attempts to build atomic weaponscharges Tehran denies. US President Barack Obama last July targeted Iran’s oil export sector, vowing punishment against firms that circumvented restrictions on the financial dealings. Lawmakers saw the enforcement measures as lagging, and last December passed the sanctions that went into effect Monday.

“Congress is going to definitely hold the administration’s feet to the fire on enforcement,” Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said. In practice, gold sales by any person or group to an Iranian government entity or private citizen can now trigger sanctions against the seller. In May, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen suggested to Congress that Turkey did not provide gold in direct exchange for Iranian natural gas, but reserved his details on the matter for a closed-door hearing with lawmakers.

He also stressed the sanctions would be carried out “without fear or favor.” “We have been clear that that July 1st date is a real date and that after July 1st, any sale of gold to Iran is something that we will pursue vigorously,” he said. The legislation also imposes penalties on any person or organization that conducts business related to Iran’s energy, shipping and shipbuilding sectors, industries which the United States links to Iran’s nuclear program.

And it also includes the lucrative automobile sector, after Obama signed an executive order on June 3 adding the industry to the sanctions regime. Many Iranian firms linked to the leadership and its Revolutionary Guards were already subject to US, European or UN sanctions. The new measures extend to the totality of the Iran sectors, punishing groups that do business with any Iranian firm in the named industries, rather than just with specific companies identified by Washington.

“By really blacklisting the Iranian economy and targeting gold, they’re really sending a message out to the international business community; there are very few areas of the Iranian economy where you can legally do business,” Dubowitz said. Meanwhile Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said the sanctions are not aimed at hurting the Iranian people but to “change their decision” about pursuing a nuclear program. Lew hoped the sanctions would work, he said Sunday at a conference in Aspen, Colorado, because “the alternatives are worse.”— AFP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Mitsubishi UFJ, Thai bank to seal $5.6 billion deal TOKYO: Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ, the country’s largest lender, said yesterday it planned to buy 75 percent of Thailand’s Bank of Ayudhya for about $5.6 billion.

The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, would be the biggest by a Japanese lender in Southeast Asia. “With its potential for future growth and a track record of consistent economic growth, Thailand has become an economic centre of Greater Mekong,” Mitsubishi said in a statement.

“Thailand and Japan enjoy a close relationship with numerous Japanese companies now operating in Thailand,” it added.

“(Bank of Ayudhya) is one of the leading commercial banks in Thailand offering diversified financial services while holding wide range of client base and market knowledge.” Mitsubishi said it would offer shareholders, including US-based General Electric, a price of 39 Thai baht ($1.25) per share.

The Japanese firm said it was aiming to close the proposed deal by December.

Internationally, the deal would be one of Mitsubishi’s biggest. It invested 900 billion yen to buy a stake in Morgan Stanley in 2008, throwing the troubled Wall Street giant a lifeline during the financial crisis. In

December Mitsubishi announced it bought a 20 percent stake in state-owned VietinBank worth about $743 million, the largest-ever foreign investment in Vietnam’s banking sector.

In April a US unit of Mitsubishi said it had reached an agreement to buy a realestate lending business run by PB Capital Corporation, a Deutsche Bank Group company. A sale price for that deal was not immediately disclosed, but the leading Nikkei business daily said it would cost the Japanese bank more than 300 billion yen Japan’s so-called mega-banks have strong balance sheets and have increasingly

been looking abroad as the domestic market’s growth potential remains lacklustre.

Rivals Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group have also looked overseas to expand.

In May Sumitomo Mitsui struck an agreement for a 40 percent stake in Indonesia’s PT Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional for about $1.5 billion. Two years ago Mizuho announced a plan to buy a 15 percent share in Vietcombank. Bank of Ayudhya, established in 1945, is Thailand’s fifth-largest lender with about 600 branches and over 18,000 employees.

Established by the Ratanarak family, which

runs a television broadcaster, Bank of Ayudhya holds the equivalent of around 3.4 trillion yen in assets.

The bank handles personal loans and credit cards and is strong in transactions with small and medium-sized businesses.

About 4,000 Japanese companies operate in Thailand, a major export base that is home to a burgeoning middle class.

Yesterday’s announcement comes about two weeks after New York state slapped Mitsubishi-UFJ with a $250 million fine for handling money transfers that violated sanctions on Iran as well as on Sudan and Myanmar. — AFP

Egypt surges after army ultimatum; Gulf mixed Underlying tone in UAE remains strong

FLORIDA: A single family home is shown for sale in Surfside, Fla. US home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May from a year ago, the most in seven years. — AP

US home prices jump Housing recovery strengthening WASHINGTON: US home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May from a year ago, the most in seven years. The increase suggests the housing recovery is strengthening. Real estate data provider CoreLogic said yesterday that home prices rose from a year ago in 48 states. They fell only in Delaware and Alabama. And all but three of the 100 largest cities reported price gains. Prices rose 26 percent in Nevada to lead all states.

It was followed by California (20.2 percent), Arizona (16.9 percent), Hawaii (16.1 percent) and Oregon (15.5 percent). CoreLogic also says prices rose 2.6 percent in May from April, the fifteenth straight monthover-month increase.

Steady hiring and low mortgage rates have encouraged more Americans to buy homes. Greater demand, a limited number of homes for sale and fewer foreclosures have pushed prices higher. Prices are still 20 percent below the peak reached in April 2006, according to CoreLogic. Sales of previously occupied homes topped the 5 million mark in May for the first time in 3 1/2 years. And the proportion of those sales that were “distressed” was at the lowest level in more than four years for the second straight month. Distressed home sales include foreclosures and short sales. A short sale is when a home sells for less than what is owed on the mortgage.

Home sales are expected to increase in the coming months. That’s because the

number of people who signed contracts to buy homes rose in June to the highest level since December 2006. There’s generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed sale. One worry is that higher mortgage rates could slow the housing recovery. Still, rates remain low by historical standards. And increases in rates could boost home sales. That’s’ because many Americans may act to lock in the lower rates before they rise further.

A survey by the University of Michigan released last week found more Americans believe it is a good time to buy a home because both rates and prices are just starting to rise. Rates have been trending higher for two months. And the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage leapt to 4.46 percent last week, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. That’s the highest in two years and a point more than a month ago.

Mortgage rates surged after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said last month that the Fed could scale back its bond buying later this year and end it next year if the economy continued to strengthen. The bond purchases have kept longterm rates down.

Economists say that higher mortgage rates are unlikely to stifle the housing recovery. A more critical issue is whether potential buyers can get loans. There are signs that banks have become more willing to extend mortgages. — AP

DUBAI: Egypt’s bourse posted its biggest oneday gain in a year yesterday after an army ultimatum to President Mohamed Morsi to share power spurred buying by local investors. Gulf markets were mixed though an amnesty for foreign workers helped Saudi Arabia. Cairo’s benchmark rose 4.9 percent to a near four-week high, in its largest one-day rise since July 2012. Some shares face 5 percent limits for their moves and went limit-up. The index is still down 8.7 percent year-to-date.

After nationwide anti-government protests, the army threatened on Monday to intervene if political parties did not reach a compromise within 48 hours. Although this risks further turmoil and the possibility of a long-term escalation of conflict between Islamists and secular forces in Egypt, many investors think it may be a step towards removing Mursi - blamed for much of the economic and political chaos of the past year - in the near term, or at least forcing him to share power.

“The confidence in the military pushed the market higher - investors have many hopes to see a new government with better economic plans that will remove the instability,” said Amr El-Feky, chief technical trader at Cairo Capital Securities. Egyptians were net buyers of stocks yesterday, bourse data showed, while foreigners were net sellers. Analysts were reluctant to pre-

dict how far the market’s rally might continue; even if the opposing sides somehow form a coalition government, it will be unclear whether that government can operate smoothly until elections are held.

“It can be argued that the army’s intervention may mean we are heading towards a resolution sooner rather than later. When it comes, and depending on surrounding circumstances, the market’s knee-jerk reaction could be positive,” said Raza Agha, chief economist for the region at VTB Capital. “This however will be tempered in the days/weeks that follow as the enormity of what lies ahead becomes clear. One of the immediate challenges will be mobilizing donors, as the current situation may have had a negative impact on headline central bank reserve levels...” he wrote in a research note.

SAUDI LABOUR AMNESTY In Saudi Arabia, the benchmark climbed 0.7 percent as banks led gains, with that sector rising 1.7 percent. Market sentiment was helped by the government’s decision to extend the deadline for foreign workers to legalize their status to Nov 3 from July 3. Tens of thousands more workers could be deported under a crackdown on illegal foreign labor, raising fears of economic disruption, particularly to the construction sector. “The market has done well in the last two

days - partly because the government granted an amnesty extension,” said Asim Bukhtiar, head of research at Riyad Capital.

The building and construction sector gained 0.5 percent; shares in retail group Fawaz Abdulazis Alhokair , in another industry which relies heavily on foreign labor, jumped 5.2 percent. Elsewhere in the Gulf, United Arab Emirates markets declined as investors booked gained from Monday’s rally. All Gulf bourses rose on Monday - the start of the third quarter - as asset managers opened new positions. Dubai’s benchmark slipped 0.8 percent, trimming 2013 gains to 39.3 percent. Abu Dhabi’s index declined 0.7 percent.

The underlying mood remains strong, however. Dubai-based Daman Investments released a report saying equities were on the verge of a multi-year rally. “I will not rule out a triple-digit gain (this year, in percent) for either one of the UAE’s stock markets. All the positive elements are there to help achieve that,” Shehab Gargash, chief executive of Daman Investments, told reporters. In Doha, Qatar Gas Transport Co, commonly known as Nakilat, rose 1.7 percent after one of its joint ventures sealed a loan refinancing deal worth $662.4 million, allowing it to proceed with an expansion of its LNG carrier fleet to six ships from four. The Qatari index climbed 0.4 percent, up 12.1 percent year-to-date. — Reuters

Ford, Chrysler post solid gains in US auto sales CHICAGO: Ford and Chrysler posted solid gains in June US auto sales yesterday as analysts forecast a strong close to the first half of the year and more growth in the months to come.

Ford’s sales rose 13 percent to 235,643 vehicles in its best June performance since 2006. Sales for the first half of the year were also up 13 percent at 1.3 million vehicles.

“In June, we continued to see strong demand across the entire lineup,” said Ken Czubay, Ford’s sales chief. “We’re particularly encouraged by strong retail share gains, especially in coastal markets, where the combination of great design and fuel economy is resonating with customersincluding many buying a Ford for the first time.” Chrysler’s sales rose eight percent to 156,686 vehicles in the company’s best June in six years.

Sales for the first half of the year were

up nine percent at 908,332. “The fundamentals for continued industry gains in new vehicle sales remain intact,” Reid Bigland, Chrysler’s sales chief, said in a statement.

Automotive website Edmunds.com forecast that total industry sales will rise 6.3 percent in June and come in at an adjusted, annualized rate of 15.5 million vehicles once all automakers have reported. “Within the last month we saw a slowing stock market and a stalled unemployment recovery, but the automotive market continues to shine through it all,” said Edmunds analyst Jessica Caldwell.

“The first half of 2013 was every bit as strong as the auto industry could expect at the beginning of the year, and there’s no reason why the next six months can’t maintain the same momentum.” —AFP

COLORADO: A buyer moves between rows of 2013 Ram pickup trucks and Dart sedans at a Dodge dealership in Littleton, Colo. Chrysler’s US sales rose 11 percent in May, a sign that auto sales rebounded from a slight dip in April and will continue to boost the US economy. Ram pickup truck sales were strong, up 22 percent over a year ago to almost 32,000. — AP

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 2.884 4.822 2.876 2.189 2.989 226.940 36.868 3.666 6.614 9.203 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 76.284 78.601 743.020 759.800 77.905

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.950 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.148 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.335 Tunisian Dinar 174.730 Jordanian Dinar 403.970 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.919 Syrian Lier 3.108 Morocco Dirham 34.123 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 285.950 Euro 375.740 Sterling Pound 438.930 Canadian dollar 274.420 Turkish lira 148.850 Swiss Franc 305.180 Australian Dollar 264.220 US Dollar Buying 284.750 GOLD 239.000 121.000 63.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL DRAFT 267.56 276.36 307.48 377.01 285.70 439.22 2.93 3.689 4.823 2.190 3.010 2.886 77.85 760.41 40.19 406.61 743.00 78.89 76.32

Selling Rate 286.050 275.305 437.965 375.500 303.170 757.330 77.860 77.860 78.515 403.235 40.110 2.191 4.809 2.876 3.673 6.609 701.700 3.880 9.365 4.085 3.154 90.395

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

BUY Europe 0.4285400 0.0067217 0.0459301 0.3676509 0.0432066 0.4262560 0.0386906 0.2980239

SELL 0.4375400 0.0187217 0.0509301 0.3751509 0.0484066 0.4337560 0.0436906 0.3050239

Australasia 0.2528948 0.2144824 0.0001123

0.2648948 0.2244824 0.0001123

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars

America 0.2652593 0.0001458 0.2839500

0.2742593 0.0001636 0.2861000

Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa

Asia 0.0036286 0.0031744 0.0456286 0.0165400

0.0036836 0.0034044 0.0506286 0.0196400

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling

Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht

0.0000444 0.0343279 0.0047635 0.0000238 0.0028600 0.0028005 0.0032650 0.0856667 0.0028633 0.0028519 0.0061857 0.0000731 0.2218600 0.0021485 0.0088278

0.0000504 0.0374279 0.0048285 0.0000290 0.0038600 0.0029805 0.0034950 0.0926667 0.0030633 0.0028919 0.0066557 0.0000761 0.2278600 0.0021905 0.0094278

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 0.7524592 0.0381547 0.0128198 0.1454715 0.0000796 0.0001813 0.3979604 1.0000000 0.0001755 0.0219939 0.0012181 0.7321073 0.0779292 0.0757600 0.0465197 0.0019500 0.1722147 0.0764672 0.0012909

0.7609592 0.0401847 0.0193198 0.1472615 0.0000801 0.0002413 0.4054604 1.0000000 0.0001955 0.0459939 0.0018531 0.7431073 0.0787122 0.0764000 0.0470697 0.0021700 0.1782147 0.0779172 0.0013909

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 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) 285.600 375.850 436.850 274.000 4.790 40.160 2.185 3.663 6.695 2.870 760.550 77.800 76.300

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

BUSINESS

British business confidence ‘highest’ since 2007 LONDON: British business confidence is the highest since 2007, bolstered by fastrising exports, a survey showed yesterday, in fresh evidence that Britain is slowly recovering from the financial crisis. The British Chambers of Commerce’s quarterly economic survey - Britain’s largest major business poll also showed a strong rise in firms’ domestic and overseas sales over the past three months, boding well for official data due later this month. Other surveys have shown a similar pattern.

Markit’s June manufacturing purchasing

managers’ index on Monday was the highest in more than two years, as was last week’s GfK consumer confidence barometer.

“The UK economy is slowly strengthening,” said David Kern, the BCC’s chief economist. “If recent progress can be sustained, there are realistic hopes that growth forecasts will be revised up further,” he added.

Britain’s recovery since the 2007-08 financial crisis has been the slowest since modern records began, and weaker than in any Group of Seven economy apart from

Italy. At the end of May the BCC forecast the economy would grow 0.9 percent this year, but based in part yesterday’s data, it now expects growth of 0.6 percent in the second quarter alone.

This compares to 0.3 percent growth in the first three months of the year, and 0.5 percent forecast by the Bank of England for the second quarter. This makes it even less likely that the Bank of England will restart its program of asset purchases on Thursday after its monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting, though ques-

tions remain about new governor Mark Carney’s longer-term intentions. The BCC survey showed that in the service sector, domestic sales and orders were growing at the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2007, while export sales had grown at the fastest rate since the survey began in 1989.

For manufacturers, domestic sales growth was the strongest in two years and export order growth the best in a year.

“The strength of the export balances, particularly in the service sector, confirms the

existence of huge untapped potential that must be unleashed,” Kern said. But although confidence about future sales and profitability was the highest since 2007 for manufacturers and service sector firms, Kern warned that growth could still be derailed.

Financial turmoil emanating either from the euro zone or from the US Federal Reserve’s efforts to reduce the amount of monetary stimulus, as well as persistent inflation in Britain, could all endanger confidence, he said. — Reuters

Britain: Scotland independence would put jobs, growth at risk LONDON: Growth and jobs could be at risk if Scotland hinders access to its biggest export market by voting to split from the rest of Britain in a referendum next year, British business secretary Vince Cable said yesterday. Businesses operating in an independent Scotland would face reduced access to the British market, extra regulatory and administrative costs and increased uncertainty, analysis by the government due to be released will show.

Scotland’s 5 million population will vote next September on whether they want to keep a 306-year union intact. Scottish nationalists say independence will free it from decades of economic mismanagement, while the London-based government is campaigning to keep Scotland part of Britain. “The union works for businesses on both sides of the border,” Cable said.

“Breaking up Scotland’s most lucrative market would destabilize enterprise and potentially put growth and jobs at risk.” Scottish exports to the rest of Britain were worth 45.5 billion in 2011, excluding oil and gas.

That is double the value of exports to the rest of the world and four times that of those to the European Union, the report said.

Joining the European Union post-independence would not compensate many businesses for the loss of unfettered access to the British market, the analysis said, highlighting the possible loss of access to infrastructure and services such as Royal Mail, which delivers to most of Britain for a

flat fee. The Scottish government criticized the report, saying Scotland was proposing to keep a single market for goods and services with the rest of Britain, including a currency union.

“Independence would allow future Scottish Governments to require proper connectivity for rural areas, boost business growth and ensure a combined economic regulator that is both cheaper and more efficient than Westminster’s bureaucracy,” a spokesman for Scotland’s devolved government said. The report also acknowledges that independence could damage the prospects for the rest of Britain, costing British exporters their second largest market. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said free movement of goods, services, capital and people benefited both sides of the Scottish border.

“Scottish independence risks hampering this - businesses could have to deal with different regulations and currencies, for example, which would inevitably have a negative economic impact,” said CBI Director-General John Cridland. Recent polls show nearly 60 percent would vote against independence. The British government has recently produced research showing Scotland would have an unsuitably large financial sector post-independence including much of the operations of Royal Bank of Scotland and parts of Lloyds Banking Group. It has also said that the Scottish government’s proposal for a currency union would not work. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Ahluwalia with Indian Embassy officials pose here with local reporters yesterday just before the conference. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

The ‘worst is over’ for India economy Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission sees positive turn around

By Ben Garcia

Workers’ strike triggers fuel queues in Nigeria LAGOS: Long queues formed at petrol stations in some Nigerian cities yesterday after a key oil workers union ordered a three-day strike to demand better conditions and road repairs. The strike, which saw tanker drivers refuse to deliver petrol in Africa’s largest oil producer, led to panic buying in major cities, including the economic capital Lagos and the main northern city of Kano.

In the nation’s capital Abuja, many petrol stations closed while those that remained open saw long lines.

“Right now, tanker drivers are not lifting from the depots,” Tokunbo Korodo, a senior official of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which represents blue-collar workers. It was unclear whether filling stations that closed were out of fuel or if they were conserving in case the strike continues, which often occurs. NUPENG includes tanker drivers who transport fuel across Africa’s most populous nation of some 160 million people.

Korodo however said crude oil exports were not affected by the strike. Its members are not directly involved in that sector of the industry. He said the union launched the three-day strike on Monday to compel oil firms to stop the “exploitation of Nigerian workers under the guise of casual workers”.

The union alleges Nigerians working for

multi-national oil firms, including Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total and Agip, were employed on a part-time basis and paid poorly without proper benefits.

A spokesman for Shell, Nigeria’s largest producer, told AFP that the company does not discriminate between local and expatriate staff, but declined to provide further details on the dispute. A spokesman for the labor ministry declined to comment.

Korodo said “we also want government to repair all the bad roads in the country. Our members are dying daily because of the poor condition of the roads.” Nigeria’s infrastructure remains badly underdeveloped despite its oil wealth, including poor roads and a lack of steady electricity. The country imports much of its fuel due to a lack of refining capacity. Korodo said the union has begun fresh talks with government and oil companies to end the standoff. “If nothing positive comes out of the latest efforts, we may be compelled to extend the strike beyond Wednesday,” he warned. The majority of Nigerians live on less than $1 per day while corruption is rife, often triggering social tensions and unrest. Polytechnic teachers have been on strike for the past two months over pay in the country, while lecturers in state-run universities also began an indefinite strike on Monday. — AFP

KUWAIT: After recording relatively lower economic growth last year, an Indian economic official, who is currently visiting Kuwait, said the worst is over for the Indian economy.

Speaking to reporters at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City yesterday, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India, believed this year will show positive outcomes and the economy will turn around positively. He is in Kuwait to meet businessmen and financial and economic officials here.

“The five percent growth which we registered last year will definitely turn around. I don’t have an official estimate as yet but in my guess if we do around six percent, we’ll be doing okay. Some international agencies are estimating a 5.7 percent growth but I am optimistic we can hit the six percent,” he added.

Ahluwalia hopes to hit the seven to eight percent growth rate in the next two years. “The worse is over for the Indian economy and it will turn around and go back to where it should be - to more than eight percent,” he asserted. India was recording annual growths of 9 percent until two years ago, but in recent months, it has seen a sharp decline blamed on a slowdown in its manufacturing and services sectors. He explained that even before the economic crisis, India has steadily been recording a 6-7 percent growth rate. “In 2009-2010, our growth rate increased to 8.6 percent. In 2010-2011, it went up to 9.3 percent. In 2011-2012, it slowed down

again to 6.4 percent when the eurozone crisis broke out. This figure was still OK because as you all know, every country in the world has slowed down and we were affected too, and it went down to 5 percent last year,” he said. Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the current downturn was ‘temporary’ and he was confident the country’s economy would bounce back to an 8 percent growth rate.

Ahluwalia is in Kuwait to meet various high level officials here including the finance minister. He is also set to meet with businessmen at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry today. “Kuwait is a very important country to India. We have a long history of positive friendship. HH the Amir visit’s to India in 2006 was a milestone in terms of our bilateral ties,” he noted. He said the Gulf region has been a source of investments in various sectors in India.

“India and Kuwait can deepen our relationship further through this visit. Besides, we have a number of Indians here in Kuwait contributing to development here. Our perception is that we have to deepen our economic relations, particularly on the investment side.

Kuwait is a very important source of oil supply for us,” he asserted. “Kuwait Investment Authority is the oldest sovereign wealth fund, and we should interact with them to make them aware of what new investment opportunities are opening up in India,” he noted. “I have a meeting today with finance officials, and we are going to hold more meetings with Sheikh

News

in brief

Bahrain issues $397.9 m in development bonds DUBAI: Bahrain issued 150 million Bahraini dinars ($397.9 million) in three-year government development bonds, a central bank statement said yesterday. The expected interest rate on the bonds is 2.90 percent, said the central bank, which issued the bonds on behalf of the government. The issue was oversubscribed, receiving bids of 335 million dinars.

Bahrain’s state spending is expected to jump 11 percent this year, by more than originally planned, after parliament last month approved 174.2 million dinars in additional expenditure. The budget deficit is now officially projected at 833.2 million dinars in 2013, rising to 914.4 million in 2014. The country is also considering a US dollar-denominated international bond issue and completed investor meetings last month, but has so far not gone ahead with the sale amid volatility in global debt markets.

TRAVNIK: Bosnian man Ramo Rubanovic, 48, whistles to his flock of sheep in a pen in the remote mountainous area at Vlasic in central Bosnia, near the town of Travnik 140 kms west of Sarajevo. Zedina Rubanovic and her family are some of Europe’s last remaining nomads, a hardy group of families who roam from their winter habitat in the Bosnian lowlands to the mountains where they make cheese and shelter in austere cabins. — AP

Hungarian trade surplus dips; auto exports surge BUDAPEST: Export-dependent Hungary saw its trade surplus dip in April from March as exports fell and imports grew, even though the surplus went up 65 percent on a yearly basis, official data showed yesterday. Hungary’s surplus stood at 717.4 million euros ($934.4 million) compared to 784.0 million euros in March, the national statistics office KSH said. On a yearly basis however, the figures showed a major hike from a surplus of 433.9 million euros in April 2012, with exports up 11.7 percent and imports up 7.7 percent. The auto sector was the driving force behind the rise in exports, KSH said.

Audi, Mercedes, Opel and Suzuki all operate major manufacturing facilities in Hungary and in the first four months of 2013, car export sales rose by 16.0 percent in local currency terms compared to a year earlier. A trade surplus is a key factor of growth in an economy, whereas a trade deficit bears down on growth from other factors.

Nasser later today (Tuesday). It’s a two day visit and I think we will be meeting with more people. We want more investors from Kuwait,” Ahluwalia said.

He assured that India has undertaken more efforts to make it easier for foreign companies to invest there. “We already make the lives of investors easy regardless of nationality. We are trying to treat everyone as our own, although we treat Kuwait as the most favored nation when it comes to investment,” he mentioned.

Asked on India’s participation in current development projects in Kuwait, Ahluwalia noted they have been encouraging Indian companies to take part in projects here. “We are keen on participating in projects being undertaken here. Some of them (Indian companies) are already shortlisted, some are still bidding and some are already successful, but we also hope that more investors coming from Kuwait will also take part in the development going on back in India,” Ahluwalia noted. “We already have several Kuwaiti companies/entities in India - they are investing primarily in the construction business and factories. The big families (of businessmen in Kuwait) are also visible in India. The Alghanems are very well positioned in India,” he said. Kuwait’s investments in India are estimated at $2.5 billion. The value of trade between the two countries stood at $17.5 billion in 2012. Yesterday’s press conference was attended by Ambassador of India to Kuwait Satish C Mehta and Dr Arvind Mayaram from the Finance Ministry of India.

Merkel’s opponent ridicules jobless summit as cynical ploy Euro-zone unemployment above 12 percent BERLIN: Angela Merkel’s summit on youth unemployment in Europe is an attempt to paper over the economic consequences of the austerity policies she championed in the region, a leading member of Germany’s opposition Social Democrats (SPD) said yesterday. Andrea Nahles, General Secretary of the SPD and manager of the centre-left party’s campaign to unseat Merkel in a September election, said the chancellor had already held several “show summits” on a range of issues that yielded no results.

“I don’t think Merkel’s 49th summit will help,” said Nahles in an interview with Reuters. “She is now driving around Europe in an ambulance handing out band-aids for the injuries she has caused with her own policies.” With unemployment in the euro zone at a record high above 12 percent, Merkel will gather the leaders and labor ministers of more than 20 EU nations in Berlin from about 2 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Wednesday.

The stated aim is to agree efficient ways to spend the 6 billion euros ($7.82 billion) EU leaders have allocated to fight youth unemployment in 2014 and 2015, as part of a new “Youth Guarantee” to provide jobs, training and apprenticeships. For the first three years of the euro crisis, Merkel insisted that struggling members like Greece and Spain make deep spending cuts to reduce their deficits in exchange for aid. In recent months, as unemployment in southern Europe has soared, Merkel has adjusted her rhetoric, emphasizing the need for growth and jobs.

She points to her record on defending jobs in Germany, where unemployment is close to post-reunification lows at 6.8 percent, thanks partly to labor market reforms.

DITZINGEN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives an interview during a visit to the Triumpf machine manufacturing company in Ditzingen, southern Germany yesterday. — AFP Nahles, seen as a left-winger within the SPD, told Reuters the best way to reverse the rise in unemployment was “to change the German government” which she said had forced the EU to focus on public-sector savings as the way out of the debt crisis.

“We will only reverse the trend in countries with over 50 percent youth unemployment like Spain or Greece, or 40 percent in Italy, when we change overall economic policy in the European Union,” she added. “Frau Merkel has subjected the EU to a tough savings diktat. She is the chief savings kommissar and forgot there also has to be growth and demand,” said the SPD’s second-in-command. The 150-year-old SPD is gunning for a ruling coalition with the resurgent Greens.

But polls suggest its best hope of returning to government may be to revive the 20052009 ‘grand coalition’ under Merkel. Her finance minister in that government, Peer Steinbrueck, is now running against her but faces an uphill battle. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Gold gains for 3rd session Gold bar premiums steady in Hong Kong LONDON: Gold rose yesterday for a third straight session as investors interpreted the previous week’s plunge to three-year lows as overdone, while looking for further indications of an end to US monetary easing soon. Traders were forced to cover their short positions and buy back metal they had agreed to sell at a future date after gold logged its biggest threemonth loss since at least 1968, according to Reuters data. “It is a short-covering bounce after the losses seen last week, and people are now data-watching and want to see how this impacts on the FOMC policy,” Societe Generale metals analyst Robin Bhar said.

Spot gold rose to $1,267.20 an ounce earlier in the day and was up 0.4 percent at $1,257.40 by 1153 GMT, for a gain of about 5 percent over the past three sessions. US gold futures for August delivery rose 0.1 percent to $1,256.40 an ounce. Gold had lost 23 percent in the April-June period on speculation the US Federal Reserve’s ultra-loose monetary policy could end soon. This would support a rise in interest rates,

making gold less attractive. SocGen’s Bhar warned the current recovery was not likely to last for long and that prices still could ultimately fall to $1,000 an ounce. “The dollar is likely to strengthen further in the second half of the year as the economy improves ... the tide may turn but not much more than temporarily.” Mixed US economic data on Monday added to uncertainty over the exact timing of the Fed’s tapering, helping gold’s rebound. Investors, wary of taking fresh positions before a US holiday tomorrow, are now focusing on Friday’s US payrolls report, and a strong reading would lift both Treasury yields and the dollar, in turn weighing gold down. A European Central Bank policy meeting on Thursday is likely to emphasise that the euro zone economy is in a much different stage of recovery than the United States, analysts said.

ETF HOLDINGS HIT 4-1/2 YEAR LOWS SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold

exchange-traded fund, reported an outflow of 1.2 tonnes to 968.30 tons on Monday, its lowest level since February 2009. Its holdings have dropped 382.5 tons since the start of the year. Physical demand has not come to the rescue of gold as it did in April, when prices fell the most in 30 years, but Shanghai futures were trading at more than $30 premiums to spot prices, indicating some renewed interest.

“There has been some good physical demand with premiums in Asia remaining elevated ... (showing) that buyers believe that gold has probably done enough on the downside for now,” Marex Spectron said. In Hong Kong, however, gold bar premiums remained at the same levels as last week, indicating demand had not picked up strongly. Silver was down 0.1 percent to $19.53 an ounce. It reached a near three-year low at $18.19 on Friday. Platinum and palladium were unchanged at $1,373.99 an ounce and $684.72 an ounce respectively.— Reuters

ATHENS: Greek teachers gather outside the ministry of administrative reforms, protected by strong police forces as they protest against layoffs and relocations yesterday. —AFP

Diverging growth outlook drives shares, dollar firm LONDON: Diverging fortunes in the global economy knocked emerging markets from a two-week high yesterday and sapped recent gains in European shares, while Japan’s Nikkei index hit its highest level in five weeks on the yen’s weakness. US shares were expected to take support from a report on US factory orders due at 1400 GMT and seen rising by 2 percent. Overall world equities were little changed with most investors content to wait for US jobs data later in the week to review bets on when the Federal Reserve may begin trimming the bond buying that has been underpinning markets.

“It’s really all about the data later this week, especially the US employment report, where the market be looking for further clues on Fed tapering,” said Michael Hewson, senior market analyst at CMC Markets. Surveys on factory activity in June, showing the United States, Japan and the UK on track for modest growth while the euro zone stagnates and China slows, prompted some adjustments.

The slowdown in China and other developing countries sent MSCI’s benchmark emerging equity index down 0.5 percent although Chinese shares rose for the third day.

In Europe, the broad FTSE Eurofirst 300 index fell 0.6 percent by midday after a strong start to the new quarter on Monday. The index remains some 8 percent off its 2013 peak, which marked a five-year high. But while data showed a drop in new car sales in Germany, Europe’s largest auto market, a more stable outlook overall is expected to encourage the European Central Bank to leave its rates unchanged at a policy meeting on Thursday.

ASIA RISES Earlier Asian markets were lifted by strong gains in Japan and a rise in Australian shares after its central bank left interest rates at a record low and suggested there was room for further easing. Japan’s Nikkei index closed 1.8 percent higher to finish above 14,000 for the first time in five weeks as blue-chip exporters gained on the Bank of Japan’s robust Tankan business report and the yen’s slide against the US dollar. The dollar has risen to a four-week high against its Japanese counterpart at 99.91 yen, though it stayed below the key 100 yen level with many investors wary of taking fresh positions ahead of the jobs data and a US holiday tomorrow. The euro was steady at $1.3052, off last week’s trough of $1.29845, its lowest since early June.

DEBT MIXED In fixed markets, Spanish and Italian debt yields extended recent falls, but bailout worries drove up Portuguese and Greek yields.

Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar, architect of Portugal’s bailout response, resigned on Monday, while Greek debt yields surged after Reuters reported Athens has only three days to convince lenders it should get its next tranche of aid. With Greece due to repay 2.2 billion euros of bonds in August, yields on 10year Greek bonds were up 20 basis points to 11.24 percent. Among commodities, Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel, extending gains to a second day due to concerns about supply disruptions in the Middle East and Africa. Gold gained for a third straight session to $1,267.20 an ounce, recovering from last week’s three-year lows. — Reuters

HONG KONG: A young school boy walks to his family home in a Kowloon government housing estate in Hong Kong yesterday. New government data on May 23 underlined the housing crisis in Hong Kong where it estimated more than 170,000 people live in subdivided doubling official figures from 2012. — AFP

White House has the coal country on the defensive COLSTRIP: After several years of taking a beating from the poor economy, new pollution rules and a flood of cheap natural gas, the coal industry was on the rebound this year as mining projects moved forward in the Western US and demand for the fuel began to rise, especially in Asia. But almost overnight, coal is back on the defensive, scrambling to stave off a dark future amid President Barack Obama’s renewed push to rein in climate change.

The proposal, with its emphasis on cuts in carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants, would put facilities like the 2,100 megawatt Colstrip electricity plant in eastern Montana in regulators’ cross hairs. That has profound spin-off implications for the massive strip mines that dot the surrounding arid landscape of the Powder River Basin and provide the bulk of the nation’s coal. Montana’s sole member of the US House of Representatives bluntly declared that the administration had decided to “pick winners and losers” in the energy sector with its plan.

“He wants to move toward shutting down the coal industry,” Republican Rep Steve Daines said of the president. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency rejected claims that the administration’s plan would exclude coal. They pointed to billions of dollars being spent by the government on technologies to decrease emissions by capturing and storing carbon dioxide from coal plants. Yet widespread application of those technologies is years away, and Obama made clear in announcing his proposal that he intends to halt the “limitless dumping of carbon pollution” from power plants.

He directed the Environmental Protection Agency to craft rules to make that happen.

The Colstrip plant, which dominates the skyline of a 2,200-person coal-centered town by the same name, burns about 10 million tons of coal a year from a nearby mine and provides power to customers as far away as Seattle. It also churns out an estimated 17 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. That’s roughly equivalent to the emissions from 3 million cars running for a year.

On Monday, as Colstrip’s 700-foot-tall smokestacks poured out a constant plume of carbon dioxide, smoke and steam into otherwise blue skies, pipefitter Joe Ashworth, 60, was nearby packing up his RV. He spent the past two months working on a maintenance project at the plant. The traveling union worker said people in the coal industry were nervous that efforts to curb emissions could cost jobs and drive up electricity prices. “Go green sure. But do you have an electrical vehicle that will pull my trailer so I can make a living?” he asked.

Despite a frequently heard boast that the state has more coal than anywhere else in the US, antipathy toward the administration’s plan is not universal in Montana. One of Daines’ predecessors, former Rep Pat Williams, said last week that warming temperatures pointed to a “doomsday” scenario if carbon emissions were not addressed.

Others maintain that the worries over lost jobs in the coal industry are overstated. On Tuesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council plans to release a report detailing new jobs that would be created because of all the work needed to retrofit plants such as Colstrip and other measures taken to reach the administration’s goal. —AP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Africa, where US presidents polish their legacies DAR ES SALAAM: Africa is a home from home for American presidents, as they repair or polish political legacies, drawn by a continent’s palpable needs and explosive economic potential. The idea that leaders leave behind works that endure was a constant theme of President Barack Obama’s Africa tour, which ended in Tanzania yesterday, and was shadowed at every step by the plight of Nelson Mandela. Obama puts the antiapartheid icon on a pedestal alongside Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington and Martin Luther King, proclaiming the political legacy his hero can no longer voice as he lies in hospital.

“Mandela’s spirit could never be imprisoned-for his legacy is here for all to see,” Obama told a diverse audience of young people, “black, white, Indian, everything in between” in Cape Town. “Nelson Mandela showed us that one man’s courage can move the world,” Obama said, using the moral fight against apartheid to inspire a rising generation to fix their own corrupt political cultures. After standing in a quarry where Mandela broke rock watched by racist guards, and in the tiny Robben Island cell where he dreamt of emancipation, Obama

also seemed to draw strength for his own political project.

The idea that one person can change the world with bottom-up activism is deep in Obama’s political soul and helped sweep him to the presidency in 2008. Yet Obama’s contention that “we are the change we seek” often slams headlong into entrenched interests and political division in Washington, and the indifference of great power politics on the world stage. American presidents have long seen Africa as a place to burnish a questionable legacy, or to sate their political yearnings once they leave office.

Jimmy Carter has worked for democracy and public health on the continent in a postpresidency that is more successful than his four White House years. Bill Clinton is remembered for the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a cornerstone of US investment and engagement. In retirement, Clinton brokered deals between US drugs giants and developing states that widened access to life saving treatments. George W Bush, pilloried for anti-terror and economic policies elsewhere, is remembered as a humanitarian in Africa for an HIV/AIDS and malaria program that saved millions.

Obama praised the scheme as Bush’s “crowning achievement” then came face to face with his predecessor in Tanzania, in

Africa to work with his policy institute.

Questions of whether his Africa legacy will pale against that of Bush, seemed to irritate

DAR ES SALAAM: People watch US President’s motorcade drive to Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar Es Salaam yesterday. — AFP

Obama during his tour and South African President Jacob Zuma rode to his rescue at one point. “I always avoid to talk about legacies of people who are still there, generally,” Zuma quipped, drawing a grin from Obama.But talk of legacies always gathers around second term US presidents who often look abroad as their power ebbs at home. “Let me just say that I’m going to be President for another three-and-a-half years,” Obama reminded people in Soweto.”One of the things that you learn as President is not only do people want you to fulfill your promises, but they want you to fulfill your promises yesterday.” That expectation in Africa is a particular burden for Obama, as the son of a Kenyan and as America’s first black US president. A crush of international crises, and an austerity crunch in Washington, has meant there has neither been the time, nor the financial resources available to Bush and Clinton, for Obama to lavish on Africa.

He did unveil a $7 billion dollar bid to leverage private investment to spread electric power in Africa, a new trade initiative, fresh health programs, a $10 million effort to protect Africa’s wildlife and food security efforts.—AFP

Can Obama’s Africa Power plan hold candle to China?

US $7 billion initiative follows big Chinese projects

ATYRAU: A general view shows the Bolashak oil plant on the Kashagan offshore oil field near Atyrau in Kazakhstan, following a presentation for British Prime Minister David Cameron and Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

David Cameron arrived in Kazakhstan on June 30 on the first ever trip by a serving British prime minister, hoping to boost trade ties but also promising to raise human rights concerns. Cameron is leading a large business delegation to the mineral-rich Central Asian nation and hopes to sign trade deals worth more than £700 million ($1.06 billion, 820 million euros).— AFP

Oil rises on Middle East supply worries LONDON: Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel yesterday, up for a second day on concerns over supply disruption from Libya and worries that political turmoil in Egypt could hit oil flows from the region. Brent crude futures for August delivery were up 50 cents at $103.50 a barrel by 1336 GMT after rising 0.8 percent the previous day. US crude futures for August were 48 cents higher at $98.47 per barrel after rising more than 1 percent on Monday.

Oil output in Libya has fallen by a third after protesters shut several oilfields and anti-government demonstrations in Egypt have raised concerns about the stability of the whole region. Prices were also supported by data on Monday from the Institute for Supply Management that showed US manufacturing activity grew in June. “It’s a mixture of supply worries and general market sentiment with yesterday’s ISM index in the US better than expected,” said Carsten Fritsch, oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

He added that investors were taking the opportunity to buy oil at relatively low prices after three consecutive quarters of falls, the longest such period since 19971998. Analysts also pointed to the increase in refining capacity due to come on stream

as bullish for oil. “Over 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of global refinery capacity will return by late July on top of the 2.5 million bpd that has returned over the past four weeks, providing ample opportunity for runs to rise,” Morgan Stanley said in a note.

SPREAD NARROWS Brent’s premium to US crude narrowed to its lowest since January 2011 at $4.54 a barrel, as severe flooding disrupted Canadian oil supply to the United States.

Canada resumed operation on Monday at a part of a major pipeline in Alberta as weather improved. Some analysts said the spread was too narrow and could widen to cover costs to transport oil from Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for WTI, to other parts of the United States. Brent’s premium to WTI could also increase due to tighter supply in the North Sea grades from which the Brent price is calculated, JBC Energy said in a note to clients. “The current weakness in the Brent market could turn if the expected North Sea maintenance through September materializes to squeeze supply of the four grades which make up the marker, while continued arbitrage interest from South Korea may further tighten availability.”— Reuters

Al Mulla Exchange announces winners KUWAIT: Al Mulla International Exchange, the leading exchange company in Kuwait, announced names of the daily and weekly winners for their promotion on remittances to Egypt and Bangladesh. The two-month long promotion began in the first week of May and concluded in the last week of June. Under the Egyptian promotion there was a daily draw and winners of the daily Egyptian promotion received a high-end Samsung S3 Mini mobile phone and one Samsung LED TV as a bumper prize worth KD400 at the end of the promotion.

Under the Bangladesh Promotion there was a weekly draw where the seven lucky winners of the Bangladesh promotion each received cash prizes ranging from KD400 for the first prize, KD200 for the second prize, KD150 for the third prize, KD100 for the fourth prize, and KD50 each for the fifth, sixth and seventh prizes. The promotion proved to be highly popular amongst customers remitting to Egypt and Bangladesh. We have seen several happy customers walking away with valuable prizes every day. The attractive promotion gives customers yet another reason to remit their money through Al Mulla Exchange.

In addition to the promotion prizes,

remittances made through Al Mulla Exchange enjoy free insurance and loyalty points on every transaction, as well as SMS confirmation on delivery of remittances.

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 at www.amxremit.com Among the winners of the Egyptian promotion were, Sabri Farghali Abdul Haleem, Salem Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed, Mohammad Abdulatef Ahmad, Ahmad Aezt Ahmad Ali and Ashraf Hessan Rezk Moustafa, who each won a high-end Samsung S3 Mini mobile phone, while the winner of the bumper prize of Samsung LED TV worth KD 400 was Ashraf Nabieh.

Meanwhile, some of the lucky winners of the Bangladesh promotion were, Mohamed Khalil who won a first prize of KD 400, Shah Jalal who won a second prize of KD 200, Mohamed Babul who won a third prize of KD 150 and Mohammed S Ali who won a fourth prize of KD 100. Among the list of fifth, sixth and seventh prize winners, who each walked away with KD 50, were Kajal Baidy, Anwar Hossain and Sirajul Islam respectively.

JOHANNESBURG: US President Barack Obama’s $7 billion plan to shine “light where currently there’s darkness” in Africa by doubling access to power on the world’s poorest continent was billed as a highlight of his African tour. He announced the Power Africa initiative in Cape Town on Sunday in a speech which he also urged the fastgrowing but still troubled region to follow the shining example of South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

But Obama’s proposal, which aims to partner US government financing with private sector investment, may look low-wattage compared with China’s already ongoing big electricity projects on the world’s least-developed - and least lit - continent. Beijing has been lighting the way in Africa with billions of dollars of promised power investment and projects. As with other infrastructure development opportunities in Africa, Washington seems to be arriving late to the party.

Visiting Africa in March, China’s President Xi Jinping renewed an offer of $20 billion in loans to “help African countries turn resource endowment into development strength”. A major chunk of this Chinese money is aimed at connecting up African economies with electricity, from Zambia to Ethiopia. “The major thrust of the Chinese infrastructure spend in Africa has been in the power sector. It is tens of billions of dollars,” said Martyn Davies, the chief executive of Frontier Advisory, a strategy and investment advisory company.

The Asian giant has a huge appetite for African resources from copper to oil and they cannot be extracted without power. China’s Sichuan Hongda Co Ltd signed a $3 billion deal with Tanzania in 2011 to mine coal and iron ore and build a 600megawatt (MW ) coal-fired power plant in the country’s south. The centrepiece among an array of Chinese power projects in Ethiopia is the $4.1 billion Grand Renaissance Dam. NOT JUST A MINE, BUT A MARKET Satellite imagery of “Africa at Night” shows a mostly dark continent, the main exceptions being the region’s dominant economy South Africa, the more developed North African Mediterranean coast, and scattered pinpricks of light in the oilproducing Gulf of Guinea, which includes Nigeria.

More than a century after the invention of the light bulb, the World Bank says only one in four people have access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the region will require more than $300 billion in investment to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

In numbers of projects and investment pledges, China seems well ahead of America at the moment in the race to add more bright spots to Africa’s nocturnal gloom. Some Chinese projects, for example a hyro-power project in Ghana that started producing 130 MW a month ago, have already come on line. Power plants cannot be built overnight and it may take years for similar US initiatives in Africa to be up and running. This may put America at a disadvantage to China in

the scramble for African resources.

But Obama clearly hinted American investment may be better for Africa than Chinese investment in creating industries and jobs on the continent - not just sucking our resources - with more of a focus on a potential consumers’ market.

“Our primary interest when it comes to working with Africa on energy issues has to do with how

view Beijing’s trade and investment surge as a threat to US interests - “the more the merrier” was his take on foreign economic involvement in Africa - Obama could not resist a veiled mild jibe at the way Chinese companies conduct their businesses there. “If somebody says they want to come build something here, are they hiring African workers? If somebody says that they want

DAR ES SALAAM: US President Barack Obama speaks on African power and energy after a ‘Soccket’ ball demonstration at the Ubungo Plaza Symbion Power Plant in Dar Es Salaam yesterday. The soccer ball harnesses the kinetic energy generated during play to provide a source of renewable, off-grid power.— AFP do we power Africa so that it can be an effective market creating jobs and opportunity,” Obama told a news conference in South Africa on Saturday.

“We also then have somebody to trade with and sell iPods to, and airplanes, and all kinds of good stuff,” he added. “Obama seemed to be taking more of a Brazilian approach to Africa. A lot of Brazilian policy is looking at what Brazil can sell to the African market,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa Program at UK-based Chatham House.

Stressing rising oil, natural gas and clean energy production in the United States, Obama told his South African audience: “Frankly, we don’t need energy from Africa”.

Oil exports from Africa’s top producer Nigeria to the United States have fallen from over a million barrels per day (bpd) in 2010 to 383,000 now, the U.S. Energy Information Agency says. Angola’s U.S. exports in the same period dropped to 172,000 bpd from 393,000 as the domestic U.S. shale gas boom has taken off.

THE MORE THE MERRIER While he made a point of saying he did not

to help you develop your natural resources, how much of the money is staying in Africa?” Obama said. This echoed complaints from some government and business circles in Africa that Chinese companies often bring in their own workforces to develop resource-related infrastructure projects, creating few new jobs, let alone value-adding processing or manufacturing industries. The US initiative, called Power Africa, will see Washington commit more than $7 billion over the next five years with the stated goal to “double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa,” according to the White House. This includes up to $5 billion being made available by the US Export-Import Bank.

Over $9 billion in US private sector investments have also been committed to support development of more than 8,000 MW. But not everyone was happy. Outspoken American real estate mogul Donald Trump called Obama’s Power Africa plan “crazy”. “Every penny of the $7 billion going to Africa as per Obama will be stolen - corruption is rampant! ... We should be concerned about the American worker & invest here,” Trump tweeted on his @realDonaldTrump Twitter Account— Reuters

Tribune to buy Local TV and its 19 TV stations Tribune bulks up in broadcasting in $2.73 billion deal LOS ANGELES: Tribune Co has announced a deal to buy Local TV and its 19 TV stations for $2.73 billion.

The acquisition makes the media conglomerate the nation’s No 1 local T V broadcaster and broadens its reach to nearly half the country, or more than 50 million households. The deal is the latest in a wave of consolidation sweeping the industry as TV station owners gird for battle in contentious fee negotiations with cable and satellite TV companies -fights that have caused dozens of blackouts in cities across the nation in recent years.

With a combined 42 TV stations including 14 in the top 20 markets Tribune will have greater leverage in fee disputes with cable and satellite distributors. The increased leverage is one reason Tribune’s deal follows on a string of big purchases. Last month, Gannett Co announced a $1.5 billion purchase of Belo Corp. and its 20 TV stations. Sinclair Broadcasting Group

Inc. has also been on a buying spree.

This year alone, the company has agreed to acquire or is in the midst of closing the acquisition of 46 TV stations from various groups for nearly $1 billion.

Media General Inc. and New Young Broadcasting Holding Co. also announced plans last month to combine into a company that will operate 30 TV stations in 27 markets including San Francisco, Nashville, Tenn., and Richmond, Va. That came after Media General sold all its newspapers last year to focus on broadcasting.

Tribune Co President and CEO Peter Liguori told analysts on a conference call that in addition to greater bargaining clout, more stations will help the company maximize its national and local advertising sales and give it more outlets to distribute its video and digital content.

“Our investment thesis is simple.

Scale matters,” Liguori said. The deal comes six months after Tribune

emerged from a four-year excursion through bankruptcy court. It filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in late 2008 following a buyout orchestrated by Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell a year earlier. The deal left Tribune burdened with debt.

Liguori called the acquisition “transformational.” It also clarified the company’s focus on its TV assets, not the newspaper industry, which is struggling with a near-decade long plunge in advertising revenue.

Tribune currently owns 23 TV stations and the pay TV network WGN America, along with the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. Many observers expect the company to sell the newspapers, but Liguori said management continues to focus on running them efficiently. “We’ll operate our newspapers at the highest level possible,” he said. “(Mergers and acquisitions) is our night job. We know what our day job is.” The economics of TV stations

improved since the advertising downturn that lasted through the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009.

Advertising has rebounded, and has historically improved in tandem with economic growth. TV stations have also become a magnet for increasing political ad budgets in election years.

The broadcast TV recovery is also made possible by the increasing fees that cable and satellite distributors pay to broadcasters in order to make their stations available on pay TV services. Research firm SNL Kagan expects these fees will more than double from about $2.4 billion last year to $6 billion by 2018. And the increasing use of the Internet to show TV programming on computers and mobile devices has boosted broadcasters’ ability to raise new revenue from ads. “The business is the best it’s been in a long time,” said Edward Atorino, a media company analyst with The Benchmark Co. “I call it a renaissance.”—AP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons launches range of AC systems

KUWAIT: Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons Co recently launched their latest range of Panasonic Air conditioners and home appliances new products at the Court Yard Marriot hotel in presence of their guests, customers and the press and media people. Panasonic, the leading air conditioner manufacturer in the region, has unveiled the new range of world’s only tropical inverter room air conditioners , it sees as ideal for tackling the region’s alarming rate of electricity consumption.

Panasonic ’s latest line -up of tropical inverter air conditioners are now available with new and advanced features that are not only designed to provide cooling comfort to homes, but are more energy efficient and with increased air purification capabilities. The existing range of Tropical Inverters Air conditioners have been upgraded with the new Econavi S ensors which can sense human absence, human activity, sunlight conditions, With this new product, cooling is possible even when the outside temperature is 55c.

The Deluxe Non-Inverter models also come with the new nanoe-G air purifying system that utilize ions

and radicals to purify the air in the room. The new collection of Home Appliances from Panasonic is a response to a desire for enigmatic and intelligent designs that are perfect to suit today’s modern requirements. They have been designed using high quality materials and its iconic design features are a treat to the eye! Panasonic’s contemporary range of small domestic kitchen appliances with bold and ambitious design aesthetics. They are designed to suit different kitchen styles without compromising on the functionality.

The new range encompasses of the stylish Super premium and premium series of new Panasonic Kettles NC-ZK1 / NC-DK1, the popup toasters NC-ZP1 / NC-DP1 and the coffee makers NC-ZF1 / NC-DF1.

The products are packed with a sensible no -frills approach to design details, such as embedded blue LED indicators in Super premium series and are extremely user friendly. They are designed to confidently challenge convention, setting a new benchmark for idiosyncratic interior styling.

Panasonic ’s new 27 liter, NNCD671M and NN- C T651M

microwaves both feature One Touch Cooking and abundant auto cook menus. The NN-CD671M also features a dial control for easier operation. Panasonic ’s new microwaves also include the company ’s proprietar y I nver ter Technology(tm), which provides constant energy flow that variably adjusts the power intensity so food is cooked evenly.

Panasonic’s new W900 series of irons, with their double -headed

soleplate are designed to reduce ironing time considerably. The new models have a unique curved and double-headed soleplate design that glides effortlessly and smoothly in all directions. Also, 116 steam holes around the entire edge of the soleplate ensure that maximum steam is generated over a wider area for easy and effortless ironing.

The soleplate of the Panasonic JW950 is made from Alumite, and has also been patented by

Panasonic. Alumite (anodized aluminum), is also used in the construction of automobile engines, helping to prevent the wear and tear of parts; the iron’s design has been borrowed from this principle in making the plate scratch-proof.

The Panasonic New G arment Steamers NI-FS900 and NI-FS600 uses an innovative water pump in the base which moves water directly to the head where it is heated, producing higher temperature

steam for a maximum performance.

The iron head is heated to a high 200∞F temperature, mak ing it extremely effective in removing wrinkles on natural fabrics. The 2in-1 Garment Steamer is equipped with a steam level adjustment so that even delicate fabrics can be given a gentle steam. Plus a quick start function produces heat in 60 seconds, so a user can rapidly steam their clothes without worrying about running late.

Nissan shareholders re-elect Ghosn, all board members

Faten Abu-Ghazaleh

Service Hero announces Sampling Phase for the Service Hero Awards KUWAIT: Service Hero, Kuwait’s first and only annual customer satisfaction index, yesterday announced the launch of its sampling phase to assess which companies are the service heroes of Kuwait in 2013. The sampling phase begins with immediate effect and lasts till December 31st 2013. Established in 2010 to allow consumers to evaluate the level and quality of the services they acquire on regular basis, Service Hero has spared no effort in helping companies improve their understanding of customers’ requirements, needs and expectations.

Since the first Service Hero Index was published in 2011, there has been a meaningful 2% increase in the public’s general satisfaction levels across 450 reviewed companies. Consumers can take part of the evaluation process by just visiting Ser vice Hero’s website www.servicehero.com and following the instructions to complete the assessment.

Faten Abu-Ghazaleh, Service Hero President, said: “Service Hero is unique in that it offers the only independent, neutral and scientific measure of customer service and quality across Kuwait. This means that consumers can be sure that their views and comments will be recorded, and companies benefit through direct comparison with their peers.

Consumers can play a judging role when they review the places they visit and the services they use, which they can do within a few minutes simply by filling up our user-friendly assessment either online or directly on their smart phones” “By participating in our yearly assessments, customers can make their voices heard and their opinions and feedback can be objectively fed back to participating companies. In addition to expressing what they like and dislike about company services, they also have an opportunity to suggest ideas to improve things that, at the end of the day, directly help participating companies to develop.”

On request, Service Hero provides companies with a detailed feedback report on aspects of their services. Many companies have now started treating these reports as a key part of their quality development process. Thanks to this feedback, companies are in an excellent

Carlos Ghosn

DUBAI: Nissan Motor Co Ltd shareholders recently issued near-unanimous support for the company’s CEO and board of directors when they overwhelmingly voted to re-elect them for another twoyear term and passed all management proposals. The 114th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, which was held at the National Convention Hall of Yokohama, lasted just under two hours.

A total of 1,379 shareholders attended the meeting. Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn and COO Toshiyuki Shiga reviewed the company’s performance during the past fiscal year and the outlook for the year ahead for shareholders.

Nissan’s fiscal year 2012 ended on March 31, 2013.

Three items were proposed to the shareholders for approval including the appropriation of retained earnings for the 114th fiscal year, the election of nine (9) directors due to expiration of terms of

all directors, and the granting of share appreciation rights (SAR) to the directors.

All items were approved by the shareholders as presented. Ghosn offered shareholders a picture of the year ahead.

He said that the global automotive industry should sell 81 million vehicles during Nissan’s fiscal year (April 2013 to March 2014), an increase of three percent over the last fiscal year.

Additionally, he reiterated the company’s goal of selling a record 5.3 million new vehicles during the year-a 7.8% year-on-year increase that would bring Nissan’s global market share to 6.5 percent. Ghosn also told shareholders that Nissan’s financial performance forecast reflects the company’s growth expectations for this fiscal year. The company anticipates a net income of JPY 420 billion (USD 4.42 billion) for the year ahead, and consequently suggested a dividend for fiscal year 2013 of JPY 30 per share.

Somali Central Bank ‘slush fund’ for private payments Patronage system blamed for blocking state building position to better understand their market and act more effectively and confidently to address service issues and make improvements.

The inspiration of Service Hero is based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) which began in 1996, when the method of obtaining customer insights first started via telephone questioning; Service Hero is an independent online platform that obtains customer insights via a specially built website (www.servicehero.com).

This allows customers to freely rate and assess the company at a time that best suits them to share their comments and opinions. The Index is divided into 17 industry categories. These are: cafes, casual dining, fine dining, fast food, retail clothes, home furniture, regional airlines, retail and Islamic banks, hospitals, electronics stores, internet services providers, mobile operators, cars agents, car service centers, supermarkets and health clubs.

Each industry category is measured across up to eight service dimensions, which are reliability, speed, product quality, staff quality, value for money, location, call center and website quality.

These dimensions are assessed on a ‘before and after experience’ basis to evaluate the difference between customer expectations of service and actual satisfaction with the service. This method will allow participating companies to learn about any shortcomings and where they fall below expectations. The index also measures loyalty of customers towards their service providers.

UNITED NATIONS: Money at the Central Bank of Somalia is not used to run government institutions in the war-torn Horn of Africa country, with an average 80 percent of withdrawals made for private purposes, according to a UN report seen by Reuters on Monday. The confidential report by the UN Group of Exper ts to the Security Council’s Somalia and Eritrea sanctions committee blamed a patronage system dubbed the “khaki envelope” practice after the color of the stationery carried to the Ministry of Finance - for preventing the creation of state institutions.

“In this context, the fiduciary agency managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers was reduced to a transfer agent that could not ensure accountability of funds once they reached the Somali government,” the report said. “Indeed of $16.9 million transferred by PWC to the Central Bank, $12 million could not be traced,” it said. “Key to these irregularities has been the current governor of the Central Bank, Abdusalam Omer.”

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Omer and the Somalia UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Omer, 59, is a dual Somali-US national who left Somalia at age 16 and returned in January to become governor of the Central Bank in a country with a shattered economy and broken financial system. The overthrow of a dictator in 1991 plunged Somalia into two decades of violent turmoil, first at the hands of clan warlords and then Islamist militants, who have steadily lost ground since 2011 under pressure from an African Union military offensive.

Somalia was virtually lawless and unable

to assert authority until a Western-leaning government was elected last year. The UN report said all bank decisions were made

by Omer because there were no board members in place and the bank does not operate as a government body subject to policy decisions or oversight from integrity institutions and parliament.

“On average, some 80 percent of withdrawals from the Central Bank are made for private purposes and not for the running of government, representing a patronage system and a set of social relations that defy institutionalization of the state,” it said. The exper ts said Somali Finance Minister Mohamud Hassan Suleiman had tried to reduce the scale of the patronage system, but “it is so pervasive as to be beyond his control without a fundamental restructuring of the system.”

CENTRAL BANK A ‘SLUSH FUND’ Under the patronage system, a person can ask Somali leaders for a private payment “that cannot be resisted for personal or other reasons,” the UN report said. A senior politician signs a note authorizing the payment, which is honored either directly at the Ministry of Finance or the Central Bank, the report said. “This custom is also called the ‘khaki envelope’ procedure on account of the color of the envelopes seen carried to the Ministry of Finance,” it said.

“Since banks in Somalia, including the Central Bank, cannot make electronic transfers internally or externally, all transactions are made in cash.”

The repor t found that between September, when the new government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came

to power, and April, almost three-quarters of withdrawals from the Central Bank were made for private individuals. “Such statistics indicate that the CBS has effectively functioned as a ‘slush fund’ for the (patronage) system rather than as a financing mechanism for government expenditures,” the UN experts said. The report noted that Mohamud’s government “cannot necessarily be faulted for the continuing patterns of corruption per se, but it can be held responsible for the appointment of individuals involved in past or present corruption.”

According to Central Bank accounts, a cashier at the Ministry of Finance, Ahir Axmed Jumcaale, was responsible for withdrawing the greatest amount of funds. The report said that between 2010 and 2013 Jumcaale withdrew $20.5 million in his name, which was then used for individual payments under the patronage system by successive finance ministers or finance officials. An individual named Colonel Abdiqaadir Moalin Nuur took out $4.7 million between 2010 and 2013, the second largest amount of money, according to the report, which said there was no explanation for his withdrawals.

The International Monetary Fund officially recognized the Somali government in April, ending a 22-year hiatus, and last week offered technical suppor t and advice, a first step in efforts to secure debt relief for the country. Also last month, the Central Bank of Somalia published its first annual report since civil war erupted in 1991, putting the total debt at $3.2 billion.

To win debt relief offered to poor nations, it has to draw up a financial management plan.—Reuters

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

technology

GM, Honda partner on fuel cell vehicle development

SEONGNAM: This picture taken on June 11, 2013 shows a South Korean child displaying a smartphone after a special class on smartphone addiction at an elementary school. South Korea, after boasting for years advanced technology from high-speed Internet to Samsung smartphones, is now taking pains to try to pull its tech-crazed youth away from digital addiction. — AFP

No class-action status in Google book case NEW YORK: Google Inc. got a friendly ruling Monday from a federal appeals panel that stripped a group representing authors of class-action status as the search engine defends itself against claims that its plan to create the world’s largest digital library will violate copyrights.

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said it was too early for authors to be considered as a group in a lawsuit brought against the Mountain View, Calif.-based company by the Authors Guild.

A three-judge panel of the Manhattan court said a judge presiding over the 8-year-old case must consider fair use issues before deciding whether to consider authors as a class.

A judge last year granted class-action status to the Authors Guild, which is seeking $750 in damages for each copyrighted book Google copied. Google has said such a payout would cost the company more than $3 billion. The appeals court said Google’s argument that the Authors Guild and other plaintiffs cannot fairly represent the interests of hundreds of thousands of authors because some of the authors will benefit from Google’s digital library “may carry some force.”

It also said a consideration first by a trial-level judge of Google’s claims that it can fairly use snippets of longer works without violating copyrights “will necessarily inform and perhaps moot our analysis of many class certification issues.”

The court also said neither side will be harmed by a delay in deciding whether the Authors Guild can represent all writers. So far, Google has copied more than 20 million books. The appeals panel that heard arguments earlier this year seemed reluctant to get in the way of the plans. One judge said it would be a “huge advantage” for many authors while another said it would have “enormous societal benefit.”

A lawyer for the Authors Guild told the judges earlier this year that there was only a “very remote” possibility that the lawsuit would derail Google’s library. He said the aim of the lawsuit was to make sure authors are properly compensated.

The appeals panel noted in its ruling Monday that any further appeal in the case should be assigned to the same appeals judges. Lawyers on both sides did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.—AP

CHICAGO: General Motors and Honda will combine forces to develop hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the hopes of delivering them to customers by around 2020, the US and Japanese automakers said yesterday. The partnership is aimed at solving the two biggest problems facing the commercial feasibility of fuel cells: high cost and lack of fueling stations.

“Honda and GM are eager to accelerate the market penetration of this ultimate clean mobility technology,” Honda chief Takanobu Ito said in a statement. “I am excited to form this collaboration to fuse our leading fuel cell technologies and create an advanced system that will be both more capable and more affordable.”

Engineers from both companies will work together to develop the next generation of fuel cell technology, sharing all their previous research and future discoveries at joint research facilities in Michigan and Japan.

While the master agreement does not cover manufacturing, it will likely lead the automakers to use essentially the same engine and storage tanks in their fuel cell vehicles. One of the goals is to reduce costs by working with suppliers to develop standardized-and less expensive-components. The automakers will also work with governments and fuel station operators to develop the necessary infrastructure to support the vehicles.

“This collaboration builds upon Honda and GM’s strengths as leaders in hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said GM chief Dan Akerson. “We are convinced this is the best way to develop this important technology, which has the potential to help reduce the dependence on petroleum and establish sustainable mobility.”

Fuel cell vehicles are considered the holy grail of green cars because they emit nothing but water vapor from the tailpipe and can operate on renewable hydrogen gas made from non-polluting sources like wind and biomass. The current technology allows the vehicles to drive up to 400 miles (640 kilometers) on a single tank

WASHINGTON: A Chevrolet hydrogen-powered Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle rolls out for a test drive in this April 21, 2009 file photo in Washington, DC. — AFP

and to be refueled in just a few minutes-an advantage over slow-charging electric vehicles. The propulsion technology also has sufficient horsepower to be used on large vehicles. GM, which has been working on the technology since the 1960s, has logged nearly three million miles on a fleet of 119 hydrogen-powered vehicles launched in 2007. Honda leased its first fuel cell vehicle in 2002 and has deployed 85 so far in the US and Japan. It plans to make hundreds of the FCX Clarity available to customers in Japan and the United States in 2015. — AFP

One in five phishing attacks target banks, other financial organizations DUBAI: Ever y fifth phishing attack registered between May 2012 and late April 2013 targeted users of banks and other financial organizations. That figure emerged from research into the evolution of phishing threats carried out by Kaspersky Lab specialists using data from the cloud-based Kaspersky Security Network.

According to Kaspersky Lab, 20.64% of all phishing threats registered between May 2012 and April 2013 were aimed at accounts of banks and other financial organizations worldwide.

The data received from Kaspersky Security Network is indirectly confirmed by the banks: according to the results of a global surveyconducted in spring 2013 by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab, about 37% of all banks surveyed were affected by phishing attacks at least once over the previous 12 months.

It’s no surprise that banking and e-commerce has attracted unwanted criminal attention: even a successful attack on search pages, social networks or email can only yield personal data. To turn a profit, cybercriminals must find buyers for this information.

However, successfully using fake online banking or shopping pages leads directly to earnings for the scammers.

But despite the widespread dangers of phishing attacks, simply installing a security product with the necessary functionality to protect financial opera-

tions will protect even the most inexperienced users when conducting transactions online.

SAFE MONEY TECHNOLOGY Kaspersky Lab’s products for home users Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky PUREprotect online financial operations by implementing ourSafe Money technology. A key feature of the technology is that it was developed based on analysis of the techniquesused by fraudsters to attack users of online banking services and online stores.

Among its arsenal of protection technologies, Safe Money includes advanced anti-phishing features: for example, the technology prevents the execution of any potentially dangerous code in the browser, thus protecting the user against XSS attacks and attempts to automatically download malware from an infected site. Additionally, the technology checks that users are entering legitimate sites, thanks to its constantly updated database of trusted websites and phishing URLs. At the same time, the heuristic mechanisms integrated in the Kaspersky Lab products can effectively detect malicious links even if they are not included in the database.

Safe Money technology was first introduced in 2012 as part of Kaspersky Internet Security 2013.Since then its advantages have been appreciated by millions of users worldwide.

Yahoo buys Bignoggins for more bright ideas SUNNYVALE: Yahoo has bought Silicon Valley startup Bignoggins Productions as part of its quest for more bright ideas in mobile applications. The acquisition of Bignoggins announced Monday is the latest in a series of mostly small deals that Yahoo Inc. has completed since the Internet company hired Marissa Meyer as its CEO nearly a year ago. Mayer, a longtime executive with Google Inc. before defecting to Yahoo, has been paying relatively small amounts to bring in more compelling technology and mobile engineering talent.

As with most of the other acquisitions completed since Mayer’s arrival, Yahoo didn’t disclose how much it is paying for Bignoggins. That’s a sign the price was too small to have a significant impact on Yahoo, which ended March with $5.4 billion in cash. A chunk of that money has since been spent on Yahoo’s $1.1 billion acquisition of blogging service Tumblr, by far the biggest deal during Mayer’s tenure.

Although Bignoggins deal didn’t dent Yahoo’s wallet, it represents a coup for Bignoggins founder Jerry Shen. He quit his job as a software engineer shortly after starting Bignoggins in San Jose, California, three years ago and proceeded to develop a series of mobile apps for players in fantasy sports leagues.

Bignoggins apps such as “Fantasy Monster” and “Draft Monster ” proved to be popular enough to convince fantasy sports players to pay for the service, helping Shen to finance a trip around the world that his wife, Adrienne, blogged about at http://www.shenventure.com.

Shen, 30, is joining Yahoo’s mobile engineering team at the company’s Sunnyvale, California, headquarters. He is the only Bignoggins employee joining Yahoo.—AP

In ‘golden age’ of surveillance, US has big edge LONDON: The saga of Edward Snowden and the NSA makes one thing clear: The United States’ central role in developing the Internet and hosting its most powerful players has made it the global leader in the surveillance game.

Other countries, from dictatorships to democracies, are also avid snoopers, tapping into the high-capacity fiber optic cables to intercept Internet traffic, scooping their citizens’ data off domestic servers, and even launching cyberattacks to win access to foreign networks.

But experts in the field say that Silicon Valley has made America a surveillance superpower, allowing its spies access to massive mountains of data being collected by the world’s leading communications, social media, and online storage. That’s on top of the United States’ fiber optic infrastructure - responsible for just under a third of the world’s international Internet capacity, according to telecom research firm TeleGeography - which allows it to act as a global postmaster, complete with the ability to peek at a big chunk of the world’s messages in transit.

“The sheer power of the US infrastructure is that quite often data would be routed though the US even if it didn’t make geographical sense,” Joss Wright, a researcher with the Oxford Internet Institute, said in a telephone interview.

“The current status quo is a huge benefit to the US.” The status quo is particularly favorable to America because online spying drills into people’s private everyday lives in a way that other, more traditional forms of espionage can’t match. So countries like Italy, where a culture of rampant wiretapping means that authorities regularly eavesdrop on private conversations, can’t match the level of detail drawn from Internet searches or email traffic analysis.

“It’s as bad as reading your diary,” Wright said. Then he corrected himself: “It’s FAR WORSE than reading your diary.

Because you don’t write everything in your diary.”

Although the details of how the NSA’s “PRISM” program draws its data from these firms remain shrouded in secrecy, documents leaked by spy agency systems analyst Edward Snowden to the Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers said its inside track with US tech firms afforded “one of the most valuable, unique, and productive” avenues for intelligence-gathering.

The pool of information in American hands is vast.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp. accounts for more than 90 percent of the world’s desktop computer operating systems, according to one industry estimate.

Mountain View, California-based Google Inc. carries twothirds of the world’s online search traffic, analysts say.

Menlo Park, California-based Facebook Inc. has some 900 million users - a figure that accounts for a third of the world’s estimated 2.7 billion Internet-goers.

Electronic eavesdropping is, of course, far from an exclusively American pursuit. Many other nations pry further and with less oversight.

China and Russia have long hosted intrusive surveillance regimes. Russia’s “SORM,” the Russian-language acronym for System for Operational-Investigative Activities, allows government officials to directly access nearly every Internet service provider in the country.

Initially set up to allow the FSB, the successor organization to the KGB, unfettered access to Russia’s Internet traffic, the

scope of SORM has grown dramatically since Vladimir Putin took power in 2000 and now allows a wide range law enforcement agencies to monitor Russians’ messages.

In China, surveillance is “pervasive, extensive, but perhaps not as high-tech” as in the United States, said Andrew Lih, a professor of journalism at American University in Washington. He said major Internet players such as microblogging service Sina, chat service QQ, or Chinese search giant Baidu were required to have staff - perhaps as many as several hundred people - specially tasked with carrying out the state’s bidding, from surveillance to censorship.

What sets America apart is that it sits at the center of

HONG KONG: In this June 23, 2013 file photo, a TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping US surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong. — AP

gravity for much of world’s social media, communications, and online storage.

Americans’ “position in the network, the range of services that they offer globally, the size of their infrastructure, and the amount of bandwidth means that the U.S. is in a very privileged position to surveil internationally,” said Wright. “That’s particularly true when you’re talking about cloud services such as Gmail” - which had 425 million active users as of last year.

Many are trying to beat America’s tech dominance by demanding that US companies open local branches something the Turkish government recently asked of San Francisco-based Twitter Inc., for example - or by banning them altogether. Santa Clara, California-based WhatsApp, for example, may soon be prohibited in Saudi Arabia.

Governments are also racing to capture traffic as it bounces back and forth from California, importing bulk surveillance devices, loosening spy laws, and installing centralized monitoring centers to offer officials a one-stop shop for intercepted data.

“Eventually, it won’t just be Big Brother,” said Richard J. Aldrich, the author of a book about Britain’s GCHQ eavesdropping agency. “There will be hundreds of little brothers.”

But the siblings have a lot of catching up to do if they want to match surveillance powers of the United States, and some have turned to cyberespionage to try to even the playing field. A high-profile attack on Gmail users in 2010, for example, was blamed on Chinese hackers, while suspicion for separate 2011 attack on various US webmail services fell on Iran.

But even in the dark arts of cyberespionage, America seems to have mastered the field. Washington is blamed for launching the world’s first infrastructure-wrecking super worm, dubbed “Stuxnet,” against Iran and for spreading a variety of malicious software programs across the Middle East. One US general recently boasted of hacking his enemies in Afghanistan.

In his comments to the South China Morning Post, Snowden said Americans had broken into computer systems belonging to a prominent Chinese research university, a fiber optic cable company and Chinese telecoms providers. “We hack everyone everywhere,” Snowden said.

US officials haven’t exactly denied it.

“You’re commuting to where the information is stored and extracting the information from the adversaries’ network,” ex-NSA chief Michael Hayden told Bloomberg Businessweek earlier this year. “We are the best at doing it.

Period.”— AP

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

MEXICO: (Left) Fisherman collect dead fish piled up in the banks of the lagoon of the Hurtado dam in Acatlan de Juarez. (Right) Dead fish pile up in the banks of the lagoon of the Hurtado dam.—AFP photos

Thousands of fish die in contaminated Mexico reservoir MEXICO: Thousands of fish turned up dead in a western Mexico reservoir after a company that made food for livestock without a permit dumped huge amounts of molasses into the

water, authorities said Monday. The fish were deprived of oxygen after the company poured hundreds of liters of molasses into the canal that feeds into the Hurtado Reservoir in the state of

Third of conifers under threat of extinction OSLO: A third of the world’s conifers, the biggest and longest-lived organisms on the planet, are at risk of extinction, with logging and disease the main threats, scientists said yesterday. The study of more than 600 types of conifers - trees and shrubs including cedars, cypresses and firs updates a “Red List” on which almost 21,000 of 70,000 species of animals and plants assessed in recent years are under threat. “The overall picture is alarming,” said Jane Smart, head of the biodiversity conservation group of the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, grouping scientists, governments and environmental organisations. The IUCN said in a report that 34 percent of conifers were at risk of extinction, up from 30 percent in the last assessment in 1998.

California’s Monterey Pine, the world’s

most widely planted pine and prized as a fast-growing source of pulp, was moved to a rating of “endangered” from “least concern” because of threats such as a spread of fungal disease. Conifers are the largest and longest-lived species on the planet. The Bristlecone Pine can live 5,000 years and the Coast Redwood can grow as high as 110 meters (360 ft).

Craig Hilton-Taylor, manager of the Red List, which is updated twice a year, told Reuters that diseases were compounding existing threats from logging, pollution and forest clearance caused by a rising human population. And global warming might be making conifers, standing in the same place for hundreds or even thousands of years, vulnerable to new pathogens as temperatures and rainfall patterns changed, he said.—Reuters

Red meat tied to worse colon cancer outcomes, study finds NEW YORK: People who report eating the most red and processed meat before being diagnosed with colon cancer are more likely to die during the next eight years, according to a new study. “It’s another important reason to follow the guidelines to limit the intake of red and processed meat,” said Marjorie McCullough, the study’s lead author from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta.

While the new study can’t prove eating red or processed meats - such as beef, hot dogs and sausages - causes colon cancer deaths, previous studies have found that eating the meats is tied to an increased risk of developing the cancer.

There’s less evidence, however, on how people’s diets after colon cancer diagnoses affect their chances of survival. The US National Institutes of Health estimates that about 143,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers in 2013, and about 51,000 people will die from them.

For the new research, McCullough and her colleagues used data from a different study on 184,000 Americans who didn’t have cancer between 1992 and 1993, and who were periodically asked about what they ate.

After excluding people, who had - among other things - multiple types of cancer, unverified diagnoses and missing information, the researchers had data on 2,315 men and women who were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer between the start of the study and June 30, 2009. Overall, 966 of them died between the start of the study and December 31, 2010. The researchers found no link between how much red or processed meat a person ate after their diagnosis and

their risk of death, but the amount of meat a person ate before their diagnosis was tied with their risk of dying during the study.

About 43 percent of the 580 people who ate about 10 servings of red or processed meat per week at the start of the study died during the follow up period. That compared to about 37 percent of the 576 people who ate about two servings per week.

The researchers also found that people who consistently ate more red or processed meat before and after their colon cancer diagnosis were more likely to die from that cancer during the study, compared to those who at the least before and after diagnosis.

‘Three or four times per week’ Dr Jeffrey Meyerhardt, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said it’s possible that the link between red and processed meats and colon cancer comes from cancercausing compounds found in cooked meat or preservatives.

“The primary message is a confirmation that increased intake of red or processed meat can have detrimental effects on the development of colon cancer, the type of cancer and other health effects of patients in the long term,” Meyerhardt, a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said. McCullough said about three or four servings of red or processed meats per week is a good target for people. “We’re not saying people need to be vegetarians. It’s really just limiting intake and making it more the exception than the rule,” she said.—Reuters

Jalisco, the mayor of Acatlan de Juarez, Emeterio Corona, told AFP. “The environment and the sustenance of everybody (in the community) was damaged.

What will they live off? I’m outraged. This is a tragedy,” he said on the banks of the reservoir as fishermen removed the dead fish. Arturo Arceo, a member of a fishing cooperative in the com-

munity of San Pedro Valencia, said at least 500 tons of carp and bream were killed. The mayor has requested government help for the 180 families that live off fishing in the reservoir.—AFP

Higgs evidence mounts one year on, so too the suspense PARIS: A year since the discovery of a subatomic particle set the science world aflutter, evidence is mounting it may be the elusive Higgs boson even as researchers warn the suspense is far from over. “We have established without a doubt that we have a new particle, and that it is a boson. What remains to be done is confirm that it is a Higgs,” said physicist Pauline Gagnon, a member of the team that made the discovery at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

The elusive boson dubbed the “God Particle” was theorized by British physicist Peter Higgs in 1964 to be what gave mass to matter as the Universe cooled after the Big Bang. Guided by the theoretical work of Higgs and others, hundreds of scientists have been on a single-minded boson quest for over three years at the CERN’s atom-smashing Large Hadron Collider (LHC). On July 4 last year, physicists announced to rousing applause that they had found an elementary particle “consistent with (the) long-sought Higgs boson”-a scientific milestone.

Finding the Higgs would fill a massive gap in the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the forces, particles and interactions that comprise the Universe. In theory, the Higgs exists as an invisible field, interacting with other particles to give them mass. Without it, humans

and all other joined-up atoms in the Universe would not exist. But while the Standard Model postulates the existence of a single Higgs boson, alternative schools of thought like string theory say there may be at least five. “Have we found THE boson, or perhaps one of several predicted by other theories ...? Until now, everything indicates that this is the Standard Model boson,” Gagnon told AFP. “It has the allure, the look, the song and the dance of the Higgs boson.” Over the past year, physicists have analyzed at least 2.5 times the amount of information they had available at the time of the 2012 announcement.

And they have said the particle now appears to have at least two of the main characteristics expected of a Higgs. In theory, a Higgs boson should have zero “spin,” a measure of momentum. And “parity”-a measure of how its mirror image behaves in quantum physics-should be positive. Having analyzed mountains of data, the CERN said in March the available data pointed to “no spin and positive parity”.

“It is all shaping up exactly the way it should.

Everything we look at looks more and more like a Higgs boson,” said Bill Murray, deputy physics coordinator for the ATLAS experiment at CERN. “We haven’t seen anything that doesn’t look at all the way a Higgs boson should. We have some small tensions in the data with one or two pieces

that are not exactly the way you would expect... but this is not particularly significant.”

More data needed New findings are expected to be unveiled at a conference of the European Physical Society in Stockholm in July, but Gagnon stressed much more data is required for science to be convinced of the particle’s identity. As for Murray: “I’m not sure one will ever say this is the Standard Model Higgs boson. “We will never be able to say it is the only one because there always could be one that is so incredibly heavy that you could never... make it” in the LHC. Ironically, some would prefer the discovery of more than one Higgs, added Gagnon. “Finding just one would confirm the Standard Model”, which describes only about five percent of what the Universe is made up of, she explained. The LHC, straddling the border between Switzerland and France, shut down last month for a two-year revamp that should allow bigger collisions and the creation of heavier particles, perhaps other Higgs bosons. But whatever proof it yields may never be conclusive. In science, explained Murray, “you can never prove something is right, you can only ever prove something is wrong. “All we can do is rule out more and more alternatives.”—AFP

Nearly 21,000 species at risk of extinction GENEVA: A freshwater shrimp, an island-dwelling lizard and a pupfish from Arizona have been declared extinct, while nearly 21,000 species are at risk of dying out, an updated “Red List” released yesterday showed. “The overall picture is alarming,” said Jane Smart of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is behind the Red List of Threatened Species that to date has assessed 70,294 of the world’s 1.82 million known species of plants and animals.

Smart, who heads IUCN’s biodiversity conservation union, insisted urgent and more efficient action was needed “if we are serious about stopping the extinction crisis that continues to threaten all life on Earth.”

According to the update, 20,934 species are currently listed as “threatened with extinction”, compared with 20,219 last October. IUCN’s Red List Manager

Craig Hilton-Taylor pointed out to AFP that the rise of more than 700 species in this category was explained by increased pressure on a number of them. It was also due to species moving down from the more serious “endangered” category, as well as new species being added to the assessment list. Yesterday’s updates focused especially on the decline among conifers, a category of cone-bearing trees and shrubs that includes the world’s oldest and largest organisms, such as the Bristlecone Pine that can live to be almost 5,000 years old and the Coast Redwood which can reach a height of 110 meters (360 feet).

The report, which provided the first global reassessment of conifers since 1998, showed that a full 34 percent of the world’s cedars, cypresses, firs and other such plants are threatened with extinction-compared with 30 percent 15 years ago. A full 33

species of conifers had declined during this period, with the number now in the “endangered” category, teetering on the edge of extinction, jumping to 27 from 20 in 1998, according to HiltonTaylor.

“We are sending a warning,” he told AFP, stressing the huge importance of conifers both in economic terms as sources for paper and timber industries, and in environmental terms for their role of sequestering carbon. “The more we have deforestation in the northern hemisphere, the greater the impact will be in terms of climate change,” he said.

Yesterday’s report also provided the Red List’s first-ever global assessment of freshwater shrimps, lamenting that a full 28 percent of the carideans vital to freshwater ecosystems are threatened with extinction. One such species, the Macrobrachium leptodactylus, was declared extinct after it fell

“victim of habitat degradation and urban development,” it said.

The Cape Verde Giant Skink, a lizard that had lived on a single island and two small islets and which was last seen in 1912, was also declared extinct, as was the Santa Cruz Pupfish, once found in the Santa Cruz River basin in Arizona, which disappeared due to water depletion.

Hilton-Taylor told AFP it varies greatly how quickly a species can be declared extinct, pointing out that the Cape Verde Giant Skink was believed to have been driven into extinction 100 years ago by the introduction of rats and cats, but that its rocky habitat had made it difficult to determine for sure that it was gone. The Santa Cruz Pupfish, meanwhile, had not been seen in the wild since the 1960s, he said, voicing hope though that “it may still be in some hobbiest collection somewhere.”—AFP

Ramadan fasting permissible for many with type 2 diabetes Religious requirement can be conducted safely in consultation with doctors DUBAI: Local doctors are giving the green light to Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes to fast during Ramadan, with benefits ranging from weight loss and reduced blood pressure to lowered cholesterol and healthy blood sugar levels.

Urging strict compliance with doctors’ orders, diet-controlled and oralhypoglycaemic agent-controlled diabetics can fast and take advantage of the health benefits associated with the practice, provided they adhere to their prescribed medication and ensure they do not overindulge at Iftar, or the breaking of the fast.

Type 2 diabetic individuals are those whose pancreases produce insulin - the hormone that controls blood glucose but not in sufficient quantities, meaning they need either a restrictive diet with

low carbohydrates, or medication to adequately regulate their blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetic patients’ pancreases produce no insulin at all, resulting in those with this condition having to take regular insulin shots each day. “ While we urge type 1 diabetic patients to exercise extreme caution should they decide to fast, type 2 patients can take advantage of Ramadan. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by excessive weight and obesity.

Weight reduction leads to improved cholesterol and blood pressure levels in these patients,” said Dr Mahmoud Benbarka, Consultant Endocrinologist and Head of the Diabetes Clinic at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi.

“It’s important to stress, though, that Muslims with type 2 diabetes do not

overeat upon breaking their fast. Iftar meals tend to involve heavy, fatty foods that are high in calories and have lots of refined carbohydrates, such as rice and bread and these can send blood sugar levels sky high,” he added.

According to a spokesperson for Cinfa, a Spanish pharmaceutical company that produces oral medication to treat type 2 diabetes, patients should follow the treatment regimens as prescribed by their doctors and avoid indulging in fatty foods and sweets. They should also test their blood sugar levels at least twice a day before breaking their fast, with one test taking place around 4pm. If below 70 mg/dL, they need to immediately break their fast to avoid hypoglycaemia, which is a potentially dangerous drop in blood sugar levels

that can occur in diabetes.

“Patients prescribed medication for their diabetes should continue to take it as instructed,” said Khalid Amin, Regional Director of Cinfa. “Oral preparations shouldn’t be stopped simply because the person prescribed them thinks they no longer need them as they are not eating in the daytime. The medication regime should continue alongside regular blood sugar monitoring to detect for signs of hypoglycaemia,” he added.

Symptoms of hypoglycaemia include nervousness, sweating, intense hunger, trembling, weakness, palpitations, and sufferers often have trouble speaking. In severe cases it can necessitate hospitalization and can even lead to coma and death. If these symptoms are experienced, or the blood sugar reading is

below 70 mg/dL, a quick snack of crackers and a glass of milk, or the equivalent, will reverse the condition almost immediately. More than 50 million Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes choose to fast during Ramadan. The message is that for the vast majority, the practice can be healthy and fit in with religious obligations with no ill effects. “Muslims with type 2 diabetes should consult their doctor about their intention to fast as a suitable health care professional will be able to provide valuable advice on how to undertake this important requirement,” said Dr Benbarka. “The bottom line is that it can be achieved easily and can have positive health effects if proper care is exercised through regular blood sugar tests and not overindulging at Iftar,” he added.

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

Fasting made simple for diabetics during the holy month of Ramadan

Dr Monira Al-Arouj KUWAIT: Although strictly advised against fasting during Ramadan by doctors, majority of diabetic patients continue fasting during the holy month, exposing themselves to high rate of acute complications like hypoglycaemia and dehydration. To help these patients Novar tis has issued safety measures which will create awareness on the precautionary steps, balanced diet and constant monitoring of blood sugar lev-

el. “Fasting has very high chances of adversely affecting diabetic patients because long hours without food and drink can significantly reduce the blood sugar levels leading to complications like unconsciousness, seizures, brain damage and ver y rarely death. Through a balanced diet plan and strict monitoring of blood sugar level these complications can be avoided,” says Dr Rayaz A Malik, Professor of Medicine & Consultant Physician speaking at a recently held seminar on Diabetes and the fasting population in Ramadan. “ The increased risk of hypo glycemia caused by fasting can be severe and even life threatening for patients with type 2 diabetes. Hence it is absolutely impor tant for patients to follow individualized management plan in consultation with their doctors.” says Dr Monira Al-Arouj, Consultant Diabetologist and Assistant Direc tor of the Dasman Diabetes Institute.

During fasting, the circulating glucose levels in the blood tend to fall due to decreased insulin secretion. For diabetic patients, insulin secretion is severely affected by the

disease and prolonged hours of fasting can lead to hypoglycaemia, and dehydration.

M ore than 50 million Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes fast during Ramadan every year, abstaining from food, water and the use of oral medications between dawn and sunset.

Fasting can have important health

blood or hyperglycaemia, if not controlled can lead to organ damage.

Novartis is distributing patient education booklets and glucometers through health clinics to raise awareness on the safety measures. The education booklet has been developed in consultation with medical professionals. Here are some of safety measures from the booklet:

Diabetic patients are often advised against fasting due to the severe risk factors involved.

However, with a balanced diet and constant monitoring diabetics can safely fast during Ramadan. consequences for type 2 diabetes patients, including up to a sevenfold increased risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels) that can result in difficulty in concentrating, coma, seizures and even death.

During Ramadan, diabetic patients are also exposed to different food options without knowledge of level of calories or sugar content.

Due to prolonged hours of fasting there is a tendency to overeat which can lead to excess sugar level in the

• Consult your doctor a few weeks before Ramadan to come up with an individualized management plan • Monitor your blood glucose level frequently, multiple times a day. If the glucose levels are noticed to be very low, break the fast immediately • It is very important to maintain constant body weight throughout Ramadan and that can take place only through a balanced diet. Tips for a balanced diet: 1. Eat more vegetables and fruits;

choose colored variety, non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green kidney beans your meals.

2. Choose the whole grain foods instead of processed grains; choose the wheat macaroni or the brown rice instead of white rice.

3. Use the liquid oils in cooking instead of solid fats. Solid fats are high saturated. Remember that fats are high calories.

4. C hoos e t he b e e f s l i ce s ; to reduce the fat ratio you eat, remove the fat skin of chicken or turkey.

5. Choose products of non-fat milk such as non-fat milk, non-fat yogurt, non-fat cheese.

6. Drink water or diet drinks free from calories, have a little normal soda and fruit juices, sweetened tea and other drinks sweetened with sugar.

7. In your meals, eat the dried k idney beans and lentil. K idney beans and lentil contain high ratio of protein and low ratios of fats.

8. Stay away from snacks and high calorie sweets. Eat a little of food containing high fats and sweets such as chips, biscuit, cake and ice cream.

W H AT ’ S O N

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Greetings

Banking sector employees enjoyed an open day with their families at the Ice Skating Rink, organized by the Kuwait Banks Club in cooperation with the Touristic Enterprises Company.

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appy wedding anniversary to Mani Mathew and Valsamma Mani who celebrate 25 years of their married life today.

Greetings from Jomy Mathew, Joel Mathew, friends and relatives.

Announcements 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 above-mentioned purpose only.

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8th Expo Pakistan to commence in September he 8th Expo Pakistan will be held from Sept 26 to 29 in Karachi. Held annually, Expo Pakistan is the biggest trade fair in the country showcasing the largest collection of Pakistan’s export merchandise and services.

Foreign Exhibitors also use the event to launch their products. Expo Pakistan 2012 was visited by delegates from 52 countries and generated a business of over $ 518 million. A 16 member delegation from Kuwait including reputable companies like Al-Yasra Foods also took part in the last exhibition.

Expo Pakistan 2013 is being held under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan. Details about the event can be viewed www.expopakisan.gov.pk.

Further information and details of sponsorship can be obtained from the office of Commercial Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Jabriya (25356594) during office hours.

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Pakistan safe for tourists

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mbassador of Pakistan to Kuwait Syed Abrar Hussain has said that despite Nanga Parbat tragedy on 22 June, foreign tourists continue to come to the northern areas of Pakistan.

Only last week around 25 foreign tourists, including mountaineers and trekkers, reached Pakistan to carry out their tourism missions. The ambassador said that the incident targeting foreign tourists is condemnable, however, the spirit of the tourists is high and 25 tourists from different countries, including Ireland, Canada and Czechoslovakia flew from Islamabad to Skardu on June 27, 2013 for tourism activities in various parts of the mountainous region.

He said that tragic killing of 10 foreign climbers on June 22 at the base camp of Nanga Parbat may not be unique to Pakistan alone as other parts of the world too, in the past, have witnessed such dastardly acts. However, as it was the first such incident in Pakistan that involved killing of foreign tourists, it drew countrywide condemnation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described it as

‘inhuman and cruel act’, the parliament unanimously passed a resolution to condemn the attack and the Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan declared that the attack on foreigners was an attack on Pakistan.

Northern areas of Pakistan including Nanga Parbat, world’s ninth highest peak, are known for their stunning beauty. Thousands of tourists, including mountaineers from Europe, come to these places each year during summer.

The famous Himalayas are also located here which offer some of the most spectacular climbing in the world. The money from the licenses and the jobs created by the adventure tourism industry are an essential source of income in the region which may get affected by such incidents.

The government of Pakistan has ordered for a thorough investigation of the incident and has reiterated its resolve to provide maximum security to foreign travelers. “We are committed to make Pakistan a safe place for tourists,” the Prime Minister has said.

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

The civil society including people from the area have also strongly condemned this act of terrorism and have

demonstrated firm resolve to support the national cause of protecting foreign travelers from terrorists.

YIACO celebrates 60th anniversary

EMBASSY OF CANADA he 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, U.A.E. 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 will be closed on Monday July 1st 2013, for Canada Day, and will resume its duties on Tuesday 2 July 2013. 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.

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IACO Medical Co recently celebrated its 60th anniversary of operations in Kuwait at the Marina Crescent on June 14, 2013. YIACO hosted a special event where the public had the chance to participate in exciting competitions and games to win 60 wonderful prizes. The event was broadcasted live via Marina FM. People had chances to win 60 valuable prizes ranging from Samsung Galaxy Note 2, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII, iPads minis and airline tickets and much more in a fun and interactive atmosphere with competition questions related to the host company. The management and staff at YIACO held a successful event where they had the opportunity to engage and interact with the people in a joyous and celebratory manner. On this occasion, Chairman of YIACO Medical Co Nafel M Al-Hathal said, “On

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 DS-160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS-160 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 I-20.

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

this occasion, I extend my warmest congratulations to the management and staff of YIACO on the occasion of completing 60 years of successful operations in Kuwait and would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the staff for their services.”

Worthy to mention some of YIACO Medical Co’s greatest achievements since its establishment in 1953 as the first pharmaceutical marketing company in Kuwait include: establishing the largest pharmacy chain in Kuwait; being listed fifth in the top 20 services companies and 17th among the top companies in the Middle East by Forbes Middle East magazine in 2012; and establishing the first Medical BOT project with Kuwait by building and operating the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Laboratory Center in Al Adan Hospital.

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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.

ASSE Kuwait chapter execs meet KNPC CEO

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merican Society of Safety Engineers-Kuwait Chapter Executive committee members met Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, CEO, KNPC on June 30, 2013 at KNPC Head Office. The meeting kicked off with a welcome address by Fadhel Al-Ali, Chairman, ASSE Kuwait Chapter wherein he thanked KNPC Management for the support and encouragement extended towards the ASSE Kuwait Chapter Activities. Mohiuddeen, Director, 7th International PDC, Health Safety Security Environment Conference briefed about

the upcoming conference. Vasudevan, President, Mohammad Riaz Shareef, Vice President & Golamari Sampath Reddy, Secretary of ASSE Kuwait Chapter were the other attendees who actively participated in the discussion. Mutairi appreciated the efforts of ASSE Kuwait Chapter for their good work being done in the region and assured to continue the support for ASSE Kuwait Chapter’s Upcoming HSSE Conference and other activities. As part of token of appreciation and gratitude, Ali handed over a memento to Mutairi.

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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

University of Dundee honors Dr Behbehani

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ecently the University of Dundee in Scotland, on the advice of the Board of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, the Senatus Academicus granted Dr Kazem Behbehani, Director-General of Dasman Diabetes Institute “The Honorary Professor Appointment - Medical Research Institute”. This appointment is to acknowledge the enormous efforts Behbehani has exerted and been involved in over the past decades and to recognize his contributions to the academic, research and medical field locally, regionally and internationally.

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Pravasaandhra TDP donates to Uttarakhand flood victims

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ravasaandhra Telugu Desam, Kuwait recently chipped in with Indian Rs 100,000 towards aid for the victims of the Uttarakhand floods through NTR trust. Pravasaandhra TDP, Kuwait President Mulakala Subbarayudu Naidu, Secretary Malepati Suresh Babu Naidu appreciated the generous Telugu

people living in Kuwait who contributed the amount. Pravasaandhra TDP Coordinator CH Venkata Apparao and Treasurer Sudarshan Naidu handed over the cheque to Chandra Babu Naidu recently. Chadra Babu also lauded the efforts of Pravasaandra TDP, Kuwait.

EMBASSY AFRICAN EMBASSY During the holy month of Ramadan, the South African Embassy will be open to the public, Sunday through Thursday from 09:00 am to 14:00 pm. Please note that the Consular Section operation hours will be from 09:30 am to 12:00 pm, Sunday through Thursday.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

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How the battle over ‘Star Trek’ rights Killed JJ Abrams’ dreams

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struggle over the USS Enterprise’s past and future helped sour JJ Abrams on the “Star Trek” franchise and may have contributed to his decision to take on the “Star Wars” universe. Competing ambitions between Paramount, CBS and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot over merchandising surrounding the first film in the rebooted “Star Trek” franchise led the director to curtail plans to turn the series into a multi-platform experience that spanned television, digital entertainment and comic books, according to an individual with knowledge of the dispute.

JJ just threw up his hands,” the individual told TheWrap. “The message was, ‘Why set up all this when we’ll just be competing against ourselves?’ The studio wanted to please Bad Robot, but it was allowing CBS to say yay or nay when it came to what was happening with the ‘Star Trek’ products.” “Star Trek Into Darkness” arrives in US multiplexes Thursday with tie-ins ranging from Bing to Hasbro. It is expected to gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office over the extended weekend.

Yet this marketing assault pales compared to the one that Abrams (above) and Bad Robot once envisioned for “Star Trek” and now plan to construct around the new “Star Wars” films. A major stumbling block: “Star Trek’s” licensing and merchandising rights are spread over two media conglomerates with competing goals.

The rights to the original television series from the 1960s remained with CBS after it split off from Paramount’s corporate parent Viacom in 2006, while the studio retained the rights to the film series. CBS also held onto the ability to create future “Star Trek” TV shows.

Paramount must license the “Star Trek” characters from CBS Consumer Products for film merchandising.

Much to the dismay of Bad Robot, CBS’ merchandising arm continued to create memorabilia and products based on the cast of the original 1960s series and market them to Trekkies. The production company did market research and found that there was brand confusion between Abrams’ rebooted Enterprise crew and the one starring William Shatner and DeForest Kelley.

TheWrap has learned that Bad Robot asked CBS to stop making products featuring the original cast, but talks broke down over money. The network was making roughly $20 million a year on that merchandise and had no incentive to play nice with its former corporate brother, the individual said. In response, the company scaled back its ambitions to have “Star Trek’s” storylines play out with television shows, spin-off films and online components, something Abrams had been eager to accomplish.

Paramount declined to comment for this article and a spokesperson for Bad Robot did not respond to a request to comment. “As the merchandising rights holder for Star Trek, CBS Consumer Products has ongoing relationships with all our partners, including Paramount,” a spokesman for CBS Consumer Products said in a statement. “We have worked closely with them for the last five years to create merchandise to enhance the movies and satisfy fans. We are all looking forward to a successful opening of ‘Into Darkness.’”—AP

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Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Food Wars Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Unique Eats Chopped

X-MEN FIRST CLASS ON OSN ACTION HD

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

Kuwait

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (27/06/2013 TO 03/07/2013) SHARQIA-1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) MAN OF STEEL (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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FOR SALE

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Mitsubishi Galant, model 2013, excellent condition, 10,500 km, registration up to end of 2015, price KD 3,150/-. Contact: 97487330.

(C 4452) 1-7-2013

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

Airlines QTR JZR RJA THY ETH JZR GFA UAE ETD LZB FDB MSR OMA QTR RBG KAC KAC KAC KAC THY DHX FDB BAW FDB JZR JZR JZR MEA IRM KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR IRM FDB IRA ETD QTR UAE GFA MEA IAW MSC IRM TMA KNE JZR JZR JZR JZR MSR JAI FDB OMA ABY ETD MEA AXB KLM

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 3/7/2013 Flt Route 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 644 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 539 CAIRO 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 7779 BOURGAS 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 557 ALEXANDRIA 382 DELHI 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 302 MUMBAI 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 53 DUBAI 529 ASSIUT 555 ALEXANDRIA 1541 CAIRO 406 BEIRUT 1146 MASHAD 344 CHENNAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 1186 TEHRAN 55 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 6130 DOHA 4987 DUBAI 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 157 BAGHDAD 403 ASSIUT 1188 MASHAD 213 BEIRUT 470 JEDDAH 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 505 LUXOR 1543 CAIRO 606 LUXOR 572 MUMBAI 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 129 SHARJAH 933 ABU DHABI 402 BEIRUT 489 COCHIN 417 AMSTERDAM

Time 0:05 0:20 0:30 1:40 1:45 0:40 1:55 2:25 2:30 2:35 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:30 6:25 7:30 6:15 7:25 7:50 4:35 5:10 5:50 6:30 7:45 6:40 6:20 6:25 9:45 12:20 8:20 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:45 10:05 10:40 10:55 11:00 11:35 11:45 12:00 12:15 11:35 12:00 12:30 8:20 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:05 20:15 20:35 21:05

ALK FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE MSR THY CLX KNE IYE QTR FDB IRC MSR SVA RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL SVA GFA KNE NIA QTR FDB GFA MSC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR UAE ETD QTR GFA QTR JAI FDB AIC UAL DLH JAI MSR THY FDB JZR JZR JZR

229 8057 788 672 786 774 674 542 102 790 166 618 871 610 766 792 480 826 140 57 6692 575 500 640 134 303 857 127 982 510 215 462 251 144 63 219 405 538 357 777 177 535 257 787 189 481 859 307 136 217 146 576 59 975 981 636 574 614 772 8053 239 135 185

COLOMBO DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI JEDDAH RIYADH DUBAI CAIRO NEW YORK MEDINAH PARIS DOHA DUBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL LUXEMBOURG TAIF SANAA DOHA DUBAI MASHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH JEDDAH AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES RIYADH BAHRAIN MEDINAH ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SOHAG SHARM EL SHEIKH MASHAD JEDDAH DUBAI CAIRO BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI SABIHA DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL DUBAI AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA BAHRAIN DUBAI

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

Airlines AIC JAI UAL DLH MSR JZR RJA THY THY ETH LZB UAE FDB MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR JZR FDB GFA RBG THY JZR KAC BAW FDB JZR KAC JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB QTR ETD IRA IRM MEA UAE JZR QTR GFA KAC MEA IAW KAC JZR JZR KAC MSC JZR KAC IRM KNE JZR IRM TMA

Departure Flights on Wednesday 3/7/2013 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 1542 CAIRO 645 AMMAN 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 7780 BOURGAS 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 504 LUXOR 70 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 558 ALEXANDRIA-BORG EL ARAB 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 164 DUBAI 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 117 NEW YORK 534 CAIRO 789 MADINAH 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 602 SHIRAZ 1187 TEHRAN 407 BEIRUT 4987 BEIRUT 356 MASHHAD 6131 DOHA 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 405 BEIRUT 158 AL NAJAF 175 FRANKFURT 776 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 1189 MASHHAD 461 MADINAH 176 DUBAI 1147 MASHHAD 223 DUBAI

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 0:05 0:20 0:25 0:30 0:30 1:20 1:30 2:20 2:40 2:45 3:25 3:45 3:50 4:15 4:20 4:20 4:25 5:15 5:35 6:20 6:30 7:00 7:05 7:10 7:25 8:00 8:25 8:25 8:50 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:35 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:45 10:50 11:00 11:15 11:25 11:30 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:25 12:30 12:30 12:35 12:50 13:00 13:10 13:10 13:20 13:30 13:45

MSR THY KNE UAE IYE FDB CLX QTR IRC MSR KAC FDB KAC SVA JZR KAC RJA JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR KNE NIA QTR FDB GFA JZR MSC KAC MSR JAI FDB ABY KAC KAC OMA KAC MEA DHX FDB KLM ETD ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC QTR JAI JZR JZR KAC JZR

611 767 481 872 827 58 792 141 6693 576 673 8058 617 503 188 773 641 238 135 304 538 128 858 511 216 982 184 266 471 252 145 64 220 134 404 283 619 571 62 120 331 361 648 351 403 171 8054 417 934 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 205 147 575 554 1540 415 528

CAIRO ISTANBUL TAIF DUBAI RIYAN MUKALLA DUBAI GIALAM DOHA MASHHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI DUBAI DOHA MADINAH DUBAI RIYADH AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA-BORG EL ARAB DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ASSIUT DHAKA ALEXANDRIA-BORG EL ARAB MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM COLOMBO MUSCAT KOCHI BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI DAMMAM SHARJAH ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA-BORG EL ARAB CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR ASSIUT

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

34

stars CROSSWORD 239

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) You have an inborn ability to guide and lead others through the hurdles of life. You could be very much in demand as a counselor—even if you are not a counselor.

Solving problems in the workplace seems easier than usual. There is an instinct to be powerful and in control—pulling the strings. This is a good day to get things done. There is good eyehand coordination and a sustained effort that will make most any task run well. You may feel like exercising or getting out and about this evening. Perhaps visiting friends or dinner out with a loved one is in order now. Emotions are very present but within control. If you are entertaining this evening, you will not have to fish for compliments. Having everything prepared in advance, you have time to visit.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) There are many opportunities to make practical decisions today—you may need to give yourself a little time before responding in some cases. Your ideas run deeper than superficial issues in which an interest in depth psychology could evolve. Your sense of responsibility is so well developed that you may find you are managing things a little more than you would like at this time. This may be a good time to put in for an upgrade in your employment.

You are needed to interact in the ways you know best. When you are more able to express your talents you will appreciate more and you will be appreciated more. The people with whom you work will enjoy a little time out to laugh this afternoon. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. Inquire about.

4. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles.

11. (physics and chemistry) The smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element.

15. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

16. A word or phrase spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.

17. A network of intersecting blood vessels or intersecting nerves or intersecting lymph vessels.

18. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).

19. Of an instrument of certain death.

20. Razor clams.

21. Lower in esteem.

23. A tool for tamping (e.g., for tamping tobacco into a pipe bowl or a charge into a drill hole etc.).

24. A contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite.

25. A mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast.

27. Any of several tall tropical palms native to southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts.

30. Disinclined to work or exertion.

33. The capital and largest city of Venezuela.

36. Untie the lashing of.

38. A son who has the same first name as his father.

39. The administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma.

40. French writer remembered for his swashbuckling historical tales (1802-1870).

45. A chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40.

48. The district occupied entirely by the city of Washington.

49. The goddess of the moon.

51. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

52. Of or relating to Attica or its inhabitants or to the dialect spoken in Athens in classical times.

54. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

55. Russian country house.

57. Leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion.

60. Lap that forms a cloth border doubled back and stitched down v 1.

61. (Hindu) A manner of sitting (as in the practice of Yoga).

69. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

70. The mission in San Antonio where in 1836 Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico.

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

73. Black tropical American cuckoo.

74. Of or relating to or in the manner of the playwright Henrik Ibsen.

77. Being two more than fifty.

78. The last (12th) month of the year.

79. City in central Iran.

80. Water frozen in the solid state.

DOWN 1. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

2. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

3. God of love and erotic desire.

4. The properties characteristic of the male sex.

5. Used of a single unit or thing.

6. Brass (or a yellow alloy resembling brass) that was hammered into thin sheets.

7. Struck with fear, dread, or consternation.

8. Crowd or pack to capacity.

9. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

10. Before noon.

11. Used especially in treating bruises.

12. Testacean rhizopods.

13. Of or relating to near the ear.

14. The number of opening per inch of a screen.

22. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

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

28. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

29. To make a mistake or be incorrect.

31. A toroidal shape.

32. A lake in northwestern Russia.

34. (chemistry) Being or containing an acid.

35. A plaster now made mostly from Portland cement and sand and lime.

37. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.

41. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

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

43. The basic unit of money in Thailand.

44. Small genus of mediterranean shrubs.

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

47. A brief description given for purposes of identification.

50. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

53. A crystalline metallic element not found in nature.

56. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.

58. A resident of Ohio.

59. Of or relating to or containing barium.

62. Ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse.

63. A short labored intake of breath with the mouth open.

64. An unofficial association of people or groups.

65. Type genus of the Amiidae.

66. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

67. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

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

71. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

75. A bachelor's degree in science.

76. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

This is a great time to be with others, in any sort of group situation. In the workplace, your day should move along quickly. You have a sense of true understanding and real sacrifice to devote toward worthwhile projects. Dedicated to long-range goals, you are future-oriented. You are intuitive and have an inner drive for all that is emotional, spiritual and magical. You may find yourself an advisor. You listen, as usual, to all sorts of information regarding relationships, progress and positive outcomes.

Since you are artistic, you might consider the paintings of Norman Rockwell. Be careful of quick responses this afternoon—you may misconstrue someone’s meaning. Use sunscreen when you are out exercising today.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You feel understanding and accepting and are easily moved by the problems of others. Psychology in all of its forms is a driving force in your life. An understanding into the needs and wants of others and an appreciation for their frailties, as well as your own, make you more cautious and conservative—pick your battles with care. There is a goal to reach today and your focus is the goal. You are connected to far-seeing visions and group work of all kinds. You may be a bit independent when working with standard policies, however. Your sense of discrimination when it comes to practical issues is excellent. You are quick to compliment good problem-solving techniques in others. You like to work. A loved one needs you tonight.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Discovering what you truly believe in—fighting for it, even—is a high personal priority. You may decide to quietly create an opportunity to push a truth-inlending law or uncover the real story behind a story. Religion, law, politics, travel and higher education are some of the arenas where this may take place. This is a time of testing your limits to see how far you can go. Communicating well is important to you. You will make every effort to be patient and make sure you are understood. You would do well in a career in music, poetry, writing, psychology and philosophy—any realm of the imagination. You can help or teach others by sharing your own understanding. Examining your life is over; living it is now.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Things are happening and your career depends upon your own ambition and drive. You are able to use your good thinking process and you feel what is the right thing to do; you enjoy being in control. A management job is in your future. The secret here is to trust in your own judgment. As long as you are looking for the most positive end, you will do well. It is very important to focus on getting any facts straight—there could be trickery at this time. This is a better time to sell than to buy and a time to eliminate the excessive—carpool.

There is a need to improve channels of understanding and appreciation. Classes in meditation, problem solving and even dancing can be a great activity for you and your partner or mate— consider. Romance is fun this evening.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Your thoughts and ideas may not mesh with the plans and methods of someone you meet with today. You have a radical approach to communities and group work.

You are unusually motivated toward an end result that will help many people. This may not have been your original plan but it has turned out to be just where you need to be. Things will eventually be helpful to your own purpose if you maintain low tones for now. Tall mountains and steep valleys are calling your name. It could be that you enjoy mountain climbing or hanggliding but if you could wait one more month the weather will be much better. You enjoy exploring and extreme sports; you can take advantage of these few weeks to improve the physical status.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may decide that this is the best time to buckle down and secure your career. Your organizational abilities and sense of responsibility guide you and prove successful. There is a special job that you would enjoy. Your career could assume a much more determined and solid form when you consider these things.

Obtaining and exchanging information takes on importance. Being more involved with neighbors or siblings satisfies a deep emotional need. Communicating by phone, e-mail, snail-mail, etc., is where your attention moves this evening—fun topics. Lots of time is spent on your computer later this evening and you have plenty of fun playing a game or chatting with your favorite friend.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You may find yourself very appreciative of your very own skills today. You might enjoy putting together facts, solving problems and finding solutions for others, etc. A renewed appreciation for your work may be apparent to your superiors—in fact, to everybody. A need to be respected is an emotionally charged issue. You develop a knack for organizing things and people, as a sense of ambition and practicality takes hold. Work, achievement and ambition take priority. You are entering into a cycle of mental development that emphasizes the past and your roots in life. Curiosity about such things leads to study and research—perhaps the discovery of a family crest, real estate or home and family planning take on greater importance.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) CAPRICORN Your presence is important in the workplace, particularly today when you are most tempted to stay home. You do tend to overwork and over worry about the people you help and today you are needed in a place similar to a courtroom. You will be able to help guide at least two people today and will help to encourage a piece of mind where frustration has been overwhelming. You are good with people and may find yourself working in a courtroom, hospital or some type of rehabilitation clinic. You may complain of never having any privacy or time to think. You have a pattern of living that seems to throw you into contact with many people. Patience with yourself is extremely important and you will find yourself much more at ease with an art type of outlet.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are able to draw a clear picture of your ideas and others will understand your meaning. The events of the morning have the makings for a bright and witty day. You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of some project requiring a conservative mind. This afternoon you are very out-front and candid with co-workers. Your intensity and passionate approach to life are obvious to all who meet you. Your mind cuts right through all the window dressing and gets right down to the quick. Before anyone knows it, you have the results for everyone to see. You are the first person they run to when personal or business answers are needed. Hug a tree this afternoon. Homemade ice cream deserves your special attention.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Mental discipline should come easily for you. Problems and obstacles are easy to conquer. You know what you are doing so well that you could be chosen to help or teach others. Not to worry, once others learn all the intricacies of what you do, there is room in your day to be more into management. Very little, if any, slips by you as you have special techniques for proofing work or products so that a customer will be writing to your company about how pleased they are with the quality of your products. Your mind is full of practical ideas, especially related to your job or skills. It is good that you seek new ideas in management. You bring a great deal of love to your work. . A strong urge for the social life may find you active this afternoon.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013

lifestyle F a s h i o n

N

aomi Campbell not only owns the clothes she wears, but by her sheer magnetic presence commands the entire runway when she walks it. Donatella Versace knows this well, casting the age-defying 43-year-old to start Paris haute couture week with a bang of indomitable energy. It was a hard act to follow. Monday, the first of three full days of collections, showcased a

universe of divergent and notable styles: From Dutch wunderkind Iris Van Herpen’s organic musings, the diaphanous display by Giambattista Valli in top form, to the supreme elegance of Christian Lacroix’s one-off ode to the late, great designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

Meanwhile, Christian Dior’s Raf Simons broke through the walls of Avenue Montaigne to send

CHRISTIAN DIOR Images projected on the make-shift show walls inside Paris’ Invalides summed up the show’s message: A carpeted salon of Dior’s Right Bank headquarters fused into scenes of exotic red flowers and images of black and Asian models. In other words, with one full year as creative director under his belt, Simons has found the confidence to go beyond the weighty heritage of the 70-yearold house codes and explore his own visions. While the iconic bar jacket popped up in one belted gray wool outfit, its several peplum flaps mirrored the layers of a Japanese kimono.

Elsewhere, looks fully embracing the East were pulled off with panache, such as one off-white silk coat with stiff upturned collar, long front flaps and an incredible jutting back piece. All the looks were supremely feminine. But while all of the globe-trotting turned this show into one of Simons’ most creative, the 53 looks were so diverse that it also was his hardest to make sense of. The brightly-colored Masai looks, for example, were sometimes so vivid they jarred. Still, there were plenty of bold new explorations. Next season, a more focused vision might help sharpen these great fashion ideas.

Models present creations for Christian Dior during the Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2013/2014 collection shows. — AP/AFPphotos

the fashion house on a journey across the four corners of the globe: Encompassing the purity of Asia, the bold Americas, the bright stripes and patterns of Africa’s Masai, with a dash of Europe’s daintywaisted “Parisienne.”

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI With bold and refreshing sense of femininity, Giambattista Valli produced what could well be one of his strongest haute couture shows to date for fall-winter.

Thirty-nine diaphanous creations - in off-white, pale gray, mid red and soft Renaissance blue stunned revellers Monday evening with their finely balanced play of texture, layering and transparency. A series of truncated full silk shirts, that flared from the waist, softly blossomed thanks to myriad ruffles cut - in a masterly touch - on the bias. While myriad floral embroiderings added a delicacy. One black and white bustier dress with tulle sported an exquisite satin in lilac blue gathered silk section that flowed over the model’s hip, and billowed like a loose flower.

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Wild nature was in the spotlight for Dutch wunderkind Iris Van Herpen, who produced a typically organic-infused couture display for fall-winter. The show venue-among the pillared architecture of the neoclassical science museum - lent itself well to explorations of organisms and exoskeletons that ran through the 11 creations. The twist this season was a neat fusion with Japanese styles. That featured nicely, for example, on a bronze kimono dress with round, large arms in the shape of a moth. Here, scratched detailing evoked the feeling of a perforated cocoon.

The piece de resistance had to be an incredible oval dark gray mini dress that, in its intricate hard ruffles, teaming sinews and un-human shape, looked like a work of abstract sculpture. There was a feeling, however, that Van Herpen is having trouble moving forward creatively from her organic themes - though finely executed, two exoskeletal sheath dresses felt a little like a rehash of old-styles.

SCHIAPARELLI Shoe hats, lobster dresses, and spiraling goggle glasses could easily be part of a closet inventory belonging to Lady Gaga. But these objects were all spawned from the mind of another woman, one born- incredibly - in 1890: the avant-garde Elsa Schiaparelli. The house of the influential fashion designer is being revived this year, and Monday saw famed couturier Christian Lacroix rise to the challenge of creating 18 dresses for a presentation entitled “Homage to Elsa.” It was a sumptuous display. One dress called “Signature,” in luxuriant navy wool crepe and satin piping, sported large pockets in midnight blue faille that formed an imaginative peplum. Elsewhere, a timeless black chiffon gow featured a feathered front with a straight white satin bow and queenly gold collar. In a great touch, the lobster dress was reimagined as a clutch bag. Lacroix was chosen as a one-off designer, and the house is still to name an artistic director. — AP

Models wear creations for French fashion designer Christophe Josse’s Haute Couture FallWinter 2013-2014 collection, Monday. — AP/AFP photos

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Models wear creations by Alexis Mabille.

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here’s a limit, it turns out, to how much Johnny Depp and a bucket of makeup can accomplish. In “The Lone Ranger,” Gore Verbinski’s flamboyant re-imagination of the hokey long-running radio show and ‘50s cowboy TV series, Depp eagerly attempts to recreate the extravagant magic of his similarly farcical Jack Sparrow of Verbinski’s “Pirates of the Caribbean.” With cracked white and black streaks down his face and a dead crow atop his head, Depp’s Tonto (whose look makeup artist Joel Harlow took from the Kirby Sattler painting “I Am Crow”) appears more witch doctor than warrior.

One would think that a so-costumed Depp careening through the Old West with Buster Keaton aplomb would make “The Lone Ranger,” at worst, entertaining.

But Verbinski’s film, stretching hard to both reinvent an out-of-date brand and breathe new life in the Western with a desperate onslaught of bloated set pieces, is a poor locomotive for Depp’s eccentric theatrics. For 2 1/2 hours, the Jerry Bruckheimerproduced “Lone Ranger” inflates, subverts and distorts the conventions of the Western until, in an interminable climax, the big-budget spectacle finally, exhaustingly collapses in a scrap heap of train wreckage.

“The Long Ranger” is, alas, a runaway train. A filmmaker of great excess, Verbinski’s ricocheting whimsy here runs off the rails. Flashback-heavy plot mechanics, occasionally grim violence (bullets land in bodies with the loudest of thwacks, a heart gets eaten) and surrealistic comedy add up to a confused tone that seems uncertain exactly how to position Depp’s Tonto in the movie, to say nothing of Armie Hammer’s wayward Lone Ranger. The film begins with an elderly, leathery Tonto (also Depp, nearly unrecognizable) at a 1933 San Francisco fair where, under a sign labeled “noble savage,” the old Native American regales a young, masked Lone Ranger fan (Mason Cook) about his adventures with John Reid (Hammer).

Previously the sidekick, Tonto plays the starring role in the story, narrating a tall tale of his coming together with Reid, a district attorney who arrives in the frontier town of Colby, Texas, with high ideals of justice and a copy of John Locke’s “Treatise on Government” under his arm. The lawman is made a Texas Ranger when the criminal Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner, ashen and sinister) escapes. The pursuit takes on urgency when Cavendish massacres the rest of the Rangers (including Reid’s brother, played by James Badge Dale), leaving Reid and Tonto to navigate a familiar mid-19th century Old West - the coming railroad, mining development and Indian warfare - with familiar types like the intrepid tycoon Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson) and a one-legged madam (Helena Bonham Carter).

Stepping into Clayton Moore’s boots, the tall, baritone Hammer never looks at ease. While he exudes the Lone Ranger’s earnest wholesomeness, he’s understandably an uncertain straight man alongside Depp’s slapstick. Having to wear a white Stetson and mask in his first starring role feels like yet another humiliation for the Winklevoss twins Hammer memorably played in “The Social Network.”

The most laudable aspect of “The Lone Ranger” is that it attempts to dispel and mock Hollywood’s past Native American ills. Depp, who has claimed he has some Cherokee ancestry, delights in upending false images of Indian mysticism, all the while tossing bird seed to the dead crow on his head.

But “The Lone Ranger,” which was made with much of the “Pirates” team including screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, along with “Revolutionary Road” adapter Justin Haythe, can only be filed alongside “Cowboys and Aliens” and “Wild, Wild West” as ornate films that are so nervous about the modern appeal of the Western that they ruin it by impulsively overstuffing it. The Coen brothers’ “True Grit” and the 2007 remake of “3:10 to Yuma” better understood the genre’s inherent terseness. When Verbinski was last directing and Depp

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was a cartoon lizard, they crafted a far better Western in “Rango.” “The Lone Ranger,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material.

Running time: 149 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. — AP

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ennifer Lopez would not have performed a private concert in Turkmenistan at the weekend had she known about charges of human rights violations in the Central Asian nation, her publicist said on Monday. Human rights campaigners, who accuse Turkmenistan’s government of restricting free speech and jailing political opponents, criticized Lopez for performing at the concert attended by Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Saturday.

The 43-year-old singer came under particular scrutiny after singing “Happy Birthday” to Berdymukhamedov at the event, which was put on for local executives of the China National Petroleum Corp in the resource-rich desert nation. “The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human-right issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended,” Lopez’s publicist Mark Young said in a statement. “This was not a government sponsored event or political in nature,” the statement added.

Rachel Denber, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, commended Lopez for coming clean about the performance but said any sort of vetting on the country should have been easy. “Just do a few Google clicks to look up their human-rights record,” she said. “It’s hard to know why they (pop stars) gravitate

towards these unsavory leaders. It’s worth noting that these leaders want public notice ability and prestige that these celebrities offer.”

Young said the birthday song was not in Lopez’s contract for the show but the company had made a “last-minute ‘birthday greeting’ request” which she obliged.

Berdymukhamedov became Turkmenistan’s president in 2006 after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, who took absolute control of the former Soviet republic following independence in 1991.

Berdymukhamedov’s regime has been accused by Western states at the United Nations of systemic repression of its 5.5 million people, but the country, which has world’s fourth-largest known natural gas reserves, enjoys support from fellow Islamic and Asian nations. Young said there had not been any discussion of Lopez donating her performance fee to charity. Other pop stars, including Mariah Carey and Beyonce, did donate their fees after coming under fire for performing for the family of former Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. — Reuters

“My intention is not to go on Indiegogo and ask people to donate money that will then eventually go into my pocket,” Franco said. Should the films get made (and, with 17 days to go in the campaign and just over $150,000 of his $500,000 goal raised, that is big question mark), Franco hopes to take them on the festival circuit (“I have good relationships with all the best film festivals around the world and the country”). That’s all he seems to know for sure in regards to distributions plans.

When asked if it would be difficult for the filmmakers to adapt his stories, Franco said that most of his own directing projects have been adaptations of books or poems. That no longer includes Andre Dubus III’s book Garden of Last Days. Franco was set to direct and star in the film, only to reportedly drop out of the project a few weeks before shooting was to begin, leaving the financiers out $500,000. — Reuters

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ames Franco wants you to know that his Indiegogo campaign is not like the Kickstarter campaign of his “Oz the Great and Powerful” co-star Zach Braff. One big difference? While Braff used his fans for his own profit, Franco’s raising money to help filmmakers and charity. “I’m not doing this for my own project,” Franco said in a recent interview with UK site Back to the Movies.

When asked how crowdfunding campaigns are changing the film industry, Franco responded: “I’m not using my celebrity to get money for a project that I’m going to direct. This is really to give a chance to talented people that deserve it but maybe wouldn’t have the opportunity to otherwise.” Any profits from the movie, he stressed, go to “raise money for a charity that I care about a lot.”

Braff, of course, raised over $3 million on Kickstarter to film “Wish I Was Here,” which he will write, direct, and star in. He was heavily criticized at the time for asking fans to donate money to a vanity project from which he may profit and his backers definitely will not. Franco is asking for $500,000 to fund three films based on his book Palo Alto Stories, which will be directed by young and mostly untested filmmakers, rather than Franco himself.

Any profits from those movies will go to charity The Art of Elysium.

This publicity image released by Disney shows Johnny Depp as Tonto, right, and Armie Hammer as The Lone Ranger, in a scene from “The Lone Ranger.”—AP

he UN women’s agency is teaming up with actress Geena Davis to support the first global study of how women and girls are portrayed in family films, saying the images have a strong impact on how females see themselves. Gender representation in film influences the perception of women and girls, their self-esteem and the relationships between the sexes, Lakshmi Puri, acting head of UN Women, said Monday.

“We cannot let the negative depiction of women and girls erode the hard gains that have been made on gender equality and women’s empowerment,” Puri said. “We hope that the study will address factors that positively impact the perception of women in society.” UN Women said the study will examine the top-grossing international movies in Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The Academy Award-winning Davis, who played the first female president in the television series “Commander in Chief,” said the dearth of female characters of substance in the media means children are being taught that girls and women “don’t take up half of the space

in the world.” “Media images have an enormous impact on children’s self-esteem and aspirations,” she said in a statement. “This is why we decided to launch a global gender in media study: If girls see it, they can be it.”

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media commissioned the study with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and UN Women.

Results will be released in late 2014. Previous research by the Geena Davis Institute revealed that in U.S. family films only 28.3 percent of all speaking characters were female. Many were depicted in stereotyped and sexualized roles. Only 3.4 percent of business leader characters and 4.5 percent of high-level politicians were women.

Davis, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for “The Accidental Tourist” in 1988 and starred in “Thelma & Louise,” is also a special envoy of the U.N. International Telecommunication Union to promote the empowering role that technology can play in the lives of women and girls. — AP

usic producer Pharrell Williams filed a lawsuit asking a US court to rule he has not violated any trademark that Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am owns for the phrase “I AM.” The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday, said that will.i.am, whose real name is William Adams, has repeatedly sent letters to Williams demanding he stop using versions of the phrase “I AM” on a website founded by Williams, iamother.com.

The website, according to the lawsuit, focuses on “encouraging individuality through different forms of expression.” Trademarks owned by Williams’s company, I Am Other Entertainment, do not have periods between the “i” and the “am,” while those owned by will.i.am do, the lawsuit said.

Further, the lawsuit claimed, will.i.am’s trademark for “I AM” covers clothing and is “relatively weak” because similar trademarks already exist. An attorney for will.i.am was not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit asked the court to declare that the phrase “I Am Other” does not “infringe, dilute or unfairly compete” with will.i.am, said Brad Rose, counsel for Williams. Williams is part of the musical duo The Neptunes and has collaborated with artists including Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and JayZ. The Black Eyed Peas have sold more than 31 million albums, according to will.i.am’s website. The case is I Am Other Entertainment, LLC v William Adams, US District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 134547. — Reuters

Dior, Valli, Versace, Schiaparelli energize Paris

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Members of China National Acrobatic Troupe perform at the Beiteddine Festival in the Lebanese mountains southeast of Beirut. — AFP

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he founder of Cirque du Soleil says his tight-knit performance company, renowned for extravagant shows that challenge the boundaries of the body and the stage, is “completely devastated” after a veteran acrobat died in Las Vegas in a fall witnessed by the audience.

Coroner’s officials said Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, was pronounced dead at a hospital late Saturday night shortly after falling about 50 feet from the show’s stage during a production of “Ka” at the MGM Grand. “I am heartbroken,” Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte said in a statement.

“We are reminded with great humility and respect how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. Our focus now is to support each other as a family.”

While Cirque performers defy gravity every show - soaring over audiences, scaling vertical walls and dangling aloft in aerial ballets - the incident was the first stage casualty in the company’s 29-year history, according to Cirque spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard. Witnesses told the Las Vegas Sun (http://bit.ly/14H3Te0 ) that the accident occurred during a fight scene near the end of the “Ka,” which combines acrobatics with martial arts and puppetry and tells the story of two imperial twins on a quest to reclaim their Far East palace from evil warriors. Visitor Dan Mosqueda of Colorado Springs, Colo, said the woman was being hoisted up the side of the stage when it appeared that she detached from her safety wire and plummeted to an open pit below the stage.

“Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the (show),” he told the Sun. “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.” The show momentarily continued, then stopped. Minutes after the accident, a recorded announcement informed audience members that refunds or vouchers to future shows would be offered, and the crowd was dismissed. Clark County coroner’s officials say

In this Nov 28, 2008, photo, Sarah Guyard-Guillot, left, and Sami Tiaumassi perform as “Forest People” during Cirque du Soleil’s “Ka” at MGM Grand Resort in Las Vegas. — AP photos they expect to rule on the official cause of death yesterday.

Nevada officials said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into the incident, and Cirque officials promised their full cooperation.

Menard said Guillot-Guyard didn’t slip out of her harness, but couldn’t provide additional information about what led to the deadly fall. OSHA’s conclusions aren’t expected for months. Guillot-Guyard, a mother of two, had been with the original cast of “Ka” since 2006, and had been an acrobatic performer for more than 20 years, according to Cirque officials. Born in Paris, she is also listed as the head coach at Cirquefit, a program that offers acrobatic fitness classes for children. On a memorial website in her honor, commenters thanked her for inspiring their chil-

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A cronut sits on a plate at Ansel’s bakery shop.

A cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid, sits on a plate at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York. — AFP photos

ome hungry customers began queueing outside the pastry shop around 3:30 am.

Others managed to keep their taste buds at bay for a few more hours, arriving at the patisserie around 6:00 am. They were all united by a desire to sample the food craze that has gripped New York since its debut a month ago.

Half-doughnut, half croissant: the ‘cronut’ has left the Big Apple’s gourmets in a frenzy. By the time the Dominique Ansel Bakery in the heart of trendy Soho opened its doors to the public at 8:00 am, the slavering customers were at breaking point. Within the hour, every single cronut available has been sold.

The bakery’s owner, Dominique Ansel, says the crowd reflected the typical pattern since the May 18 launch of the the cronut, a food sensation powered by social media. On the first day, 50 were sold. The next day 100 flew off the shelves, within 15 to 20 minutes. Since then the bemused pastry chef has become accustomed to queues of 150 to 200 people winding down the street before the bakery has opened. Ansel settled upon the idea of the cronut after deciding he wanted to create a hybrid pastry that would be instantly recognizable as a marriage of French and American food cultures.

His revolutionary confection offers the deli-

The final fight scene is performed on a vertical stage during Cirque du Soleil’s “Ka” at MGM Grand Resort in Las Vegas.

dren, recalled her “infectious laugh” and poured out their condolences in English and French.

The accident occurred while Cirque’s top executives, including president Daniel Lamarre, were in Las Vegas to celebrate the premiere of “Michael Jackson One” at Mandalay Bay. While accidents are rare - and until now, never fatal - they do happen. On Wednesday night, a performer in a preview of “Michael Jackson One” suffered a mild concussion after missing the protective pad below an act and landing on the stage. That artist is expected to return to the show. “The reason there’s been so few accidents is they pay so much attention to safety,” said Larry Lester, who has worked in theater and previously oversaw live action shows at Universal Studios before launching an

cate puff pastry of a traditional croissant shaped into a round doughnut, which is then deepfried, filled with cream, rolled in maple sugar and coated with a light glaze. It’s soft yet crunchy, light and delicious, say the cronut’s devotees. Ansel, regarded as one of the most talented pastry chefs in New York, said settling upon the cronut recipe was a painstaking process. “It took me about two months to perfect the recipe,” Ansel told AFP. It is so perfect that Jessica Amaral, 30, thought nothing of leaving home at 3:00 am to get in line. The two cronuts she is buying are a treat for her husband to mark the couple’s eighth wedding anniversary. “I am the idiot, I read online that people were arriving at three...

The others started to arrive at five. It’s my eighth year anniversary, I thought it would be nice for my husband.” Just behind Amaral in the queue stood Steven Go, a chef who arrived from his home in Staten Island shortly after 5:00 am, at the behest of his wife. Justin Gorder, a 30-yearold salesman, travelled an hour from New Jersey.

Irvin, a trader, bashfully admitted he should already be at work. Gina, meanwhile, arrived in a taxi at 6:30 am, clutching her four-month-old baby. To satisfy the largest possible number of

entertainment design firm. “They’re constantly looking at that.

They’re constantly practicing.” Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil was established in 1984 and now includes more than 1,300 artists, according to its website. “Ka” is one of 20 shows playing around the world this year - eight of which are based in Las Vegas. “Cirque du Soleil is at the very pinnacle at these types of shows,” Lester said. No reopening date has been set for “Ka,” Menard said. — AP

customers, patrons are restricted to two cronuts each. At first, customers could snaffle six at a time, but Ansel restricted it to two after discovering the cronuts he sold for $5 each were changing hands on the Internet at up to $50 a

French pastry chef Dominique Ansel poses with a cronut at his bakery shop.

piece. At 8:00 am, the wait was over. Ansel flung open the doors and welcomed his first customers. By 8:56, almost all of the approximately 250 to 300 cronuts available have been sold. A bakery employee distributed madeleine pastries, advising people who arrived at 7:00 am they had a “40 percent” chance of satisfying their craving.

By 9:05 am, Ansel broke the bad news to those outside his shop who have missed out.

“We are sold out for today,” he said. Inside, around 20 people waited anxiously to snap up the final cronuts on sale. A crafty customer offered to sell his place in the queue for $100.

His offer was accepted by two friends who delightedly came away with two cronuts each.

Immediately behind stood Jessica McCord.

She was furious, but consoled herself by opting for a kouign amann, the Breton cake that is a house specialty. Meanwhile, Irvin, late for work, hungrily devoured his cronuts. A young woman meanwhile prepared to take her prized pastries, nestling in a golden case, to share with work colleagues. McCord was disappointed to have missed out, but the experience will not deter her. “We’ll be back,” she sighed. — AFP